Method and apparatus for attaching fairing strips to cables

Claim 2

Method of attaching flexible fairing strips to a cable having a core portion surrounded by a single multi-strand layer of preformed, helically wound armor wires comprising the steps of unlaying all of said armor wires for a predetermined distance, inserting a plurality of fairing strips under a succession of the armor wires, re-laying the armor wires on the core portion with the fairing strips looped thereunder, and compensating for the relative displacement in the positions of the armor wires with respect to the core portion caused by the addition of the fairing strips.

Claim 3

The method of claim 1, wherein said compensation for the relative displacement comprises the step of circumferentially shifting the positions of the re-layed wires compared to their positions before being unlayed.

Claim 4

The method of claim 1, wherein said core portion comprises a generally cylindrical body.

Claim 5

The method of claim 1, which includes the steps of paying out unprepared pre-formed cable at a first location while restricting rotation of the cable, taking up prepared cable at a second location, confining the respective armor wires to a plurality of paths concentrically disposed about the core portion, each of said paths being initially radially diverging to a third location spaced between the first and second locations, and being converged thereafter, the radial distance of each armor wire from the core portion at said third location for each said confined path being uniform, and inserting said fairing strips under selected armor wires between said third and second locations.

Claim 6

The method of claim 4, wherein said third locations for each said path lie in a common plane normal to the core portion.

Claim 7

The method of claim 4, wherein the core portion of the cable includes a multi-strand wire layer helically wound in the direction opposite to the armor wires and said compensation includes the step of relative twisting of the cable between said first and second locations to unlay the armor wires and to twist said wires of the inner core portion.

Claim 8

The method of claim 4, which includes the step of imparting a predetermined amount of rotation to the armor wires of the unprepared cable around the core portion in response to taking up of a predetermined amount of prepared cable.

Claim 9

The method of claim 4, which includes the step of advancing the armor wires in a longitudinal direction between the insertion of each fairing strip.

Claim 10

The method of claim 8, which includes the steps of inserting successive fairing strips under different wires in succession at the same angular position in the periphery of the cable.

Claim 11

The method of claim 5, wherein the armor wires are angularly displaced at said third location with respect to their usual position on the core portion.

Claim 12

The method of claim 10, which includes the step of confining the armor wires to a path which also passes another series of points concentrically arranged in a common transverse plane at a fourth location between the third location and one of the first two locations.

Claim 13

The method of claim 10, which includes the step of confining the armor wires to a path which also passes through two seriEs of points concentrically arranged, respectively in two common transverse planes at locations on respective opposite sides of the third location.

Claim 14

The method of claim 9, wherein certain of the armor wires are skipped in a predetermined recurring angular pattern of insertions of fairing strips.

Claim 15

The method of claim 13, wherein said recurring pattern of skipped wires is followed by a recurring similar pattern in which fairing strips are inserted under the wires which were skipped during the first pattern of insertions.

Claim 16

The method of claim 14, wherein said fairing strips are inserted under recurring groups of adjacent wires.

Claim 17

The method of claim 15, wherein each group comprises the same number of wires.

Claim 18

The method of claim 16, wherein the total number of armor wires is even and the number of wires in each group is the same as the number of wires skipped between each insertion and comprises at least one wire.

Claim 19

The method of claim 17, wherein each of said groups comprises two wires.

Claim 20

The method of claim 17, wherein each of said groups comprises five wires.

Claim 21

Apparatus for attaching a series of fairing strips to an armored marine cable of the type in which a longitudinally extending core is surrounded by a plurality of helically wound pre-formed armor wires, the combination including means to progressively unlay the armor wires corresponding to a length of the core sufficient to insert successive fairing strips under at least one of the armor wires at a predetermined station and to re-lay the armor wires around the core after successive fairing strips have been inserted, means to retain the armor wires in their corresponding relative angular positions while being unlayed and re-layed, means to progressively change the relative angular relationship between the core and the armor wires to compensate for the increase in diameter of the cable resulting from the insertion of the fairing strips, means to feed unlayed cable to said predetermined station, and means to remove faired cable from said station.

