EP0425600B1 - Process and device for reducing the noise emission of submerged submarines - Google Patents

Abstract

A process and a device are useful for reducing the noise emission of submerged submarines (10). Agitated mechanical elements in the interior send vibrations along a transmission path to an outer casing. The vibrations are damped on the transmission path by damping means. To this end, the damping means are designed as an evacuated intermediate space (14) and incorporated in the transmission path.

Description

The invention relates to a method for reducing the noise emission of submarines submerged, in which mechanical elements moving in the interior emit vibrations to an outer shell on a transmission path and the vibrations are damped on the transmission path.

The invention further relates to a device for reducing the noise emission of submarines submerged, in which damping means are arranged between a mechanical element moved in the interior of the submarine and an outer shell.

As part of the fight against submarines, both active and passive systems are used to locate the submarines.

In the active systems (e.g. SONAR), a search signal is emitted from a searching vehicle, for example a frigate, generally a sound signal in the sound or infrasound range. These sound signals are reflected on the surface of the submarine and reach receivers on board the searching vehicle, so that the position of the submarine can be determined from these received signals by means of suitable evaluation methods.

In order to protect submarines against such active location methods, it is known to provide the submarine with a coating on its outer hull which absorbs sound signals as best as possible.

From DE-OS 33 32 754 an underwater ship is known which is to be camouflaged against detection by a low-frequency active sonar, ie a passive sound location system. For this purpose, broadband wedge absorbers are arranged in particular on the bow and on the bow side of the tower, which in turn are adapted to the respective ship contours and themselves have no sound reflection properties. In this way, the recognizability of the submarine, namely the so-called target dimension, should be reduced by approx. 10 to 15 dB.

It has also already been proposed to reduce turbulence on the submarine parts around which water flows by introducing chemical additives (DE-OS 23 18 304).

Passive location methods, on the other hand, take advantage of physical phenomena that are caused by the submarine itself. For example, it is known to use the fact that the metallic parts of the submarine interfere with the earth's magnetic field for locating submarines. Positioning probes are therefore known which are based on the principle of nuclear magnetic resonance and are towed by ships or aircraft on a long line over the areas of the sea to be searched in order to detect faults in the earth's magnetic field.

Another passive location method, as described for example in EP-PS 63 517, EP-OS 120 520 and EP-PS 213 418, is based on the measurement of sound signals which are emitted by the submarine. A submarine in fact radiates sound to the surrounding seawater like moving parts in the submarine transmit vibrations to the outer skin. Measurable sound signals are primarily generated by moving propulsion elements of the submarine, i.e. by the rotating parts of the propulsion engine and by the shaft, but the rotating screw and the cavitation caused by the screw must also be taken into account as sound sources. Finally, sound signals are generated when the elevator and depth rudder are actuated, when deflating air and when shifting trimming masses, which can be detected on board modern frigates using correspondingly sensitive passive location systems.

In this context, the special feature of submarines with a nuclear drive is that nuclear reactors, such as those used on board submarines, are usually equipped with periodically operated control rods. The control rods are moved in the reactor vessel at a predetermined frequency, the immersion depth of the control rods being adjustable so that the power emitted by the nuclear reactor can be adjusted in this way. As a result of the periodic movement of relatively large masses, however, a relatively intense sound signal also arises which can be used to locate such submarines driven by nuclear technology.

On the other hand, it is known that with modern, increasingly sensitive passive sound locating systems, the sound that is present in the vicinity of the submarine must also be taken into account to an ever greater extent. This natural sound is essentially generated by ocean currents, waves, schools of fish and the like.

When operating passive sound location systems, this ambient sound is noticeable as noise, which can assume an even or an uneven frequency distribution depending on the ambient conditions.

From DE-OS 34 06 343 a method is known with which sound signals from submarines, the intensity of which is only slightly above that of the ambient noise, can be recognized from the ambient noise.

Numerous measures are known for preventing submarines from being recognized by the passive sound location systems described above.

The essential measure is, of course, to reduce the overall sound of the submarine if possible. To achieve this, particularly low-noise machine parts, for example bearings, are used in the drive area of the submarine, so that the total sound energy generated is kept as low as possible.

Furthermore, in the sense of the method and the device of the type mentioned at the outset, it is also known to carry out sound insulation measures on board submarines in order to at least prevent unavoidable sound from reaching the outer shell of the submarine. The dampers used for this are known elastic and vibration-absorbing components which, together with the mechanical elements to be damped, form a spring-mass system. Such known measures are referred to in the context of the present invention as "passive damping". It is known, for example, to design the outer shell of the submarine in two layers and to flood the space with a thickness of, for example, 30 cm with seawater, so that as little sound waves as possible can reach the outer shell of the submarine.

