I have done a little more snooping into this and a little birdy has told me that the U.S. Navy has already successfully tested an undisclosed sized pressure vessel assembly using alumina ceramic to a depth of 6000 meters. I do not know if this is with a view to using it for deeper diving torpedoes or pressure hulls for subs, but the technology seems promising.

Ah it is bitter when my imagination - or lack of it - collides with the innocence of facts...

well, is it fact...? :hmm:

What's your source?

Has it been officially published somewhere by the USN?

Also, if it's true, is it practical for a submarine? I know several submersibles like the Trieste could go really deep but they weren't...real...submarines...

No, the navy would not publish this. I will dig up a submersible website that has some of this. But the "birdy" would peck out my eyes if i told you the source. Also try googling "Alumina Ceramic hulls" and see what you get. My gues is that maybe they would use it for an new NR project or possibly a torpedo that can make 4000 feet without imploding. US Navy could have made Titanium alloy subs but deemed it un-necessary, but if the Russians or someone else like China ever does then the simple solution is having a torpedo that can make those depths. Having a combat submarine with a titanium hull then becomes a moot point.

Sorry, I can't say anything on this without a definite source, at least one stating that it was accomplished

http://www.stormingmedia.us/80/8074/A807472.html

doesn't sound like construction of a mobile sub to me.

Ahhh! Yes I agree on that Skybird, but technology builds on technology, does it not? The navy has more R&D stuff than we will ever know. If they score a hit on this in the future, you can bet they will be looking to employ such technology into weapons platforms of some sort.

Sometimes a new technology leads into a dead end, and sometimes it is the specific purpose for which a new technology is used that is a dead end. I currently can image ceramics being used for diving bells or stationary bases in regions with tectonic stability, maybe even things like mobile factories they build in Norway (SWOPs), or even for small ROVs and AUVs. Certainly for deep-diving small weapon vehicles like torpedoes. But not for huge, manned submarines the size of military subs of the present.

But that must not mean anything, since I admit it is my imagination I talk of - and lack of.

Well, I think that if it ever developes to that stage in the future. it would be a composite of a metal ceramic technology. Check out this site http://ise.bc.ca/design-hull.html Interesting site and I can see the AUV's looking much like a torpedo. International submarine design is the company.

"Page cannot be found."

The Russians already have a 6000+ meter diving sub - Project 210 Losharik - but it has internal spherical hulls to achieve such depths. Although it could be that they use some ceramics...

It is there, I went to it again. Has all the goodies. I ran a across it by googling "Alumina Ceramic"

:yep:

As with many of these ideas, we'll just have to wait and see what happens. IIRC when the Skunkworks were planning to build a plane out of titanium many people said impossible, but they did it and what a plane it was. Some people might be out to give us a big shock with ceramics. I just refuse to say no to anything these days.

Correction on the company name. It is "International Submarine Engineering LTD". They are a rather interesting company based out of canada.