METHOD AND EQUIPMENT FOR UNDERWATER ATTACHMENT

Abstract: An underwater attachment method and appliance for different lifting, searching and follow-up tasks. According to the basic principle of the invention when the attaching appliance meets the surface of an object a power supply (13) fitted to the attaching appliance is activated and thereafter the ignition device (18) in the attaching appliance causes a detonation, which ignites the material compound (12) to be combusted and the flame is guided into the combustion space (19), which is restricted by a thinned gripping material layer (1) which is burnt through under the influence of the flame so that the flame can directly affect the basic material (21) which starts to fuse, whereupon the metal expanding whilst melting thrusts inside the attaching appliance and solidifies in the gripping channels (3) in the gripping material layer (1) and forms metallic gripping bridges between the attaching appliance and the basic material (21).

Description: Method and equipment for underwater attachment The object of this invention is an attachment method and equipment for various lifting, anchoring, searching and follow up methods, especially suitable for underwater circumstances. Equipments heretofore known for achieving attaching joints under water are based on a fastening weld achieved with the aid of an external power supply. Such known appliances are thus slow and their operational radius and movement are limited and hampered by the length and the stiffness of the cable carrying the welding current. The purpose of the invention here presented is to eliminate the disadvanteges and weaknesses characteristic to the earlier known methods and equipment and thus to before all achieve an appliance for attachment joints under water that is faster and easier to use, This aim is achieved with the attaching method and equipment according to the invention, the distinctive characteristics of which are presented in the attached patent claims. The basic principle of the invention is thus based upon the ingenious conception that instead of a separate power supply, a power supply fitted to the attaching device is used and a fusing, blast activated with the current obtained from it, which fastens the attaching appliance, and possibly an auxiliary device fastened to it, permanently to the object to be gripped. Amongst the advantages of the invention must also be men¬ tioned that the size of the attaching appliance is small, thus enabling its versatile use and at the same time, be¬ cause the gripping appliance is easy to automate for re¬ mote control, this fundamentally eases movement of the attaching appliance in space that are awkward to access and confined. The invention is exe plarily described in the following with the,aid of an advantageous example of its application by referring to the accompanying drawing in which is shown a cross section of attachment equipment according to the 5 invention seen from the side. In an advantageous application form the attachment appliance consists of a cup-like body part 7 for direction towards the object to be gripped, intended"to be open at its end 10 and made to advantage in metal and in which is .fitted the necessary equipment according to the invention for guiding the attaching appliance to the objective item and the inside of which is fitted with sufficient devices for the pre-fast- ening of the attaching appliance to the object according to 5 the invention and ' sufficient devices fpr the triggering of the fusion joining process at the point between the basic material 21 and the gripping material 1 in the attaching ap¬ pliance. 2.0 In the drawing according to the exemplary case a remotely controlled torpedo-shaped part (22) is used as the guiding device of the attaching appliance, onto the en of which an attaching device according to the Invention is fastened. In this connection it must be emphasized that this type of *5 control device is only one advantageous form of carrying out control and as is obvious to the specialist in this field it is natural that other applications of use are possible. The equipment according to the invention, for pre-fasten-ing 0 the attaching appliance, consists of a magnetic ring 2, which has been fitted onto the open end of the body part 7, advantageously onto the internal circumference 7 of the body and which on meeting the basic material to which attachment is to be made magnetically clamps the attaching 5 appliance into place. In order to close the end of the open body ' part 7, so as to prevent for example, water flowing and in order to achieve the grip formed by the fusing detonation,the drawing accord¬ ing to the exemplary case shows a uniform disk 1 of gripping material, advantageously of metal,fastened to the inner side of the magnetic ring 2 on the side abutting the attachment surface. The appliance bringing about the fusion detonation-consists of a switch 20 fitted to the end of the body part 7, advantageously on its external