Furthermore, the extent of the emitted sound waves can also be reduced in dangerous situations by reducing the drive power by so-called "creep speed". However, this naturally degrades the submarine's ability to evade detection by enemy ships by removing them.

From DE-OS 36 00 258 an electrical system for submarines is known which has means for camouflaging the submarine. In the known system takes into account the fact that an alternating current network of the submarine operates in the frequency range between 60 Hz and 400 Hz and that it is inevitable that frequencies in this frequency range plus their harmonics are emitted to the surrounding water via the hull. In the known electrical system, a frequency of 30 kHz, for example, is therefore provided for the AC network of the submarine, which frequency is far above the reception frequency range of external location systems.

However, this known electrical system has the disadvantage that it can only camouflage the submersible for as long as the frequency ranges of enemy passive location systems do not work in the range of 30 kHz, for example. As soon as the measures taken in the known system are known to the respective enemy, the enemy can locate the submarines by checking the new frequency range by appropriately redesigning their passive location systems.

Finally, it is also known to disrupt passive sound location systems on board enemy ships by placing objects that emit high sound power and thus override the sensitive receivers of the passive sound location systems.

For example, from DE-OS 33 00 067 a device for disrupting the location of submarines is known, in which a body can be ejected from a submarine which is equipped with a sound-emitting device is. This body is used to mislead a sonar system, ie an active acoustic location system on board an enemy vehicle.

From EP-OS 237 891 a device for disturbing and deceiving waterborne sound locating systems is known. A support body of the known device is provided with pyrotechnic charges, the combustion of which leads to the pulsed release of gas bubbles, which e.g. cause low-frequency structure-borne noise and high-frequency oscillating outer cavitation layers on a housing, from which they also emerge to form a bubble curtain. The known device is intended to distract from an object to be protected and to simulate a reflecting target object due to the slowly floating bubbles.

However, the area of use of such interfering objects is limited to the case that the presence of the submarine on board the enemy ships is known anyway and the only thing that is to be prevented is that the passive sound locating systems enable the precise location of closed torpedoes, which also generate sound in Are movement. Such interference objects are unsuitable for the case in which a submarine wants to remain undetected at all.

From document DE-A-1 572 497 a sound insulation body for the sound insulation of noise generating machines is known. The known body consists of two separate solid shells which are kept at a distance from one another and which enclose an essentially air-free space.

The invention is therefore based on the object of developing a method and a submarine of the type mentioned in such a way that the location is made even more difficult or even impossible by passive sound location systems.

According to the method mentioned in the introduction, this object is achieved according to the invention in that an evacuated intermediate space is connected in the transmission path, a natural frequency spectrum of the inner space being determined, the spatial distribution of the vibration nodes determined and a mechanical connection bridging the intermediate space between the inner space and the outer shell the locations of the vibration nodes.

According to the device mentioned in the introduction, the object on which the invention is based is achieved in that the damping means are designed as an evacuated space, the moving mechanical elements being arranged in the interior of a compartment which has an inner wall and an outer wall, between which the evacuated space is arranged and furthermore, the inner wall is supported with struts relative to the outer wall.

The object underlying the invention is completely achieved in this way. The invention takes advantage of the fact that the propagation of sound is bound to a medium, so that a pure vacuum is an infinite resistance to sound. Sound is generally not able to bridge the slightest distance in an evacuated room. Thus, according to the invention, an evacuated intermediate space is switched into the transmission path of the Sound waves from the interior of the submarine to the outer shell, so the sound propagation is completely prevented or significantly reduced if you take into account the suspensions and mechanical connections required for practical reasons.

The evacuated space can be made almost arbitrarily narrow because, as mentioned, sound cannot be propagated at all in an evacuated room, regardless of its spatial extent. In practice, the ability of sound to propagate in a room drops steeply with the negative pressure in this room, so that it is quite sufficient for practical applications to set a pressure of, for example, 1 mbar in the evacuated space. In practice, simple rotary pumps, so-called vacuum pumps, are sufficient to set this negative pressure, and welding seams and bushings on the limiting walls are not critical for this negative pressure. In this pressure range, it is also not necessary to keep a pump constantly switched on to maintain the negative pressure; instead, the corresponding pumps can also be left switched off for a longer period of time, which is of particular importance for operation on board a submarine that is creeping.

The measure of determining a natural frequency spectrum of the interior, determining the spatial distribution of the vibration nodes, and establishing a mechanical connection bridging the gap between the interior and the outer shell at the locations of the vibration nodes has the particular advantage that the sound transmission between the interior and the outer shell is further reduced by skillful choice of the articulation points of the support elements.

