Underwater towing cable and preparation method thereof

Abstract

The invention discloses an underwater towing cable which comprises a first cable body, a second cable body arranged below the first cable body and an annular third cable body, the first cable body and the second cable body are arranged in the third cable body, the first cable body comprises a plurality of wire cores wrapped with protective layers and a plurality of filling parts, and the filling parts are arranged in the second cable body. The adjacent protective layers are in fusion connection, and the protective layers and the adjacent filling parts are in fusion connection; the cross section of the second cable body is similar to a triangle, and the bottom surface of the second cable body is in fusion connection with the adjacent first cable body; the third cable body is provided with a plurality of recessed structures. According to the invention, the moving track of the cable can be stabilized, the resistance of water flow to the cable is reduced, the operation depth of the cable with the same length is increased, the dragging speed is improved, and the internal core body of the cable can be protected from being damaged.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention belongs to the technical field of marine cable preparation, and in particular relates to an underwater towing cable and a preparation method thereof. Background Art

[0002] During underwater terrain exploration, detectors and their connected cables are often subject to strong, hidden, and turbulent currents, which pose a severe challenge to cable stability. These currents not only impose significant resistance on the cables but also induce vortex-induced vibrations, making the detector's trajectory, roll, and roll angles difficult to predict and control, thereby impairing operational efficiency and, in severe cases, even preventing the successful completion of the mission.

[0003] As the cable length increases, the towing depth grows, and the towing speed increases, the cable needs to face more complex flow velocity and direction challenges during underwater movement. The longer the cable, the larger its frontal flow area, the more severe the fluid resistance it encounters and the vortex-induced vibration generated, and the internal core of the cable is also easily damaged.

[0004] In order to solve the existing problems, we propose an underwater towing cable and a preparation method thereof.

[0005] The above information disclosed in this Background section is only for understanding the background of the present inventive concept and therefore it may contain information that does not constitute prior art. Summary of the Invention

[0006] The object of the present invention is to provide an underwater towing cable and a preparation method thereof, so as to solve the problems raised in the above background technology.

[0007] To achieve the above object, the present invention provides the following technical solutions:

[0008] An underwater towing cable comprises a first cable body, a second cable body disposed below the first cable body, and an annular third cable body, wherein the first cable body and the second cable body are disposed within the third cable body, the first cable body comprising a plurality of cores wrapped with protective layers and a plurality of filling portions, adjacent protective layers being fused together, and the protective layers and adjacent filling portions being fused together;

[0009] The cross section of the second cable body is triangular, and the bottom surface of the second cable body is fusedly connected to the adjacent first cable body;

[0010] The cross section of the third cable body is triangular, and the top and both sides of the cross section of the third cable body are arc-shaped; part of the first cable body is fused to the top of the adjacent third cable body, the second cable body is fused to the third cable body, and a plurality of concave structures are provided on the surface of the third cable body.

[0011] Each recessed structure is adjacent to at least one recessed structure with a different volume, or each recessed structure is adjacent to at least one recessed structure with a different opening area.

[0012] Preferably, both sides of the second cable body and the third cable body are arc-shaped with the convex sides facing outwards.

[0013] Preferably, the cross section of the first cable body is circular.

[0014] Preferably, there are three wire cores, and different wire cores are arranged vertically.

[0015] Preferably, there are three wire cores, and the different wire cores are arranged in a triangle.

[0016] Preferably, the opening of the recessed structure is one or more of circular, elliptical, quadrilateral, polygonal, and irregular shapes.

[0017] Preferably, the recessed structures are arranged along the axial direction of the cable.

[0018] Preferably, the recessed structures are arranged in an orderly or random manner on the surface of the third cable body.

[0019] Preferably, the center distance between adjacent recessed structures is 0.5-5 times the maximum width of the recessed structure opening.

[0020] Preferably, the depth of the recessed structure is 5%-10% of the cable diameter.

[0021] Preferably, the protective layer, the filling portion, the second cable body, and the third cable body are all made of thermoplastic materials.

[0022] A method for preparing an underwater towing cable comprises:

[0023] T1: The insulation material is fed into the extruder. Under process condition 1, the insulation material and the wire core are extruded through the cable die, cooled and shaped to form a cable.

[0024] An extrusion die is used, and the insulating material is pulled along with the wire core by the traction device.

