Hernando County Schools 11 th International Human Powered Submarine Race – June, 2011

Overview Previous Versions Philosophy

 Single pilot  Propeller  Torpedo-shaped hull  Pivot steering

 Started in 1991 as a two-person sub.  In 2003, a new, single-pilot sub was made for the 7 th ISR.  Since then, it has been subject to many modifications.

 Focus on: ◦ Improving and perfecting  Steering cable system  New propellers ◦ Handcraft everything

Hull Control Surfaces Propulsion Life Support and Safety Hatch and Emergency Buoy

 Built for the 2003 ISR (22”H x 20”W x 11’6”L).  General form shaped with NACA coordinates. ◦ Fiberglass shells crafted from mold ◦ Halves joined  Plexiglass (¼”) window installed.  In 2007, knee pods were built into the hull.

 Cable-controlled rudder and dive planes steer the sub ◦ Joystick control ◦ Stationary horizontal stabilizers  Four stationary pivot fins established a pivot point

 Propeller-driven ◦ A bike crank turns a spiral bevel gear which turns the prop.  This year two new props were designed ◦ An MA409 wing shape was used to hopefully improve performance by 10%  Bottom wing chord is concave to improve water flow off the rear. ◦ Both props are thinner and more polished, differing in diameter.

 SCUBA ◦ Air tank strapped in the rear ◦ Regulator and hose fed up to front  Spare Air  Bow is heavily reinforced

 The hatch lock is closed with a spring-loaded lock. ◦ A safety cable connects to a latch-pin on the hatch allowing quick release. ◦ A clearly marked outside lever assures that outside help has access to the pilot.  The emergency buoy is also spring-loaded. ◦ Floats up when control lever is released.

Testing Training

 Primary testing locations ◦ Gulf of Mexico ◦ Weeki Wachee River  Weeki Wachee’s clear waters offered the perfect testing environment.

 The new team members became certified SCUBA divers.  Weekly testing/training sessions with both submarines took place in the Gulf. ◦ Learning the loading/unloading procedure and how to pilot the submarine.  Sessions provided an abundant amount of swim and SCUBA practice time.

Testing in the Weeki Wachee River Sub-chasing in the Gulf

Team with Sublime submarine 2011 Sublime Submarine Team Team with SeaWolf submarine Team members not pictured in team photos