EA006924B1 - Connectable chamber for porthole testing - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to shipbuilding and can be used for strength and leakage tests of the portholes of low-volume submersible vehicles. A connectable chamber is used for increased external pressure testing of the submersible vehicle portholes (1) which are arranged in a cylindrical body (socket welded connection) (2) provided with a supporting flange (11). The body of a chamber (4) is embodied at least partially in the form of a spherical surface and comprises a joining flange (9) which is provided with an internal annular collar (10) embodied in such a way that it encompasses the porthole (1). A device (14) for pressing the body (4) against the socket welded connection (2) is embodied in the form of a banding ring (15) provided with a sectional annular insert (16) arranged thereinside the contact surfaces of the ring and insert being embodied in the form of the surface a truncated cone. The annular insert (16) is provided with an annular slot for simultaneously embracing the supporting (11) and joining (9) flanges. The ring (15) is tightened by bolts (17), whereby the perfect junction thereof to the annular insert (16) and the tight crimping of the spherical body of the chamber (4) through a sealing ring are maintained. A working medium is supplied inside the body (4) by an internal pressure source. The inventive device reduces the test duration, increases the reliability thereof and can be used directly during the submersible vehicle operation.

Description

The invention relates to the field of shipbuilding and can be applied when testing the strength and tightness of the Windows for underwater vehicles (PA) with small volumes.

Known installation for testing portholes for strength (see Stegav IG, Gray KO. Designing safe windows for high-pressure cells. Proceedings of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, No. 4, 1971, pp. 61-72). The known installation includes a durable pressure vessel with a pressure gauge, a thermometer, a device for measuring displacements through the thickness of the porthole and a television camera for continuously recording the movements of the end face of the test porthole on the basis of the instrument readings. Known installation allows you to accurately determine the amount of deformation of the Windows under the influence of pressures of 6.9 MPa for a long time (10-20 hours) time and at ambient temperature up to 65 ° C, and also to determine the necessary factor of safety (conversion factor) Kp to ensure the strength of the portholes. The dimensions of the porthole, selected with a safety factor Kp = 10, ensure their ability not to collapse and withstand the working pressure, which in practice allows them to be tested only for tightness and strength.

The disadvantage of the known installation should be its complexity, the need to use in its composition a large number of instruments and equipment with significant weight and dimensions and intended for use in stationary conditions of the measuring laboratory, and not in small volumes of PA, which affects the duration of the test and limits the functionality only by strength tests, which are judged indirectly - by the presence or absence of cracks in the material of the porthole. Testing windows for tightness, which is judged by the presence of leakage of working fluid under high pressure, requires the use of a separate installation.

A device is known for testing deaf portholes of underwater vehicles for durability and tightness for internal pressure (see auth. USSR No. 307936, BI No. 21, 1971). In the known device, a ferrule with glass modeling a porthole is fixed on the inside of the PA body, while under operating conditions the porthole experiences pressure on the viewing glass from the outside of the PA body. It is known that the housing in the form of a weld, in which the porthole is fixed, has a different effect on the clip with glass in the presence of internal or external pressure of the medium, therefore, from the known device one should expect insufficient accuracy and reliability when studying the desired characteristics.

Known connecting chamber for testing portholes (see ed.St. USSR № 689882, BI No. 37, 1979), which includes a housing with a supply line to it from a water pump, compacted with a large cavity for receiving the working medium, which covers the window, a stepped piston , a small cavity with a lid connecting the camera and a screw press mounted on the lid, moreover, the pipeline with a valve to the small cavity is connected to the large cavity, and the large and small cavities are separated by a stepped piston. The device is made removable due to the threaded connection of the camera body, covering a large cavity, and the cylindrical case of the porthole, which is a weld in the case of the PA. The ability to remove the test chamber provides testing of windows PA in operating conditions with the least amount of time and money. However, the known device does not fully ensure the sealing of the joint when tested under high external pressure conditions, which is due to the interaction of dissimilar materials from which the contacting elements are made, since in sea water the device elements are made of steel materials and A special alloy that forms galvanic vapors in threaded connections, which causes substance transfer (seawater leakage). In addition, to attach the camera to the window housing (PA body), the camera having a large mass and dimensions must be rotated along the threaded connection, which makes it difficult to carry out tests with small PA volumes. Known connecting chamber for testing of external pressure windows, including a housing with a pipeline for supplying the working medium from an external pressure source, a device for clamping the camera body to the window body and sealing at the place of landing of the camera body, was chosen as the closest analogue.