[0025] T2: The insulating material is fed into an extruder and extruded through an adjusting piece die under process condition 2. After cooling and shaping, a plurality of strip-shaped adjusting pieces are formed. The cable prepared in T1 and the adjusting pieces prepared in T2 are then axially twisted in an orderly manner to obtain the first cable body.

[0026] T3: The insulating material is fed into an extruder and extruded through a second cable body mold under process condition 3, and then cooled and shaped to form the second cable body;

[0027] T4: preheating the first cable body and the second cable body prepared in T2 and T3, and then pre-assembling the two through a cable winding machine to form an assembly;

[0028] T5: The assembly prepared in step T4 is preheated, and the insulating material is fed into an extruder. Under process condition 4, the assembly and the insulating material are extruded through a third cable body mold, and after cooling and characterization, a semi-finished cable is obtained.

[0029] The assembly is conveyed to an extrusion die head, and the insulating material is fed into the extruder. Under process condition 4, the insulation is extruded through the third cable body die along with the assembly under the traction of the traction device.

[0030] T6: Prepare the pressing mold and preheat it. After the semi-finished cable product is extruded from the third cable body mold, use the pressing mold to press out a concave structure on the surface of the third cable body under process condition 5.

[0031] Preferably, when assembling the first cable body and the second cable body in T4, the first cable body is placed on one side of the bottom surface of the second cable body.

[0032] Preferably, the pressing mold in T6 can be two pieces. Under the transportation of the robotic arm, the two pressing molds can wrap the assembly or be separated from the assembly. The inner walls of the two pressing molds are provided with protrusions, and the shapes and arrangements of the protrusions correspond to the recessed structures respectively.

[0033] Preferably, process conditions 1, process conditions 2, process conditions 3, and process conditions 4 are all heating temperatures of 200-280° C. and pressures of 1-2 MPa.

[0034] Preferably, process condition 5 is that the pressing mold temperature is 200-240° C. and the pressing time is 3-6 s.

[0035] The protective layer and the filling part in the first cable body of the present invention are fused and connected, and the first cable body is formed into a circular structure under the filling of the filling part, thereby reducing the damage rate of the cable core caused by high resistance underwater.

[0036] The second cable body of the present invention is below the first cable body and is filled between the first cable body and both sides of the third cable body, ensuring that the shape of the third cable body does not collapse or deform during the preparation process.

[0037] Both sides of the third cable body of the present invention are arc-shaped, and the convex surface of the arc faces outward, ensuring that the cable has low resistance in water. The third cable body wraps the first cable body and the second cable body, and the third cable body is provided with a plurality of recessed structures, each recessed structure is adjacent to at least one recessed structure of a different volume, and each recessed structure is adjacent to at least one recessed structure of a different opening area, ensuring that the cable has low resistance in water.

[0038] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following beneficial effects:

[0039] The present invention can stabilize the running track of the cable, reduce the resistance of the water flow to the cable, increase the operating depth of the cable with the same length, improve the towing speed, and protect the internal core of the cable from being damaged. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0040] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the cross-sectional structure of the present invention when the cores are arranged in a triangle;

[0041] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the cross-sectional structure of the present invention when the wire cores are arranged vertically;

[0042] Figure 3 This is the first front view of the present invention;

[0043] Figure 4 This is the second front view of the present invention;

[0044] In the picture:

[0045] 1-first cable body; 11-protective layer; 12-core; 13-filling portion; 2-second cable body; 3-third cable body; 31-recessed structure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0046] The following will clearly and completely describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present invention, not all of the embodiments. All other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field based on the embodiments of the present invention without making any creative efforts shall fall within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0047] See also Figures 1 to 4 , the present invention provides several technical solutions:

[0048] Example 1:

[0049] from Figure 1-2 As shown, an underwater towing cable includes a first cable body 1, a second cable body 2 disposed below the first cable body 1, and an annular third cable body 3. The first cable body 1 and the second cable body 2 are disposed within the third cable body 3. The first cable body 1 includes a plurality of cores 12 wrapped with protective layers 11 and a plurality of filling portions 13. Adjacent protective layers 11 are fused together, and the protective layers 11 and adjacent filling portions are fused together. The first cable body 1 has a circular cross-section and includes three cores 12. The different cores 12 are arranged vertically or in a triangular arrangement.

