Patent ID: 7707957

Claim:
An underwater vessel supporting arrangement for counteracting compressive loads at an operating temperature, the underwater vessel supporting arrangement comprising: an underwater vessel having a vessel shell comprising a substantially cylindrical subdivision having an enclosed inner wall portion; and one or more support bands for exerting an outward pressing force on the vessel shell at the operating temperature, each of the one or more support bands comprising a shape memory alloy having an original substantially linear shape at the operating temperature, each of the one or more support bands contacting the enclosed inner wall portion of the substantially cylindrical subdivision, wherein at the operating temperature each of the one or more support bands is restricted to a non-linear and a substantially arc shape that corresponds to the curvature of the inner wall portion of the substantially cylindrical subdivision, the inner wall portion of the substantially cylindrical subdivision preventing the recovery of the one or more support bands to the original substantially linear shape, each restricted support band thereby exerting an outward pressing force on the inner wall portion of the substantially cylindrical subdivision.