Technical Description of a Degaussing System

By Molly Schleicher

Introduction
The primary mission of the United States Navy is to maintain, train, and equip combat-ready Naval forces capable of winning wars, deterring aggression, and maintaining freedom of the seas. In order to accomplish this, the Navy needs to be able to maneuver the oceans in a safe manner and remain undetected. During World War II, naval mines (self-contained explosives that are placed in the water and wait to be triggered and are meant to damage surface ships or submarines) were being utilized by hostile forces. These mines were magnetically sensitive and would detonate when a magnetic field interacted with it. Though mines are not as much an issue anymore, opposing forces can use a ships magnetic signature to locate and track a ship. In an effort maintain the ships stealth and safety, a degaussing system was developed to minimize the magnetic signature that a ship gives off.

Sources of a Ships Magnetic Field

There are three ways in which the ship induces its magnetic field. To start, all naval ships are made with a certain type of metal called ferrous steel. As this ship travels around the world and through the Earths natural magnetic fields, the ferrous metal on the ship polarizes and induces its own magnetic field. Ships are prohibited from driving in a path that is directly south to north or vice versa because this path will rapidly induce a field instead of the field being induced slowly over time as it normally would be induced. This is an issue because rapid induction could have damaging affects to the electronics onboard. Secondly, as the ship, with all of its electronics, travels and rolls throughout the earths magnetic field, the electronics develop a magnetic charge because of all of the conducting materials associated with the electronics. This contribution will only increase because the Navy is trying to move towards an all-electronic ship. Finally, the magnetic field is also developed electrochemically. The ship is covered in a protective material that is supposed to reduce the amount of corrosive damage. As this protective layer wears off, it too can contribute to the magnetic field1. Though the magnetic field is developed in many different ways, the way to reduce these fields can be simplified to one solution. The solution is degaussing.

Components of Degaussing
In simple terms, a degaussing system is able to detect the size and magnitude of the ships magnetic field. The system then creates a field that is equal in magnitude but is opposite in polarity (magnetic charge). The field that the system creates is then capable of masking the magnetic field that the ship is emitting. This system is strategically placed within the ship in the area where it is found to be most effective. The location varies based on the type of ship it is on, however it is normally found in the communication room onboard a ship. This room is located in the upper-middle region of the ship. Refer to Image 1 for a better understanding of this process. Image 1 shows the field that the ship creates (shown with the ship on the left). The image in the middle depicts the field that the degaussing system creates. Note that the fields are equal in size but opposite in direction. These two added together equals a field that is zero or at least very small compared to the original ship. The result is shown with the ship on the left because that ship is no longer emitting a field. A degaussing system is comprised of two main features. One

feature measures the field that is being put off by the ship and the other feature creates the masking field.

Image 1: This image shows how a degaussing system creates a field equal in magnitude but opposite in charge in order to reduce or eliminate the ships magnetic signiture1.

Measurement of the Ships Magnetic Field

Before the degaussing system can create a field, it first must know what size and magnitude is required of the system for the field it is going to produce. To get the information, the degaussing system is able to measure the field that the ship is emitting. A probe is used to take the measurements. The probe uses high frequency currents in its semiconductor chip (various electronic components interconnected on one small device or chip). As the field the ship is producing passes perpendicularly to the probe, a measurement is taken. It is important for this element to maintain an accurate reading. Since this probe is measuring a magnetic field, the device is sensitive to the North and South poles. Once the probe is calibrated to be positioned in a certain direction relative to the North and South poles, this standard should be maintained every time a reading is taken2. To maintain this standard, the handheld probe should measure the ships field only when the ship is facing the predetermined angle relative to north. Following this practice will provide the most accurate results.

Creating the Field

Degaussing systems utilize electricity to create a magnetically charged field. Image 2 shows the patent of this systems design in its entirety. To fully understand how this system works, it can be separated into two main parts: the energy generator and the field generator. Though these two generators work together, learning about them separately will provide a better understanding of the whole system.

Image 2: This image shows the full degaussing system and all of its working components3.

Energy Generator for a Degaussing System

This machine starts like any other electronic device. It needs a power source and this is located at point 37 on Image 3 (note that the patent image has been altered to highlight the energy generator portion of this system). This power source aboard a ship will be an outlet. From here the electricity will travel to the inductor at point 10 on the image. This coil inductor manages the voltage traveling through the system. The winding cords, labeled as point 16, around this inductor initiates what will become the induced magnetic field. As the electricity moves through the amplifier, the voltage is increased in order to keep the transformer (device that transfers energy between two circuits) at point 28 moving. The transformer is the connection between the energy generator and the magnetic field generator. To ensure that the system is continuously powered, electricity flows through the frequency doubler to continue powering the inductor.

Image 3: This image depicts the energy generator components of the degaussing system. The steps circled correspond with those discussed in the description of the system. The direction of the arrows indicates the direction of the energy flow3.

Magnetic Field Generator for a Degaussing System

Once the process of creating the magnetic field starts around the inductor, as mentioned above, and this energy travels through the transformer, the energy essentially broadcasted out through the degaussing cable at point 20 in Image 4 (note that the patent image has been altered to highlight the magnetic field generator portion of this system). Another thing to note about this part of the system is at point 26. This acts like a gate in that it will open and close based on the energy required to create the field.

Image 4: This image depicts the magnetic field generator components of the degaussing system. The steps highlighted correspond with those discussed in the description of the system. The arrows indicate the direction of energy flow3.

Importance of Having a Degaussing System Onboard a Warship

Reducing a ships magnetic signature may not seem like it would do a lot to protect a ship. There are still so many other ways to detect vessels. However, the systems benefits are significant. An amphibious transport dock is a naval vessel that is nearly 700 feet long and is capable of carrying 800 people. When an amphibious ship utilizes its degaussing system, the ship could appear to be as small as a 100 foot long tug boat to potentially hostile forces. Though the ship is still able to be detected by other ships, this large platform can be a little more stealthy as the ship works to complete its mission. To conclude, this system replicates the field that the ship naturally creates but then reverses the polarity in order to reduce the overall magnetic signature of the ship. The simplicity of this system is an essential part of safely navigating the seas.

Image 5: This image shows what the degaussing system looks like onboard a 4 ship .

Works Referenced
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Holmes, John. Reduction of a Ships Magnetic Field Signatures. San Rafael: Morgan & Claypool Publishers, 2008. eBook. 17 Mar. 2014 Beamish, David . "Coating Thickness Measurement." DeFelsko: The Measure of Quality. (2008): n. page. Web. 25 Mar. 2014. <http://www.defelsko.com/technotes/coatingthickness/coating-thickness-measurement.htm>. Stuart, Alfred. United States. Patent Office. Degaussing System. Teterboro: Bendix Aviation Corporation, 1944. Web. 17 Mar. 2014 Image of Degaussing System. Photograph. n.d. SAM Electronics GmbH: Magnetic Ranging, Measuring, Power and Storage Container. http://www.armedforcesint.com/suppliers/degaussing-equipment.html. Web. 17 Mar. 2014

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