How a Submarine Floats and Sinks

By BryanSpear, eHow Contributor The first submarine was invented and demonstrated in 1620. English inventor Cornelius von Drebbel is credited with building the first working submarine. He actually built three, which all functioned. The American Revolutionary War saw the appearance of the first combat submarine---a wooden shell that was powered by a single operator using hand-cranked propellers. The craft was a conglomeration of air vents and valves, which gave it limited mobility and submersion ability. Today's nuclear-powered subs can reach lengths of 560 feet and stay submerged for 120 days. Have a question? Get an answer from a Mechanic now!

Motorized Submarines
The first motorized submarine was built by John Holland, and it became the U.S. Navy's first commissioned sub in 1900. Dubbed the USS Holland, it had two motors: a gasoline engine for surface movement and an electric one for submerged motion. The first nuclear-powered submarine, the Nautilus, was launched 50 years later in 1954. It later journeyed under the polar ice cap to the North Pole in August 1958, demonstrating the capability of submarine vessels.

How Submarines Maneuver

Submarines are propelled, on the surface and beneath, by propellers, or screws, at the rear of the vessel. Submerged maneuvering is accomplished by the use of finlike structures called hydroplanes. Much like a fish's fins, or the flaps on an airplane, the hydroplanes can be angled to propel the sub up or down or to make turns. The fins also stabilize the sub to prevent the entire vessel from spinning. These are not what allow subs to float or sink, however.

Structure of Submarines
Due to the immense pressure beneath the surface of the water, submarines hulls must be incredibly strong. As a matter of fact, submarines have two hulls: an outer hull that is waterproof and a stronger inner hull. It is the space between these hulls that allows the sub to float or sink.

Ballast Tanks
Located between the two hulls are the ballast tanks. These can be filled with either water or air depending on the desired reaction. At the front of the vessel are the trim tanks, which are filled first so the front of the craft rises or falls first. Some submarines have fuel ballast tanks which, when emptied of fuel, can be used as additional ballast tanks.

Diving and Surfacing

Manipulation of the ballast tanks causes the submarine to float or sink. When the tanks are full of air, the increased buoyancy of the craft causes it to rise to the surface. When water is let into the tanks, the buoyancy decreases and the craft will sink. Water is moved in and out of the tanks by a system of pumps or valves.
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How Submarines Work

A ship, submarine or even a bottle with a cork will float when the weight of the water it pushes aside (displaces) is equal to its own weight. When a boat is put in the water, it displaces, or pushes water aside, and creates an upward force. This force is called the buoyant force. It acts opposite to the force of gravity. The density, or how solid an object is, also affects a ship's ability to float. Generally, things that are denser than water will sink. However, if the space (volume) inside an object is large enough (like an empty can), it will push enough water molecules out of the way to create an upward force greater than its weight. That's why something as small and dense as a pebble will sink straight to the bottom but an empty tin can that weighs the same amount will float.

How Submarines Dive and Surface

Click on Picture for youtube video To dive underwater and then resurface, the submarine's crew must be able to control the ship's weight or density. We can compare this to an empty can floating in the water. The empty can could become more "rock-like" and sink by pouring water into the can. By controlling the amount of water we pour into the can, we can control the rate and depth of its dive under the water's surface.

Submarines have a steel shell, called a pressure hull and a ballast tank that can be filled with either air or water. When the submarine is on the surface, the ballast tanks are filled with air and the submarine's overall density is less than that of the surrounding water. Ballast tanks are open at the bottom. To dive, the submarine operator opens up valves at the top and lets air out and water in to fill the space, called flooding which changes the ship's density. When the density of the submarine is greater than the surrounding water, it begins to sink. This is called negative buoyancy. A submarine generally has a set of Hydroplane or wings which helps control t he angle of the dive and allows the vessel to manoeuvre once submerged. To keep the submarine at any specific depth, the crew adjusts the mixture of air and water in separate, smaller ballast tanks called trim tanks. The operator tries to keep the submarine's overall density about the same as the surrounding water. This is called a state of neutral buoyancy or being in "trim". When the submarine reaches its cruising depth, the hydroplanes are levelled so the craft can travel level through the water horizontally with as little drag as possible. If something happens to change the submarine's weight and density, such as firing torpedoes, the operator must make further adjustments of the water/air mixture in the ballast tanks. To return to the surface, the submarine operator angles the hydroplanes upwards and releases compressed air into the ballast tanks normally when the submarine has broken the surface. The high-pressure air forces any remaining seawater out of the bottom of the tanks until the submarine's overall density is less than the surrounding water. When this happens, it floats upward. This is called positive buoyancy. The hydroplanes are angled upward so the bow (front) of the boat rises first. By controlling the amount of air and water in the ballast tanks and maintaining neutral buoyancy, generally a submarine adjusts its operating depth solely using its hydroplanes. Life Suport Systems A submarine is a sealed container with a very limited supply of air and water. Besides the obvious need to keep the crew safe and dry, there are three main requirements for supporting life under water. These are to supply air to the crew free of CO2 and with aprox 19% O2, a tempreture within a range humans can operate and enough fresh water and food for the length of the patrol. submarines handle these important functions by taking out CO2 with a scrubber and replacing the O2. Submarines have a special machine called an oxygen

