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Chip, > So…. My first question is: > Should fiberglass even be considered
as hull material? I don’t think there’s anything
intrinsically wrong with fiberglass, but for a submarine to submerge, it has to
be as heavy as the water it displaces. Normally the use of fiberglass in boat-building
is connected with a desire to make light hulls. In the case of a sub, however, even
steel subs invariably carry around a huge amount of lead ballast just to make
them sinkable. That is weight that adds no value. Personally, I would prefer to
put the weight into two more useful items; the pressure hull and the batteries.
Since you mention your typical mission would be just 1-2 hours, it seems you
don’t want too many batteries. Why not put the weight into the hull and
use good old steel? Even if you don’t want to go very deep, you’ll
just have that more safety margin. > My second question is: > What does anyone think about the air
replenishment idea? It sounds a bit complex. I have two subs;
a K250 and a 90% complete design of my own. My own is full of complex ideas,
while the K250 is elementary all around. You know what? My conclusion is that elementary
isn’t bad! I’m not sure what internal volume you had in mind for
the cabin, but you might well find you can stay down for 1-2 hours with no life
support at all, and use a snorkel on the surface if conditions don’t
allow you to open the hatch. Life support is one of the rare things people
assume to be complicated, which in fact turns out to be rather straight
forward. Welcome aboard! Alec The contents of this e-mail are intended for the named addressee only. It contains information that may be confidential. Unless you are the named addressee or an authorized designee, you may not copy or use it, or disclose it to anyone else. If you received it in error please notify us immediately and then destroy it. |