Submarine Alumni

The transparent hull is to be manufactured out of sheets of PETg, which will need forming and joining to create a sleek, minimum drag shape, with enough strength to contain the pilot and his/her equipment, support them during training on land, and to withstand the impact of crashes with the bottom or walls of the testing tanks. The project includes the design and manufacture of the forming tools that will be required to actually vacuum form the transparent plastic.

The swan-inspired tubular chassis and cast aluminum frame needs its design finalised to support the hull where necessary, and to join the various elements of the submarine to the sandwich keel. The frame will also need to support the hatches and safety equipment. Finally, the frame is the dominant visual design feature of the whole submarine, and so it needs elements of style built into it without sacrificing the structure. The project includes the design of the CNC pipe forming and aluminum casting tools, plus the final assembly.

The keel and wings of the Cygnus X are intended to be made of an aluminum and foam composite which needs to be designed both to float the submarine and to provide the main structural strength for the vessel. The keel will need to be resistant in both bending and twist, and be sufficiently stiff and strong to support the wings. The bolt patterns will need to be designed to interface with all other components, as the metal and foam will be cut on the KampLintfort CNC mill. Inserts will be required in many places to enable bolts to be tightened as required without crushing the foam.

The transparent PETg hull presents some new challenges for the hatch design. The first priority is to decide, in collaboration with the rest of the team, but in particular with the pilot ergonomics team, the location of the hatches, latches and hinges. The hatches need to be designed such that they do not warp and fit snugly into the openings in the hull. The hull cutaways will need framework to ensure that they do not warp either. Hinges and latches will need to be designed to fit with the chassis and hull to ensure 100% reliability and streamlining at all speeds. Finally, the stylistic design of the hatches, latches and hinges needs to be taken into account.

A key feature of the Cygnus X design is the outboard propulsion pods. Each of these houses the mechanism that drives the twin MirageDrive propulsion. Each of the pods includes a sandwich keel which supports the drive shafts and ensures the alignment of the propulsion units both in water and in air. Like the rest of the hull, the pods are to be made of vacuum-formed transparent PETg. Careful design will therefore be required to prepare the tools for forming and the final frame which will be required to ensure the formed parts do not warp after assembly. Hatches will need to be designed into the pods to allow for access to the mechanism.

This project is all about getting the power from the pilot's legs to the base of the MirageDrive fins. A preliminary design exists, but it needs reworking. The decision needs to be made whether to harness the pilot's power from a stepping or pedalling motion, and then to design either a direct drive or some kind of alternating system to convert the motion into the 350 degree reciprocating rotary oscillation that is required to drive the MirageDrives.

Power is nothing without control. That statement is as true for a submarine as it was for Pirelli tyres in their ad campaign back when Ben Johnson was the world's fastest man. Cygnus presents a new control challenge due to the hull & wing geometry and dual outboard propulsion. This project will first be about determining the optimal size, shape and movement range of the elevators and rudder(s) for Cygnus X. The second half of the project will involve manufacturing the control surfaces and testing them on the vessel (or a mock-up) in the flow tunnel or in the field.

The new control surfaces are to be motorised in Cygnus X. Motors and water never get along well. This project will be about finalising the design of the waterproof housings, then manufacturing and testing them to ensure they are 100% watertight at operational depths in salt water (plus a safety factor - so they need to be leak-proof down to 25m). The project is also about specifying the actuator motors and finalising the geometry, plus the communication circuitry that will be required to communicate with the autopilot. The system is to be tested on the existing Rivershark during the European races in Autumn 2021.

With mechatronic control of its rudder(s) and elevators, Cygnus X will need a joystick input for the pilot to use in steering the submarine during racing. The joystick will provide correction information to the autopilot system and in the event the autopilot has to be disengaged, the joystick will provide direct control input to the fins. The project will be about designing and manufacturing the mechanical and electronic components of the joystick, plus the communication circuitry that will be required to communicate with the autopilot. The system is to be tested on the existing Rivershark during the European races in Autumn 2021.

To reduce the task loading on the pilot, the plan is to equip Cygnus X with a compass driven autopilot. The project will be about interfacing an NMEA digital compass with an IMU and an appropriate sensor fusion algorithm to provide the control signal for the mechatronic rudder(s). The project will also include designing the circuitry and the waterproofing required. The system is to be tested on the existing Rivershark during the European races in Autumn 2021.

Depth control always presents a challenge for a submarine. Several automated depth control systems have been proposed for the HSRW submarines over the years, but as yet none has finally been implemented successfully. The project is about (re)designing, finally manufacturing and testing the whole of the depth and pitch control system, including the interface to the mechatronic elevator controls. The system is to be tested on the existing Rivershark during the European races in Autumn 2021.

The warm-up race next spring is in the open ocean, so the submarine will have to trail a surface buoy to mark its position. This project is about designing and building an appropriate buoy that won't immediately submerge as soon as the submarine starts moving, and about equipping that buoy with appropriate sensors to assist the pilot in his/her navigation. The buoy should include a GPS at the very least. Communications between the buoy and submarine will require the design and manufacture of a suitable cable tether. The system is to be tested on the existing Rivershark during the European races in Autumn 2021.

