Recording tensiometer

Claim 1

A RECORDING TENSIONOMETER FOR RECORDING TARGET TOWLINE TENSION AS A FUNCTION OF TIME COMPRISING, IN COMBINATION: A TUBULAR HOUSING HAVING AN OPENING AT EACH END, A PLUG WITHIN SAID HOUSING FIXEDLY SECURED THERETO, A FIRST SWIVEL ASSEMBLY ADAPTED TO CONNECT SAID PLUG TO ONE END OF A TOWLINE PASSED THROUGH ONE OF SAID OPENINGS, A CONSTANT SPEED MOTOR ATTACHED TO AND HELD BY SAID PLUG, A CYLINDRICAL DRUM IN AXIAL ALIGNMENT WITH SAID MOTOR AND HAVING A RECORDING SURFACE ON THE INTERNAL PERIPHERY THEREOF, A SHAFT CONNECTING SAID MOTOR TO SAID DRUM WHEREBY SAID DRUM IS ROTATED AT A CONSTANT SPEED BY SAID MOTOR, AN APERTURED MEMBER SECURED WITHIN SAID HOUSING, AN ELONGATED MEMBER HAVING A COLLAR INTEGRALLY FORMED AT ONE END THEREOF, SAID ELONGATED MEMBER BEING DISPOSED THROUGH SAID APERTURED MEMBER TO BE MOVABLE WITH RESPECT TO SAID APERTURED MEMBER, A PLURALITY OF PAIRS OF DISHED WASHERS MOUNTED ON SAID ELONGATED MEMBER BETWEEN SAID COLLAR AND SAID APERTURED MEMBER WITH THE WASHERS IN EACH PAIR BEING ARRANGED WITH THE CONCAVE SURFACES THEREOF IN A FACE-TO-FACE RELATIONSHIP, MEANS TO APPLY A TENSIONAL FORCE TO THE OTHER END OF SAID ELONGATED MEMBER WHEREBY SAID COLLAR EXERTS A COMPRESSIONAL FORCE ON SAID PLURALITY OF PAIRS OF DISHED WASHERS AND WHEREBY SAID ELONGATED MEMBER IS LINEARLY DISPLACED AN AMOUNT PROPORTIONAL TO SAID TENSIONAL FORCE, SAID LAST MENTIONED MEANS COMPRISING A SECOND SWIVEL ASSEMBLY ADAPTED TO CONNECT THE OTHER END OF SAID ELONGATED MEMBER TO ONE END OF ANOTHER TOWLINE PASSED THROUGH THE OTHER OF SAID OPENINGS, A STYLUS ASSEMBLY MOUNTED WITHIN SAID RECORDING DRUM FOR AXIAL MOVEMENT WITH RESPECT TO SAID DRUM AND HAVING A MARKER ADAPTED TO ENGAGE SAID RECORDING SURFACE, AMPLIFIER PULLEY ASSEMBLY MEANS INCLUDING ROTATABLE PULLEY MEANS, FIRST PULLEY STRING MEANS CONNECTING SAID PULLEY MEANS TO SAID ELONGATED MEMBER, SECOND PULLEY STRING MEANS CONNECTING SAID PULLEY MEANS TO SAID STYLUS ASSEMBLY WHEREBY SAID STYLUS ASSEMBLY IS DISPLACED THROUGH A DISTANCE RELATIVE TO SAID DRUM WHICH IS A MULTIPLE OF THE DISTANCE THROUGH WHICH SAID ELONGATED MEMBER IS DISPLACED.