Glass or Ceramic Spherical-Shell Window Assembly for 20,000-PSI Operational Pressure.

摘要

The Naval Undersea Center (NUC),working with a spherical-shell window with a 150-degree spherical angle and a matching compliant flange,has developed a window-flange assembly that uses a chemically surface-compressed glass or glass ceramic window and a Monel K-500flange and is suitable for operational pressures up to 20,000-psi. A fiber-reinforced epoxy gasket cushions point contacts between the window and the flange. A Nylon clamp ring holds the window against the flange,while a Delrin ring attaches the flange to the hull. The assembly is a self-contained structural subsystem independent of the hull on which it is mounted. All components can be mass-produced and are interchangeable in the field. Hydrostatic testing has shown that the assembly,using a window with a thickness-to-inner-radius ratio of at least 0.333,has a minimum fatigue life of 300cycles consisting of 4-hour pressurizations to 20,000-psi. Substitution of other materials in the window or bearing gasket reduces the fatigue life. (Author)