Apparatus for firing explosive charges under water

Claim 1

AN APPARATUS FOR FIRING EXPLOSIVE CHARGES UNDER WATER COMPRISING A SURFACE INSTALLATION, A SUBMERGED PERFORATED METAL SPHERE, A TUBE HAVING ONE EXTREMITY SUBMERGED AND THE OTHER EXTREMITY NOT SUBMERGED, THE INNER WALL OF THE TUBE BEING ELECTRICALLY NON-CONDUCTIVE, THE TUBE CONNECTING THE SPHERE TO THE INSTALLATION AT THE SURFACE, A PLURALITY OF CARTRIDGES CONTAINING SAID EXPLOSIVE CHARGES AND EACH HAVING A CYLINDRICAL BODY WITH ONE END TERMINATING AS A NOSE AND THE OTHER END AS A HEAD HAVING AT LEAST ONE DIAMETER GREATER THAN THAT OF SAID CYLINDRICAL BODY AND ITS LARGEST DIAMETER LESS THAN THE INTERNAL DIAMETER OF THE TUBE SO AS TO PERMIT PASSAGE OF THE CARTRIDGES THROUGH THE TUBE, TERMINAL SLEEVE COUPLING MEANS AT THE SUBMERGED END OF THE TUBE FOR JOINING THE TUBE TO THE SPHERE BY MEANS OF A CONNECTING SLEEVE OF THE LATTER, MEANS FOR CONVEYING THE CARTRIDGES TO THE SPHERE INCLUDING MEANS FOR LOADING THE CARTRIDGES INTO THE TUBE AT THE NON-SUBMERGED END OF THE LATTER, CHARACTERIZED BY THE ASSOCIATION IN COMBINATION OF: (A) CARTRIDGES OF INSULATING MATERIAL OF WHICH THE INTERIOR COMMUNICATES FREELY WITH THE EXTERIOR AND CONTAINS A DETONATOR ASSOCIATED WITH THE EXPLOSIVE CHARGE AND FORMING WITH CONDUCTORS AN OPEN ELECTRIC CIRCUIT OF WHICH ONE END IS AT THE INTERIOR OF THE CYLINDRICAL BODY OF THE CARTRIDGE AND THE OTHER END IS AT THE EXTERIOR OF THE LATTER IN THE PROLONGATION OF THE NOSE OF THE CARTRIDGE, THESE TWO EXTREMITIES BEING IN CONTACT WITH THE WATER WHEN THE CARTRIDGE IS SUBMERGED, WITH (B) MEANS FOR FEEDING ELECTRIC CURRENT TO SAID ELECTRIC CIRCUIT COMPRISING (A) A CONDUCTIVE CROWN ELECTRICALLY INSULATED FROM THE SPHERE AND POSITIONED AT THE LOWER INNER END OF THE SLEEVE COUPLING MEANS OF THE TUBE, (B) CONDUCTORS CONNECTING THE CONDUCTIVE CROWN TO A FIRST TERMINAL OF A SOURCE OF ELECTRIC CURRENT, THE SECOND TERMINAL OF THE LATTER BEING ELECTRICALLY CONNECTED TO THE SPHERE, (C) A CROWN ELECTRICALLY INSULATED FROM THE SPHERE AND POSITIONED BETWEEN THE CONNECTING SLEEVE OF THE LATTER AND THE CONDUCTIVE CROWN, FORMING A CAVITY OF WHICH THE LOWER PART IS CYLINDRICAL AND OF A DIAMETER SLIGHTLY GREATER THAN THAT OF THE CYLINDRICAL BODY OF THE CARTRIDGE, WHILE SMALLER THAN THE LARGEST DIAMETER OF THE HEAD OF THE CARTRIDGE, AND THE UPPER PORTION OF THE ELECTRICALLY INSULATED CROWN HAVING AT LEAST AN INTERNAL DIAMETER GREATER THAN THE LARGEST DIAMETER OF THE HEAD OF THE CARTRIDGE, THIS INSULATING CROWN FORMING AN ABUTMENT FOR THE HEAD OF THE CARTRIDGE.

