Re: [PSUBS-MAILIST] Sea trials/PSU/Navy propulsion

[Axel Iehle <ai@augusta.cma.fr>]

Hi Paul,

unmanned sea trials is the only thing to do if you can't afford renting
a test-chamber (there should be in the archives some inputs regarding renting 
test-chambers, as this subject was previously debated)
BUT:
- You won't have an idea of the cycle-fatigue of hull/port-holes.

- Do your tests in places were bottom is not much deeper than the depth you 
want to send your "baby".

- It might be a good idea to put your sub in some kind of strong net, just in 
case it BOOOMs, you'll not only know at what depth, but possibly also why it 
went wrong
if you can read in dead-sub remains. If you simply use a cable/rope, you might 
well only get back the ring where you attached the hull! ;-)

- In any case (sub simply attached to a cable or enclosed in a net), remember 
that if the hull fails, the weight of the "fish" that you'll have caught will 
be much different from this of the one you launched: your boat must be strong 
enough to hnadle that or ready to let it go down before following the remains 
of the sub into the great deep.

- Then, when unmanned tests are OK, I would start with a manned test AT 
SURFACE (even perhaps onland) in very shallow waters.

Apart from that,
SCEPS (Stored Chemical Energy Propulsion System) seems interesting. I shall 
read some more. Thanks for the inputs.

Axel