Future Innovations in Scuba Gear?!

[gangrel441]

That would require the diver expend extra energy to inhale thereby making him colder due to greater energy expenditure in the core, or the regulator would need to breath for him causing greater air consumption. Unlike a car, the lungs don’t have any appreciable inertia to capture.

Not quite sure I buy into this. I am thinking along the lines of using tank pressure as leverage for generating this energy. Perhaps it would require a new reg design, where the first stage cuts pressure to a higher intermediate pressure, and the generator turns on that power while cutting the pressure to 100psi above ambient or so. Or perhaps capturing generated energy from the movement in the first stage piston. I know you don't want to increase breathing pressure, but you are working with anywhere from 500 to 3000psi on your back. There should be some way to harness the fact that we mechanically have to cut this pressure to breathe it anyways.

 

[gangrel441]

Here's another one...

In our current day and age of data collection and consolidation of devices, some dive computers are more and more resembling multifunction sports watches. With this in mind, why not integrate a heart rate monitor into a wristmount computer? A simple chest strap with a small ecg/transmitter device, and a small radio receiver in the computer, ala the Suunto D-9. It seems this would be quite useful for research into effects of diving on the cardio system, as well as a good indicator to the diver as to how relaxed he/she truely is while diving.

 

[StSomewhere]

I know! I know! A regulator that lets the air bubbles out behind your neck. Oh they already did that didn't they? Then got rid of it, now bringing it back at 10x the price, kind of like the Mini Cooper.

:rofl:

 

[DrSteve]

For those of you in the audience who aren't familiar with auto racing or cycling, carbon fibre is used as the construction material on open wheel race cars (Indycars, Champcars, Formula 1, etc.) because it is lighter and stronger than steel. I don't have any personal knowledge of how well it handles pressure, but I would imagine this is a pretty safe bet.

I'm not up on the tensile strength of carbon fiber. But usually it is something else reinforced with carbon fiber. Another example like that would be Kevlar...when weaved into a short (as opposed to body armour) it can stop a bullet, a knife slash, but won't stop you getting crippled by a low kick or having a knife stuck in you.

 

[Goose75]

are these carbon fiber tanks structurally as ridgible as steel, aluminum, carbon fiber, i dont know. kinda skeptical.

Composites is my field. I touch on metal, but usually my time is spent replacing it. Aluminum is a very poor choice for a fatigue critical design. It is used often due to price and weight. Composite structure is the best choice for fatigue application due to the bundles of fiber acting as natural crack growth arrestors. The drawbacks are the cost and lack of understanding. I'm sure the 15-year requirement is based on lack of long term data from lack of long term use. When my old company first started building composite rotor blades, they put a 10-year cycle on them before factory service. Now it is known they have practically unlimited life. If I remember correctly, aluminum cannot be designed for unlimited life. Imperfections in the metal eventually lead to the formation of cracks. This is the driving force for the inspections. My biggest concerns with a composite scuba vessel are the resin used and what tolerance to impact the vessel has. The resin will dictate the environmental issues you need to know. If it is unpainted epoxy, years and years of extended sunlight exposure will damage the material - in short, store them out of the sun. I would also like to know the service temperature of the resin. Car trunks can easily reach 180 - 200F. Good to know if the resin is good for 160 or 250. Damage tolerance is the big factor for us in aircraft. Depending on the materials, dropping a hammer on the vessel could cause internal damage to the laminate. On the plus side, the failure mode of a wrapped vessel is much preferred to a solid steel or aluminum one. A multi-layered or composite vessel has a tendency to peel open rather than rupture into fragments. I used to work on vessel design as well

 

[pants!]

I love when people show up with a ton of info and actually know what they're talking about.

 

[gangrel441]

I'm not up on the tensile strength of carbon fiber. But usually it is something else reinforced with carbon fiber. Another example like that would be Kevlar...when weaved into a short (as opposed to body armour) it can stop a bullet, a knife slash, but won't stop you getting crippled by a low kick or having a knife stuck in you.

Not in the case of Champ Cars. To the best of my knowledge, the carbon fibre is laid over a mold, then coated with resin, vacuum bagged and baked. Earlier cars were carbon fiber layered on aluminum honeycomb, but this is considered old technology now.

 

[Goose75]

Not in the case of Champ Cars. To the best of my knowledge, the carbon fibre is laid over a mold, then coated with resin, vacuum bagged and baked. Earlier cars were carbon fiber layered on aluminum honeycomb, but this is considered old technology now.

Carbon and aluminum mixed together = bad. Galvanic corrosion occurs in saltwater environment. Glass works with alum core. Most core used with carbon is nomex, which is a paper based on kevlar. Paper, string and glue - just like grade school.

I think most cars now lay down pre coated (pregpreg) fabric now. Otherwise it's the same as you mention. Scuba vessels are most likely wound with prepreg carbon tow (bundle of fibre) by an automated machine. After that, the process is similar.

Weight and capacity are the big factors. It doesn't make sence to lighten the tank just to add it to your belt unless you get some other benifit. Of coarse a .5mil heated suit would take it off the belt anyway...

 

[DrSteve]

Composites is my field. I touch on metal, but usually my time is spent replacing it.

Hmmm...would you company have any need for a materials/surface/physical chemist?

 

[DivesWithTurtles]

How about wetsuits made of neoprene impregnated with syntactic foams that don't compress at depth, so they retain their insulating properties.