Transversely Tensioned Belt Drive (TTBD)

The US Navy needs a Buoyant Cable Antenna (BCA) transfer mechanism and stowage reel that can deploy and retract larger diameter BCAs while still fitting in the existing system’s footprint. Current technologies are limited to capstan and rigid belt drive designs that can damage the BCA with too much bending, contact stress, or both. Physical Sciences Inc. and Granite State Manufacturing have teamed to provide the Navy with a linear drive that provides high output force while gently spreading load the over the entire surface of the BCA. PSI’s solution will extend the service life of the BCA beyond what is capable with existing technologies, and will allow for new and potentially more delicate BCA designs to be developed and deployed successfully in the future. In the Phase I, PSI will use demonstrate the feasibility of the Transversely Tensioned Belt Drive (TTBD) approach through a combination of analysis and feasibility testing. The overall result of Phase II will be a BCA deployment system that can provide up to 2000 lbf on a 0.85” - 0.95” diameter BCA, within the same space constraints of the legacy BCA transfer mechanism system.