Claim 2

AN APPARATUS FOR FIRING EXPLOSIVE CHARGES UNDER WATER COMPRISING A SURFACE INSTALLATION, A SUBMERGED PERFORATED METAL SPHERE, A TUBE HAVING ONE EXTREMITY SUBMERGED AND THE OTHER EXTREMITY NOT SUBMERGED, THE INNER WALL OF THE TUBE BEING ELECTRICALLY NON-CONDUCTIVE, THE TUBE CONNECTING THE SPHERE TO THE INSTALLATION AT THE SURFACE, A PLURALITY OF CARTRIDGES CONTAINING SAID EXPLOSIVE CHARGES AND EACH HAVING A CYLINDRICAL BODY WITH ONE END TERMINATING AS A NOSE AND THE OTHER END AS A HEAD HAVING AT LEAST ONE DIAMETER GREATER THAN THAT OF SAID CYLINDRICAL BODY AND ITS LARGEST DIAMETER LESS THAN THE INTERNAL DIAMETER OF THE TUBE SO AS TO PERMIT PASSAGE OF THE CARTRIDGES THROUGH THE TUBE, TERMINAL SLEEVE COUPLING MEANS AT THE SUBMERGED END OF THE TUBE FOR JOINING THE TUBE TO THE SPHERE BY MEANS OF A CONNECTING SLEEVE OF THE LATTER, MEANS FOR CONVEYING THE CARTRIDGES TO THE SPHERE INCLUDING MEANS FOR LOADING THE CARTRIDGES INTO THE TUBE AT THE NON-SUBMERGED END OF THE LATTER, CHARACTERIZED BY THE ASSOCIATION IN COMBINATION OF: (A) CARTRIDGES OF INSULATING MATERIAL OF WHICH THE INTERIOR COMMUNICATES FREELY WITH THE EXTERIOR AND CONTAINS A DETONATOR ASSOCIATED WITH THE EXPLOSIVE CHARGE AND FORMING WITH CONDUCTORS AN OPEN ELECTRIC CIRCUIT OF WHICH ONE END IS AT THE INTERIOR OF THE CYLINDRICAL BODY OF THE CARTRIDGE AND THE OTHER END IS AT THE EXTERIOR OF THE LATTER IN THE PROLONGATION OF THE NOSE OF THE CARTRIDGE, THESE TWO EXTREMITIES BEING IN CONTACT WITH THE WATER WHEN THE CARTRIDGE IS SUBMERGED, WITH (B) MEANS FOR FEEDING ELECTRIC CURRENT TO SAID ELECTRIC CIRCUIT COMPRISING (A) A CONDUCTIVE CROWN ELECTRICALLY INSULATED FROM THE SPHERE AND POSITIONED AT THE LOWER INNER END OF THE SLEEVE COUPLING MEANS OF THE TUBE, (B) CONDUCTORS CONNECTING THE CONDUCTIVE CROWN TO A FIRST TERMINAL OF A SOURCE OF ELECTRIC CURRENT, THE SECOND TERMINAL OF THE LATTER BEING ELECTRICALLY CONNECTED TO THE SPHERE, (C) A CROWN ELECTRICALLY INSULATED FROM THE SPHERE AND POSITIONED BETWEEN THE CONNECTING SLEEVE OF THE LATTER AND THE CONDUCTIVE CROWN, FORMING A CAVITY OF WHICH THE LOWER PART IS CYLINDRICAL AND OF A DIAMETER SLIGHTLY GREATER THAN THAT OF THE CYLINDRICAL BODY OF THE CARTRIDGE, WHILE SMALLER THAN THE LARGEST DIAMETER OF THE HEAD OF THE CARTRIDGE, AND THE UPPER PORTION OF THE ELECTRICALLY INSULATED CROWN HAVING AT LEAST AN INTERNAL DIAMETER GREATER THAN THE LARGEST DIAMETER OF THE HEAD OF THE CARTRIDGE, THIS INSULATING CROWN FORMING AN ABUTMENT FOR THE HEAD OF THE CARTRIDGE.