Re: Psub Design Steps

[Mike Young <tvcmikey@yahoo.com>]

Doug and everybody,
Mike here in Malaysia

As far as our designing goes, is someone in the group clever enough to
design a program that anyone can input all Doug mentioned in his
posting, making all their choices and have the program show what the
submarine will look like and if they like it they can post it to the
psubs site, and a complete set of plans can be sent based on their
design parameters (for a certain amount of money which can be used by
the group for further designs, and so on). The program can be used as a
basis for the book version later on.
Feedback?

Mike Y.
FWAFS

--- SeaLordOne@aol.com wrote:
> Teammates,
> 
> Please excuse the cross posting, but I am hoping
> that both lists will find 
> this posting useful.  I wrote it for the design
> sub-group, but I hope the 
> main group will find it worthwhile.  I want to
> support both groups.  I 
> welcome feedback (as though I have to ask for it).
> 
> I would like to take a crack at laying out the basic
> stages in psub design.  
> I had hoped to watch a bunch of guys do this, and
> then write it all down, but 
> I guess I will not be able to coast like that and
> stay on the design team.  
> So let me take a stab at this.
> 
> Based on the few references I have read, here are my
> initial thoughts.  
> Submarine design represents a series of increasingly
> detailed descriptions of 
> the boat you will in time build to meet your unique
> needs.  You start with a 
> blank sheet of paper, and you end up with detailed
> specifications, drawings, 
> calculations, and notes. To do that, you go through
> a series of steps, 
> answering somewhat different questions at each step.
> The process is 
> self-correcting, so if you start to put the cart
> before the horse (as we did 
> when we started to include specifications from the
> Busby Book before we even 
> agreed to the basic "mission" of the boat), you
> catch it pretty quickly.  
> Still, it is probably useful to walk through the
> process in a roughly 
> sequential order.  The goal is not that all design
> features are in time 
> deduced from your original mission statement, but
> that by the time you are 
> done, the data you have documented at each step of
> the process is consistent 
> with the information that precedes it.
> 
> I see the following stages;
> 
> 1.  Review basic criteria (any design must be
> functional, affordable, and 
> buildable)
> 2.  Validate the need (are you sure a sub is what
> you need to meet your 
> needs?)
> 3.  Define the mission of the boat (what do I want
> to do with this boat?)
>     A.  Mission statement (what are the things I
> want to do in this boat?)
>     B.  Submission statement (what exactly will I do
> with this boat, mission 
> by          mission?)
>     C.  Unique requirements (what crazy things do I
> have my heart set on to 
> do with         this boat?)
> 4.  Operational requirements (can I quantify these
> desires into measurable 
> goals,  such as maximum depth, maximum range, and
> maximum speed?)
> 5.  Concept study (let me sketch out a few alternate
> drawings for a boat to 
> meet    
>     these requirements)
> 6.  Final Design (now that I have reviewed my
> concepts and selected [or 
> integrated]     a final choice, let me run all of
> the calculations, develop 
> detailed drawings, and  lay the whole design out on
> paper/software)
> 7.  Design Guide (let me add sufficient detail for
> any work I plan to 
> contract out    rather than perform myself)
> 
> Now let me wax poetic on each of these steps (please
> indulge me here).
> 
> 1.  Review basic criteria (any design must be
> functional, affordable, and 
> buildable)
> 
> A submarine specification, like any engineered
> product. Should meet a few 
> general criteria.  Unlike the features to follow in
> successive stages, which 
> must often be balanced off against one another,
> these criteria must all be 
> satisfied.  The design must be:
> 
> A.  Functional (the boat has to do everything that
> you want it to do)
> B.  Buildable (you must be able to either perform,
> or to contract out, all of 
> the tasks   required to (1) design, (2) build, (3)
> test, (4) operate and (5) 
> maintain your boat.     You must also have access to
> all of the materials, 
> tools, technology and   information required to
> perform those 5 basic 
> functions)
> C.  Affordable (you must have enough resources
> [money, time, intelligence, 
> spousal     support, etc.] to compete all 5
> functions)
> 
> 2.  Validate the need (are you sure a sub is what
> you need to meet your 
> needs?)
> 
> Be sure that before you run off and build a
> submarine, that you have ruled 
> out other means to achieve your goal (glass-bottom
> boat, scuba lessons, hard 
> hat, etc.).  I know that the members of this group
> are way beyond this step, 
> but I suspect that there are plenty of wide-eyed
> romantics who dream of their 
> own personal submarine, who might benefit from the
> inclusion of this step.  
> In fact, one of my goals for developing a detailed
> "how to build a submarine" 
> book is not simply to support the 1% who will
> actually complete the project, 
> but to show the 99% who will not complete the
> project what they are getting 
> into.
> 
> 3.  Define the mission of the boat (what do I want
> to do with this boat?)
> 
> The primary focus here is on what you want the boat
> to do.  The secondary 
> focus in on what you want it to look like or what
> special personal 
> expectations you have for the boat.
> 
>     A.  Mission statement (what are the things I
> want to do in this boat?)
> 
>         What do you want to do with this boat?  Dive
> deep into the ocean, or 
> poke        around in shallow lakes?  Perform
> high-speed aquabatics a la Deep 
> Flight, or      do some slow, straight and level
> sight-seeing, a la the 
> K-250?  Do you want         to do salvage work? 
> Diver support?  Racing?  
> Oceanographic research?  Do         you want to fold
> in another hobby, like 
> scuba diving or fishing?  Do you want       to be
> able to sit on the bottom?  
> Travel long distances?  Visualize yourself in      
> your boat, doing every 
> last little thing you want to do in that boat...the
> write it        all down.
> 
>     B.  Sub-Mission statement (what exactly will I
> do with this boat, mission 
> by          mission?)
> 
>         Now look at each mission you listed, one at
> a time.  Can you add any 
> more        detail?  Lets assume you want to do
> salvage work.  What do you 
> want to             salvage?  Where do you want to
> salvage it from?  Will you 
> locate, retrieve            and transport these
> items, or only locate them?  
> Will you work in tandem             with a support
> boat, or will you work 
> alone?  Add as much detail to each          mission
> and sub-mission as you 
> can.
> 
>     C.  Unique requirements (what crazy things do I
> have my heart set on to 
> do with         this boat?)
> 
>         What is on your special wish list?  Do you
> want to be able to sit on 
> the             bottom and listen to Jimmy Buffett? 
> Do you want to make love 
> on the ocean        floor?  Do you want to break
> some kind of Guiness Book of 
> World's Records         record?  Do you want to fly
> the Jolly Roger?  
> Psubbers are a unique lot, and      their private
> and unique goal should go 
> into the design of their boats.
> 
>         Not all of these unique needs have to be
> wild and crazy.  Some will 
> be          practical.  Do you want to certify this
> boat? 
=== message truncated ===

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