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Hi Jay, Obviously agree with you on flooding etc
and getting out but cant reconcile with being blown out if the sub was full of
compressed air. Just from a theoretical point of view:- As it would be at
same pressure as outside it would similar to opening the hatch at 2 ft below
the surface with just a huge inrush of water and the problem as I see it would
be the same as trying to exit a toilet bowl while flushed!! ( We Downunder
always revert to toilet humour) However I do remember seeing an
escape hood which has been successfully used from about 600 ft I believe was
the figure claimed. However being a diver myself and having been down to
185 ft with Scuba it’s a hell of a long way up without fins. I
would be interested in how the hood actually functions. I understand it
has a small pony bottle but don’t know what capacity. I think that flooding through a valve
would give time to equalize your ears and provided you had your head close to
the top the air would be compressed by the flooding of the water to the point
where you would need to submerge your head and start with the breathing
apparatus. We should work out what the time frames should be as if the
size of valve is stipulated then it could be worked out. The hood idea is
the best as expelled air can be rebreathed and a constant flow of replenishing
would give buoyancy to the hood etc etc. Interesting but scary. http://www.silvercrestsubmarines.co.uk/news.html
is the link to see the escape suits. Just hope we never get into that
circumstance. Regards Hugh From:
owner-personal_submersibles@psubs.org
[mailto:owner-personal_submersibles@psubs.org] On Behalf Of Jay K. Jeffries Brent, Speak to Ray
concerning video recordings of last year’s presentations. Unless you have a
bottom hatch to exit from, the increased air pressure you speak of will
violently blow you out of the sub when the hatch is released. Most of
those that have made escapes under emergency conditions have been knocked out
as they are forced out of the hatch. If more than one person, only the
first has made it. For the 150 fsw
scenario, a 40 ft3 aluminum cylinder is probably the best, it is
compact yet has sufficient air to get you to the surface (from experience, a 16
ft3 pony bottle isn’t large enough). Undue the latches
on the bubble hatch before beginning to internally flood the sub, don a scuba
mask, place the regulator in your mouth and brace yourself down in the main
portion of the hull (out of the conning tower), and start to fast flood the
hull. When internal pressure is equalized, the hatch will be blown open
and you shouldn’t be forced out. Now you are in control. With
one hand over your head and one at your waist, exit the sub pushing the slender
tank ahead of you. The one hand at your waist is there to help you get
unsnagged if some item or clothing hangs on protrusion in the conning tower (if
both were over head, you may not be able to get it back inside to untangle
you). Now make your swimming ascent realizing without a depth gauge it is
very difficult to tell if you are making progress towards the surface or sinking. It should be an easy
choice, your eardrums or your life…just reconcile yourself to a piercing
headache. Oft times your eardrums will heal and I understand they can now
be surgically repaired. R/Jay From:
owner-personal_submersibles@psubs.org [mailto:owner-personal_submersibles@psubs.org]
On Behalf Of Brent Hartwig Hi Jay, |