Re: [PSUBS-MAILIST] Alternative hull material.

[Coalbunny <coalbunny@vcn.com>]

All depends on what you make it out of, what you intend to do with it
and how long you want it to last.  You could build a sub out of wood,
but the materials you use will restrict both applications and attainable
depth.  Of course, if you are looking for a one way trip, a 55 gallon
steel drum would work nicely....  :)
Carl


Ward Monroe wrote:
> 
> Being the lurker and newbie that I am, at what submersion depth does
> consensus and research dictate a steel pressure hull?  For more than 20
> years I've had in mind a modification to the Robert Riley AquaSub that
> would more than double its diving depth.  I should probably build it
> before I'm too old to ride in it...
> 
> On Mon, 2003-03-17 at 02:20, Coalbunny wrote:
> > What I feel is overlooked is that water is worse than air- if there is
> > ANYWHERE that water *might* go, it'll go there.  Under higher than
> > normal pressures, such as going under water, it WILL go anywhere it can
> > fit.  A cloth/kevlar sub hull *might* work for down to 10 or even 15
> > feet.  And that's it.  It will be nearly impossible, I feel for it to go
> > any further without a serious risk of implosion/rupture.
> > My 6,000 rubles worth,
> > Carl
> >
> >
> > Tim Reilly wrote:
> > >
> > > I agree with Mike that a kevlar hull would be great, except that kevlar is
> > > really hard to work with and where ever you cut or grind it needs to be
> > > sealed very well.  Kevlar likes to leech along the fabric.  You would also
> > > need to make sure that the resin you use will be compatible with building a
> > > hull that compresses and expands.  Some resins are to brittle and will
> > > craze.  This will leave little cracks in the hull and allow water to
> > > delaminate the material.  Something that might want to be considered is
> > > alternating different materials with the kevlar to make it easier to work
> > > with.
> > >
> > > I intend on building my sub out of composite materials.  I also have a lot
> > > of experience with these materials, the only thing is I don't know any of
> > > the engineering stats for different kinds of materials to determine hull
> > > thickness.  I am still researching that.
> > >
> > > Sorry about making this so long, I just finally found something that I can
> > > talk knowledgeably about.  Hope this helps.  Also realize that composites
> > > are really easy to work with,  You just have to pay extreme attention to
> > > what you are doing when you laminate.  NO AIR BUBBLES!
> > >
> > > Thanks,
> > >
> > > Tim R.
> > >
> > > -----Original Message-----
> > > From: Michael B Holt [mailto:tlohm@juno.com]
> > > Sent: Sunday, March 16, 2003 8:52 AM
> > > To: personal_submersibles@psubs.org
> > > Subject: [PSUBS-MAILIST] Alternative hull material.
> > >
> > > Consider a fabric hull.
> > >
> > > Build the frames of the proper steel, then cover the frame with kevlar
> > > cloth.   As long as the cloth is held securely to the frame, it's not
> > > going
> > > to rupture.
> > >
> > > No, I'm not going to do this.    But it seems like a reasonable idea, if
> > > all the problems can be solved.
> > >
> > > Mike H.
> > >
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> > --
> > "You delight not in a city's seven or seventy wonders, but in an answer
> > it gives to a question of yours, or the question it asks you, forcing
> > you to answer, like Thebes through the mouth of the Sphinx." -- Kublai
> > Khan

-- 
"You delight not in a city's seven or seventy wonders, but in an answer
it gives to a question of yours, or the question it asks you, forcing
you to answer, like Thebes through the mouth of the Sphinx." -- Kublai
Khan