[PSUBS-MAILIST] grp subs

[VBra676539@aol.com]

Group,

Vickers Oceanics built several fine glass reinforced plastic (their words for 
Fiberglas which is actually the dupont trade name for the material) 
submarines. They were clones of the Perry boats with the hulls built at OSEL. 
These hulls were ribless and were formed in one piece on mandrels (ie., 
chucked up on a form and turned as on a gigantic lathe). I never saw it done, 
but have been aboard the result. They were bulky (couple of inches thick for 
1000 foot service) but worked very well. May still be working for all I know. 
The trick to certification is Quality Control during manufacture, I guess.

Here in the states, much of the self-profelled weaponry carried by the 
current crop of fighter aircraft is built this way. Solid rocket fuel is 
cast, then turned to shape, then wrapped in grp, sort of making it's own 
mandrel. There ought to be some data out there somewhere on the web about how 
it's done.

Vance