Launch mechanisms?

[george]

I'll try posting those pictures again...



And some more electro-pneumatic launcher development work I unearthed from the deep recesses of my hard-drive:

Hello Sir

Can you tell me how/what your blue manifold material is made from? How do you make one for a pair of solenoids? I am looking at pictures 4-6 from the bottom up.
Thanks for sharing your work.
George

[Bob Gato]

"The Dropping of the Roses"

They had a beautiful day here for their mission-a rose for every year ...started in 1970...I knew Joe and his Stinson quite well...

https://www.liafa.org/pearl-harbor-cermony

[Monahan Steam Models]

79 years ago today, my grand father Harrison Monahan was stationed at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii with his wife and two children. He was a US Navy officer assigned to the submarine program in charge of under water weapons.




That Sunday morning he was at home with his family not far and within visual range of the base and fleet in the harbor when the attack began. After getting the family inside their house, he grabbed his rifle and ran out into the street and began firing at the attacking planes flying just overhead scoring hits while making his way to the harbor to join in that morning’s battle.




I want to take a moment to remember and respect with honor all those who served, fought and who ultimately lost their lives that terrible morning and in the years to follow. Thank you for your strength, courage, dedication and sacrifice. I’m thankful for this generation of brave men and women and I’m even more thankful to have gotten a chance to spend time with some of you, listen to your stories and learn precious knowledge from a generation who will never be out classed in just about every category today.




Thank you

[He Who Shall Not Be Named]

David,

From my end, it looks like you attached three photos to your reply but they are not showing up.

Anyone else seeing that too?

Crawling back under my rock for now,

Nick

I'll try posting those pictures again...



And some more electro-pneumatic launcher development work I unearthed from the deep recesses of my hard-drive:

[redboat219]

Same here. Nada!

[Monahan Steam Models]

Sounds like the Lee people are Beta testing with you. Excellent! Sign their damned non-disclosure and stop *****ing. What a great opportunity to push the envelope on what you can now electro-pneumatically control. You're breaking new ground for us all, Nick.



David
The Horrible

David,

From my end, it looks like you attached three photos to your reply but they are not showing up.

Anyone else seeing that too?

Crawling back under my rock for now,

Nick

[george]

Look forward to seeing more of your launcher development with pictures please and part numbers.
Thanks

[He Who Shall Not Be Named]

A smallish update.

While I’ve been busy Winterizing the homestead and working nonstop on work projects that have been taking all of my available free time, I’ve been trying to fit in time to research my archives on particular type VIIC early U-boats as well as come up with a overall system architecture layout for the sub. During this time I’ve been patiently waiting for certain key components to arrive to make further progress on the torpedo launch system.

Mainly a new set of pneumatic solenoids directly from the Lee company (don’t even get me started on the bureaucracy that company is knee deep swamped in) to operate at a slightly higher pressure window than the earlier used solenoid valves used. I had to be checked out and sign ND paperwork just to get test samples. Similar process I went though whenever I did development work for the DOD, DOE and other similar consultant projects. Was frustrating to say the least and wasted precious development time...

The last parts to finally arrive which came earlier with less headache were the precision adjustable miniature pressure regulators from Clippard.

I’m hoping to finally have a time to demonstrate the new system using these parts soon when I have a chance. After that I will move into the details of the gas propelled torpedo development details.

Nick

Sounds like the Lee people are Beta testing with you. Excellent! Sign their damned non-disclosure and stop *****ing. What a great opportunity to push the envelope on what you can now electro-pneumatically control. You're breaking new ground for us all, Nick.



David
The Horrible

[Monahan Steam Models]

A smallish update.

While I’ve been busy Winterizing the homestead and working nonstop on work projects that have been taking all of my available free time, I’ve been trying to fit in time to research my archives on particular type VIIC early U-boats as well as come up with a overall system architecture layout for the sub. During this time I’ve been patiently waiting for certain key components to arrive to make further progress on the torpedo launch system.