The transparent hull is to be manufactured out of sheets of PETg, which will need forming and joining to create a sleek, minimum drag shape, with enough strength to contain the pilot and his/her equipment, support them during training on land, and to withstand the impact of crashes with the bottom or walls of the testing tanks. The project includes the design and manufacture of the forming tools that will be required to actually vacuum form the transparent plastic.

The swan-inspired tubular chassis and cast aluminum frame needs its design finalised to support the hull where necessary, and to join the various elements of the submarine to the sandwich keel. The frame will also need to support the hatches and safety equipment. Finally, the frame is the dominant visual design feature of the whole submarine, and so it needs elements of style built into it without sacrificing the structure. The project includes the design of the CNC pipe forming and aluminum casting tools, plus the final assembly.

The keel and wings of the Cygnus X are intended to be made of an aluminum and foam composite which needs to be designed both to float the submarine and to provide the main structural strength for the vessel. The keel will need to be resistant in both bending and twist, and be sufficiently stiff and strong to support the wings. The bolt patterns will need to be designed to interface with all other components, as the metal and foam will be cut on the KampLintfort CNC mill. Inserts will be required in many places to enable bolts to be tightened as required without crushing the foam.

The transparent PETg hull presents some new challenges for the hatch design. The first priority is to decide, in collaboration with the rest of the team, but in particular with the pilot ergonomics team, the location of the hatches, latches and hinges. The hatches need to be designed such that they do not warp and fit snugly into the openings in the hull. The hull cutaways will need framework to ensure that they do not warp either. Hinges and latches will need to be designed to fit with the chassis and hull to ensure 100% reliability and streamlining at all speeds. Finally, the stylistic design of the hatches, latches and hinges needs to be taken into account.

A key feature of the Cygnus X design is the outboard propulsion pods. Each of these houses the mechanism that drives the twin MirageDrive propulsion. Each of the pods includes a sandwich keel which supports the drive shafts and ensures the alignment of the propulsion units both in water and in air. Like the rest of the hull, the pods are to be made of vacuum-formed transparent PETg. Careful design will therefore be required to prepare the tools for forming and the final frame which will be required to ensure the formed parts do not warp after assembly. Hatches will need to be designed into the pods to allow for access to the mechanism.

This project is all about getting the power from the pilot's legs to the base of the MirageDrive fins. A preliminary design exists, but it needs reworking. The decision needs to be made whether to harness the pilot's power from a stepping or pedalling motion, and then to design either a direct drive or some kind of alternating system to convert the motion into the 350 degree reciprocating rotary oscillation that is required to drive the MirageDrives.

Power is nothing without control. That statement is as true for a submarine as it was for Pirelli tyres in their ad campaign back when Ben Johnson was the world's fastest man. Cygnus presents a new control challenge due to the hull & wing geometry and dual outboard propulsion. This project will first be about determining the optimal size, shape and movement range of the elevators and rudder(s) for Cygnus X. The second half of the project will involve manufacturing the control surfaces and testing them on the vessel (or a mock-up) in the flow tunnel or in the field.

The new control surfaces are to be motorised in Cygnus X. Motors and water never get along well. This project will be about finalising the design of the waterproof housings, then manufacturing and testing them to ensure they are 100% watertight at operational depths in salt water (plus a safety factor - so they need to be leak-proof down to 25m). The project is also about specifying the actuator motors and finalising the geometry, plus the communication circuitry that will be required to communicate with the autopilot. The system is to be tested on the existing Rivershark during the European races in Autumn 2021.

With mechatronic control of its rudder(s) and elevators, Cygnus X will need a joystick input for the pilot to use in steering the submarine during racing. The joystick will provide correction information to the autopilot system and in the event the autopilot has to be disengaged, the joystick will provide direct control input to the fins. The project will be about designing and manufacturing the mechanical and electronic components of the joystick, plus the communication circuitry that will be required to communicate with the autopilot. The system is to be tested on the existing Rivershark during the European races in Autumn 2021.

To reduce the task loading on the pilot, the plan is to equip Cygnus X with a compass driven autopilot. The project will be about interfacing an NMEA digital compass with an IMU and an appropriate sensor fusion algorithm to provide the control signal for the mechatronic rudder(s). The project will also include designing the circuitry and the waterproofing required. The system is to be tested on the existing Rivershark during the European races in Autumn 2021.

Depth control always presents a challenge for a submarine. Several automated depth control systems have been proposed for the HSRW submarines over the years, but as yet none has finally been implemented successfully. The project is about (re)designing, finally manufacturing and testing the whole of the depth and pitch control system, including the interface to the mechatronic elevator controls. The system is to be tested on the existing Rivershark during the European races in Autumn 2021.

The warm-up race next spring is in the open ocean, so the submarine will have to trail a surface buoy to mark its position. This project is about designing and building an appropriate buoy that won't immediately submerge as soon as the submarine starts moving, and about equipping that buoy with appropriate sensors to assist the pilot in his/her navigation. The buoy should include a GPS at the very least. Communications between the buoy and submarine will require the design and manufacture of a suitable cable tether. The system is to be tested on the existing Rivershark during the European races in Autumn 2021.