US3902327A - Underwater escape apparatus - Google Patents

Underwater escape apparatus Download PDF

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Publication number
US3902327A
US3902327A US474070A US47407074A US3902327A US 3902327 A US3902327 A US 3902327A US 474070 A US474070 A US 474070A US 47407074 A US47407074 A US 47407074A US 3902327 A US3902327 A US 3902327A
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US
United States
Prior art keywords
suit
housing
movement
retarder
water
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Expired - Lifetime
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US474070A
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English (en)
Inventor
Roger Gabriel Guillerm
Gerard Honore Masurel
Lucien Robert Honore
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Gouvernement de la Republique Francaise
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Gouvernement de la Republique Francaise
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    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B63—SHIPS OR OTHER WATERBORNE VESSELS; RELATED EQUIPMENT
    • B63G—OFFENSIVE OR DEFENSIVE ARRANGEMENTS ON VESSELS; MINE-LAYING; MINE-SWEEPING; SUBMARINES; AIRCRAFT CARRIERS
    • B63G8/00—Underwater vessels, e.g. submarines; Equipment specially adapted therefor
    • B63G8/40—Rescue equipment for personnel

Definitions

  • the invention is particularly, but not exclusively. concerned with providing apparatus for use in individually rescuing the members of the crew of a submarine in distress, or divers located at a great depth in a watertight chamber.
  • submarines are equipped with one or more individual rescue flooding chambers.
  • the members of the crew can escape separately by using the flooding chamber.
  • each crew member puts on a one-piece suit and a hood, enters the chamber separately, and closes the communication door between the chamber and the submarine.
  • the pressurising and the opening of the flooding chamber can take about 30 seconds and the ascent from 300 metres to 60 metres can take about 80 seconds.
  • the crew member (submariner) is able to breath in the air bubble which is onclosed in the hood.
  • the hood can be replaced by any other equipment. eg. buoyant means, ensuring the exertion of a lifting thrust on the crew member.
  • the air embolism is produced when the submariner enters the last part of the upward travel, during which decompression tends to occur too quickly.
  • apparatus intended for use in conjunction with an underwater escape suit. which suit is provided with means for imparting an upward thrust to the suit to permit escape from an underwater location to the water surface, the apparatus comprising:
  • control means operable, when the apparatus has risen from the underwater location to a predetermined depth below the water surface, to effect engagement of the retarder means with the water surrounding the apparatus thereby to retard further upward movement thereof.
  • apparatus intended for use in conjunction with an underwater escape suit, which suit is provided with means for imparting an upward thrust to the suit to permit escape from an underwater location to the water surface, the apparatus comprising:
  • ascent retarder means arranged in the housing
  • depth-responsive control means coupled with the housing and arranged to effect engagement of the retarder means with water surrounding the apparatus, at a predetermined depth during upward movement of the apparatus, thereby to retard further upward movement of the apparatus.
  • apparatus intended for use in conjunction with an underwater escape suit, which suit is provided with means for imparting an upward thrust to the suit to permit escape from an underwater location to the water surface, the apparatus comprising:
  • ascent retarder means arranged in said housing
  • depth-responsive control means coupled with said housing and arranged at least to open the housing and to effect engagement of the retarder means with water surrounding the apparatus, when the apparatus rises to a pre-determined depth below the water surface, thereby to retard further upward movement of the apparatus, said control means comprising an elongate element moveable longitudinally as a function of decreasing water pressure and coupled with the casing to effect opening of the latter when the water pressure decreases to a value corresponding to said predetermined depth.
  • the invention is also concerned with an underwater escape suit provided with apparatus as defined above.
  • the invention also provides a method of underwater rescue employing a one-piece suit having retarding apparatus coupled therewith to retard the speed of ascent from an underwater location. .over a final portion thereof, in order to minimise the risk of air embolism developing.
  • retarding apparatus in conjunction with an underwater escape suit, it is possible to achieve a rapid ascent from an underwater location, in about 80 seconds from 300 metres to 60 metres at a rate of 3 metres per second, and then a slower ascent occupying 80 seconds from 60 metres to the surface at a rate of 0.7 metres per second.
  • the exertion of the retarding action over the final portion from 60 metres to the surface provides a sufficient time period to avoid too rapid gas extraction with resultant formation of nitrogen bubbles in the blood vessels.
  • the invention is applicable to many types of underwater rescue situations, and particularly in the rescue of the crew ofa submarine in distress. or divers working under the sea in chambers at atmospheric pressure.
  • FIG. 1 is a general view of a one-piece underwater escape suit provided with retarding apparatus according to the invention
  • FIG. 2 is a side view, partly in section, showing more detail of the retarding apparatus attached to the onepiece suit in FIG. 1;
  • FIG. 3 is a view. similar to FIG. 2, illustrating parts of the apparatus occupying one possible position takenup during use of the apparatus;