The objective of the invention is to reduce the working volume of the connecting chamber and increase the reliability of the test results of the windows for external pressure directly on the PA body.

The task is solved by the fact that in a known connecting chamber for testing windows on external pressure, including a housing with a pipeline for supplying a working medium from an external pressure source, a device for clamping the housing body to the housing body and sealing according to the landing location of the camera body, in accordance with the invention chamber, at least partially made in the form of a spherical surface and provided with a docking flange having an inner annular shoulder, which is made to ensure the coverage of the body porthole, with a cylindrical case with a supporting flange around the perimeter selected as the case window, and the clamping device is made in the form of a retaining ring and a sectioned annular

- 1 006924 inserts into it with ensuring uninterrupted mating of the retaining ring and the said annular insert along their contact surfaces, wherein said contact surfaces are made in the form of a truncated cone surface, and said annular insert is made shaped to cover the coupling and supporting flanges.

In addition, annular grooves are made on the surface of the docking flange and the collar to accommodate said seal.

In addition, the mentioned seal is made in the form of elastic annular gaskets.

In addition, the retaining ring is made to ensure that it mates with a partitioned annular insert by means of clamping bolts.

In addition, the camera body is made of a material whose modulus of elasticity is equal to the modulus of elasticity of the material of the body of the porthole.

The technical result of the invention is to improve the sealing of the window for PA, having a special body shape (cylindrical welded with a support flange) when testing for external pressure by ensuring elimination of leaks through the coupling of elements under conditions of deformation under pressure and ensuring uniform compression of the window body, which increases accuracy and reliability of test results with a reduced working volume of the single-cavity chamber.

The invention is illustrated FIG. 1-4.

FIG. 1 shows a schematic of a connecting chamber docked with the test porthole (in section); in fig. 2 shows a schematic connection chamber (top view); in fig. 3 shows a fragment of the camera (in section) with elements of a device for clamping it to the window body; in fig. 4 shows the test of the window on the external pressure.

The connecting chamber for testing the window 1, having a cylindrical body 2 in the form of a barrel (hereinafter referred to as a bar 2) in the body PA 3, contains (FIG. 1) the body 4, which is made, at least partially, as a spherical surface, and has a pipeline 5 for supplying the working medium (fresh water) from an external pressure source (not shown in Fig. 1) with a plug 6, as well as a pipeline for air drainage 7 from the volume of the housing 4 with a plug 8. The housing 4 is equipped with a connecting flange 9, which has an internal ring collar 10, the diameter of which is smaller than the diameter and the spherical part of the housing 4. The cross-section of the collar 10 is larger than the dimensions of the porthole 1, which provides coverage of the latter. The connecting flange 9 corresponds to the counter supporting flange 11 at the upper lip 2. The annular grooves 12 are made on the surface of the connecting flange 9 and the inner annular collar 10 to accommodate the seal 13 between the polar flange 9 and the supporting flange 11 of the ear 2, which are made in the form of elastic annular gaskets providing tight connection of the removable body of the camera 4 to the body of the weld 2 under the action of the pressing device 14 (Fig. 2).

The clamping device 14 is made in the form of a retaining ring 15 with a partitioned (split) annular insert 16 (FIG. 2) mating with each other using clamping bolts 17. The fastening ring 15 and the annular insert 16 are made to ensure seamless connection along their contact surfaces during the tie clamping bolts 17, which will eliminate leakage of the working medium under high pressure through the areas of tight fit of the mating elements. The continuity of the mating contact surfaces is achieved by their implementation in the form of the surface of the body of rotation, namely, in the form of a truncated cone, the upper base of which is located under the clamping bolts 17, which ensures the fit of the retaining ring 15 on the partitioned ring insert 16 forming the cone when tightening the bolts 17 planted into threaded holes. When performing the camera body, at least partially, in the form of a spherical surface, the retaining ring 15 with an annular insert 16 will tightly, without gaps, crimp it.

The annular partitioned insert 16 is made profiled (FIG. 3) with an annular groove for engaging and engaging both the connecting flange 9 and the supporting flange 11 corresponding to it, due to which the clamping device securely holds the camera body 4 above the porthole 1. The annular insert 16 ( Fig. 2, 3) are centered with respect to the retaining ring 15 with pins 18, placed in the blind centering holes made in the insert 16 of the annular partitioned insert 16 (Fig. 3). In addition, the retaining ring 15 is associated with the annular insert 16 by means of squeezing bolts 20, placed between the clamping bolts 17 (Fig. 1). For the convenience of transporting the connecting chamber to the test site on the outer surface of the housing 4 handles 21 are reinforced (Fig. 2).