It is known that the oscillation amplitude at the point of an oscillation node is zero, so that no oscillations can be transmitted from the oscillating part when articulated at the location of the oscillation node.

The measure of arranging the moving mechanical elements in the interior of a compartment which has an inner wall and an outer wall, between which the evacuated intermediate space is arranged, has the advantage that the units with the moving mechanical elements are completely encapsulated.

The measure of supporting the inner wall against the outer wall with spring struts has the advantage that a further vibration decoupling between the interior and the outer shell is achieved, because damping or other vibration-favorable influencing is possible by means of the spring struts in such a way that the transmission resistance for sound waves increases becomes.

In a particularly preferred development of this exemplary embodiment, the outer wall is the outer shell of the submarine.

This measure has the advantage that a particularly good use of space is achieved because in this case the compartment is optimally integrated into the outer shell of the submarine.

In another preferred embodiment of the device according to the invention, a vacuum pump is arranged in the interior and connected to the evacuated space.

This measure has the advantage that the vacuum pump required to maintain the negative pressure in the evacuated intermediate space is also sound-decoupled from the outer shell of the submarine.

In further embodiments of the invention, the outside of the inside wall and the inside of the outside wall are each at least partially provided with heat conducting plates.

This measure takes advantage of the fact that heat radiation, unlike sound waves, is able to overcome evacuated spaces. In this way, heat transfer to the evacuated space is possible, in particular in order to dissipate the waste heat developed in the interior of the moving mechanical elements.

This is done in a particularly preferred manner in that the heat-conducting plates of the outer wall are connected to a cooling device.

This is particularly advantageous if the outer wall is identical to the outer shell of the submarine, because then the heat developed in the interior can be released directly to the surrounding sea water via the outer shell.

In further exemplary embodiments of the invention, the outside of the inside wall and the inside of the outside wall are each provided with areas of impact in such a way that the distance between the inside wall and the outside wall is reduced to such an extent that the areas of impact produce a predetermined acceleration acting on the compartment touch.

This measure has the advantage that the mechanical stability of the compartment is maintained in the event of a collision of the submarine, because of an elastic deformation of the inner wall and / or the outer wall initially only abut the impact bodies, so that in this case only a sound coupling between the inner wall and outer wall is restored without mechanical damage occurring. In this exemplary embodiment of the invention, too, use is made of the fact that a very small evacuated space is sufficient to prevent the propagation of sound. If, therefore, the effective area of the impact bodies is limited in the region of the impact bodies, the impact bodies can only be spaced apart by millimeters without a sound bridge being created.

In a particularly preferred variant of this exemplary embodiment, the spring struts have a progressive characteristic curve.

This measure also has the advantage that no mechanical damage occurs in the event of a collision, because the progressive characteristic curve provides a stiffer support of the inner wall with respect to the outer wall, an increase in the sound conductivity being accepted at this moment.

In further developments of these variants, the struts are arranged at the location of vibration nodes of a natural frequency spectrum of the interior.

This measure has the advantage already explained further above that complete decoupling in terms of vibration technology is possible, because naturally no vibration can be transmitted at the location of a vibration node at which the vibration amplitude is zero.

It is also particularly preferred if the suspension struts are designed as frames that support the interior in relation to the exterior in the manner of a gimbal.

This measure has the advantage that a further targeted influencing of the transmission of vibrations is possible via the several nested frames. For example, it is advantageously possible to first record the natural frequency spectrum of the interior, then to couple the interior at its vibration node to a first frame, then again to record the natural frequency spectrum of the overall structure, and in this way in iterative steps to completely decouple vibrations over several nested frames to get away.

Finally, in further exemplary embodiments in which the evacuated intermediate space is bridged by spring struts, it is preferred to provide the spring struts with leadthroughs for conducting media or signals.

This measure has the advantage that a double benefit is drawn from the struts, because it not only serves to mechanically support the interior, but also to supply the interior with media, i.e. Liquids or gases or with signals, i.e. Measurement or control signals or used with electrical energy.

In other embodiments of the invention, a magnetic coupling with coupling halves is provided on the inside of the inner wall and the outside of the outer wall for the transmission of mechanical energy across the evacuated space.

These measures have the advantage that contactless transmission of mechanical energy from the interior to the exterior or vice versa, without having to penetrate the evacuated space with mechanical elements.

In this case, it is particularly preferred if the inner wall and the outer wall in the region of the coupling halves of the magnetic coupling are formed from an electrically non-conductive material.

This measure has the advantage that the occurrence of eddy currents and thus power losses due to heat development in the walls is avoided.