  • FIG. 4 is a view similar to FIGS. 2 and 3, showing opening-out of retarder means of the apparatus.
  • FIG. 5 is a diagram of pressure against time illustrating the ascent characteristics which can be achieved by a submariner having a one-piece suit provided with retarding apparatus according to the invention.
  • FIG. 1 of the drawings there is shown a general view of a one-piece underwater escape suit of the type which can be employed in the escape from a submarine in distress.
  • the one piece suit is designated generally by reference numeral 110 and may be of the type suitable for escape from an underwater location at depths of up to 300 metres below the water surface.
  • the suit 110 has a retarder apparatus 100 attached thereto, namely to the leg of the suit, and which has the purpose of retarding the speed of ascent of the user during the last portion of his ascent from an underwater location.
  • the suit 110 is provided in the usual way with a hood or helmet 120 which serves to form an enclosure for a bubble of oxygen or air which can be breathed by the user during his ascent from the underwater location.
  • the hood I20 also constitutes buoyant means serving to provide an upward lifting thrust on the user to provide upward movement of the user from the underwater location.
  • buoyant means known in the art may be provided.
  • One piece suits of the type illustrated in FIG. 1 have proved satisfactory in service for escapes at depths of immersion ofless than 180 metres. While the one-piece suit can be used in escapes from as deep as 300 metres, the risk of air embolism occurring increases significantly as the depth of immersion increases from 180 metres to 300 metres. In the present state of the art, the one piece suit is not practicable for employment in escape attempts at depths below 300 metres.
  • the apparatus I00 comprises a first casing generally indicated by reference numeral 2 and which houses ascent retarder means in the form of a parachute I.
  • the apparatus I00 comprises a first casing generally indicated by reference numeral 2 and which houses ascent retarder means in the form of a parachute I.
  • casing 2 is formed by two perforated half-shells 2a and 2/2 which enclose the folded parachute I as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3.
  • the two half-shells 2a and 2b can be relatively separated from each other and from the remainder of the apparatus in order to effect engagement of the parachute with the water surrounding the apparatus by exposing the parachute 1 to the surrounding water flowing past the apparatus as shown in FIG. 4.
  • the apparatus also includes a second casing 4 which houses a pressure responsive arrangement which is capable, when the apparatus is located initially at a depth greater than a predetermined minimum value, of operating automatically at a predetermined, higher level to effect exposure of the parachute l to the surrounding water flow so as to retard further upward travel of the apparatus.
  • the casing 4 houses control means for controlling the operation of the retarder means.
  • the casing 4 houses a longitudinally slidable rod element 3, to the lower end of which the parachute l is fixed.
  • the casing 4 is closed at its upper end by a threaded cover 4a (FIG. 2), on which is attached a snap hook 16 which can be employed to secure the apparatus to the outside of the rescued one-piece suit, for example, to the leg of the latter as shown in FIG. I.
  • the casing 2 is attached to the casing 4, and is held in an assembled state thereat, by means of resilient clips a, 5b, 5c and 5d.
  • the half-shells 2a and 2b of the casing 2 are also held assembled by means of a ring 6 which surrounds the two half-shells at a location just above the engagement of the resilient clips 5a to 5d with the casing.
  • the sliding rod 3 carries a plate 7 which forms a part of a release means to effect disassembly of the casing shell 2a and 2b and disconnection of the casing 2 from the casing 4.
  • the function of the plate 7 will be described in more detail below with reference to FIG. 4.
  • a control piston 8 Arranged inside the casing 4 is a control piston 8 which surrounds the central rod 3 and is slidably mounted within a cylinder 12 formed integrally with casing 4, the piston 8 being sealed relative to the rod 3 and the cylinder I2 by seals Ila and 1112 which may take the form of O-rings.
  • the bottom of the casing 4 is provided with openings 9 through which water surrounding the apparatus can be admitted to act on the adjacent face of the piston 8. The inflow of water through openings 9 is shown by arrows 10 in FIG. 3
  • an annular support 14 surrounds the piston 8 and engages an upper shoulder 15 thereof, and a compression spring 13 is provided which surrounds the support 14 and applies downwards biasing thereto by reacting between an upper end portion of the apparatus and a lower flange portion of the support 14. It will beappreciated that, the greater the depth of immersion of the apparatus, the greater will be the upward forces generatedon the piston 8 in opposition to the restoring force provided by spring 13.
  • the central rod 3 carries a sliding ring 17, from which are suspended hook like attachment fingers l8 pivotted to lugs integral with the ring I7 on pivot pins 19 and forming latch means capable of forming an operative interconnection between the piston 8 and the rod 3 as described below.
  • the fingers B8 are provided with peripheral outer notches 2i in which are fitted .resilientrings 22 which collectively bias the fingers radially inwards towards the rod 3.
  • the rod 3 is also provided with an abutment shoulder 23against which the lugs can engage in one mode of opcration of the apparatus.
  • the piston b is provided with a reduced wall thickness upper extension having an outwardly turned flange portion with which, in certain circumstances, the hook like fingers ltl can engage.
