Goods reading on decompression models?

[janosik]

I am thinking of maybe studying some decompression models, for no particular reason other than pure intellectual curiosity. I promise not to use it for dive planning. I am wondering what would be some good starting points. I do not mind reading math, and I would prefer something unobfuscated with some substance and with a reasoning behind the presented choices and conclusions, and possibly with references to the experimental data based on which the parameters of these models were chosen. Do you have any suggestions?

 

[Mod63]

Mark Powell, Deco for Divers is a good first read. Then go onto Rubicon, where you can find some of the original papers, including Haldanes work. Bühlmanns seminal book "Tauchmedizin" is currently only available in German. I would stay away from Wienkes books, they are somehow hard to read.

 

[TSandM]

Well, Google Wienke on decompression, and you come up with a bunch of papers, including one which is an algorithm comparison. Wienke's heavy on the math.

Lippmann and Mitchell's book, Deeper into Diving, has some model comparisons, but doesn't get too much into the underlying assumptions that lead to the differences.

Powell's book, Deco for Divers, is an overview, but light on the math and no direct comparisons that I recall, if that is what you are looking for.

Erik Baker has a couple of good papers, including "Understanding M values" which can be found in multiple sites on line. Again, not a direct comparison of models, though.

 

[gconner]

+1 for Deco for Divers. Good read if you want an introduction to decompression theory without the hard core math.

Also, Tom Mount's book "The Tao of Underwater Survival" has a section on decompression theories. While the entire book is not dedicated to the subject, the materials presented are well done.

 

[knowone]

Remember to stop reading before your brain falls out as mine has.

These days, I either pin the tail on the donkey or stumble around the
room with a hand covering my eyes, and an arm with finger pointing

 

[Mr Carcharodon]

Haldane's 1908 paper, which is available through Rubicon, is absolutely the place to start. It laid the groundwork for the next nine decades of decompression modeling. After that read Robert D. Workman's 1965 paper, also available from Rubicon, and H.R. Schreiner and P.L. Kelley's "A Pragmatic View of Decompression" which may require a visit to a university library to find. Also try this: ftp://decompression.org/ Erik Baker's papers which are there are very lucid and to the point in a field where there is too hand waving. Erik provides a good discussion of VPM which is a bubble model, as opposed to the dissolved gas models that proceeded it. Powell's book is certainly a good introduction if light on details of calculations. It does however provide "M" values for most of the models out there, which is how the experimental limits are compared to calculated pressure values.

 

[janosik]

Thanks very much, everyone! I will follow the links, and heed knowone's advice...