GB455584A - Improvements in and relating to a method and apparatus for laying submarine cables - Google Patents

Abstract

455,584. Winding-apparatus. SIEMENS-SCHUCKERTWERKE AKT.-GES., Siemensstadt, Berlin. April 20, 1936, No. 11298. Convention date, June 4, 1935. [Class 78 (v)] A device for preventing excess tension in cables when being laid in or raised from shallow seas comprises a wire which is paid out or drawn in simultaneously with the cable, and the change of tension of which controls the cable actuating machinery. Fig. 1 shows the wire 1 which in its traverse is wound round and drives a pulley 2 geared to one element 10 of a differential gear 4. The cable 6 is passed twice round a drum 5 driven through gearing 8 by a motor 7. On the motor shaft is a cone pulley 9 connected by a strap 14 to a reversely arranged cone on a second element of the differential gear 4. The third element 11 of the gear actuates a regulator 12. A manually adjustable nut 15 co-operating with a scale 16 determines the position of the strap 14 and therefore of the relative speeds of the cable 6 and wire 1. Any divergence from these relative speeds actuates the regulator 12, which, preferably through a Ward-Leonard arrangement, controls the motor 7. Fig. 2 shows an embodiment in which a steam engine 20 drives the cable drum 5 through gearing 21, 22, a Ward-Leonard set 23, 30, switch gear 31 and a transmission gear 32. The wire 1 runs around and drives a drum 2 and one element of a differential gear 35 arranged within a cone pulley 34. A second element of the gear 35 drives a slack regulator lever 36, while the third element consists of the cone 34. A hand wheel 41 adjusts the position of a belt 40 connecting the cone 34 to a cone 39, which through a shaft 38 is connected to the gear 32. The speed of the motor 30 is adjusted to the speed of the ship by a regulator 43, by manual operation of which the control can be effected when, say, the wire 1 breaks or the cable is being lifted. The regulator 36, which is concerned only with the drop in speed of the machine 30, is operatively conncted to the running regulator 43, which controls the entire speed range, and which may be made responsive to the speed of the ship. A slip coupling 37 between the differential gear element 34 permits a free rotation of the element 34 when the regulator brush 43 is stationary, and the divergence of speed which results when the wire 1 breaks may be avoided by making the coupling 37 magnetic, a cut-out switch 42 being pressed by a roller 44 when the wire 1 breaks. A brake regulating device comprising an automatic regulator 45 controlling the field excitation 46 of a brake generator 25 may be provided. A tachometer dynamo 29 and exciter 28 operates the regulator 45 which responds when the engine 20 is relieved of load. A brake regulator 50, connected in series with the resistance 51, is fitted for hand control. The current from the generator 25 may be utilized to heat boiler feed water.