Alfa propellers - Made of titanium?

[gerwalk]

[color=#000000]I'm intrigued by this since I bought Maquette's 1/400 Alfa model. In the instructions they say to paint the propellers "titanium", then I've found that the guys from the Polar Bear company located in Severodvinsk, Russia, have their model with the screws painted "titanium"]http://tok.severodvinsk.ru/pics/models/alfa/3alfa4.jpg[/img]

Are the propellers of this sub made of titanium? That would be something to be seen!!!

Another question]

[novagator]

Where is Wayne, he should

Where is Wayne, he should know or at least he could find out. None of the pics i have seen of the alfa's prop have been in color.

[wayne frey]

Hey,
Nope, not titanium. http://www.subcommittee.com/forum/icon_smile.gif

Hey,
Nope, not titanium.

[gerwalk]

Thanks Wayne!
So, no Ti. It's

[color=#000000]Thanks Wayne!
So, no Ti. It's a pitty, the model would look great with silver (titanium) screws.
then]

[anonymous]

No need for prop to

No need for prop to be cast and milled in titanium. That would be crazy. Too expensive and even harder to mill in such a huge piece. Bronze alloy most likely. Titanium was for the pressure hull.

Steve



Edited By Dolphin on 1110518860

[gerwalk]

Yes. I was asking some

Yes. I was asking some metallurgist (actually all my collegues at work are metallurgists) about this yesterday. It is possible to make but way too expensive. And I don't see a real reason for making a prop out of Titanium (unless you want to use them as a can opener for cutting other subs hulls )

[petn7]

maybe takes less damaged during

maybe takes less damaged during cavitation?

[gerwalk]

maybe takes less damaged during

maybe takes less damaged during cavitation?

[color=#000000]That one is not bad... considering this sub was designed as an interceptor sub going ar high speed and thus cavitating a lot.

But our expert in russian subs has already said]

[wayne frey]

I forgot to answer the

I forgot to answer the color question.
It is roughly the same color as the hull.....
Last year's Spring Report had an article with pictures of the Alfa in drydock. The prop, if I am not mistaken, is in there.
If not, I have many more pictures of this class and others out of the water.
I also have some unique dvd's from Russia of the Akula, Typhoon, Delta class construction and operation videos. I sold a few on a limited basis at last year's subron in Providence to test the interest.
Lately, I have had some other problems I have had to deal with, but, I am working on some new suff on Russian boats on a few different fronts.

[gerwalk]

Wayne,
I've seen your article on

Wayne,
I've seen your article on the SCR. There is a pic of the prop(s) of the Alfa but since it's BW it is not possible to discern it's color. Your answer is most intriguing! The same color as the hull? That means they painted the prop? black??? hull red?
Maybe the props are made of Titanium and what it is percieved as the same color as the hull is just corrosion products or a coating???

[wayne frey]

The prop is not made

The prop is not made of titanium. It was not nessecary.The hulls,or exteriors as they call them , the "easy case" came in 3 colors, over a period of time. I am talking lower colors.
Black, green (zinc paint) , and red primer.
My conversations with former officers are getting quite interesting. I have a few things going on there. One may make another story pretty soon. But on a different front, I have discovered a group of former submarine officers that just offered to send me stories of thier times aboard russian submarines. Translation takes a lot of time though. Electronic translators really only work about 80 %. Some words they use are two words to our one,or are reversed in order. Still,
I am willing to do it.

[gerwalk]

The prop is not made

The prop is not made of titanium. It was not nessecary.The hulls,or exteriors as they call them , the "easy case" came in 3 colors, over a period of time. I am talking lower colors.
Black, green (zinc paint) , and red primer.
My conversations with former officers are getting quite interesting. I have a few things going on there. One may make another story pretty soon. But on a different front, I have discovered a group of former submarine officers that just offered to send me stories of thier times aboard russian submarines. Translation takes a lot of time though. Electronic translators really only work about 80 %. Some words they use are two words to our one,or are reversed in order. Still,
I am willing to do it.

[color=#000000]Then the props were painted as the lower hull? They had props in green, black or red? I don't understand, sorry. I don't see why they would paint the propellers.

As for the stories from russian submariners]

[JWLaRue]

Perhaps we need to ask

Perhaps we need to ask Wayne to clarify. I didn't see where Wayne actually said the props were painted....just that they were the same color as the lower hull. The color could be a coincidence if they weren't actually painted.

Wayne?

-Jeff

[wayne frey]

Opps,
Not sure how the

Opps,
Not sure how the lower got involved. No, they look the same as the uppers. Painted or not, I am not sure.
But, in my next letter to my Alfa driver friend, I will ask. That will clear up everything.Then I will post his answer. I will write him later this week.

[anonymous]

For what it's worth, props

For what it's worth, props are typically bronze, NiAlBrz to be specific. Stainless is also seen (as is aluminum for the pleasure boat crowd...). Interesting thing I found in an article in Men's Health on the Kursk a couple years ago, was a nice drydock shot of the Kursk showing props clearly. Matt T has it posted on his site. The props are clearly bronze, unpainted, and looking quite new. The vortex dissipators however, appear to be made of something different, possibly stainless.