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I was welding on my hatch yesterday, and an idea came to me.
If a flat disc type view port was shaped thicker in the middle, like a
lens, would it act like a magnifying glass?
What kind of distortion would be created?
How severe would that distortion be or would it be like a car
side mirror where " objects are not as near as they appear"?
Would the shape add any strength to the plexi?
Would there be a "focal point" where you had to be a certain distance from
the inside surface to minimize the distortion?
Would the shape bring more light into the sub? ( like a magnifying glass
)
Would the slight convex shape help with passing water over the
surface?
If you were using a camera or flood light from the inside, what would that
shape do to the image captured by the camera, or the light shining out from the
light?
I might try a little experiment if I can find a lens that I had laying
around somewhere.
There is a dome viewport in the Monterey Bay Aquarium but the distortion is
pretty severe unless you have your head right inside it ( about 36 inch diameter
)
I didn't take the orange sub for a ride at the convention, and I wonder
what it looks like when you're in it and submerged. With your head inside the
dome hatch, is the view distorted? The dome is mostly uniform in thickness, so
I'm guessing it doesn't add much distortion.
Anybody have any thoughts on this? Frank D. Get a sneak peek of the all-new AOL.com. |