A buoyancy and stability mechanism for underwater vehicles

This paper describes the design of a simple, inexpensive but effective 'detach weight' device that can aid in the stability as well as the recovery of underwater vehicles and unpropelled consoles. If the vehicle attempts to cross the maximum specified sea depth due to water seepage, poor stability, failure of normal recovery schedule, or inherent negative buoyancy as that of a console, then the proposed mechanism gets activated to achieve terminal buoyancy. Non-reliance on electrical, pneumatic or hydraulic power and sensors distinguish the device from conventional ballasting methods. Insitu assembly and adjustments of activation depth and weight can add flexibility to the vehicle design parameters such as overall CG, weight, trim, list etc.