APPLICATION OF FLUID TECHNOLOGY TO NAVAL SYSTEMS

The use of the flow of fluids to accomplish control, computation and other tasks, is a new technique available to designers of military equipment. The usefulness of this technique is shown in this report, which summarizes results of a study of fluid system application to several examples in each of five areas of Naval equipment. It has been found that many control tasks are within the present capability of fluid systems. Stabilization and control of small missiles, light aircraft or helicopters, are examples. Other applications appear very promising, based on development programs currently in progress. Control of turbo-jet engines or inertial guidance of missiles, are examples. In each example examined, the suitability of using fluid systems instead of conventional systems is pointed out, and, to the extent possible, specific tages of using fluid systems are related to low cost. Initial system development costs are roughly comparable to those of conventional systems, but production model costs will be significantly lower for fluid systems - as little as one quarter to one half the cost of conventional systems to accomplish the same task. Possibly more important is the potential saving in operational costs, because fluid systems are inherently simple and highly reliable. Author