Mainly a new set of pneumatic solenoids directly from the Lee company (don’t even get me started on the bureaucracy that company is knee deep swamped in) to operate at a slightly higher pressure window than the earlier used solenoid valves used. I had to be checked out and sign ND paperwork just to get test samples. Similar process I went though whenever I did development work for the DOD, DOE and other similar consultant projects. Was frustrating to say the least and wasted precious development time...

The last parts to finally arrive which came earlier with less headache were the precision adjustable miniature pressure regulators from Clippard.

I’m hoping to finally have a time to demonstrate the new system using these parts soon when I have a chance. After that I will move into the details of the gas propelled torpedo development details.

Nick

[george]

Thanks for the update and your postings here.

[Monahan Steam Models]

Sorry for the lack of updates lately. I’m still lurking around but have been busy with work and Winterizing the homestead. Getting things ready for long nights and cold days. Stacking firewood and putting equipment away before the snow.

To break up the focus that has been purely on perfecting torpedoes and launch tubes I’ve regressed back into the library lately researching individual type VIIC u boats and each of their patrol histories a long with modifications. I’m at the point I need to pick a particular U-boat during a specific patrol to accurately recreate. At the moment (and this could change) I’ve narrowed it down to U-333 and U-201. I’ve been tempted to recreate U-96 pre 7th patrol (das boot) for personal nostalgic reasons as a kid growing up in a navy family seeing that movie for the first time but I feel that has been done too much. I’d like to accurately recreate a different boat who’s crew’s story should be Honored and remembered because holy hell there was so many young lives that were lost on both sides of the war and the less popular boats crews story’s should be respected as well. They are still out there in the cold while I’m here stacking fire wood.

Be well and be safe. I’ll post updates as they come

[Monahan Steam Models]

So the main difference between launching electric torps and gas torpedoes on the launcher design I’ve been messing around with is switching out the tube’s floating piston types.




I will attempt to explain. The electric torpedoes use a floating piston to push the torpedo almost completely out of the tube, stopping just short of the muzzle end. The electric torpedo breech has two ports. One port for passing air through it from the tube’s launch reservoir that propels the floating piston and a second port that holds a normal tire stem valve that can be depressed to allow air between the floating piston and the breech cap to be released when pushing the piston back towards the breech cap during reloading.




(I found this is not necessary when the floating piston is machined to a proper diameter tolerance that don’t require the use of an o-ring to keep it sealed to the torpedo tube. I kept the tire stem valve breech option in place for now since testing was still happening with the prototype launcher. If a o-ring is added to the floating piston the the tire stem valve would be needed to release air pressure during reloading the tube while pushing the piston back down the tube. But wait, there’s more. )




For launching gas propelled torpedoes, the tube would only need to be configured by swapping out the floating piston for the gas propelled torpedo type.




The gas torpedo would also require a two port breech cap just like the electric torpedo. One port for propelling the floating piston and one port for charging the gas torpedo with air brush propellant.




It is the same design breech cap as the electric torpedo cap with the only functional requirement being that it have an o-ring inside of it’s central axis shradder valve port for sealing onto the rear gas nozzle tube of the gas torpedo.




The floating piston for the gas propelled torpedoes would simply need to push the torpedo forward enough down the tube to disengage the torpedo’s launch nozzle tube from being sealed inside the breech cap’s central charging port. After that the gas torpedo is on it’s way out the tube to it’s target.




Nick (Goldberg)

[redboat219]

How bout your next project after the Type VII.

Sorry bout hijacking your thread Nick.

[Monahan Steam Models]

Nick,

Since you build miniature steam engines powered model
boats has anyone ever tried building a steam powered
Confederate torpedo boat CSS DAVID? While not a true submarine able to fully dive it had onboard ballast tanks that took the boat to deck awash.

That is a neat photo of the CSS David. I’ve never seen that before. Not sure if anyone has built a steam powered model of that torpedo boat but it would be a neat project to build!

[Monahan Steam Models]

Thanks guys for your thoughtful replies and wisdom. I am grateful and humbled.