100 knot submarine?

[Sean B]

Here is a neat piece of new technology, coming soon to a naval base near you.

It's a submarine that blows gases in front of it as it moves along, so that it travels in a bubble, which has almost no drag. I wonder where all the gases that they inject in front of it come from. Next time you see a bubble trail moving across that water at 100 MPH , you'll know what it is.

Now if I could only figure out how to blow enough air under my boat hull to do this....oh yeah, it would sink

Check it out: Supercavitation Sub Illustration

And here: Project Goals

The Underwater Express Program will demonstrate stable and controllable high-speed underwater transport through supercavitation. The intent is to determine the feasibility for supercavitation technology to enable a new class of high-speed underwater craft for future littoral missions that could involve the transport of high-value cargo and/or small units of personnel. The program will investigate and resolve critical technological issues associated with the physics of supercavitation and will culminate in a credible demonstration at a significant scale to prove that a supercavitating underwater craft is controllable at speeds up to 100 knots.

[ScottD]

Sean, I don't think they are injecting any gasses, the blunt tip cavitates the water forming the bubble. (I'm no genius, I just read your attachment). Cool idea, until Green Peace decides the whales and manatees can't get out of the way of a 100 mph sub and protests.

ScottD

[Bruce]

AP HOLLYWOOD:

Richard Simmons endorses new super cavitating sub as a terrific weight loss invention.
Although Richard is still trying to figure out how they keep the belt on the submarine and how they deal with all those tinglies.

[Capt Dick Dean]

I don't know if I'd use this idea when it comes to New York. And here's why.
As I'm over taking another vessel and indicating by horn as to which side I will pass him ( port or stbd ), how will he hear me?

[JGomber]

Take it a step further...how about a 100kt torpedo.
It'd be noisy but only supercavitating subs could even try to out run it.
And, the gas comes from Navy beans, of course.
(Sorry, couldn't help that)

[Peter]

So since the illustration says "Vessel is enclosed in the bubble cavity with no water touching the hull" I guess that the vessel is a LTA (Lighter than air) or in this case...... Lighter than compressed air.....craft? or else how does it float in its own bubble?

Here, grab ahold of your boot straps and hold yourself up while I cut out the the floor from under your feet. Then you will be weightless and as such you will be able to move about very, very fast!

Honestly, some stuff doesn't even pass the sniff test.

Peter

[Sean B]

Sniff test passes, at least in regard to the thing sinking while underway.

The control surfaces (rudders, fins, bow planes, whatever you want to call them) stick just outside of the bubble into the fast moving water (relative to the boat) around the bubble. They are in fact the only components producing any significant drag. At that speed through water it would not take much surface area on a control surface/fin to generate enough force to defeat gravity, or to move the craft up, down or any direction you want. It's not unlike an airplane, with the major difference being that the control surfaces are pushing against water instead of air to control the running attitude.

Look through the second (pdf) link, it's all there: Read me

The Soviets developed and demonstrated a working 100 MPH super-cav torpedo in the 1980's.

But yes, they do have to inject gas in front of it (where else would the bubble come from?) so I don't know how you carry around enough gas to run very long. Good point about the whales. I bet at 100 MPH, an impact with a medium sized grouper would shred the thing.

Also have to wonder if it ran through an ocean current that suddenly disrupted the bubble, it would be like hitting a brick wall at 100 MPH

[Peter]

You can make the gas from the water around you.

That is what cavitation IS. If you need to make more than in the cavitation bubble just heat up some water.

Peter

[Sean B]

Yeah I know what cavitation IS. They are injecting gas in front of the thing to make it work, nonetheless.

Hey I just thought how to make it work.

You get a nuclear reactor to power the engine, and pump in sea water to cool the reactor, while producing steam. Inject the steam in front of the boat to produce your bubble, and all that would be left behind the thing would be recondensed steam, no bubble trail. And it would make all the sea salt you'll ever need.

So now you've got 100 MPH nuke reactors, running around beneath the sea. Whee!

[Harry Babb]

And they could "Rocker Stoppers" to keep it stable......Ha
Harry Babb

[Sean B]

Again with the rocker stoppers? Man you never give up :)

Okay, Rocker Stoppers, no joy.

Super-cav sub? Well, maybe no joy there too, but the jury is still out...
but when they make a version I can build in my garage I'll make room. Now where on the boat do I stow that big air tank....

[Bruce]

so I don't know how you carry around enough gas to run very long

One word, KIMCHI

[Harry Babb]

Sean
I thought twice before mentioning the rocker stopper comment........ but then again I just could not pass up the opportunity.

Several years ago a local yard repowered a 65 foot Resmondo charter boat in Orange beach. They removed a pair of 600 HP Cats and installed a pair of 1000 HP Cats. Further work to gain more speed these guys glassed some sort of shapes (I do not know what they are called) close to the bow on the bottom of the boat that were designed help get air under the boat to reduce drag and enhance speed. As I remember that did not give them the results they were looking for either.


Harry Babb

[Sean B]

Maybe we can mount some of them North Koreans on the bow, ass first...feed them some of Bruce's spicy cabbage, squirt 'em with some Corrosion X and make the sub go 150 MPH!

[Doug Crowther]

The research for this hull design is to happen here on the Chesapeake @ a research facility by the bay bridge according to the local paper. Ought to be cool when this thing gets tangled up in crab pot bouys.