In further exemplary embodiments of the invention, line connections are arranged in the inner wall and the outer wall for the transmission of media across the evacuated intermediate space, and the line connections are connected to one another by means of a flexible line section.

This measure has the advantage that a continuous transmission of media across the evacuated space is possible without producing a sound bridge worth mentioning.

Furthermore, exemplary embodiments of the invention are preferred in which the inner wall and the outer wall are provided with doors, a space surrounding the doors being separable from the evacuated intermediate space by means of releasable sealing means.

This measure has the advantage that there is a uniform evacuated space in the case of dissolved sealants, which ensures optimum sound decoupling, while for short-term access to the interior, the sealant can be closed and the doors can be opened, during which time a sound bridge in the area of the doors is accepted.

In further preferred exemplary embodiments of the invention, the intermediate space is bridged by means of a wireless signal transmission device.

This measure has the advantage that the transmission of message or control signals or the like is possible across the evacuated space without establishing a further vibration coupling between the interior and the outer shell by means of a signal connection.

The wireless signal transmission is preferably achieved by either modulating a constant magnetic field, selecting an optical signal transmission or using electromagnetic waves, for example short waves or microwaves.

In all cases, it is possible to transmit signals with a high bandwidth from the interior to the outside or vice versa, without this affecting the vibration properties of the arrangement.

Further advantages result from the description and the attached drawing.

It goes without saying that the features mentioned above and those yet to be explained not only in the respectively specified combination but also in other combinations or can be used alone without leaving the scope of the present invention.

Fig. 1

eine äußerst schematisierte Seitenansicht, teilweise aufgebrochen, eines Unterseebootes nach der Erfindung;

Fig. 2

in vergrößertem Maßstab eine Seitenansicht, ebenfalls schematisiert, eines erfindungsgemäß ausgebildeten Abteiles in dem Unterseeboot der Fig. 1;

Fig. 3

eine Detailansicht zur Erläuterung einer erfindungsgemäßen Maßnahme zur Übertragung von Wärme über einen evakuierten Zwischenraum hinweg;

Fig. 4 und 5

zwei Darstellungen von Stoßkörpern in zwei unterschiedlichen Bewegungszuständen;

Fig. 6

eine Seitenansicht, teilweise geschnitten, einer Magnetkupplung zur Übertragung mechanischer Energie über einen evakuierten Zwischenraum hinweg;

Fig. 7

eine Seitenansicht, schematisiert, zur Erläuterung einer Türenanordnung, mit der ein Innenraum durch einen evakuierten Zwischenraum hindurch begangen werden kann;

Fig. 8

eine Seitenansicht, teilweise geschnitten, zur Erläuterung einer Verbindung über einen evakuierten Zwischenraum hinweg zum Übertragen von Medien;

Fig. 9

eine äußerst schematisierte Seitenansicht zur Erläuterung eines Federbeines mit progressiver Kennlinie.

Exemplary embodiments of the invention are shown in the drawing and are explained in more detail in the following description. Show it:

Fig. 1

an extremely schematic side view, partially broken away, of a submarine according to the invention;

Fig. 2

an enlarged side view, also schematically, of a compartment designed according to the invention in the submarine of FIG. 1;

Fig. 3

a detailed view for explaining an inventive measure for transferring heat across an evacuated space;

4 and 5

two representations of impact bodies in two different states of motion;

Fig. 6

a side view, partially in section, of a magnetic coupling for transmitting mechanical energy across an evacuated space;

Fig. 7

a side view, schematic, for explaining a door arrangement with which an interior can be entered through an evacuated space;

Fig. 8

a side view, partly in section, for explaining a connection across an evacuated space for transferring media;

Fig. 9

an extremely schematic side view to explain a strut with a progressive characteristic.

In Fig. 1, 10 designates a submarine as a whole. The submarine has a compartment 11 in the stern area, which is surrounded by an outer wall 12. An inner wall 13 is arranged at a distance from the outer wall 12, so that there is an intermediate space 14 between the outer wall 12 and the inner wall 13, which is evacuated. In the interior 20 formed in this way there are units 15 of the submarine 10 which have a particularly strong sound radiation, as indicated by arrows 16. First and foremost, aggregates 15 are the drive machine, compressors or similar devices in which rapidly moving machine parts result in a corresponding noise development.

The units 15 are arranged in the interior 20 on a base plate 17 which in turn is supported on the inner wall 13 via spring struts 18. The inner wall 13 is also resiliently mounted in the outer wall 12.

