CompositesWorld
Issue link: https://cw.epubxp.com/i/841219
47 CompositesWorld.com Mitsubishi Chemical. e wet-winding epoxy is Epon Resin 682 from Hexion (Columbus, OH, US). e curing agent is Lindride LS-81K from Lindau Chemicals (Columbia, SC, US). Initial design work indicated that the hull, to be rated for 4,000m depth with a 2.25 safety factor, should be 114 mm thick or 4.5 inches, which OceanGate opted to round up to 5 inches (127 mm) to build in an additional safety margin. After layup and winding was complete, the cylinder was bagged with cellowrap and then cured in an oven at 137°C for 7 days. ere was no postcure. Spencer says initial assessment of the cured cylinder shows that it has porosity of <1%. As CW went to press, the cylinder was being prepared for machining to cut it to length, square up the ends and bond it to the titanium end caps. It will then be sent to OceanGate in Seattle to be instrumented before undergoing pressure testing. Assuming the hull passes muster, it will then become part of the first Cyclops 2 unit. e finished Cyclops 2 will measure 6.7m long, 2.8m wide and 2.5m tall. It will weigh 8,600 kg and have payload capacity of more than 1,043 kg. Integrated into the outer shell of Cyclops 2 will be four electric thrusters for propulsion, buoyancy-control and navigation systems, four 20,000-lumen LED lights, HD cameras and other accessories. e crew will enter and exit Cyclops 2 through the front of the hull, which will be accessed via its hinged titanium end dome. Composite Submersible OceanGate's Rush says Cyclops 2 will offer a nominal descent/ ascent rate of 50m/min. Its standard life support systems can accommodate an 8-hour dive, but emergency systems are designed to provide an additional 96 hours of life support. e service limits of Cyclops 2, therefore, says Rush — water depth not withstanding — "are bladder, food and attention span." Notably, its 380-mm acrylic viewport, says Rush, is twice the size of any viewport on a competing submersible and should offer passengers unprecedented views of the waterscape. Cyclops 2 will enter the water for the first time in November of this year, followed by a deep-dive test in early 2018. If that goes well, its first mission, in May 2018 in the North Atlantic, will be a descent to the wreckage of the Titanic, which sits 3,688m under the surface. e goal? Capture high-definition still and video images of the Titanic, and gather sonar and laser measurements of the ship and the ship's debris. After the Titanic mission, Cyclops 2 will be off on a variety of other missions that, says Rush, will keep the craft busy for the rest of 2018. OceanGate, he says, will build at least four Cyclops 2 submersibles, and as many as 20, depending on demand. Rush says Cyclops 3, 4 and 5 are already on the drawing board, will target depths of 6,000m and likely will feature carbon fiber composite hulls. Read this article online | short.compositesworld.com/Cyclops2 Read more about the Steve Fossett capsule in "Deepsea submersible incorporates composite pressure capsule" | short.compositesworld.com/6TjCL4Lz Jeff Sloan is editor-in-chief of CompositesWorld, and has been engaged in plastics- and composites-industry journalism for 23 years. jeff@compositesworld.com Five down deep for a whole shift Crewmembers are shown here inside Cyclops 1, the steel-hulled predecessor of Cyclops 2. The 2.54m long hull of Cyclops 2 will hold as many as five people and will provide 8 hours of normal service, with 96 hours of emer- gency life support available.