Supercavitation wasRe: Wet Navy in the future was Re:

This is all IIRC.

Supercavitation is where you have a non-hydrodynamic projectile which is
propelled very rapidly underwater. The shape of the projectile and the high
thrust combine to create a full air cavity surrounding the projectile.
Basically the projectile is pushed so fast that it creates a "bubble" around
the projectile. This cuts drag down to almost nothing because there's no
contact with the water, which allows ridiculously high speeds.. The problems
with this type of propulsion are numerous. One is initiating the
supercavitation. Another is propulsion, as conventional propulsion is out
(since they require water to work). I think most of the current experiments
with it use rocket motors. The final hurdle for practical application of
supercavitation is how to steer the bloody thing. Conventional control
surfaces won't work because they either a) can't get sufficient "bite" to
change the course of the projectile or b) create so much drag that they
collapse the "bubble".

I think this has come up around here before and I read some of the articles
that had links posted, which is where this came from. IIRC this was talked
about in relation to the sinking of the Kursk since it was speculated that
they were testing one of these torpedoes when it exploded.

Bill
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                    Jaime Tiampo

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                    owner-gzg-l@lists.CSUA.Be       Subject:     Re: Wet
Navy in the future was Re: Questions rkeley.EDU regarding NAC ground units,
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                    11/30/01 02:20 PM

                    Please respond to gzg-l

> Brian Bilderback wrote:

What is supercavitation. I know what regular cavitation is, is super
cavitation where you get sucked backwards by the bubbles?:)

Jaime

Correct on the definition of Supercavitation. However, it is NOT just
hypothetical or test stage. The Soviets had a Torpedo, the Squall, which went
500 kph. The Squall 2, also operartional IIRC, is guided.

Brian

"The Irish are the only race of people on Earth for which psychoanalysis is of
no use."

                                 - S. Freud

> From: bbrush@unlnotes.unl.edu
Wet
> Navy in the future was Re: Questions