Structural Design and Verification of Composite Pressure Vessels for Submarine External Stowage

摘要

Designers of modern conventional submarines are constantly striving to improve the platform's capabilities in a time of diverse missions. The inherent space and weight restrictions imposed on submarine design dictate a high level of optimisation and the implementation of advanced technologies to combat these often conflicting requirements. The design of external stowages is an area where this design paradigm is especially evident. In order to provide the RAN with additional mission flexibility and meet rigorous submarine requirements a novel approach was adopted to develop a composite pressure proof stowage. The design develops the use of composite laminate construction with the aim of minimising weight and cost, maintaining buoyancy and maintaining impact resistance using glass/carbon reinforced plastic for the prototype stowage. The resultant prototypes require structural validation including strain gauge verification to ensure that the final items can demonstrate adherence to stringent component and ultimately ship safety criteria.