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Salvas

Before the 2nd World War, several artisans were producing standard diving equipment. These artisans joined in a partnership named SIAS (from the Italian Societa Italiana Apparecchi di Salvataggio, Italian Society for Rescue Apparatus), that became few years later SALVAS (from the Italian Societa Anonima Lavorazioni Varie Apparecchi di Salvataggio, Anonymous Society for Various Works on Rescue Apparatus), based in Roma. 

SALVAS moved then to Castelnuovo Scrivia (AL), where they still have their offices.

In 1954 the single-stage ACQUASUB was released - patent Cousteau-Gagnan - practically a copy of the GC45.

ACQUASUB has had not much luck, it was surpassed by the launch of the MISTRAL in 1955. 

Then the company studied a product of its own and, at the beginning of 1960, presented the AQUASPRINT.

The innovations are remarkable and it is a success. It is not a pure single stage, since it is fitted with a reducer that reduces the air pressure to 20 bar more than the ambient pressure, so it could be called a two-stage.

When the pressure in the bottle drops below 20 bar the inhalation becomes progressively harsh, warning the diver to ascend: the system allows you to do without the usual mechanical reserve on the taps, annoying and insecure.

 

 

However, the Aquasprint can be applied without problems to taps without gear reducer, there is the warning to recalibrate the reducer by acting on the appropriate screw. In this way it becomes a classic single-stage. The inhalation and exhalation occur through of the both corrugated hoses, while the mouthpiece is equipped with an anti-flooding shut-off valve. 

 

 

The Aquasprint was a solid and original regulator, produced by Salvas in the second half of the 50s. The mechanical design was simple and reliable, but the choice of using both tubes for both inhalation and exhalation undermined the efficiency of the machine, increasing the respiratory dead space well beyond the reasonable range (the amount of air that it is not purified by carbon dioxide).


 

In the last series produced, one of the two tubes was intentionally closed in an attempt to improve the efficiency of the regulator.

Despite the limitations of the project, the Aquasprint was adopted by the Navy and the Carabinieri.

 

 

Particular is also the discharge, given by a diaphragm valve in the lower part of the box. The actual delivery mechanism is instead analogous to the French patent, with the large diaphragm, the lever system, the short vertical needle that controls the inlet valve.

 

The label of the Aquasprint puts emphasizes that it is a Salvas patent.

 

 


 

                     

 

Reference:

1. HDS Notizie - Anno XVII - N.52

Mistral

Acquasub

Aquasprint



 
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