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Originally Posted by Linton
Have any modern submarine hulls been tested to their crush depth or is all modelling done arithmetically?
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The test of the full submarine is done at test depth (by definition). There might be a tank test somewhere of a scale model, but for full subs it is test depth + prediction of Never Exceed and Crush.
Submarines are weak link situations, so you must test the full submarine in operational condition, not just a hulk or scale model, to ensure that pipe #97 that you just installed won't be the thing that fails 50 feet earlier than all the other parts.
And operational submarines are horribly expensive. If you weaken the steel from diving too deep, you've lost half a sub before the game even started - you don't want that. So it is dive to a very conservative depth and predict the rest.
Besides, if you took the ship down to the calculated crush depth and the ship did not suffer (much) damage, then that by definition becomes the new
test depth. The old test depth might be the normal operating depth but is not the test depth any more. New estimates for Never Exceed and Crush would have to be hacked out in this situation and the sub would be rated "exceeds requirements".