Re: [PSUBS-MAILIST] In my search for a simple, cheap pressure hull ...

["Walter Starck" <wstarck@ozemail.com.au>]

Phil,

It would seem a fairly simple thing to lay up a series of small
composite vessels and test to collapse depth to get some idea of
variability and relative strength of  various resins, fibers, and
laminates.  Do you know if this has been done and if so are the results
accessible?

Walter Starck
Golden Dolphin Video CD Magazine
of  diving and underwater photography
www.goldendolphin.com


----- Original Message -----
From: "Phil Nuytten" <72020.572@compuserve.com>
To: <personal_submersibles@psubs.org>
Sent: Tuesday, November 06, 2001 1:08 PM
Subject: Re: [PSUBS-MAILIST] In my search for a simple, cheap pressure
hull ...


> Hi, Guys:
>         Got back from the Antibes/Juan-les-Pins underwater Film
festival
> about an hour ago (2 hours to London and 10 hrs from London -
Arghhhh!)
> and just went thru' about a swillion E's . . . (G) . . .Vance
mentioned
> that we built an E glass version of the DeepWorker : This is a
prototype to
> be smooshed in the test chamber. It is straight hand-laid glass with
some
> critical areas stiffened with 3" aluminum tubing 'hoops'. The idea is
to
> make a near identical copy of the DeepWorker - same functionality,
etc.,
> but shallower version and very low cost ( relative to DW) and possibly
also
> available in kit form. The problem for Certifying agencies is the
variation
> in hand-lay up, hull to hull. Serial certification is, therefore,
pretty
> much out of the question. We propose to overcome the inconsistency
> objection by putting an overly generous safety factor on crush depth
to
> rated depth, and a high pressure test ratio. We would then plan to
> individually test each hull in the pressure chamber. We can do all
sorts of
> neat stuff with some of the newer  composites but that will defeat the
> concept of very basic, very simple, very cheap.
>         Although we have the prototype hull built, it will be awhile
before
> strain-gauging and full smooshification . . .simply because of
priorities .
> . . we are behind in sub deliveries (a little bit) and I absolutely
MUST
> get the swimming tests done on the Exosuit, make final design changes,
> etc., so the shallow DW ( probably 2 models - 100 meters and 200
meters)
> will have to wait.
> Phil Nuytten