FLEXIBLE COUPLING FOR A LIQUID COOLED COAXIAL TRANSMISSION LINE

Ship electirc drive require large currents at full power to develop the necessary horsepower to propel the ship. Coaxial lines are used to reduce the external magnetic fields to the transmission lines, and reduce ship magnetic signature. Flexible couplings must be used with coaxial lines to account for environmental factors such as hull contractions and expansion, and to withstand the navy environment shich includes shock and vibration. Development of a flexible coupling is important to future application of coaxial transmission. We propose to develop a passively cooled, cable based flexibe coupling for coaxial transmission line that is cost effective, easy to fabricate, install, and maintain. The flexible coupling will be designed with readily available components to minimize the cost of production. The interface of the coupling with the transmission line will be designed with readily available components to minimize the cost of production. The interface of the coupling with the transmission line will be designed such that it does not require modifications to exiting coaxial designs. This reduces the cost impact of implementation permitting rapid testing on Navy test facility. Our Phase I effort will result in a detail design of the flexible coupling. The detail design will include a complete set of fabrication drawings and a design report. In Phase II, we will build a prototype and test it at a Navy facility. The design will then be updated and a complete set of production drawings generated.