  • the apparatus MM is attached to the outside of the rescue suit preferably by a snap hool; ltnat a lower part ofthe suit, e.g. as shown in FIG. LAssuniing that the escape suit is to be employed in escape from a submarine, the 'user' enters the individual flooding chamber of the submarine and, as the flooding chamber fills with water, the water enters the retarding apparatus throughopenings 9 as indicated by arrows ill in no. a. n will be evident that the pressure of the w ater admitted through openings) will reach a pressure substantially corresponding to the pressure of the water surrounding the submarine.
  • the piston 8 and the sliding ring B7 are shown latched together in HQ. 3 and this represents a condition in which the pressure of the surrounding water is of such extent in relation to the force of the spring 13 that the parts can come into latching engagement.
  • the force ofthe spring 13 can be selected in order to determine the depth at or below which the piston 8 is to be capable oflatching with the ring B7.
  • the arrangement is such that the piston 8 will come into latching engagement when the maximum immersion pressure is equal to or greater than its bars, corresponding to a depth of 180 metres, However, if the escape should be made from an underwater location which is of a depth of less than 180 metres i.e., near to the water surface, then the piston 8 will not rise to a sufticent extent within cylinder l2 as to come into latching engagement with fingers l8.
  • the piston 8 is latched to the fingers 112i and consequenthv to the sliding ring l7.
  • the submariner ascends to the surface by virtue of the buoyant ef fect of the air bubble within the hood 120.
  • the surrounding water pressure will decrease progressively and, as a result, the piston 8 and the-sliding ring 117 will carry out downward sliding movement relative to the cylinder 12 and also, initially, relative to the central rod 3.
  • the parachute 1 can incorporate a spring which facilitates the opening operation thereof.
  • the parachute 1 may be of the type employed e.g.
  • the retarder means takes the form of a parachute it will be evident that other forms of retarder means (controlled by control means of the apparatus) could be housed within a casing and arranged to be capable of exerting a retarding action during the final portion of upward escape of the submariner when a predetermined depth is reached it will be evident that the position of the shoulder 23 provided on the rod 3 will determine the depth below the surface at which the parachute is automatically opened. If desired, the shoulder 23 may be replaced by an adjustably positionable device such as a threaded ring. In such event, the depth at which the retarding action is first initiated can be controlled. Conveniently, the arrangement is such that the parachute begins to exert retarding action at about 60 metres below the water surface.
  • FIG. 5 of the drawings there is shown a diagram illustrating the variation in water pressure as a function of time following an escape from an immersion depth of 300 metres.
  • the time for pressurising and opening the flooding chamber is 30 seconds, and the ascent from 300 metres to 60 metres takes place at a uniform speed of 3 metres per second occupying a travel time of about seconds.
  • the parachute is automatically exposed to the water flowing relatively past the apparatus and opens under the action of the resistance of the water, and the upward speed then is retarded to about 0.7 metres per second which then gives a time of ascent over the final portion of the escape from 60 metres to the water surface lasting about seconds.
  • the total time required for the operation is about 200 seconds.
  • an ascent retarder means operatively connected to the housing for movement between a stored position within the housing and an operative position outside of the housing, at which operative position the ascent retarder means constitutes a means for engaging the surrounding water to provide a drag force retarding the upward movement of the suit; and control means operable, upon a reduction of the depth of the apparatus below the water surface from the said underwater location to a predetermined depth below and closer to the water surface, for effecting movement of the retarder means from said stored position to said operative position for engagement with the water surrounding the apparatus to retard further upward movement thereof.
  • the retarder means comprises a parachute, said parachute being arranged in the housing in a folded condition.
  • control means is pressure-responsive and is arranged to effect said movement of the retarder means when the apparatus has risen to said predetermined depth only when the water pressure prevailing at the maximum immersion depth of the apparatus at said location exceeds a predetermined value.
  • control means comprises a control piston movable in a first direction in response to increasing water pressure, and movable in a second, opposite direction in response to decrease in water pressure. and latch means for providing an operative interconnection between said piston and said elongate element in said second direction after the piston has been moved to engage said latch means in response to a water pressure greater than a predetermined value.
  • control means includes resilient means arranged to oppose movement of said control piston in said one direction
  • latch means includes at least one latch finger mounted on a slidable element.
  • the latch means includes a ring slidably mounted on a portion of the slidable clement. said latch finger being pivotally connected to said ring. and an abutment being provided on the slidable element which is cngageable by said ring when the latter moves in said second direction with said control piston whereby further movement of the piston, in the said second direction. is accompanied by cojoint movement of the slidable element in said second direction.
  • the housing comprises two casing shells, said shells being separable to expose the retarder means to the water surrounding the apparatus when said slidable element moves a predetermined distance in said second direc-