circumference, so that when the'magnetic ring 2 meets the basic material of the object for attachment the switch activates ignition batteries 13, fitted inside the body part 7, whereupon the electrical ignition current flows to the ignition device 18 which is centrally fitted inside the body part 7 and the operation of which causes a detonation in the surrounding combustion space 19 advantageously and conically increasing towards the open end of body part 7, the energy of the detonation resulting in the rod-like spindle 14, into the end of which the aforementioned igniter 18 is fastened and which is centrally carried in the bushing support 16 .of the body part 7, being pushed out from the" combustion space 18, whereupon the trotol-niσkel iron mixture 12 used in the example case and located in the chamber surrounding the combustion space 18 is ignited and as a result of its combustion the flame is guided through the opening left free by the spindle 14, into the combustion space 19 and further through the aperture left free by the spindle 1.4, into the combustion space 19 and further through the filling 6 in the bottom part of combustion chamber 19, the filling 6 advantage-, ously being a metallic grain mixture polyurethane, in which powdered chalk-lime mixture can be used through to the gripping material disk 1. The gripping material disk is in this exemplary case furnished with a central wedge-shaped weakening 5, hereinafter called the fusion groove, and which narrows toward the basic mater¬ ial. In order.to guide the flame into the fusion groove and to eliminate excessive heating effects the fusion groove 5 is provided with combustion lips 4 in the side. of the combustion space 19. A s is clearly shown in the drawing the fusion groove 5 is sa- parated from the basic material by a zone fundamentally thin¬ ner than the gripping material thickness which melts through under the influence of the flame operating in the combustion, space whereupon the flame has direct access to.the basic ma¬ terial 21 to which attachment is to be made so that base ma- * terial 21 begins to melt. As the metal fuses it expands and rises upwards into the fusion groove 5. In order that as fast an attachment as possible may be achieved, the gripping material disc i is equipped in this exemplary case, with gripping channels 3, advantage¬ ously diagonally drilled through the gripping material disk 1 connecting the fusion groove 5 and combustion space 19, into which the metal expands as it melts through the fusion .groove 5, As the molten metal cools in the gripping channels, the solidification forms uniform gripping bridges between the gripping material disk 1 and the basic material' 21. Without a suitable slowing and cooling down period for the ■ gripping process there is a risk that the detonation and its- consequently occurring fusion happen too fast and in too short a time span and there is insufficiently large fusion of basic material 21 and nor are holding gripping bridges formed between gripping material disk 1 and basic material 21, To avoid this the drawing according to the example case shows located inside body 7 a pressure bottle 17 containing benzine and-a pressure bottle 10, containing oxygen, in each of which a flow channel leads into the discharge space 11, which is located as .a ringslike' space aroundthe chambercontaining thetrotol. nickel iron mixture 12. The discharge space 11 is, as can be seen in the drawing, in flow-connection with the chamber surrounding the trotol nickel iron mixture, advantageously via electric 'magnetic shut off valve 8 and a non-return valve 9, In this exemplary case the operation of the electric magnetic valve is controlled by the switch 20 fastened to the flank of the body part 7 which activates the shut off valve B whereupon flow connection is opened from the benxine bottle 17 and from the oxygen bottle 10 via the discharge ' channel 11 into the chamber 12 containing trotyl nickel- iron mixture when with the aid of the burning benzine the cooling and solidification of the molten metal can be ensured and stabilised for the formation of strong holding bridges between the gripping material disk 1 and basic material 21. I't-is- possible to arrange the switching of the electric siqnal batteries 15 to open simultaneously with the opening of the electromagnetic valves '8, when,on the basis of the signals sent by the signal batteries it can ensured that the attaching equipment according to the invention has operated. The invention has been described above in connection with- only one of its advantageous forms of application. It is ' naturally not here desired to limit the invention in any way and in its details the invention can be changed very consider¬ ably within the framework of the attached patent claims. In particular it can be confirmed that the interdependent-.loσat- ion of the different attachment. device parts and their dim¬ ensions as-well as the explosive and melting materials used can naturally be other than those described here.