By evacuating the intermediate space 14 it is achieved that the sound waves from the assemblies 15 do not reach the outer shell 19 of the submarine 10 and the submarine 10 thus has no or only an extremely low level of sound radiation to the surrounding sea water.

Fig. 2 shows the compartment 11 with further details.

One of the aggregates present in the interior 20 can first be seen as a circuit diesel engine 30, which is connected to the exterior via a cooling oil line 31. In this way, it is possible to supply the circulating diesel engine 30 with cooled oil from the outside.

The circuit diesel engine 30 is also connected via a fuel line 32 to a fuel tank 33, which is also located in the interior 20 of the compartment 11. The fuel tank 33 can either contain the entire fuel supply on board the submarine 10, but alternatively it is also possible, for reasons of space, to dimension the fuel tank 33 only so large that its contents are sufficient for one dive trip each. In this case, it is necessary to refill the fuel tank 33 from the outside from a larger storage tank via a line 34 when the submarine 10 is not currently on creeping. After refilling the fuel tank 33, the line 34, which e.g. can be designed as a connecting line, be completely solved so that there is no sound bridge over the evacuated space 14.

The circuit diesel engine 30 is also connected via an oxygen line 35 to an oxygen tank 36, which is also located in the interior 20 of the compartment 11. Here, too, the oxygen tank 36 also contains only a certain amount of oxygen for reasons of space, while refilling from a larger storage tank, which is located elsewhere in the submarine 10, is also possible here via a line 37.

Finally, the circuit diesel engine 30 is also connected to a potash lye tank 39 via an exhaust pipe 38. It is known that in the case of circulating diesel engines, the exhaust gas is washed in a potassium hydroxide solution so that the carbon dioxide can be released from the exhaust gases in the potassium hydroxide solution. Since the potassium hydroxide solution is continuously enriched in this case, an exchange line 40 is provided, which can remove used potassium hydroxide solution from the tank 39 and convey fresh alkali into this tank.

The circuit diesel engine 30 is mechanically connected to a generator 42 via a drive shaft 41. The generator 42 is provided with a power line 43 which is led to the outside through the evacuated intermediate space 14.

Finally, FIG. 2 shows in the interior 20 of the compartment 11 a vacuum pump 44, which is connected to the evacuated intermediate space 14 via a suction line 45. The vacuum pump 44 serves to maintain the negative pressure in the intermediate space 14, the arrangement of the vacuum pump 44 in the interior 20 of the compartment 11 ensuring that the sound emitted by the vacuum pump 44 does not reach the outside. The vacuum pump 44 can be of a relatively simple design (e.g. a backing pump) because it is preferably only used to maintain the vacuum in the space 14, while another pump located outside the compartment 11 can be used to evacuate the space 14 for the first time . Here too, the consideration is taken into account that the compartment 11 must contain only those noise-generating units with their respective supply components that are required for a temporary creep speed.

From Fig. 2 it can also be seen that the circuit diesel engine 30, the generator 42 and the vacuum pump 44 are each arranged on a base plate 50 or 51 or 52 as noise-generating units. The base plates 50 to 52 are supported by spring struts 53 or 54 or 55 on the inner wall 13 and this in turn is supported by further spring struts 56 on the outer wall 12. It also goes without saying that the inner wall 13 can be elastically supported in a number of places with respect to the outer wall 12, that is to say also on the side walls and on the ceiling.

The spring struts 56, which bridge the intermediate space 14, are provided with bushings in preferred exemplary embodiments of the invention, as indicated by 56a in FIG. 2. These bushings 56a can be used to transmit media, i.e. serve liquids or gases across the space 14. The bushings 56a can also be used to transmit electrical energy or signals from the interior 20 to the outside, or vice versa.

In Fig. 2, the struts 56, which bridge the space 14, are also shown at any point. However, it is particularly preferred to select the location where the suspension struts 56 are attached. For this purpose, the natural frequency spectrum of the interior 20 is first measured. This is done either by means of an excitation, for example a vibration converter, loudspeaker or the like, the frequency of which is continuously tuned, or via a pulsed excitation, for example a bang, in which the step response of the interior 20 is then from the time domain into the frequency domain via a subsequent Fourier transformation is transmitted.

The vibrations occurring in the interior 20 can then be observed in a spatially resolved manner by means of microphones, piezo-electric vibration sensors, optical sensors or the like, so that the spatial-temporal vibration pattern is recorded. These measurements can also be repeated with running units, for example with a circulating diesel engine 30 or a running vacuum pump 44, in order to determine which vibration modes in the interior 20 are preferably excited on the inner wall 13. It goes without saying that the operating frequencies of the moving units are preferably set in a frequency range outside the natural frequencies of the interior 20.