generator that removes oxygen molecules from seawater and pumps them into the ship's air supply or stores O2 in tanks for release into the internal atmosphere. This provides a supply of oxygen for the crew. As a backup, submarines also have extra O2 in pressurized tanks segregated for emergencies. Finally, moisture is removed from the air by a device called a dehumidifier like the air conditioner on your car. In a submarine, if moisture wasn't removed crew comfort would fall dramatically and may even cause electrical equipment to malfunction. How Submarines are Powered Over the years, engineers have used a variety of sources to power submarines. However, it was notuntil 1955, when nuclear power was first used on the USS Nautilus, that subs were able to patrol beneath the surface for months at a time. Electric batteries, while important for backup power, simply did not last long enough. The British sub Porpoise had thousands of battery-cells, but could only pro-vide power for two or three days. Diesel engines were powerful, but required a fresh air supply, so were only useful on the surface. This inspired the invention of the snorkel so the diesel enging could recarge the batteries white the submarine still remained submerged. Like other power sources, nuclear reactors create heat, which makes steam to drive electric generators (for heat, lights and equipment) and to power the turbines that make the propellers turn. Since nuclear reaction does not require an air supply, it has proven to be a superior source of power. The Astute nuclear submarine, shown on the first page, refuels only once every nine years!

MAKE YOUR OWN SUBMARINE This model submarine, made with an empty washing up liquid bottle, shows how buoyancy tanks work.

Ask an adult to make several holes in the bottle in the position shown. Then tape 4 or 5 heavy coins to either end. This will add weight to the craft and keep the holes facing the bottom. Attach the flexy straw using modelling clay if necessary. To allow the sub to deep dive, add a length of plastic tubing to the end of the straw.

Stand by to flood the tanks

Once launched, the submarine will start to sink as water floods through the holes along the bottom. Keep the end of the plastic tube above the waterline at all times. Blow through the tube to fill the submarine with air. It will start to rise as the water gets blown out. With practice you will be able to make the submarine float at any depth you wish.

How Submarines Work

Submarines are designed for use at great depths. Their rigid, double-walled hulls allow the crew to live and work normally underwater for as long as air and power supplies last. Submarines are steered by turning a rudder left and right. A propeller moves the sub through the water, pushing water backward so that the submarine moves forward. The crucial problem for a submarine is that it must either sink or float on command. Most things either sink or float, but cant do both. Why? When an object is placed into water, it either sinks or floats according to its density. Objects denser than water (like metal) sink, while objects less dense than water (like air-filled balloons) float. What about a submarine?

Submarines are a mixture of metal (the hull), air, and water (the ballast). The secret of a submarines ability to either sink or float lies in a special property of air. Unlike water or metal, air can be squashed into a tiny space. While the submarine is sinking, its air is compressed. Water fills the compartments called the ballast tanks. The combination of water and metal, with just a little bit of air in the centre for the crew to breathe, is more dense than the surrounding ocean water, and so the submarine sinks. Once the submarine is underwater, air is pumped into the ballast tanks. The new combination of metal, water, and air is just as dense as the surrounding water, so the submarine hovers, neither sinking nor rising. This is called neutral buoyancy, and allows the sub to maneuver underwater.

When its time to rise, even more air is pushed into the ballast tanks. This pushes water out, resulting in a mixture of air, metal, and water that is now less dense than the water surrounding the sub. Under these conditions, the sub rises to the surface.

Fresh Air
The air we breathe is made up of significant quantities of four gases:

Nitrogen (78 percent) Oxygen (21 percent) Argon (0.94 percent) Carbon dioxide (0.04 percent) When we breathe in air, our bodies consume its oxygen and convert it to carbon dioxide. Exhaled air contains about 4.5 percent carbon dioxide. Our bodies do not do anything with nitrogen or argon. A submarine is a sealed container that contains people and a limited supply of air. There are three things that must happen in order to keep air in a submarine breathable:

Oxygen has to be replenished as it is consumed. If the percentage of oxygen in the air falls too low, a person suffocates. Carbon dioxide must be removed from the air. As the concentration of carbon dioxide rises, it becomes a toxin. The moisture that we exhale in our breath must be removed. Oxygen is supplied either from pressurized tanks, an oxygen generator (which can form oxygen from the electrolysis of water) or some sort of oxygen canister that releases oxygen by a very hot chemical reaction. Oxygen is either released continuously by a computerized system that senses the percentage of oxygen in the air, or it is released in batches periodically through the day.

Carbon dioxide can be removed from the air chemically using soda lime (sodium hydroxide and calcium hydroxide) in devices called scrubbers. The carbon dioxide is trapped in the soda lime by a chemical reaction and removed from the air. Other similar reactions can accomplish the same goal. The moisture can be removed by a dehumidifier or by chemicals. This prevents it from condensing on the walls and equipment inside the ship. In addition, other gases such as carbon monoxide or hydrogen, which are generated by equipment and cigarette smoke, can be removed by burners. Finally, filters are used to remove particulates, dirt and dust from the air.