CPI Sponsors International Submarine Races

In June of this year, CPI was approached to help sponsor an entry in the 14^th International Submarine Race held June 22-26 at the U. S. Naval Surface Warfare Center’s Carderock test tank facility in Bethesda, MD. The contest is an exciting bi-annual event, drawing student engineering teams from around the world who compete to build and race the fastest human powered submarine.

This was the 10th in a series of biennial races sponsored by the ISR every 2 years since 1989, that test the creative skills of young engineering students from colleges, universities and technical and high schools from throughout the world. Teams wear scuba gear to compete in one- and two-person “wet” submarines designed to run along a measured course in Carderock’s 22-foot-deep model basin. U.S. Navy divers provide safety and underwater support.

The CPI Submarine – “Watsub”

Built by the University of Waterloo, CPI contributed electronic switches from our waterproof switch product line. Since our switches are truly waterproof, not just water resistant or splash proof, they can survive the operational environment of an undersea deployment without compromising their reliability or long life.

The Watsub team was particularly interested in our B5114, a normally open pushbutton switch which was set to control critical safety systems in the submarine.  Design team member William Klanac was looking for an IP 68 rated switch that would handle a 12V, 0.25A load used in the sub.  Ultimately our off the shelf switch with silver alloy contacts was the right choice. “The switch behaved flawlessly in our application, and we were able to pass all wet and dry checks for the competition.” For those with more stringent requirements switches are also available with gold contacts and customizable lead lengths.

How did they do?

While Watsub successfully passed all operational and safety checks, they were not able to complete the course due to other issues. But this has made the team even more determined. So with effort comes both added experience and added resolve.  Watch out ISR, 2019 could be University of Waterloo’s year!

CPI Supports the Next Generation of Engineers

If you are an educational institution sponsoring engineering programs like the International Submarine Race that have a need for CPI products, contact us today we love to help young engineers get their design on!

Original content posted on https://www.cpi-nj.com/blog/cpi-sponsors-international-submarine-races/