[0050] The cross section of the second cable body 2 is triangular, and the bottom surface of the second cable body 2 is fused to the adjacent first cable body 1 .

[0051] The third cable body 3 is made of thermoplastic material, such as polyethylene, polyvinyl chloride, or Teflon. The cross-section of the third cable body 3 is triangular, with the top and sides of the third cable body arcuate. A portion of the first cable body is fused to the top of the adjacent third cable body, and the second and third cable bodies are fused to each other. The protective layer 11, filler portion 13, second cable body 2, and both sides of the second and third cable bodies 3 are arcuate, with the convex sides facing outward.

[0052] from Figure 3-4 As shown, the surface of the third cable body 3 is provided with a plurality of recessed structures 31. The openings of the recessed structures 31 may be circular, elliptical, quadrilateral, polygonal, or irregularly shaped. The recessed structures 31 are arranged along the cable axis. Specifically, they may be arranged in a straight line, randomly, or in a spiral array along the cable axis. The center-to-center spacing between adjacent recessed structures 31 is 0.5-5 times the maximum width of the opening of the recessed structure 31. The depth of the recessed structures 31 is 5%-10% of the cable diameter.

[0053] Each recessed structure 31 is adjacent to at least one recessed structure 31 having a different volume, or each recessed structure 31 is adjacent to at least one recessed structure 31 having a different opening area.

[0054] Example 2:

[0055] A method for preparing an underwater towing cable, the method comprising:

[0056] T1: Teflon or polyvinyl chloride is put into the extruder, using an extrusion die head, heating temperature of 200-280℃, pressurized at 1-2 MPa, and the Teflon or polyvinyl chloride is pulled along with the wire core 12 by the pulling device, and the two pass through the cable die and are extruded, and then cooled and shaped to form a cable;

[0057] T2: Teflon or polyvinyl chloride is fed into an extruder, heated to 200-280°C and pressurized at 1-2 MPa, extruded through an adjusting piece mold, cooled and shaped to form a plurality of strip-shaped adjusting pieces. The cable prepared in T1 and the adjusting pieces prepared in T2 are then axially twisted in an orderly manner to obtain the first cable body 1;

[0058] T3: Put Teflon or polyvinyl chloride into the extruder and heat it to 200-280℃, pressurize it to 1-2 MPa, extrude it through the second cable body 2 mold, cool it and shape it to form the second cable body 2;

[0059] T4: Preheat the first cable body 1 and the second cable body 2 prepared in T2 and T3 to a temperature of 200-280°C, place the first cable body 1 on one side of the bottom surface of the second cable body 2, and then pre-assemble the two through a cable winding machine and assemble them into an assembly.

[0060] T5: The assembly prepared in step T4 is preheated to 200-280°C. Teflon or polyvinyl chloride is then fed into an extruder and conveyed to an extrusion die. The assembly is heated to 200-280°C and pressurized to 1-2 MPa. The insulator and the assembly are pulled by a traction device and extruded through the third cable body 3 die. After cooling and characterization, the semi-finished cable is formed.

[0061] T6: Prepare and preheat the pressing mold to 200-240°C. After the semi-finished cable is extruded from the third cable body 3 mold, press the concave structure 31 onto the surface of the third cable body 3 using the pressing mold at a temperature of 200-240°C for 3-6 seconds. The pressing mold can be two pieces. The two pieces can be transported by a robotic arm and can be wrapped around or separated from the assembly. The inner walls of the two pieces of the pressing mold are provided with protrusions, the shapes and arrangement of which correspond to the concave structures 31.

[0062] The working principle and use process of the present invention:

[0063] In the present invention, the protective layer 1 and the filling portion 13 of the first cable body 1 are fused together. The second cable body 2 is located below the first cable body 1 and fills the space between the first cable body 1 and the third cable body 33. Several recessed structures 31 on the surface of the third cable body 3 reduce the resistance of water flow to the cable.

[0064] The depth of the recessed structure 31 is 5-10% of the cable diameter. When the fluid flows through the recessed structure 31, micro-turbulence will be formed, which will increase the boundary layer energy and delay the separation of the water flow from the cable surface, thereby reducing the pressure difference resistance; the reduction in the horizontal resistance of the cable can reduce the inclination angle of the cable during faster operation, increase the operating depth of cables of the same length, and improve the towing speed.

