Building the french suffren sna

[Albacore 569]

Will definitely move water. An ogival blade shape on the outer blade edges together with some cupping may also improve performance. Pumpjets also often have raked blades like a truncated scimitar prop, a,though I believe that is more related to stealth than efficiency.

Agree Subcluture. Focusing now on making the prop shaft in the Pump Jet shroud ridged and smooth turning. It will work once a few parts from McMaster-Carr arrive Monday.

I am beginning to hate these huge hardware stores like Home Depot, Lowes. Ace too. They either don't have it or have something that's the wrong size. THEY ARE USELESS! I wish I had just a 1/2 diameter aluminum rod stock. that's all. Just 3 inches length. It someone does have it; you have to buy 20 feet! **** that.

Not asking for much, nothing exotic. I feel more like the professor on Gilligan's Island making batteries for the short-wave radio out of coconuts.

Printed parts done. Assembling. Printer getting a deserved rest. That was some learning curve, at least for me.

I'll get it.

Still the Printer once it was learned is rather a minor miracle. But they need a far better way, the you tube videos are dangerous and hurt as much as help.... they speed past mission critical details. " oh, its easy!" ***** slapping these dungeons and dragons play piece makers geeks! Get a life, build RC subs!

But the sub is printed with a lot of good help. Thanks so much. you know who you are.

I came, I printed, I conquered!

[Subculture]

Will definitely move water. An ogival blade shape on the outer blade edges together with some cupping may also improve performance. Pumpjets also often have raked blades like a truncated scimitar prop, a,though I believe that is more related to stealth than efficiency.

[Albacore 569]

New redesigned Suffern model propulsor. Nothing wrong with previous 15 blader, but refinements for ease of building having worked with parts in the shop. This is a model interpretation, so expect Real Life is a lot different. If I knew what the real one looked like I would not share it here anyway for the sake of our French allies.

I am sure the real one is a million times more sophisticated, but my little one here should push the water well enough at the pond. Bob Martin hinted from his experience, the fewer number of blades to a certain extent the better model wise for thrust.. Also reduced overall diameter by 1 mm, and 11 blades now (a primary number)

[Albacore 569]

Thank you, Merci Francois,.

Adding more hull sections like a pile of cards at present. I have come long way since with a lot of help from Jeff Apts and Randy Sanders - the sub guy printer community.

In parallel, working on the Suffern pump jet. the swivel pivot part works perfectly. But I am having some issues with propulsor vibration and doing a bit of re-design so the pump jet's shaft is solid on both ends of the shaft working smoothly, working to get the propulsor as balanced and centered in the shroud with as little blade tip clearance as
possible. Using a modified Raboesch prop shaft and seal with its bearings.

Redesigning the propulsor itself, from 17 blades, down to 15, and now in final iteration reducing in latest design to 11 blades.

The issue is making sure the shaft is solid to the rotating pivoting shroud, The Raboesch shaft should do it I hope. tinkering with it now. have stuff gathered over the years and bashing something clean sold and simple, I hope. If nothing else its fun figuring out a problem sweltering in a hot garage..lol.

I have fans going, but they are to maintain a moderate temperature for the printer. so, it prints well and I don't waste resin. Like the air-conditioning on WW2 era Fleet boats, was really to keep the subs electronics happy dry and cool from humidly, but the crew loved it too, even if they were secondary consideration by the boat's designers. Same in my garage...lol.

The model in 1/64 scale is roughly a little under 62 inches long overall. It looks big now on the bench, but it's dismaying how small it gets once it is in the pond. That old sailor's song, the sea is so vast, and my boat is so small..lol "The sea is the last free place on Earth". E. Hemingway...

[Akula54]

Hi,

She's a beauty !!!
Great job !

Francois

[Albacore 569]

All the bottom sections printed sanded primed and the tongue and grove interlocking system by Randy Sanders works excellent. A little snug (perfect) and gently hammered with a hammer and wood block into place. Last two top sections printing now. Each section on average took almost 75% of a bottle of resin (Any Cubic resin gray 1kg bottle each) (ABS) .

Thrust bearings arrived today. trial fit of pump et working well, turns smooth and easy. Created a few special tools for easy assembly and disassembly of all the washers' spacers thrust bearings propulsor and clearances.

Long day in the shop. Tired. Printer down in garage working through the night. I think an ice-cold beer would be nice and a long nap. More tomorrow.

broadside phot shows bottom sections test fitted together. 1/4-inch diameter epoxy 4-foot-long stringers will slide through aligned hles and stiffen the whole hull up well. very strong already.








Printed dive module frames

[Albacore 569]

Assembling fitting hull sections printed today. Starting to look more like a very cool looking French Submarine now. lol.








Making modifications again to the pump jet propulsor. I have a 15-blade version and having a 11-blade version (prime number) designed for comparative testing. Both modified to a special coupling design I made adapting existing off the shelf parts for easy change and replacement of parts in the confined space an still allow easy access such as thrust bearings, thrust block, prop shaft. Sounds like I am threading the needle to fine. But wishing this done in timely fashion before file sharing program free trial ends.

