Before building the engine and elevator mount I decided it would be a good idea to actually test whether or not the idea I had for stopping leakage around the shafts would work. Unfortunately, it didn't work, but I'm glad I found out now rather than 10 meters underwater.
The pressure chamber built from 100 mm PVC and a bike tyre valve.
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| 20/03/2015 |
Turning up the screw cap in order to hold the shaft in place.
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| 20/03/2015 |
The shaft and oil impregnated nylon seal. The idea is that a clamping force from within the sub will push into the nylon and seal it.
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| 20/03/2015 |
Here the shaft is using the pressure inside the chamber (15 - 20 psi) to hold it in place against the nylon. It seals perfectly (with a little grease) but now the force required to turn the shaft is far too impractical. There's no way it could be turned by depressing rudder pedals or a hand driven wheel unless it was geared drastically.
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| 20/03/2015 |
Another option which I'm now looking into is dual lipped oil seals. After a few experiments I'll see if it's a winner.
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| Dual lipped oil seal |
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