NEMO Type Acrylic Plastic Spherical Hull for Manned Operation to 3000 ft Depth

Abstract

NEMO Mod 2000 acrylic plastic pressure hull assembly represents the latest addition to the NEMO hull series represented by NEMO Mod 600 and 1000 hull assemblies. The 66 in. OD × 58 in. ID spherical acrylic hull with aluminum hatches has successfully withstood 24 hr long external hydrostatic pressurizations to 450, 900, 1350, and 1800 psi. Pressure cycling and short term destructive testing of 15 in. OD × 13 in. ID scale models has shown that the crackfree fatigue life is in excess of 1000 pressure cycles to 1500 psi and the short term implosion pressure is in the range of 4750–5000 psi. Stress wave emissions have been found to be a good indicator of incipient failure. NEMO Mod 2000 spherical pressure hulls with panoramic visibility are considered to be acceptable for manned submersibles with 3000 ft operational depth capability. The cyclic fatigue life of such hulls is conservatively predicted to be at least 12 × 106 ft hr.