PBO Reinforced Sonar Tow Cable with In-Line Temperature Sensors

The marine environment provides a tough proving ground f or advanced fiber cables. Recently, a new f iber called PBO has become available which offers the potential of higher strength and lower stretch than materials currently used in undersea cables. The intent of this effort will be to propose an innovative PBO fiber cable design that will improve the fatigue resistance of a marine tow cable. Prototype cable made in the same design with aramid and LCP will be compared to the PBO fiber cable. Ocean movement also limits the useful life of sensor attachments along the length of cables deployed at sea. The second part of this effort will explore the methodology for installing reliable embedded temperature sensors in marine tow cables. In addition to assessing the micro-electronic sensors and how to protect them once installed, a more flex-tolerant connection and signal path will be investigated.