Re: [PSUBS-MAILIST] sub

[TeslaTony@aol.com]

In a message dated 8/7/01 4:05:53 PM Pacific Daylight Time, 
sarahpeck71@hotmail.com writes:

> hi.  my name is Sarah and I began to build a submarine a year ago.  I was 
>  mostly fooling around with the idea in a form and function class at art 
>  school.  Since I decided that I want to begin again with something 
>  different.  I have begun to study submarines more as well (went to the 
human 
> 
>  powered submarine race).  What I would like to do is build a steel ball 
that 
> 
>  can go to the floor of rivers, lakes, or maybe shallow shallow ocean.  I 
>  want it to work somewhat like a hampster's wheel.  Maybe somehow 
harnessing 
>  myself in the middle, so I could move the submarine around.  Is this 
>  possible at all?  If so where do I begin.  I would like to have drawings 
and 
> 
>  models so that I can be sponsored.  Almost all of this is new to me so any 
>  information no matter how basic helps.
>  
Sounds like you are looking for something more along the lines of a hamster 
ball instead of wheel (the ball will allow you to go any direction, while the 
cage will have two directons: where you've been and where you don't want to 
go).
For a ball I'd recommend an acrylic pressure hull instead of a steel one, 
because last time I checked steel wasn't transparent (hey, I've been wrong 
before) and would limit your visibility quite a bit (even with windows).

Some things to consider about spherical subs that you can stand up in: 
Average height is about 5'10", and since you want some head clearance it 
should be minimally be 6'0", if not taller. Add 6' to the hull thickness 
(figure 2 inches for acrylic, 1/4" or so for steel), which means it'll be a 
good-sized ball and displace a lot of water, and of course you'll need to 
compensate for that by adding weight-a couple tons of it-which means you will 
get quite a workout moving it around. You should also consider how to get the 
thing to surface (double hull, maybe?) and life support that won't get 
underfoot while walking around.

Now the upsides to this thing would be: 1) It would just plain be really 
cool-possibly cooler than Pat's NAUTILUS. 2) With an acrylic hull the 
visibility would be GREAT, it would be almost impossible to tell where the 
water ended and the air began. 3) With a bit of creativity I think it just 
might be possible. 4) It's so different from anything else I've heard of 
someone is bound to find some new oddball use for it that you never even 
imagined.

Best of luck with it!
Anthony