Since the tests for increased external pressure impose static loads on the connecting and supporting flanges 9 and 11, which are in contact with each other, on the camera body 4 and in the joint 2, respectively, as well as on the clamping device 14, to eliminate the non-uniform distribution of stresses in them that could break the seal the cavity of the connecting chamber, these elements are made of materials with the same modulus of elasticity or of the same material.

- 2 006924

Testing window PA for increased external pressure is carried out using the connecting chamber as follows.

The housing 4 is installed (Fig. 1) docking flange 9, provided with a seal 13, on the support flange 11 which is in response to it, 2.

Section of the annular insert 16 is placed on the docking flange 9 with the scope of the latter and, simultaneously with it, with the coverage of the support flange 11. On the section of the annular insert 16 wear the retaining ring 15, combining them, and center them with pins 18, and enter into the holes of the retaining ring 15 clamping bolts 17 and connecting them in series of parts of the clamping device 14, and then pressing the housing 4 to the weld-in 2. The device is ready for testing as part of the installation (Fig. 4). From the outer ends of the pipeline for supplying the working medium 5 and the pipeline for air drainage 7, plugs 6 and 8 are removed, respectively. Pipeline 5 is connected via pipeline 22 through pressure gauge 23, shut-off valve 24 and pump 26, as well as parallel-mounted safety valve 25 to an external source of working medium, in which quality fresh water can be used, is a reservoir 27 (Fig. 4).

During the test, the safety valve 25 closes, opens the shut-off valve 24, turns on the pump 26 and piping 22 and 5 supply the working medium - water into the chamber case 4. When water appears in the pipeline for air drainage 7, indicating complete displacement of air from the chamber, the plug 8 overlap the pipeline 7, after which, in accordance with the test program, stepwise increase the pressure in the pipeline supplying the working medium 22 and 5, monitoring the state of the system on the pressure gauge 23. At each stage, maintain a predetermined pressure for at least 10 min. After testing the window 1 for increased external pressure, which is judged on the tightness and strength of the window, turn off the pump 26, open the safety valve 25 and gradually release the pressure in the pipe 22. In the absence of an overpressure in the pipe 22, it is disconnected from the pipe 5 on which put the plug 6, and with the help of squeezing bolts 20 remove the clamping device - the retaining ring 15 with the ring insert 16, and then disconnect the camera body 4 with the seal 13 from the weld 2.

The porthole is considered to have passed the test for increased external pressure if, at the maximum pressure of the working medium, no leaks, droplets and any moisture from the support flange 11 of the welded joint 2 were detected through the sealing elements 13, which indicates the tightness of the porthole.

If during testing at the maximum pressure on the glass of window 1 no cracks are detected, then it is considered that it has passed the strength test.

The proposed device allows you to effectively test windows PA in any conditions, including operational, and monitor (periodic monitoring) the state of the windows PA, as well as to test the windows at external pressures corresponding to the depth of PA more than 7000 m

Claims (5)

CLAIM 1. A connecting chamber for testing portholes for external pressure, including a housing with a pipeline for supplying a working medium from an external pressure source, a device for pressing the camera body to the porthole body, and a seal at the landing site of the camera body, characterized in that the said camera body is at least partially is made in the form of a spherical surface and is equipped with a docking flange having an inner annular collar, which is designed to provide coverage for the test porthole, moreover, as a housing of the minator, a cylindrical body with a perimeter support flange was selected, and the clamping device is made in the form of a retaining ring and a sectioned ring insert into it, ensuring inextricably mating the retaining ring and said annular insert along their contact surfaces, while said contact surfaces are made in the form of a surface of a truncated cone and said annular insert is profiled with the possibility of covering the docking and supporting flanges. 2. The connecting chamber according to claim 1, characterized in that annular grooves are made on the surface of the docking flange and the annular shoulder to accommodate said seal. 3. The connecting chamber according to claim 1, characterized in that the said seal is made in the form of elastic annular gaskets. 4. The connecting chamber according to claim 1, characterized in that the retaining ring is configured to interface with a sectioned annular insert by means of clamping bolts. 5. The connecting chamber according to claim 1, characterized in that the camera body is made of a material whose elastic modulus is equal to the elastic modulus of the material of the porthole body.