User:DM8954/Shipping Container Semi-Submersible Waterwalker Hybrid Design

Description

The basis of this somewhat complex design is a semisubmersible that uses pressurized Shipping Containers as the primary means of buoyancy. The habitable space is suspended about 20 feet above mean sea level in order to avoid surface waves. Between the deep buoys and the habitable space are narrow supports, most likely made from coated/painted stainless steel, designed to support the structure above while minimizing the impact of waves on the structure through low surface area. This design alone doesn't have enough displacement in the water plane to maintain a stable position between the upper structure sinking to the surface and the deep buoys rising to the surface. To counteract this and to provide additional buoyancy, smaller spherical buoys, attached either to long posts or a system of cables, are added to the structure.

Detail

Shipping Containers are mass-produced, standardized units designed to transport a variety of goods via a variety of methods (truck, railroad, and ship). The abundance of these containers and their methods of production allow them to be both inexpensive and relatively durable. These units were not designed to resist the full pressure of ocean water, especially at any significant depth. Fortunately, in this application, since they would not need to be occupied, they could be filled with air at a pressure high enough to equalize with the pressure of the water at their intended depth. In this way, the container itself would not need to resist the crushing force of the sea water.

Requirements Analysis

fancy math-stuff