Claims: Patent Claims 1. An underwater attaching method, in which the attachment appliance to be fastened to the objective item is brought into contact with the. metallic surface of the item c h a r a c t e r i s e d in that the combusting material combound (12) in the attaching appliance is ignited and the flame is guided through the gripping material layer (1) in the attaching appliance to -melt the basic material (21), and that at least the fusing basic material (21) is guided into the inside of the attaching appliance whereupon in cooling down it forms at least.one metal gripping bridge between the attaching appliance and the basic material (21) 2. An attachment method according to Patent Claim 1 c h a r a c t e r i s e d in that a compounded trotol iron nickel mixture (12) is used to fuse the metal, 3. An attaching appliance for the making of fastening joints under water in which attachment appliance is: -. a body part (7) advantageously cup-shaped and open at the end directing towards the object to which fastening is made, - and equipment (2) for pre-fastening the attaching appliance to the surface of the object, c h r a .σ t e'r i s ' -e-id in that the attaching appliance consists of: - a gripping material layer (1) advantageously of metal which is located inside the body part (7) at the end of the body (7) directing towards the object of fastening', - • a combustion space (19) /inside the body part (7) , which is confined to the gripping material layer (1) , - apparatus (18) fitted to the inside of body part (7) for the ignition of the combustion material compound .(12). - ' equipment (14, 6, 4, 5) for the guidance of the flame produced by the combustion of the material layer (12) through the combustion space (19) into-the gripping mat- erial layer (1) and through it into-the basic material ( 21) beneath the gripping material layer (1), and - equipment (3) ' for the guidance of basic material (21), • fused and- expanded under the influence of the flame, to the inside of the attachment appliance. 4. An attaching appliance according to Patent Claim 3 c h a r a c t e r i s e d in that a gripping material layer is fitted inside the body part ( 7) and is the outwards-facing, uniform gripping material disk (1) , advantageously of metal, in whicht ere is a reduction (5) opening into the combustion space (191 to inside the attachment appliance, separating the thickness of the gripping material from the basic material (21) by an isthmus of the gripping material which is fundamentally thinner..and which melts through under the influence of the flame in the combustion chamber, whereupon the said flame takes direct effect orϊ ' the basic material (21) . ' 5. An attachment appliance accordingto the Patent Claim 4, c h a r a c t e r i s e d in that the aforementioned narrowing reduction is towards the narrowing fusion groove (5) of the basic material (21) , which fusion groove (5) is directly connected and through the gripping material disk (1 ) via the angularly running gripping channels (3) into the combustion space (IS) . 6. An attachment appliance according to Patent Claim 5, c h a r a c t e r i s e d in that the end of the fusion groove (5) on the combustion space (19) side is furnished with combustion lip (4) . 7. . An attaching appliance according to one of the Patent Claims 3. ,,6, c h a r a c t e r i s e d in that the combustion space (19) is conically formed, widening towards the gripping material layer (1). 8. An attachment appliance according to Patent. Claim 7 C h a r a c t e r i s e d in that metal grain compound polyurethane filling (6) is located in the lower part of the combustion space (19) into which filling chalk-lime powders are possibly added. • 9. An attachment appliance according to Patent Claim 7, c a c e i z e d in that an igniter (18) is fitted into the upper part of the combustion space (19) and is supported by a rod-like spindle (14), which runs through the top of the cone restricting the combustion space movably in the spindle support bush (16) immovably fastened in the walling of the body part (7), so that the detonation caused by the igniter (18) thrusts the spindle out from the combustion space .and ignites the material compound (12) located in the chamber surrounding •the combustion space (19), whereupon.the flame. caused by the combustion is quided out into the combustion space (19) through the opening left free by the spindle. 10, An attachment appliance according to Patent Claim 9, c h a r a c t e r i s e d in that, a pressure bottle (17) , advantageously containing a liquid fuel such as benzine, and a pressure bottle (10) containing oxygen, are fitted inside the body part (7) and are together in connection with the ring-like discharge chamber (11) which surrounds the chamber containing the combusting compound (12) , and from which a flow channel leads to the chamber containing the burning material compound (12) , the channel furnished with at leas.t a shut-off valve (8) and possibly with a non-return valve (9). 11. An attachment appliance according to one of the Patent Claims 3. ' ..10, c h a r a c t e r i s e d in that in the.in^* side of body part (7) is located a power source (13) , advan¬ tageously a battery, for the electrical igniter (IδJ^and the electromagnetic shut-off valve (8), and that a switch (20) is fitted to the flank of the body part (7) for the aσtivat- ion of power source (13), the switch being activated on the attachment appliance coming into contact with the object sur¬ face. 12, Ana"t ' .t : a"C-hme'nt appliance according to one of the foregoing Patent Claims 3. ,,11,. c h a r a c t e r i s e d in that it is fastened to a lifting, anchoring, searching, follow - up or some other such equipment. x.

Inventors: NIINIVAARA ENSI KYOESTI JUHANI, NIINIVAARA, ENSI, KYOESTI, JUHANI
Applicants: GSS GENERAL SEA SAFETY LTD OY, OY GSS GENERAL SEA SAFETY LTD
Application year: 1986
Main classification: B23K23
IPC codes: B23K20, B23K23, B63C7