Science · 6 pages · 12 min
How a submarine changes its buoyancy
It takes seawater into tanks to get heavier, and blows that water out to rise.
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From the opening
A submarine changes its buoyancy mainly by changing its weight, not by greatly changing the size of the hull. Ballast tanks flood with seawater to make the boat heavier than the water it displaces, or are blown clear so the boat becomes lighter. The opening covers flooding tanks to gain weight, blowing tanks to lose weight, and neutral buoyancy is a trim.
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Inside
- Flooding tanks to gain weight
- Blowing tanks to lose weight
- Neutral buoyancy is a trim
- How a swim bladder differs
- Where the idea stops applying
- A distinction worth keeping
Sources
- Ballast tanks and buoyant force on a pressure hull
- Neutral buoyancy as matched weight and displacement