For the main vibration modes still remaining in the interior 20 or on the inner wall 13, the spatial distribution of the antinodes and vibration nodes on the inner wall 13 is now determined. The spring struts 56 or other provided fastening or suspension devices are now attached to the locations of the vibration nodes. Since the vibration amplitude is known to be zero at the location of the nodes, this prevents the vibrations of the main vibration modes from being able to be transmitted from the interior 20 to the outer wall 12 via the spring struts 56 or other fastening elements at all via the evacuated intermediate space 14.

As an alternative to this, the spring struts 56 can also be designed such that the suspension does not lead directly from the inner wall 13 to the outer wall 12, but one or more intermediate frames can be provided. The nodes and then the brackets can now be searched successively for the remaining essential vibration modes on the frame for the connections to the outside to the next outer frame. These brackets can again contain passive or active vibration dampers. In this way, a sound blocking filter is created, which is improved by the iterative steps mentioned, taking into account the influence of the outer frames on the vibration modes of the inner frames.

As can be seen from the above consideration, an extremely good sound decoupling between the interior 20 and the outer wall 12 can already be achieved in this way, so that in the space 14 an extremely slight negative pressure may be sufficient for the remaining sound decoupling or even ambient pressure can be set .

Fig. 3 shows in detail an arrangement which is used to dissipate the heat generated in the interior 20 by the units 15 or 30, 42 and 44 without the need for pipes for a heat exchange medium to be passed through the evacuated intermediate space 14.

For this purpose, the inside of the outer wall 12 is provided with heat-conducting plates 60 and the outside of the inner wall 13 with complementary heat-conducting plates 61. The heat-conducting plates 60, 61 are interdigitated, so that the opposite radiation surfaces of the heat-conducting plates 60 and 61 are as large as possible even with a very narrow space 14. The heat conducting plates 60, 61 are expediently colored black in order to enable optimal heat radiation.

In order to keep the temperature difference between the heat-conducting plates 60, 61 as large as possible, the heat-conducting plates 60 connected to the outer wall 12 are provided with a cooling device 62. In this way it is achieved that the waste heat generated in the interior 20 is first transmitted to the inner wall 13 and then by heat radiation via the evacuated intermediate space 14 without contact to the outer wall 12 and is dissipated there by the cooling device 62.

4 and 5 show a measure which is intended to prevent damage to the walls 12, 13 of the compartment 11 in the event of a shock load.

To this end, it must first be borne in mind that the distance between the walls 12, 13, which is denoted by 72 in FIG. 4, can be kept very small from the start, because a vacuum is not at all conductive for sound waves, regardless of its extent. If the vacuum is set sufficiently low, a very small distance 72 between the outer wall 12 and the inner wall 13 is sufficient to produce very good sound insulation. In practice, naturally, no high vacuum will be created in the interior 14, so that a certain minimum distance 72 must be maintained.

In order to prevent the relatively unstable arrangement of the compartment 11 with the resiliently mounted interior 20 from being damaged in the event of a shock load on the submarine 10, that is to say in the event of a collision or emergence, the outer wall 12 and the inner wall 13 are preferably each provided with a shock body, which is designated in FIGS. 4 and 5 with 70 and 71, respectively. These are bumpers only partially arranged on the walls 12 and 13 and mechanically adequately supported on the opposite side of the walls 12 and 13, respectively, in order to enable force to be introduced from the impact bodies 70, 71 into the exterior or interior. Since the impact bodies 70, 71 both protrude into the intermediate space 14, there is a smaller distance in the region of the impact bodies 70, 71, which is designated 73 in FIG. This smaller distance 73 may well have a value of a few millimeters.

If an extreme shock load is now exerted on the submarine 10, the shock bodies 70, 71 approach each other with elastic deformation of the outer wall 12 and / or the inner wall 13 until they finally touch one another, as shown in FIG. 5. In this case, a mechanically rigid structure is created and the acceleration forces that occur can be optimally transmitted from the interior 20 to the exterior. Naturally there is a sound bridge between the shock bodies 70, 71 at this moment, but this can be tolerated briefly in the event of a shock load (collision or impact).

6 shows a possibility for contactlessly coupling mechanical energy out of the interior 20 into the exterior (or vice versa).

For this purpose, the outer wall 12 and inner wall 13 are partially provided with a non-magnetic insert 80 or 81, for example made of plastic or glass. An output shaft 82 and a drive shaft 83, each with a magnetic coupling body 84, adjoin the inserts 80, 81. The drive shaft 83 can, for example, be the output shaft of the circuit diesel engine.

