This calculator forms a signed selected axial-force ledger: line weight plus selected drag plus sample weight minus selected buoyancy. It converts the result to newtons and compares positive load with a disclosed 100 lbf reference. It does not calculate actual cable tension or winch capacity.
Sounding-Weight Release · Selected Axial-Force Ledger
Explore a signed selected recovery-force ledger without treating it as actual cable tension or winch sizing.
Equation Used
- One fathom is six feet.
- Entered line weight is applied uniformly over the selected deployed length.
- All entered force terms are combined as a signed scalar ledger.
- The 100 lbf value is a comparison reference only.
- Cable shape, current profile, vessel motion, shock, sheave friction and safety are excluded.
The 100 lbf output is relabeled as an excess above a comparison reference, not an overload verdict.
Selected recovery-force reference
The diagram identifies the historical sounding line and release weight, while separate bars show the exact scalar terms. Their arithmetic signs do not imply that real drag and buoyancy are collinear in every deployment.
What the calculator determines
Select line weight per foot, deployed length in fathoms, drag, sample weight and buoyancy. The calculator converts fathoms to feet, totals the signed selected terms and reports the same result in lbf and N.
Selected scalar ledger
Lft=6Lfathom; Wline=wLft; Fnet=Wline+Fdrag+Wsample−Fbuoy; FN=4.448221615Fnet; excess=max(0,Fnet−100 lbf).
Selected-input example
At 0.003 lbf/ft and 3000 fathoms, selected line load is 54 lbf. Adding 12 lbf drag and 4 lbf sample weight with zero selected buoyancy gives 70 lbf, or about 311.4 N.
Ledger, not cable or winch sizing
Actual tension depends on submerged line weight, current profile, cable shape, vessel motion, acceleration, shock, sheave friction and dynamic amplification. The 100 lbf value is only a selected comparison reference.
Questions
Can the signed result be negative?
Yes. That means selected buoyancy exceeds the other entered scalar terms; it does not by itself describe the physical cable state.
Is 100 lbf an allowable load?
No. It is a comparison reference, not a working-load limit.
References & Further Reading
- Wikipedia contributors. Sounding line. Wikipedia
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