Light Housings for Deep-Submergence Applications. Part I. Four-Inch-Diameter Glass Flasks with Conical Pipe Flanges

摘要

The objective of the study was to evaluate commercially available glass reaction flasks and cover caps for application as transparent housings for underwater lights. Four-inch-diameter reaction flasks and cover caps having conical pipe flanges and flat seating surfaces were imploded under short-term, long-term, and cyclic pressure loading, and their critical pressures were recorded. Six designs for underwater lights utilizing such housings were prepared, built, operated in simulated hydrospace environment, and their performance was rated. The glass housings and the light assemblies withstood pressures equivalent to those at hypothetical ocean depths between 5,000 and 40,000 feet, the critical pressure depending on the size of the light housing, the design of the housing's end closure, and the mode of pressure loading. Under repeated submersion, the maximum operational depth of light assemblies with 4-inch-diameter reaction flasks and cover caps serving as light housings is 10,000 feet. (Author)