Composite Submarine Storage Platform Vibration Damping
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Solution Overview
Problem
Military submarines face high levels of structure-borne noise due to the excitation of natural frequencies in storage platforms, which are typically made of steel and mounted elastically on the pressure hull, leading to undesirable acoustic signatures.
Innovation Solution
The use of fiber composite materials and plastic for storage platforms, which provide better vibration damping and reduced weight, allowing for selective attachment of additional masses to influence natural vibration behavior and significantly reduce structure-borne noise transmission to the pressure hull.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-generated harmful factors
If steel bearing platforms are used, then strength and rigidity are sufficient, but vibration damping capacity is poor leading to high structure-borne noise
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies composite materials (fiber-reinforced plastics such as carbon fiber or glass fiber reinforced plastic) to construct the bearing platform. This composite structure provides both the required strength properties and significantly improved vibration damping capacity, thereby reducing structure-borne noise while maintaining structural integrity.
2Object-generated harmful factors
If steel bearing platforms are used, then strength properties are adequate, but weight is high limiting additional mass attachment for vibration control
Solution Approach 1:
The bearing platform is constructed from fiber-reinforced composite materials which have a significantly lower density compared to steel. This weight reduction enables the attachment of additional masses to the platform to influence and optimize the natural vibration behavior, thereby reducing structure-borne noise without exceeding the weight of conventional steel platforms.
3Ease of manufacture
If conventional steel platforms are used, then manufacturing is straightforward, but natural frequency excitation causes high noise levels
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs fiber-reinforced composite materials for the bearing platform construction. These materials inherently provide superior vibration damping properties that reduce natural frequency excitation effects and structure-borne noise, while still allowing for practical manufacturing processes suitable for submarine applications.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The fiber composite and plastic storage platforms effectively reduce structure-borne noise to imperceptible levels by enhancing vibration damping and stiffness, while maintaining comparable strength to traditional steel platforms.
Implementation Method 1
the bearing platform according to the invention is distinguished from these bearing platforms by its significantly improved vibration damping capacity due to its construction from fiber composite material and plastic
Data Source
Figure 1~3
AI summary
The submarine has a single-piece storage platform (6) arranged in a pressure body (2) and for supporting a device (8) e.g. drive motor and pump, that is elastically supported on rubber springs (10). The platform is formed from a composite material and plastics i.e. carbon- and glass fiber reinforced plastics. The platform comprises a planar base body reinforced by and integrated into carriers (20), where portions of the carriers projects at both flat sides of the base body. The base body is formed from a multi-axial core of a fiber composite material.