TECHNOLOGY AREAS: Information Systems, Ground/Sea Vehicles, Electronics

ACQUISITION PROGRAM: Submarine Communications at Speed and Depth (CSD), PMW 770, ACAT III

The technology within this topic is restricted under the International Traffic in Arms Regulation (ITAR), which controls the export and import of defense-related material and services. Offerors must disclose any proposed use of foreign nationals, their country of origin, and what tasks each would accomplish in the statement of work in accordance with section 3.5.b.(7) of the solicitation.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate advanced materials, spool design, and winding/spooling technologies that will facilitate development of a long length (10 km or greater) expendable optical fiber and deployment spool for use in communications and surveillance buoys that can be used by submerged submarines at high speed (15 knots or higher). Current developmental approaches using this technology have been limited in deployment speed and length or are unaffordable in a production system.

DESCRIPTION: Submarines do not have the capability to transmit in the RF domain at any significant data rates while traveling below periscope depth. As a result, submarines operating at tactical speed and depth are unable to be full participants in Network Centric Warfare operations. To give submarines this capability, as well as provide the flexibility of two-way communications while submerged, an expendable communications buoy connected to the submarine by a high-speed-capable, long-length fiber optic tether is being developed.
The buoy must be deployed using the submarine�s 3-inch launcher. The fiber needs to be designed to mitigate the hydrodynamic issues arising from deployment and ascent of the buoy.
Key Challenges to achieving the above goals are:
(1) Identifying new or advanced environmentally friendly materials from which to fabricate the optical fiber.
(2) Selecting an appropriate binding agent that will allow high-speed winding of multiple fiber spools simultaneously, while still preserving the fiber�s optical properties and integrity, as well as the ability to deploy the fiber underwater at high speed.
(3) Improvement of fiber spool winding technologies, including investigation of both inside and outside fiber payout, and developing the capability to wind multiple fiber spools at high speed simultaneously.
(4) Three dimensional computer modeling of the fiber spooling and deployment to understand the effect of spooling speed tension and the binding agent.

PHASE I: Explore and define innovative materials and approaches to providing submarines with a long (10 km or longer) fiber optic link to the ocean surface. The size constraints of an expendable buoy, type of fiber, speed of the submarine, fiber length, and the maximum load/strain that the fiber can support must all be taken into account. The effort should also include innovative design studies into an automatic system that will provide the capability to wind multiple fiber spools at high speed simultaneously.
The contractor shall perform detailed analysis and modeling of both the optical fiber materials evaluated and the mechanical winding systems investigated or designed. This analysis and modeling should substantiate any recommendations made and show that the chosen design will meet the objectives and criteria set forth herein. The design must address the following risks:
- High strength low bend radius SM fiber (50 um +/- 1um diameter) development at 1550 nm optical band
- Optimum design for the fiber winding pack (10 KM or more per spool)
- Simultaneous, multiple-spool winding technology development
- 3-D Dynamic model development for the fiber pay out

PHASE II: Finalize and optimize the designs chosen in phase I, and build and test prototypes of both the fiber optic spool and the automated spooling machine. Prototype testing shall include demonstrations of both high-speed tether deployment and the ability to simultaneously wind multiple (> 2) spools, to verify that the fiber and spool meet the design specifications.

PHASE III: Transition technology to the Communications at Speed and Depth (CSD) program. Provide units for at-sea use in a tethered expendable buoy.

PRIVATE SECTOR COMMERCIAL POTENTIAL/DUAL-USE APPLICATIONS: The oil exploration industry and the oceanographic research community routinely utilize undersea sensors. Although deployment speed is not typically a concern, the requirements for length, robustness, and environmental safety of the deployed optical fiber are similar to those of the military application. The technology developed might also be of value for data exfiltration from Unmanned Undersea Vehicles (UUVs).

REFERENCES:
1. W. Polini and L. Sorrentino, "Influence of winding speed and winding trajectory on tension in robotized filament winding of full section parts", Composites Science and Technology, Vol. 65, Issue 10, August 2005.

2. Naval Underwater Systems Center, New London Laboratory, classified paper "Tethered Expendable Two-way Communications Buoy Development Options Paper Brief", November 1988.

3. Optical fiber winding technology paper presented by Berkeley Process Control, Inc. at 2003 conference on system that reduces spool quality rejections and fiber production costs.

4. M. Kono, "Winding and packing of optical fiber for deployment from remotely controlled underwater vehicles", Proceedings of the winter annual meeting of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, November 1981.

KEYWORDS: fiber; optical; payout; buoy; submarine; tether

TPOC: Alan Hayashida
Phone: (619)524-7922
Fax: (619)524-7942
Email: [email protected]
2nd TPOC: Tariq Manzur
Phone: (401)837-6887
Fax:
Email: [email protected]

** TOPIC AUTHOR (TPOC) **

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