Tag Archives: underwater

Underwater Chainsaws: What They’re Used For (And Why They Cost So Much)

Underwater chainsaws are hydraulic powertools that use compressed air to rotate a bladed chain. As with common chainsaws, that chain is affixed with blades to chop via wooden, and a few may even deal with concrete, metallic, and plastic. They do not all the time have the identical rip-roaring energy or portability as gas-powered chainsaws, however they’re invaluable for underwater purposes. Their waterproof encasings are higher outfitted for moist circumstances, so additionally they serve nicely within the mud and rain. Some fashions even have diamond-grit enamel to stop kick-backs and jams while you’re slicing away at extra-hard supplies. 

Underwater chainsaws are primarily used for slicing the picket pilings of docks, bridges, and different submerged buildings. It sounds area of interest, nevertheless it’s really fairly widespread. The water is a robust catalyst for rotting wooden and eroding docks, so fixed upkeep is vital. 

To use an underwater chainsaw, all you want is a appropriate air compressor and a hose to hook it up. Most customary air compressors will do, however diesel-powered compressors are normally extra moveable in comparison with electrical ones. Many underwater chainsaws have additional security options. For instance, they usually have cooling programs, powered by both water or oil. Options with hand guards and chain brakes forestall damaged chains from taking off a hand. Furthermore, you’ll be able to anticipate interlocking security triggers to assist decrease accidents.

[Featured image by US Navy via Wikimedia Commons | Cropped | Public Domain by Title 17 of the US Code]

Here’s How Diesel Submarine Engines Work Underwater

The brief model of how diesel submarine engines work underwater is that they really type of do not. Not in a conventional sense, anyway, because of the lack of oxygen wanted to function. Because they’re underwater. Instead, they act as part of a hybrid vitality system linked to a big financial institution of batteries.

These engines can (and typically do) immediately energy numerous points of the sub, however their major operate is to cost the batteries that act as the primary energy supply for normal operations — therefore why they’re a lot quieter than nuclear fashions. The trade-off is that these poisonous, fume-spewing diesel engines cannot do their factor after they’re a number of hundred ft beneath the ocean floor.

This signifies that the sub will often should floor, or get shut sufficient to the floor to increase a “snorkel,” to get entry to the oxygen the engines want with a purpose to run. And being a vessel primarily designed for stealth, you possibly can think about why this may be a little bit of a disadvantage. Since the engines can be utilized to function the propellers (and different programs), the sub does not less than have a method to maintain shifting whereas it recharges its batteries, however it might’t keep submerged for a number of weeks straight like a nuclear sub, and it must refuel frequently.