|
Hi Hugh. The outboards I've used had a cable system where the cable is
wrapped around the steering column and runs to the back of the boat where it
pulls the motor left and right. How does the hydraulics tie into this?
My thought was to use pedals ( like brake pedals from a car) pushing
master cylinders and the fluid transfer would go to the slave cylinders located
out side the sub. The two pedals and corresponding cylinders will need to be
tied together so that when one is pushed to extend, the other would retract.
The orifices would need to be drilled out to allow faster fluid transfer,
but the pressure needed to push the cylinders would be much less than required
to apply the brakes on a car. It won't take that much "push" to move the rudders
or dive planes. The orifice size will determine how fast the cylinders extend. I
don't think a standard master/slave cylinder set up from a car will have enough
fluid capacity to do the job so I was thinking along the lines of using
off-the-shelf hydraulic cylinders as master cylinders with about a pint or so of
fluid capacity. The exterior/slave cylinders would be much smaller, maybe with a
capacity of a few ounces. With the right linkage at the pedal, a 4 inch
travel of the master cylinder should move the slave cylinder 4 inches as
well, thereby turning the rudders or tilting the dive planes.
The tie-in between the two systems could be a pressurized reservoir
tank filled with fluid, with a check valve to prevent oil from flowing back into
the tank.
By pushing a pedal, you are transferring fluid from one part of
the system ( master ) to the other ( slave ), but not pushing against the
internal pressure of the system, just against the opposing cylinder and what
ever resistance the rudder or dive plane adds. The reservoir pressure would
be supplied by a scuba tank to keep the water from entering the system
at the slave cylinders, and to keep the system filled with oil should some
leak out at the seals.
All the thru-hulls would need valves so if a leak develops, shut off that
line and motor up to the surface.
What do you think ? Could it work ? Anyway, I'm going to play with it and
see what happens. I should be able to make a simple system on-the-bench to test
what kind of pressure it takes to push the pedals and move the slave cylinders
against a spring or counter weight. For a bench test, I could use just plastic
tubing and jury rigged auto parts ( free is good ! ) to see if it's even viable.
I'll keep the guys posted on what I find out. Frank D.
Need a new ride? Check out the largest site for U.S. used car listings at AOL Autos. |