accomplishing the actual mating operation. This 

 process consists of two basic and nearly independent 

 steps: 



1. Rendezvous and alignment. This step involves 

 all the maneuvers required to get one half of the 

 connector into the immediate vicinity of the other 

 half, such as picking up one end of a cable and towing 

 it to a structure to which it is to be mated. This step 

 also includes rotating and translating the connector so 

 that the longitudinal axes of the connectors coincide 

 and the phase pins are correctly matched. 



2. Mating. This is the actual mechanical 

 connection of the two halves and the completion of 

 electrical contact, with the attendant contact and 

 insulator wiping action. In the concept used here, the 

 mechanical and electrical operations are accomplished 

 simultaneously, utilizing a linear motion of about 3 

 inches. 



The interface between these two steps is the 

 guide mechanism (Figure 5) utilized both to control 

 the connector during the last few inches of alignment 

 and to effect the actual mating operation. The power 

 and control functions for both operations are 

 provided by either divers, a remotely operated 

 actuator of some sort, or a submersible with 

 manipulator arm. 



The test program was designed to first 

 investigate the mating operation under laboratory 

 conditions, then attempt the operation under very 

 simplified rendezvous conditions, and then complete 

 a more complicated rendezvous and mating in the 

 open ocean on an operational structure. 



Mating Tests. Initial attempts to quantify the 

 performance of the experimental hardware were 

 made in a shallow tank of seawater at one atmosphere 

 pressure (just below the surface). In general, the 

 phase-to-ground resistance of the connectors 

 degraded with repeated mating. Examination of the 

 oil in the female connector indicated that seawater 

 did intrude and that dirt and O-ring particles were 

 also present. Inspection of the 0-rings revealed that 

 they had small spots sliced or pinched off them, as 

 opposed to being abraded from friction. Both the 

 O-ring damage and the water leakage were due 

 primarily to the fact that the square edges of the male 

 pins were easily chipped in trying to start them into 

 the female connector. The roughened edges produced 



Figure 5. Wet connectors being 

 mated by divers. 



small cavities to pass seawater under the 0-rings and 

 possibly to damage them. This is a problem in any 

 pin-wiping system and can be improved by using 

 tougher pin materials, better alignment techniques 

 and more rugged seals. 



From these tests it became apparent that 

 although the wet connector system did work at the 

 shallow depths it did so only marginally and that 

 there were many obvious areas requiring considerably 

 improved design if reliability was to be achieved. The 

 next steps were to investigate the effects of increased 

 depth and to begin studying adaptability of the 

 connectors to handling by divers. 



Shallow tests by divers with the connectors on a 

 submerged bench indicated that the connectors— 

 when divorced from the forces of attached long 

 cables— could be mated with ease. For open-ocean 

 operations, however, there were two major modifica- 

 tions which had to be made before divers or a 

 submersible could even begin to align and mate the 

 connectors; 



