SubCar2004 revisited

[SubCarBuilder]

Hey all and thanks for all of the contributions. We have entered into design stage and are open to imput. The car that will be used is a 1990 VW Jetta. The design will include many mods to the car including removal of all standard propulsion systems. I dont think that I made myself clear in previous postings. The idea of th SubCar is to incorperate a sub design inside the shell of a car. We are not intending to make a deep sea diver, nor to be able to use any of the windows.

I have come to the conclusion that an inner shell, will be inide the vehicle. Tanks will be mounted just outside, with trim tanks in the front and back. When the side tanks are full the Sub will be neutrally boyant. Then with added water in the front and back it will dive. Basic but practical. Propulsion and life support are my biggest problem, because I can't even find any site to help in that department. Pictures will be available in the coming weeks.

As I said in previous postings, I am an amateur and am in need of advise, other than scrap the project.

Thanks for any help

Mike.

[jehardiman]

If you really want to do this, there is no website that will tell you how and it would take way to long to type it all in.

Get a copy of Submersible Vehicle Systems Design (ISBN 0-939773-06-6) and read it throughly and understand it. It covers most of the important stuff.

Comments:

1) Stability is the most common item leading to loss of the vehicle. Make your tanks small and well subdivided. Weight low will not compensate for loss of BG due to inertia of the waterplane.

2) Never do anything with a hard tank that you could do with a soft/ compensated tank.

3) Minimize penetrations

4) Maximize external hydraulics and pnumatics

5) Electrical systems will fail. Expect a 10-15% failure rate on initial potting (more like 25-50% if you are new to the materials) and a 2-5% rate on each dive cycle. Pressure test all subsystems before installation. A twelve volt dead short will melt a hole in most structures. You don't even want to think about a battery fire from a dead short. Use induction motors designed for submerged operation (well motors).

There are a lot more if it is a manned system.