Torpedo Launcher Pneumatics
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Kyle Newell
Jan 18, 2014, 11:11:18 PM1/18/14
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I've looked into some pneumatic stuff regarding the torpedo launchers, but not enough to make any final decisions yet. I don't know how much anyone else knows about pneumatics, so I'll just list out what I know. It might be a helpful start.
First, we'll need some sort of gas source. The two main options that I've seen for this are high pressure air (HPA), which is just compressed air or nitrogen, and CO2. Small, refillable tanks can be found from various paintball sources that will work with one of these two gases. The most compact (and in my opinion the best) option would be to use disposable 12g CO2 cartridges. The good thing about these is that they can simply be thrown away after they run out of gas, and we wouldn't have to worry about how to refill them like we would with the refillable options. These CO2 cartridges are what the team used last year. I have also seen a couple of other RoboSub teams that are using the same type of cartridges. You can see what I am talking about here: http://tinyurl.com/k562rwg
To hold the CO2 cartridge, something like this would be cool: http://tinyurl.com/l4zdju3. This adapter would give us a threaded connection to work with since the cartridges are not normally threaded.
Next, it might be a good idea to have an on/off valve, but I'm not sure if it's necessary. There are many options if you search for air source adapters (ASAs) on paintball sites. Here is an example: http://tinyurl.com/ldd2os7
We will have to regulate the gas at some point before it gets to the valve. I think this can done using some more paintball products. There are lots of different regulators to choose from, but I don't know which ones to use or what pressure we need regulate the CO2 down to. I thought that this one looked pretty good: http://tinyurl.com/ky3oqw2. It has an max input pressure of 1500 psi and can be adjusted from 0-200 psi output. I don't know exactly what kind of pressure the torpedo launchers require. That's something to look into.
Including one or more pressure gauges in this setup would be good for keeping track of the operating pressures.
Next, we'll need some solenoid valves that will be used to fire the torpedoes. There are a lot options out there, and I don't really know what would work best. McMaster-Carr has some solenoid valves here: http://tinyurl.com/mhmn9sj. There are also a lot more suppliers out there such as Clippard, which I think were used last year. Here's the link to their site: http://tinyurl.com/l2xj4ty. We will need the valves to operate on DC current and I think we will need to use 2-way normally closed valves. This means that there are two ports in the valve (gas input and gas output) and that the valve is closed when it is not powered. It opens when it receives power.
The last things that we'll need are some hoses to connect everything, maybe a pneumatic manifold for the valves, and other various connectors and fittings. I also think that we should house the pneumatics outside of the main hull to make the sub more modular. To do this we will also have to design a waterproof housing for the valves since they will probably not be inherently waterproof. That's all I can think of regarding the torpedo launcher pneumatics.
First, we'll need some sort of gas source. The two main options that I've seen for this are high pressure air (HPA), which is just compressed air or nitrogen, and CO2. Small, refillable tanks can be found from various paintball sources that will work with one of these two gases. The most compact (and in my opinion the best) option would be to use disposable 12g CO2 cartridges. The good thing about these is that they can simply be thrown away after they run out of gas, and we wouldn't have to worry about how to refill them like we would with the refillable options. These CO2 cartridges are what the team used last year. I have also seen a couple of other RoboSub teams that are using the same type of cartridges. You can see what I am talking about here: http://tinyurl.com/k562rwg
To hold the CO2 cartridge, something like this would be cool: http://tinyurl.com/l4zdju3. This adapter would give us a threaded connection to work with since the cartridges are not normally threaded.
Next, it might be a good idea to have an on/off valve, but I'm not sure if it's necessary. There are many options if you search for air source adapters (ASAs) on paintball sites. Here is an example: http://tinyurl.com/ldd2os7
We will have to regulate the gas at some point before it gets to the valve. I think this can done using some more paintball products. There are lots of different regulators to choose from, but I don't know which ones to use or what pressure we need regulate the CO2 down to. I thought that this one looked pretty good: http://tinyurl.com/ky3oqw2. It has an max input pressure of 1500 psi and can be adjusted from 0-200 psi output. I don't know exactly what kind of pressure the torpedo launchers require. That's something to look into.
Including one or more pressure gauges in this setup would be good for keeping track of the operating pressures.
Next, we'll need some solenoid valves that will be used to fire the torpedoes. There are a lot options out there, and I don't really know what would work best. McMaster-Carr has some solenoid valves here: http://tinyurl.com/mhmn9sj. There are also a lot more suppliers out there such as Clippard, which I think were used last year. Here's the link to their site: http://tinyurl.com/l2xj4ty. We will need the valves to operate on DC current and I think we will need to use 2-way normally closed valves. This means that there are two ports in the valve (gas input and gas output) and that the valve is closed when it is not powered. It opens when it receives power.
The last things that we'll need are some hoses to connect everything, maybe a pneumatic manifold for the valves, and other various connectors and fittings. I also think that we should house the pneumatics outside of the main hull to make the sub more modular. To do this we will also have to design a waterproof housing for the valves since they will probably not be inherently waterproof. That's all I can think of regarding the torpedo launcher pneumatics.
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