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  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
  • Aviation & Aerospace Engineering (AREA)
  • Emergency Lowering Means (AREA)
  • Toys (AREA)
US474070A 1973-06-26 1974-05-28 Underwater escape apparatus Expired - Lifetime US3902327A (en)

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Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
FR7323194A FR2235042B1 (https=) 1973-06-26 1973-06-26

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DE (1) DE2412235A1 (https=)
FR (1) FR2235042B1 (https=)
GB (1) GB1426675A (https=)

Cited By (7)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US3969903A (en) * 1974-08-22 1976-07-20 Etat Francais Underwater escape apparatus
US5520486A (en) * 1994-09-09 1996-05-28 Van Wyck; William Diver safety apparatus and method
US20090139440A1 (en) * 2006-05-31 2009-06-04 Survitec Group Limited Submarine escape suit
US20090313747A1 (en) * 2006-09-21 2009-12-24 Survitec Group Limited Submarine escape suits
US20100024087A1 (en) * 2006-09-21 2010-02-04 Survitec Group Limited Submarine escape suits
CN104198202A (zh) * 2014-08-26 2014-12-10 中国船舶重工集团公司第七一九研究所 一种脱险服测试装置
EP2692627A3 (de) * 2012-07-31 2018-02-21 ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems GmbH Unterseebootrettungsanzug

Families Citing this family (6)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
RU2155700C2 (ru) * 1998-06-09 2000-09-10 Войсковая часть 20914 Способ спасения подводников из аварийной подводной лодки и устройство для его осуществления
RU2164487C2 (ru) * 1999-01-18 2001-03-27 Войсковая часть 20914 Способ самостоятельного спасения личного состава подводной лодки и устройство для его осуществления
RU2225325C2 (ru) * 2002-04-29 2004-03-10 Войсковая часть 20914 Гидрокомбинезон спасательного снаряжения
GB2421931A (en) * 2005-01-10 2006-07-12 Russell William Galer Underwater ascent control system for divers
GB2451292A (en) * 2007-07-27 2009-01-28 Timothy Martin Snow Diver ascent braking device
RU2507109C1 (ru) * 2013-02-14 2014-02-20 Владимир Александрович Парамошко Способ защиты от кессонной болезни при спасании граждан из затонувшего плавсредства

Citations (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US863532A (en) * 1905-12-27 1907-08-13 Andre Hector Submarine vessel.
US989533A (en) * 1910-12-06 1911-04-11 George A Traver Valve for use with submarine diving apparatus.
US2923267A (en) * 1958-01-03 1960-02-02 Arthur P Jackson Ship retarding system or device
US3495413A (en) * 1968-10-11 1970-02-17 Olympio F Pinto Controllable ballast for underwater diving equipment

Patent Citations (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US863532A (en) * 1905-12-27 1907-08-13 Andre Hector Submarine vessel.
US989533A (en) * 1910-12-06 1911-04-11 George A Traver Valve for use with submarine diving apparatus.
US2923267A (en) * 1958-01-03 1960-02-02 Arthur P Jackson Ship retarding system or device
US3495413A (en) * 1968-10-11 1970-02-17 Olympio F Pinto Controllable ballast for underwater diving equipment

Cited By (10)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US3969903A (en) * 1974-08-22 1976-07-20 Etat Francais Underwater escape apparatus
US5520486A (en) * 1994-09-09 1996-05-28 Van Wyck; William Diver safety apparatus and method
US20090139440A1 (en) * 2006-05-31 2009-06-04 Survitec Group Limited Submarine escape suit
US7900573B2 (en) * 2006-05-31 2011-03-08 Survitec Group Limited Submarine escape suit
US20090313747A1 (en) * 2006-09-21 2009-12-24 Survitec Group Limited Submarine escape suits
US20100024087A1 (en) * 2006-09-21 2010-02-04 Survitec Group Limited Submarine escape suits
US8006317B2 (en) 2006-09-21 2011-08-30 Survitec Group Limited Submarine escape suits
US8032945B2 (en) 2006-09-21 2011-10-11 Survitec Group Limited Submarine escape suits
EP2692627A3 (de) * 2012-07-31 2018-02-21 ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems GmbH Unterseebootrettungsanzug
CN104198202A (zh) * 2014-08-26 2014-12-10 中国船舶重工集团公司第七一九研究所 一种脱险服测试装置

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
FR2235042B1 (https=) 1977-08-05
FR2235042A1 (https=) 1975-01-24
GB1426675A (en) 1976-03-03
DE2412235A1 (de) 1975-01-16

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