Carsten wrote:
The balloon system in your drawing has one problem
- all the hatches are still underwater - even on the surface..
The balloons must be on both sides to give some freeboard
- but with side balloons - if one fails - the boat comes capsized
to the surface.
*** I had originally imagined one large balloon onboard my
* own non-existent sub only for raising a disabled sub to the
* surface. The plan called for using the balloon to raise the
* sub so that a very small support ship could recover it, or to
* give extra buoyancy while flooding the cockpit to escape.
* In the flooded sub scenario, a listing sub would give a larger
* air pocket, and it may be possible to have the balloon
* completely invert the sub, furthering aiding in evacuation
*(I would'nt attach the balloon cable to the bottom of the sub
* in fear that upon release, the conning tower would be rolled
* and smashed against the ocean bottom). Another option is
* to use the balloon if the sub settled into the bottom and
* became "mired in the mud." With this option, you could cut
* the wires to the balloon after you had been pulled from the muck,
* the balloon would be recovered from the surface, and you would
* not have to build a new drop weight(the use of yer drop weight
* would give you a non-stop and uncontrollable ride to the surface).
* My first worry for needing an emergency buoyancy plan, however,
* is getting tangled in a net or caught on a line. A balloon could
* add an enormous amount of buoyancy with a lot of simplicity and
* a small storage space(also easily tested), but would get tangled up
* itself very easily, and may not be able to expand to its full size.
German military submarines of today use a gas-generator.
This generator has two kinds of chemicals and produce a hell
of a lot of Hydrazine gas in a very short time if somebody presses the button -
the Generators are located inside the normal ballast tanks.
The pressure and flow of the gas is so forceful that even
with some holes or failed vales the boat will surface
for a short time - so that the crew can leave it.
***This sounds extremely nice, but the solid fuel "rockets"
* couldn't be tested, and just how long would the shelf life be?
* Would having them in a salt-water environment shorten
* their dependable life? Rocket fuels can put out a lot of
* energy, but can also be pretty complex.
I think your safety balloons - inside the ballast tanks can be a
maybe better option.
***This sounds really nice, a repair option for your main
* buoyancy control system. The sub would even handle the
* same as it did before it had that gaping hole in the side of
8 the ballast tank. Easily tested, and wouldn't get snagged
* on whatever hit you. Containing the balloon inside yer
* ballast tanks would'nt provide any extra buoyancy than
* what you allowed for in yer original design and the balloon
* would have to be pretty tough to ensure that it wasn't torn
* on any jagged pieces from the hole in yer ballast tank.
Shin
BTW - I like the idea of a convention in Europe. For Carsten to bring his sub to the USA we would all have to pitch in enough money for us each to buy tickets to Germany. And hey, I'd rather go to Germany than Florida any day! Hmm, I bet with the recent commercial airline problems, we could all get tickets pretty cheap! Awww... man! Never rub yer eyes while sitting at the computer screen if you ate hot peppers at supper. ...........................