[0065] Although embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described (see the detailed description above for details), it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes, modifications, substitutions and variations can be made to these embodiments without departing from the principles and spirit of the invention, and the scope of the invention is defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.

[0066] In the description of this application, it should be noted that the terms "center," "upper," "lower," "left," "right," "vertical," "horizontal," "inner," and "outer," etc., indicating orientations or positional relationships, are based on the orientations or positional relationships shown in the accompanying drawings and are intended solely to facilitate the description of the present invention and simplify the description. They do not indicate or imply that the devices or components referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed, or operate in a specific orientation. Therefore, they should not be construed as limitations on the present invention. Furthermore, the terms "first," "second," and "third" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance.

[0067] In the description of this application, it should be noted that, unless otherwise expressly specified or limited, the terms "mounted," "connected," and "connected" should be understood in a broad sense. For example, they can refer to fixed connections, detachable connections, or integral connections; mechanical connections or electrical connections; direct connections or indirect connections through an intermediate medium; and internal connections between two components. Those skilled in the art will understand the specific meanings of the above terms in this application based on the specific circumstances.

Claims

1. An underwater towing cable, characterized in that: The cable comprises a first cable body, a second cable body provided below the first cable body, and an annular third cable body, wherein the first cable body and the second cable body are provided in the third cable body, the first cable body comprises a plurality of cores wrapped with protective layers and a plurality of filling parts, adjacent protective layers are fused together, and the protective layers and adjacent filling parts are fused together; The cross section of the second cable body is triangular, and the bottom surface of the second cable body is fusedly connected to the adjacent first cable body; The cross section of the third cable body is triangular, and the top and both sides of the cross section of the third cable body are arc-shaped; part of the first cable body is fused to the top of the adjacent third cable body, and the second cable body is fused to the third cable body. The surface of the third cable body is provided with a plurality of concave structures; Each of the recessed structures is adjacent to at least one recessed structure having a different volume, or each of the recessed structures is adjacent to at least one recessed structure having a different opening area.

2. An underwater towing cable according to claim 1, characterized in that: The opening of the concave structure is one or more of circular, elliptical, quadrilateral, polygonal, and irregular shapes.

3. The underwater towing cable according to claim 1, characterized in that: The recessed structures are arranged in an orderly or random manner on the surface of the third cable body.

4. The underwater towing cable according to claim 1, characterized in that: The center distance between adjacent recessed structures is 0.5-5 times the maximum width of the recessed structure opening.

5. The underwater towing cable according to claim 1, characterized in that: The depth of the recessed structure is 5%-10% of the diameter of the cable.

6. The underwater towing cable according to claim 1, characterized in that: The materials of the protective layer, the filling part, the second cable body and the third cable body are all thermoplastic materials.

7. A method for preparing an underwater towing cable according to claim 1, characterized in that: The preparation method of the cable comprises: T1: The insulation material is fed into the extruder. Under process condition 1, the wire core and insulation material are extruded through the cable die, cooled and shaped to form a cable. T2: The insulating material is fed into an extruder and extruded through a conditioning die under process condition 2. After cooling and shaping, a plurality of strip-shaped conditioning pieces are formed. The cable prepared in T1 and the conditioning pieces prepared in T2 are then axially twisted in an orderly manner to obtain the first cable body. T3: feeding the insulating material into the extruder, extruding it through the second cable body mold under process condition 3, and forming the second cable body after cooling and shaping; T4: preheating the first cable body and the second cable body prepared in T2 and T3, and then pre-assembling the two through a cable winding machine to form an assembly; T5: The assembly prepared in step T4 is preheated, and the insulating material is fed into an extruder. Under process condition 4, the assembly and the insulating material are extruded through a third cable body die, and after cooling and characterization, a semi-finished cable is obtained. T6: Prepare the pressing mold and preheat it. After the semi-finished cable product is extruded from the third cable body mold, use the pressing mold to press out a concave structure on the surface of the third cable body under process condition 5.

8. The method for preparing an underwater towing cable according to claim 7, characterized in that: The process conditions 1, 2, 3 and 4 all have a heating temperature of 200-280° C. and a pressure of 1-2 MPa.

9. The method for preparing an underwater towing cable according to claim 7, characterized in that: The process condition 5 is that the pressing mold temperature is 200-240° C. and the pressing time is 3-6 seconds.

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