Any object has a magnetic charge says the engineer

How do I promote to military markets its know-how in discrete design and manufacture of diving equipment For the world's leading equipment subsidiary leisure Aqua Lung, of the Air Liquide group diving, the question is all the more important that is going to play the coming months the renewal of a number of contracts with the armies of sea in the years 1960 to 1980. In France, for example, the Navy decided to replace 150 respiratory devices for divers deminers used since 1955 and 120 other units fitted swimmers of combat since 1957. Aqua Lung won the contract with two very technical devices (crab and Frog) designed recently, but in the rest of the world, including in the United States, the market remains dominated by Scots Divox and German Drager.

By equipping its two innovative production tools, Aqua Lung lines to enter the race on some of their markets. "When the lives of the men in mission is at stake, unable to accept any material failure." "Military order donors want the evidence of the zero defect", explains Marc Lavaur, responsible for the production of the France division. For an investment of 100,000 euros, the company is therefore equipped room of degaussing of new generation consisting of two sets.

Composite materials

The first is a "glosses" which allows you to simulate the magnetic disturbances that could undergo clearance divers equipment, making them undetectable by the mines. "Any object has a magnetic charge, says the engineer." But, to be invisible mines, full equipment of the diver must not exceed 4 nanotesla, or the equivalent of the disturbance induced by a simple clip to 20 centimetres of the sensor.

To reduce the load to an infinite decimal amount, Aqua Lung is the choice of complex composite materials ranging from titanium bronze-beryllium alloys, nickel and magnesium base mixtures or plastic high density capable of cash more than 300 pressure bars ejected by bottles. 50 Subcontractors are involved in the provision of such equipment. Accidental pollution occur in one of them (fall of chips in the production chain, dust of iron...) and the aircraft then loses its non-magnetic characteristics. The control is done piece by piece between two electromagnetic coils bombarding with equipment. If load, magnetic disturbances are identified in the second set fitted room, an ultrafine measurement bench.

Tracking pollution

After this control, the parts are assembled in a room and controlled atmosphere (of rank ISO9) whose development has consumed 150,000 euros in supplementary estimates to replace used ultrasonic cleaning bins until then. "The technological complexity of the military aircraft operating with oxygen and high pressure mixtures makes necessary this type of equipment to ensure that no pollution does compromise the safety of gas paths", says Marc Lavaur.

40 Engineers, including ten in the French division of Aqua Lung, working for new concepts and improving the process and breathing equipment. This involvement allows the brand of "keep vivacity of a small business on a ultra-concurrentiel area, with the continuous renewal of the patent portfolio and the anticipation of the market", according to its Director, Jean-Marc Dienville. In the hypothesis of deployed US military markets, already the US subsidiary was formed in new standards.