[PSUBS-MAILIST] Introducing myself, and a laundry list of questions

Wed Jun 28 18:03:20 EDT 2023

 Hello Mikael,
You can purchase submarine plans from PSUBS and that is the quickest way to get started.  You will need to invest in many tools and have a location where you can use those tools including stick and/or tig welder, drill press, lathe, grinders, sanders, and much more.  To weld and machine a "safe" vessel you will need more than just beginner experience with the tools, particularly welding the pressure hull.  Anything you can't do yourself safely you will need to contract a service to perform for you.
SCUBA certification is strongly recommended.  None of the communications we use require special training or licenses.
All materials used for the submarine are expensive and I think you would spend upwards of $50-60k for the finished project.
Operating costs are similar to a surface boat however you will need a good trailer as well.  Weighing in at 3-5000 pounds, you won't be pulling it with a Tesla coupe so expect to purchase a four-wheel drive full size truck to tow/launch/retrieve the submarine.
Propane tanks are not appropriate.  The issue is not a scarcity of information but the fact they are not fabricated from the proper steel nor are they intended to be used for external pressure.
You are in the correct place to ask questions so just keep asking whatever comes to mind and learn as much as you can BEFORE spending any money.
Jon

    On Wednesday, June 28, 2023 at 05:40:45 PM EDT, via Personal_Submersibles <personal_submersibles at psubs.org> wrote:  

Hello, all,

First things first, I’d like to introduce myself. I’m Mikael, a college student studying mechanical engineering. I’ve had an interest in building my own submarine for about 3 years now, after building small ROVs with my robotics team and competing in the MATE championship. 

The sub I want to build is a 1atm submarine that can carry 1-2 people and dive to about 150-200ft. The main purpose of this would be an engineering challenge to myself. 

   - What general advice would you give me to get started? 
   - How do I do this safely? I think I need to address the elephant in the room of the recent Titan tragedy – how do I avoid having that happen to me? There’s the obvious, design with plenty of safety factor, build in redundancy to life support and surfacing systems, etc. What else do I need to be aware of? In particular, what are the less obvious/more obscure issues that might crop up?
   - What skills do I need to pick up before embarking on this project? I have a little bit of experience with machining, I’d need to get better to make parts I’d trust with my life. I can only assume I’d need to learn to weld. Are other skills like SCUBA necessary? Do I need to learn HAM radio for any communications devices?
   - Ballpark, how much would this cost to build? To operate? What costs are involved in the process that I likely wouldn’t expect?
   - How do you source/fabricate your pressure hulls? I’ve heard of people using propane tanks, but also that doing so isn’t really the recommended strategy, because detailed information on them is scarce. I have no idea how else you’d fabricate something like that on a hobbyist budget.
   - What books/reference material should I pick up? So far I’ve picked up Manned Submersibles, Concepts in Submarine Design, as well as the ABS rulebook and the Design, Construction, and Operating Guidelines from the PSUBS website. 
   - What other questions should I be asking? 

Thank you very much for any help you can provide! I know that’s a lot of questions.

 - Mikael
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