Title :
Manufacturing processes of composite materials for a human-powered submarine
Author_Institution :
Dept. of Mater. Sci. & Eng., Virginia Polytech. Inst. & State Univ., Blacksburg, VA, USA
Abstract :
Human-powered submarines are controllable underwater vehicles, which are designed and built to achieve maximum speed over a 100-meter course. Manufacturing the submarine as close to neutrally buoyant as possible has become a priority for competing teams. As human-powered submarines have decreased in volume to minimize mass, the insertion of buoyant materials during the manufacturing process has taken on a new importance. The most advanced submarine designs utilize several techniques to achieve a strong, yet lightweight structure. Strategic placement of buoyant materials during composite manufacturing has several advantages that are beneficial to the performance of the submarine. This paper describes the techniques used by the Human-Powered Submarine Team of Virginia Tech in the construction of Phantom 4.
Keywords :
composite materials; oceanographic equipment; underwater vehicles; Phantom 4; buoyant materials; composite manufacturing technique; composite materials; controllable underwater vehicles; human-powered submarine; lightweight structure; maximum speed; neutral buoyancy; neutrally buoyant vessel; propeller-driven submarine; strength-to-weight ratio; submarine performance; Automotive engineering; Composite materials; Epoxy resins; Humans; Imaging phantoms; Lightweight structures; Manufacturing processes; Materials science and technology; Propulsion; Underwater vehicles;
Conference_Titel :
OCEANS 2003. Proceedings
Conference_Location :
San Diego, CA, USA
Print_ISBN :
0-933957-30-0
DOI :
10.1109/OCEANS.2003.1283007
