Suggested elements for a new tow cable & handling system design standard for littoral towed systems

Abstract

A review of current handling system specifications was conducted to determine an appropriate handling system and tow cable design specification for a high speed, littoral towed system. During that review it was determined that existing specifications are not suited to govern the design of handling systems used in this application. Due to the extreme load cases as well as the likelihood of a tow cable failure possible with littoral high-speed towing, it is clear that development of a new design criteria and standard that considers the unique load profile is needed. This paper will put forth recommendations for such a standard. The recommendations are a combination of various design criteria and operational measures. In the category of design criteria the standard allows for a two tiered safety factor to increase the operational window of the system while ensuring system integrity up through loads that exceed the breaking strength of the tow cable.