One last time

[Phil Nuytten <72020.572@compuserve.com>]

Hullo, Gary:
        Yup, you are quite right about my attributing your remarks to Jon
Shawl - I've already apologised to him for that , and do so, again; (
Sorry, Jon!).
        I'm also sorry if my thoughts on manned submersible design,
materials, etc., have upset you. You're certainly not alone . .some of the
'ADS NEWTSUIT' stuff I patented nearly two decades ago upset the
conventional designers, the 'REMORA' submarine rescue  system that I
patented and we built for the Royal Australian Navy sure annoyed and upset
the DSRV guys,  and the current 'DEEPWORKER'  series is a radical departure
from conventional design, as is the new 'EXOSUIT'. Gary, this IS my day job
. .this is what I do for a living.  This is not my hobby. 
        I'm really suprised that you could have so completely missed my
point(s).  You sound really, genuinely, PO'd  that I would mention formula
terms amidst people " who don't know what psi is"  . .Expressing units in
kips and pascals was  not done to  impress you. It is the convention for
hull stress formulae. I realize that it is a bit arcane ( although the
conversion is simple) and that's why I very carefully followed that
particular paragraph with the disclaimer that I was NOT trying to " be
smart or patronising". 
        You also miss my point on materials - even tho' you say " I agree,
. . .could make a bridge . . etc., etc." you obviously don't agree or don't
'get' what I was saying . .   You ask whether or not I have "even read PVHO
. ." don't you honestly think that is just a teensy weensy tad insulting???
                                                          The 'DEEPWORKER
2000' subs that we are building right are a hybrid combination of
materials; 516-70 mild steel, 6061 T6 aluminum, titanium, 316 stainless
steel, UHMW,  and Acrylic G. Each of the metals have  different machining
and welding characteristics, corrosion and/or electrolysis problems, cold
temp expansion/contraction co-efficients. Do you think that we are using
these materials in concert on some sort of a whim??? or an ego-driven
desire to use 'exotic' materials???     If we used the 'tried and true'
method of soft steel construction, we couldn't  build the DEEPWORKERS,
period. Let's get this straight: These are certified and classed hulls -
every scrap of material has been tracked from its melt batch and is
certified, numbered, and registered. Every inch of weld has been Xrayed,
mag-particled, or dye-penetrant tested. Every single hull integrity system
from penetrator plates to 3rd party connectors have individually pressure
tested ( including proof-testing the entire subs  to 2800 feet in our nine
foot chamber) strain-guaged, logged and verified by inspecting surveyors
from the certifying agency.  . .You seem to like viewports: We designed and
provided the working drawings for the 2000 foot rated acrylic domes, we
specified the polymer component mix, detailed the testing procedures,
heat-treating, and the surface finish polishing procedures. Finally, we
arranged for the presence of surveyors and final certification. We usually
do this in batches of a dozren or more hemispheres, because of the very
long lead time....... and you ask me if 'I've even read' PVHO . Jeez, Gary,
the first drafts of PVHO that I read were in ball-point pen!!
        One last time. External pressure vessel design is a  known,
specific, repeatable, testable, accepted, procedure of calculation that is
used thousands of times every day in North America. It can be applied to
any material whose physical characteristics are known and expressable in
the formula terms. You can check out the efficiency of any material you may
wish to consider against other materials and make a decision based on
objective. Just like nearly anything else in this age of specialization,
you can learn to do it yourself - if you have the capacity, time, and
inclination - or you can pay some-one else to do it for you. 
        If some aspiring subber says " I want to build a sub like 'Deep
Flight' " it is simply not acceptable to blow them off by saying "Naw, you
dont know what a  psi is, you gotta build a Kitteridge".
        Gary, you are not the the average mental couch potato - or you
wouldn't have built a sub in the first place. You know what it's like to be
thirsty . .dig your well where others may drink. Melodramatic? perhaps .
.but I firmly believe that it is the same spirit that caused you to build a
sub  - that will take us to the stars.

        OK, the horse is flogged and buried. I apologise to other subbers
for taking their time.

Regards

Dr. Phil Nuytten
President, Nuytco Research Ltd.
www.nuytco.com