Functional Description 



The firing mechanism is mechanical; spring energy is used to drive 

 a firing pin into the primer. After lifting the anchor off the deck, 

 only the touchdown probe is lowered to prepare the anchor for installation. 

 The anchor is still ''safe" until it reaches a depth of 10 to 12 feet 

 (3 to 4 m) . At that depth, a hydrostatic lock is released, allowing the 

 trigger of the safe-and-arm device (S/A) free travel. 



Embedment of the anchor projectile occurs when the touchdown probe 

 touches the seafloor. The probe slides, triggering the S/A, which in 

 turn detonates the propellant charge. The pins restraining the fluke 

 assembly shear when the barrel pressure reaches 5,000 psi (34.5 MPa) 

 over ambient water pressure, and the anchor projectile is propelled 

 downward into the seafloor with the downhaul cable. The fluke keys into 

 its maximum resistance position with an upward pull. The gun assembly 

 is expendable in deep water at present, but deep-water retrieval methods 

 described by Taylor* are pertinent. 



Anchor Design 



Fluke assembly. Three types of flukes can be used with the CEL 10K 

 anchor: a sand fluke (1 x 2-foot, 31 x 61 -cm), a clay fluke (2 x 2-foot, 

 61 X 61 -cm), and a rock fluke (to be designed). The clay fluke is square- 

 shaped because recent tests have indicated that a square fluke is best 

 for use in soft clay seafloors. In addition, the 10K anchor utilizes 

 a mechanical S/A, and it is advantageous to keep the touchdown rod as 

 short as possible to minimize potential binding. Handling and fabrication 

 are also further simplified by using the same length of fluke and touch- 

 down rod for both sand and clay anchors. Since predicted anchor performance 

 gave more than enough penetration to achieve the desired holding capacities, 

 it was possible to sacrifice some penetration in order to keep both flukes 

 the same length. The fluke characteristics are outlined in Table 2. The 

 main plate for the flukes is flat. To balance the 10K projectile the 

 flat plate is mounted below the piston axis enough to counteract the 

 weight of the keying arm plate. 



The 10K fluke assemblies also have a modified connection between 

 the downhaul cable and fluke. The connection is a single link that leads 

 to the downhaul cable socket (Figure 3) . Both the socket and line are 

 pinned together through a plate welded to the piston. 



Gun assembly. The gun assembly of the anchor is comprised of the 

 gun tube, the reaction vessel, the firing system, and the cartridge 

 assembly (Figure 2). The gun barrel of the 10K anchor is a smooth-bore 

 steel tube designed to operate at 50,000 psi (345 MPa). The breech 

 block is threaded into the end of the gun tube, and then the S/A (pur- 

 chased from the Magnavox Co.) is in turn threaded into the breech block. 

 The reaction vessel is a reinforced pipe cap 2 feet (0.6 m) in diameter 

 mounted at the muzzle end of the gun tube to entrap water and reduce 



* Taylor (1976), Ibid. 