Claim 22

Apparatus for attaching a series of fairing strips to an armored marine cable of the type in which a longitudinally extending core is surrounded by a plurality of helically wound pre-formed armor wires, the combination including means to progressively unlay the armor wires corresponding to a length of the core sufficient to insert successive fairing strips under at least one of the armor wires at a predetermined station and to re-lay the armor wires around the core after successive fairing strips have been inserted, means to retain the armor wires in their corresponding relative angular positions while being unlayed and re-layed, means to progressively change the relative angular relationship between the core and the armor wires to compensate for the increase in diameter of the cable resulting from the insertion of the fairing strips, means to feed unlayed cable to said predetermined station, and means to remove faired cable from said station.

Claim 23

The apparatus of claim 20, wherein said means to progressively unlay the armor wires includes means to support said wires concentrically spaced away from the core and in angularly displaced relation thereto.

Claim 24

The apparatus of claim 21, wherein said means to support the armor wires includes at least one rotatably mounted bearing disk means, and power operated means for rotating said bearing disk means.

Claim 25

The apparatus of claim 22, wherein said means to remove faired cable from said station includes power operated take-up means, and means for actuating said take-up means and bearing disk means in synchronism with each other at correlated rates of speed.

Claim 26

The apparatus of claim 23, wherein said means for actuating the take-up means and bearing disk means includes manually actuated switch means for intermittent actuation by an operator at said predetermined station.

Claim 27

The apparatus of claim 23, wherein said means for feeding unlayed cable includes let-off reel means.

Claim 28

The apparatus of claim 25, wherein said let-off reel means includes a mounting for a reel of cable and means for rotating said reel about an axis normal to the axis of the reel.

Claim 29

The apparatus of claim 26, wherein said means for rotating a reel includes power operated rotating means.

Claim 30

The apparatus of claim 27, wherein said means for actuating the take-up means and bearing disk means includes means for actuating said rotating the let-off reel in synchronism and at a correlated rate of speed.

Claim 31

The apparatus of claim 28, wherein said means for actuating the take-up means, bearing disk means and let-off means includes switch means for intermittent actuation by an operator at said predetermined station.

Claim 32

The apparatus of claim 22, wherein said bearing disk means includes a plate provided with a circularly arranged series of apertures to receive said armor wires and a central opening for the core, and means to support the pLate for rotation abut its central axis parallel to the direction of movement of a cable.

Claim 33

The apparatus of claim 30, wherein said apertures are arranged in groups, each group being circumferentially spaced from the adjacent groups.

Claim 34

The apparatus of claim 30, wherein the bearing disk means includes electric motor means and means connecting the motor means for rotating said plate.

Claim 35

The apparatus of claim 32, wherein said means connecting the motor means and plate includes variable ratio drive means.

Claim 36

The apparatus of claim 32, wherein said means to remove faired cable includes a take-up reel and electric motor means to drive said take-up reel, said electric motor means including variable speed control means for rotating the plate at an angular rate of speed proportional to the linear rate of speed of movement of the faired cable.

Claim 37

The apparatus of claim 34, wherein said variable speed means includes variable ratio drive means connecting the plate and an electric motor means.

Claim 38

The apparatus of claim 35, wherein said variable speed means includes manually operable actuating means for intermittent operation of said electric motor means.

Claim 39

The apparatus of claim 36, wherein said variable speed means includes variable ratio drive means connecting an electric motor means and said plate and manually operable switch means for controlling said electric motor means.

Claim 40

The apparatus of claim 34, wherein said means to feed cable includes a let-off reel supported for rotation about both the axis of rotation of the reel and a second axis normal to the axis of rotation of the reel, and electric motor means including variable speed means to control rotation about said second axis at an angular rate of speed proportional to the linear rate of movement of the faired cable.

Claim 41

The apparatus of claim 38, wherein said variable speed means includes manually operable switch means for controlling said electric motor means.

Claim 42

The apparatus of claim 30, wherein said bearing disk means includes at least two plates, each of the plates being provided with a circularly arranged series of apertures to receive said armor wires and a central opening for the core, and means to mount said plates in spaced parallel relationship for rotation about their respective central axes parallel to the direction of movement of a cable.

Claim 43

The apparatus of claim 40, wherein said bearing disk means includes electric motor means including variable speed drive means for rotating one of said plates.

Claim 44

The apparatus of claim 41, wherein said bearing disk means includes a third plate provided with a circularly arranged series of apertures to receive said armor wires and a central opening for the core, and means to mount the third plate in spaced parallel relationship to the first mentioned two plates for rotation about its central axis parallel to the direction of movement of the cable.