The coupling bodies 84 are fitted with magnetic elements, so that when one coupling body 84 rotates, the other coupling body 84 rotates synchronously. The non-magnetic inserts 80 and 81 are provided in order to prevent eddy currents from occurring in the otherwise usually metallic walls 12 and 13. Here too, the fact is taken advantage of that the distance between the walls 12, 13 can be made very small, so that only a relatively narrow air gap remains between the magnetic coupling bodies 84.

7 shows a possibility of making the interior 20 of the compartment 11 accessible without having to ventilate the entire evacuated intermediate space 14 and then have to evacuate again.

7 shows an inner door 85 in the inner wall 13 and a somewhat larger outer door 87 overlapping the inner door 85 in the outer wall 12. For this purpose, the outer wall 12 is provided with a box-like projection 86.

A frame 88 surrounds the inner door 85 on all four sides. A pinch seal 89 is pivotally mounted on the front of the box-like projection 86 and pivotable with actuating elements 90. In the position of the pinch seal 89 shown in FIG. 7, the space 91 surrounded by the box-like projection 86 is in connection with the evacuated intermediate space 14, while the doors 85 and 87 are closed.

If a passage is now to be made from the outside into the inside 20, then all of the actuating elements 90 distributed over the circumference of the box-like projection 86 adjusted inwards. The pinch seal 89 then lies against the frame 88 on all sides, so that the space 91 is partitioned off from the remaining space 14.

Now the outer door 87 and then the inner door 85 can be opened and the interior 20 is accessible. In this case, only the space 91 surrounded by the box-like projection 86 has to be ventilated and later evacuated, while the entire remaining space 14 remains evacuated.

Fig. 8 shows one of many possibilities for a continuous connection between the exterior and the interior 20 across the evacuated space 14 for a medium, i.e. to produce a gas or a liquid or for a cable connection.

For this purpose, a first pipeline 95 is attached from the outside to the outside wall 12 by means of a first flange 96. The first pipeline 95 extends through a corresponding recess in the outer wall 12, which is covered by the first flange 96 in a pressure-tight manner.

Correspondingly, there is a second pipeline 97 on the inner wall 13 and a second flange 98 ensures a pressure-tight seal of the recess required for this in the inner wall 13.

The connecting pieces of the pipes 95 and 97 projecting into the intermediate space 14 are connected to one another by means of a flexible pipe 99.

In this way, there is a continuous pipe connection between the outer space and the inner space 20, via which a gas or a liquid can be guided from outside to inside or from inside to outside, or through which a loose cable connection can be guided.

If it is not necessary to establish such a connection continuously, a plug-in connection is used, as is known per se from vacuum technology, and therefore should not be explained again here.

It has already been explained above with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5 that special measures must be taken in order on the one hand to achieve the softest possible coupling between inner wall 13 and outer wall 12, which on the other hand should be very hard when shock loads are exerted on the compartment 11 will.

For this purpose, the spring struts 18 in FIG. 1 or 53 to 56 in FIG. 2 can also be designed as springs with a progressive characteristic curve, as is highly schematically and exemplarily indicated in FIG. 9.

9 has a soft spring section 100 and a hard spring section 101, which are separated from one another by a central plane 102. If, for example, the inner wall 12 in FIG. 9 is now deflected from top to bottom as a result of an impact load, the soft spring section 100 with a relatively soft damping first becomes effective before the hard spring section 101 then takes effect after the soft spring section 100 has been completely compressed.

It goes without saying that this illustration is only to be understood as an example and that other, multi-stage spring arrangements can also be used, of course also pneumatic or hydraulic devices, as is known per se from suspension technology.

So-called active struts, as are the subject of the parallel patent application by the same applicant with the same filing date (attorney file number 1206P101), are also particularly preferred for the struts 18 or 53 to 56.

A connecting line can be used to transmit signals from the interior 20 to the outside, or vice versa. However, since each mechanical connection between the interior 20 and the outer wall 12 represents a sound bridge, wireless signal transmission is used in exemplary embodiments of the invention.

For example, signal transmission can be achieved by setting a constant magnetic field between the interior 20 and the outer wall 12, as has already been explained above for a torque transmission with reference to FIG. 6. If this constant magnetic field is modulated, the modulation frequency on the opposite part of the arrangement can be picked up and processed via so-called pickup coils.

As an alternative to this, optical signal transmission can also be used by using light-emitting diodes (LED) on one side and light-sensitive elements on the opposite side. The sent out or received light beam is then also modulated with a signal frequency.

Finally, wireless signal transmission is also possible using electromagnetic waves, for example using radio waves in the shortwave or microwave range.

