Hello Brian,
I've been meaning to catch up with you, to talk with you about some of your vertical sub ideas. I've been looking at ways to make my Batic THUWG sit vertically on it's bow and stern underwater. But I don't think I'll be able to get more then a 45 degree angle down or up with what I've currently designed, according to pool testing of models. I'm not trying to make it a vertical exit sub.
The Delta sub has more then 6,000 dives under it's belt, so those vertical flanges protecting the hatch viewport seem to be doing the trick. I don't know however if any thing has tried to hit that viewport. But even with out any protection, those small viewport could likely take a real beating and survive. I don't think I'll need those protective flanges on mine, since I'm installing a 2" schedule 40 aluminum tubing cage over the top of the sub some what like it had. I've already found a good fabricator, that has made ski boat type top cage structures and makes all sorts of fancy metal railings for homes. I'm coating the aluminum with Rattleguard urethane coating after I copper slag blast it for good coating adhesion. The Rattleguard coating should protect it from corrosion, keep the bars from being really cold or hot to the touch, and make them easy to hold onto.
Greg Cottrell was telling me that those large thick acrylic cylinders are made in two halves, and then carefully joined. Each half starts out as a flat piece of cell cast acrylic, then once heated properly is curved around a form. Greg can make you one. That 360 degree view will be wonderful. Over all I suspect they would also be cheaper then a metal conning tower with all the welded in viewports and what not, like we see in the K-350's.
Regards,
Brent Hartwig
From: ojaivalleybeefarm@dslextreme.com
To: personal_submersibles@psubs.org
Subject: RE: [PSUBS-MAILIST] The Ugly Duckling Submarine
Date: Wed, 30 Jul 2008 18:09:47 -0700
Brent,
Thanks for the update on the viewport question. My concern with the viewport in the hatch was the locking mechanism interfering with the viewport and also the possibility of hitting something. It's funny that you are using that acrylic tubular viewport, I was all hot about doing something like that earlier in my designing phase, the difference with mine was I was using 4" flat plate acrylic and cutting it into a big doughnut and then polishing the sides. I finally decided there were too many unknows to proceed.
Take Care,
Brian
Greetings Brian,
Your the second person to suspect that the large thru hull behind the conning tower is a viewport. It is actually a plate with four old plastic SeaCon electrical thru hulls in it.
In my subs configuration, it is very hard to lay down enough to get your head under the conning tower reinforcement ring and look up through that large thru hull tube. I would put a viewport in your metal hatch, if at all possible. I'm planning on building a light, all SS metal hatch similar to what Paul Moorhouse used on the Alicia sub, but rotate the three locking means so I can install a small viewport in the forward area of the hatch like on Doug Privitt's sub Delta. That way I can look up through easily. Don't get turned around like I did for some time when looking at the Deltas viewport side guards. They are not part of a hinge. The hatch hinge is on the other side, and quite small, making it hard to see in the low quality pictures I have.
http://k-250-submarine-refit.spaces.live.com/photos/cns!5085D10EB6AFE47C!123/
This will allow me to have a light hatch locking means that can be opened from inside and out. Here are some pictures of the Alicia's hatch, and the Delta's Hatch. I wish I had better pictures of both subs hatches.
http://www.frappr.com/?a=viewphoto&id=4001713&pid=10255616
http://www.frappr.com/?a=viewphoto&id=4001713&pid=7567969
http://www.deltaoceanographics.com/xmascoral.html
http://img185.imageshack.us/img185/1479/dougbiodeltacw5.jpg
http://img185.imageshack.us/img185/6779/cominginve4.gif
http://www.bubbleology.com/seeps/images/Delta_Image.jpg
My metal hatch will be installed above a 1.5" thick cylinder of acrylic that is 25" OD and 12" high. I'm purchasing the cylinder from the Captain. He had planned to put it on one of his subs, and never got around to it. It will significantly raise my freeboard hatch land height, and give me a great 360 degree view.
http://www.frappr.com/?a=viewphoto&id=4001713&pid=10255638
When I spoke with George the other day, he didn't recall installing the large thru hull behind the conning tower. So it very well might of been done by Dr. LeSchack. So when referring to the temporary wooden plugs that were used by Dr. LeSchack for the first unmanned depth test, they were likely used on the thruster thru hulls.
I'm working on another configuration with will allow me to have a larger viewport in the middle of a metal hatch. That can also be open from the inside and out with only one handle on the outside and one on the inside. I'll show you guys the 3D CAD work when it is done.
I regards to the plastic thru hulls that were on my K-250, when I spoke to George he said he wanted to use stainless steel EnviroCon electrical thru hulls on my sub, since he worried that if there was a short in the plastic ones, that might melt the plastic. I'm not sure exactly what kind of plastic was used for the thruster electrical thru hulls. It looks much like UHMW type plastic to me. They didn't use solid wire. Here are pictures of one of them.
http://k-250-submarine-refit.spaces.live.com/photos/cns!5085D10EB6AFE47C!123/
The electrical thru hulls installed into the large plate behind the conning tower, are a old plastic SeaCon type. I was not impressed with these at all. You will see why in the pictures.
The large thru hull plate has a O-ring installed into it, and it's land and tube support are different components welded together, Likely before it was welded to the hull. This way they could turn it flat if need be, like Carsten did on his larger main hull flanges on Euronaut.
The little front light electrical thru hull, was constructed of a plain steel 1/2" cap, with two tight fitting holes drilled into it to receive the two stranded type electrical wires. Then they filled the cap, and the nipple, that is welded into the hull, full of silicone, and called it a day. It looks like it worked, but it was a rusty mess as you can see.
Regards,
Brent Hartwig
From: ojaivalleybeefarm@dslextreme.com
To: personal_submersibles@psubs.org
Subject: RE: [PSUBS-MAILIST] The Ugly Duckling Submarine
Date: Tue, 29 Jul 2008 22:52:46 -0700
Brent,
Is that a viewport behind the conning tower? If it is, that is what I am planning on doing instead of putting a viewport in the hatch. It looks like they added a extra thick piece of steel around the collar area, I wonder how the formed that piece?
Brian
Hello SMMOM's, (Submadman Organization Members)
Well my sub has come off it's high horse, It doesn't look so high and might now that it's off it's pedestal and trailer. It looks and feels a lot different now.
Just so you all know I haven't been completely goofing off of late, here are some new photos of my K-250 taken apart in preparation for copper slag blasting. I started a new blog page that I can add photos to. So let me know if it works ok.
http://k-250-submarine-refit.spaces.live.com/photos/cns!5085D10EB6AFE47C!124/
No worries, I took plenty of pictures and notes as I took it apart. I'll share that data at a pace.
So now as George would say, it's Full Bore Boggy submarine building.
Regards,
Brent Hartwig
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