Messy shop just like Merriman's! I am not worthy!

[Albacore 569]

Parts starting to pile up finally after months frustration learning the printer curve. Giving the printer a rest over night to cool down. Proceeding with further parts. Resin likes ideally 20 to 25 C temps.

First two hull sections in sun being cured in UV light after cleaning. Abut 45 minutes to an hour. Top is a front top hull section, Lower is bottom aft hull section. opening at top part for sail part. Holes for bolting the sail in place align perfectly. Forward hatch DSRV mating surface, Safety tracks and scribing all in. After sun bath It is lightly sanded with 320 or 400 sandpaper and blown with air to clear away dust to preserve scribe lines and primer painted.





My liittle 1/32 scale CB pig boat hogging picture as 1/64 scale Suffren parts accumulate. Yes that is a prather thrust bearing for the pumpet on left Merriman sent me 20 years ago, ready for use on the Suffren pump jet. Nothing lost, nothing wasted. Prather parts have been gone for many years. Bless them.

The printer establishes a sort of rhythm in the workshop. As I am retired my submarine hobby gives me a sense of purpose in life as a hobbyist & artist tengineer that I am discovering keeps me going. The printer gives me a robot partner to pace against to keep at it each day & night.

[Albacore 569]

You can see the four holes that will accept epoxy rod stringers to align the future hull sections now printing. These rods will stiffen the hull longitudinally and were planned when the hull sections were drafted.

Printing now is the section hull ring that will be mated to the aft section seen below with the x stern fins. This part labeled 'after fore section'. It will have the ballast tank drain holes and the reactor cooling intake scoops and discharges.

I requested this hull area be in two sections for very easy access to install the X stern rods and clevises prop shaft flexible coupling.
I decided to do this after the crowded X stern internal spaces on the previous Israeli Dolphin 2 model

Realizing my printer across the garage has become my Quonset Point RI facility making the hull sections for assembly at my Electric boat Groton (my old beaten-up work bench)..lol. Proceeding to printing the parts now that go in-between.

[Albacore 569]

Printer working nonstop. I might have all parts printed next week. Exciting recent part printed is the pump jet shroud. The exterior of shroud is as scale as we can deduce, but I am digressing from scale only in one new non scale (best we know..lol) feature making the pump jet thrust vectoring.

The design in physical form works perfectly. The propulsor blades slips inside easily and slides into place with perfect tight clearances for rotation.

I expect the French use a pre swirl pump jet like every other Navys using fixed stators forward. But in order to make a swiveling thrust vectoring pump jet here. I must compromise scale by making the pump jet a post swirl (stators aft of propulsor. It also acts as a passive rudder too. I expect it will transform the boat into a highly maneuverable model.

It even affords me the option of making the x stern planes operate in up and down force only, but it will have a mixer so rudder will be tied to the shroud in this experiment.









Port turn


Starboard turn

Credit goes to Randy Sanders. I came up with the idea, and drew up sketches, but Randy interpreted my sketches and made it work mechanically along with the rest of the model. A robust smooth system. It should work.

[JHapprich]

Brazil/planned. Great Britain. France. China. India. Australia/planned.

[Das Boot]

Which nations besides Russia, and the United States, use nuclear propulsion?

[Das Boot]

Viva la France.

[Albacore 569]

Parts finally begins to accumulate.

Left to right, the stern for stern planes and pump jet. Suffren sail sanded primed, and masts made months ago added for trial fit. All set. Row of small parts. 4 stern planes, two new bow planes, and two pairs of bow plane covers. Pump jet propulsor painted a Rustolrum satin finish 'Champagne' color. The print was sanded lightly, balanced (if any) rattle can painted with a gloss black and several days later the champagne coat.

Rattle cans colors have a wider variety if they are available locally. These paints are more durable for a operating model.

Not sure if the French propulsor is a bronze material color or the RL propulsor might actually use carbon composite blades (gloss black?)

I might lower that prominent satellite link antenna aft a bit. Attempting second Bow hull part print today. Temperature expected t be a bit milder a will open garage an turn on fans to moderate temps.

The French seem to reverse the cord on their masts. Using the same aluminum foil shaped tubing, but the trailing edge on these boats points forward. Interesting. I guess at model regattas I'll be destined to spend time explaining to knit pickers it's not a mistake. lol.

[Albacore 569]

Bow section. Largest part on project. Fail but is salvageable (a Battleship West Virginia Pearl Harbor salvage hull patch made of baking soda, CA super glue and bondo sanding would work). But since the problem is identified, best to print all new part so the hull materials are all uniform in the hulls future lifetime expansion contraction rates).

Fail due to too high ambient temperature in printing area (too damn hot in garage..lol). Will print smaller parts and wait for cooler temps. Confident it will work then. I could wait and print in middle of the night, but since the bow print takes 28 hours 1 minute, I don't think so.. Even the flawed part is rather beautiful. Sharing so you learn from my mistakes. Learning with you.

Where is that Star Trek TNG food replicator? "Earl gray hot". or Klingon Bregit Lung in Grapok sauce...lol.

Qapla! (Klingon for good luck (success) but sounds like Ker plop! lol