The present application is related to the following applications by the same applicant on the same day and the disclosure content of those applications is also made by this reference to the disclosure content of the present application:
Patent application P 39 08 578.3
"Method for influencing a sound source, in particular a submerged submarine and submarine"
Patent application P 39 08 577.5
"Method and device for reducing the noise emission of submarines submerged"
Patent application P 39 08 576.7
"Method and device for locating proton-poor objects in a water-containing environment, in particular for locating submarines or marine mines in a sea or inland water"
Patent application P 39 08 575.9
"Underwater vehicle with a passive optical observation system"
Patent application P 39 08 574.0
"Procedure for Operating Submersible and Submersible"
Patent application P 39 08 573.2
"Method and device for operating submerged submarines"

Claims (19)

1. A method for reducing the noise emission of submerged submarines (10) having mechanical elements in their interior room (20) moving therein and transmitting vibrations to an outer hull (19) via a transmission path, the vibrations being attenuated along the transmission path, characterized in that an evacuated intermediate space (14) is inserted into the transmission path, a natural frequency of the interior compartment being ascertained, the spatial distribution of vibration nodes being determined, and a mechanical connection bridging the intermediate space (14) between the interior compartment (20) and the outer hull (19) being provided at the vibration node locations.
2. An apparatus for reducing the noise emission of submerged submarines (10) having attenuation means arranged between mechanical elements being located and moving in an interior room (20) of the submarine (10) and an outer hull (19), characterized in that the attenuation means are configured as an evacuated intermediate space (14), the moving mechanical elements being arranged in the interior room (20) of a compartment (11) having an inner wall (13) and an outer wall (12) with the evacuated intermediate space arranged therebetween, the inner wall (13) being supported against the outer wall (14) by means of shock struts (53-56).
3. The apparatus of claim 2, characterized in that the outer wall (12) is the outer hull (19) of the submarine (10).
4. The apparatus of claim 2 or 3, characterized in that a vacuum pump (44) is arranged in the inner room (20) and is connected to the evacuated intermediate space (14).
5. The apparatus of any of claims 2 - 4, characterized in that the outer side of the inner wall (13) and the inner side of the outer wall (12) are each at least partially equipped with heat conducting sheeting (60, 61).
6. The apparatus of claim 5, characterized in that the heat conducting sheeting (60) of the outer wall (12) is connected to a cooling device (62).
7. The apparatus of any of claims 2 - 6, characterized in that the outer side of the inner wall (13) and the inner side of the outer wall (12) each have areas equipped with shock bodies (70, 71) such that the distance (72, 73) between the inner wall (13) and the outer wall (12) is reduced to an amount such that the shock bodies (70, 71), upon the occurence of a predetermined acceleration acting on the compartment (11), come into contact with each other.
8. The apparatus of any of claims 2 - 7, characterized in that the shock struts (53-56) have a progressive characteristic operating diagram.
9. The apparatus of any of claims 2 - 8, characterized in that the shock struts (53-56) are arranged at the location of vibration nodes of a natural vibration frequency spectrum of the inner room (20).
10. The apparatus of any of claims 2 - 9, characterized in that the shock struts are configured as frames supporting the inner room with respect to the outer region in a gimbal mounting fashion.
11. The apparatus of any of claims 2 - 9, characterized in that the shock struts are provided with feed-throughs (56a) to transfer media or signals.
12. The apparatus of any of claims 2 - 11, characterized in that for transferring mechanical energy via the evacuated intermediate space (14), a magnetic coupling (84) is provided having coupling halves on the inner side of inner wall (13) and on the outer side of the outer wall (12).
13. The apparatus of claim 15, characterized in that the inner wall (13) as well as the outer wall (12) are made from an electrically non-conducting material in the area of the magnetic coupling halves.
14. The apparatus of any of claims 2 - 13, characterized in that, for transferring media via the evacuated intermediate space (14), conduit supports (95, 97) are arranged in the inner wall (13) and in the outer wall (12), and that the conduit supports (95, 97) are connected to each other by means of a flexible conduit piece (99).
15. The apparatus of any of claims 2 - 14, characterized in that the inner wall (13) and the outer wall (12) are equipped with doors (85, 87), a region (91) around the doors (85, 87) being separable from the evacuated intermediate space by means of detachable sealing means (88, 89, 90).
16. The apparatus of any of claims 2 - 15, characterized in that the intermediate space (14) is bridged by a wireless signal transfer device.
17. The apparatus of claim 16, characterized in that the signals are transferred by a modulated constant magnetic field.
18. The apparatus of claim 16, characterized in that the signals are transferred optically.
19. The apparatus of claim 16, characterized in that the signals are transferred by electromagnetic waves.

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