Method of making composite pressure vessels

Claim 1

A METHOD OF MAKING A FLUID-TIGHT COMPOSITE PRESSURE VESSEL WITHSTANDING BENDING MOMENTS AND HIGH EXTERNAL PRESSURES, COMPRISING THE STEPS, OF: FORMINGL A SUBSTANTIALLY CYLINDRICAL OPEN-ENDED JACKET MEMBER OF WELDABLE MATERIAL HAING A PRE-SELECTED YIELD POINT AND MODULUS OF ELASTICITY; PLACING A PLURALITY OF PHYSICALLY UNATTACHED BODY ELEMENTS ARRANGED IN SIDE-BY-SIDE RELATIONSHIP WITHIN SAID JACKET MEMBER TO FORM A HOLLOW BODY MEMBER THEREIN CAPABLE OF RESISTING HIGH COMPRESSIVE LOADS AND BEING MADE OF A MATERIAL HAVING A PRE-SELECTED YIELD POINT AND MODULUS OF ELASTICITY; ATTACHING DOME-SHAPED MEMBERS TO THE OPEN ENDS OF SAID JACKET MEMBER TO THEREBY SEAL THE OPEN ENDS OF SAID JACKET MEMBER; SUBMERGING SAID COMPOSITE VESSEL IN WATER TO A DEPTH WHERE THE HYDROSTATIC PRESSURE APPLIED THERETO REACHES THE YIELD POINT OF THE JACKET MATERIAL; SUBMERGING SAID COMPOSITE VESSEL IN WATER TO A PREDETERMINED ADDITIONAL DEPTH WHERE THE HYDROSTATIC PRESSURE APPLIED THERETO EXCEEDS THE YIELD POINT OF SAID JACKET MATERIAL WITH SAID JACKET MATERIAL WHEREBY UNDERGOING A PREDETERMINED PLATIC DEFORMATION AND SAID MATERIAL OF SAID INNER BODY CHAMBER UNDERGOING A PREDETERMINED ELASTIC DEFORMATION: AND RETURNING SAID COMPOSITE VESSEL TO THE SURFACE OF THE WATER TO A REGION OF ESSENTIALLY ATMOSPHERIC PRESSURE, AT WHICH PRESSURE THE JACKET MATERIAL IS IN A STATE OF RESIDUAL TENSION AND THE MATERIAL OF THE BODY MEMBER IS IN A STATE OF RESIDUAL COMPRESSION; THE RESIDUAL TENSION IN THE MATERIAL OF SAID JACKET MEMBER BEING OPERABLE TO HOLD THE JACKET MEMBER AND BODY MEMBE IN RIGID ASSEMBLY.

Claim 2

A METHOD OF MAKING A FLUID-TIGHT COMPOSITE PRESSURE VESSEL WITHSTANDING BENDING MOMENTS AND HIGH EXTERNAL PRESSURES, COMPRISING THE STEPS, OF: FORMINGL A SUBSTANTIALLY CYLINDRICAL OPEN-ENDED JACKET MEMBER OF WELDABLE MATERIAL HAING A PRE-SELECTED YIELD POINT AND MODULUS OF ELASTICITY; PLACING A PLURALITY OF PHYSICALLY UNATTACHED BODY ELEMENTS ARRANGED IN SIDE-BY-SIDE RELATIONSHIP WITHIN SAID JACKET MEMBER TO FORM A HOLLOW BODY MEMBER THEREIN CAPABLE OF RESISTING HIGH COMPRESSIVE LOADS AND BEING MADE OF A MATERIAL HAVING A PRE-SELECTED YIELD POINT AND MODULUS OF ELASTICITY; ATTACHING DOME-SHAPED MEMBERS TO THE OPEN ENDS OF SAID JACKET MEMBER TO THEREBY SEAL THE OPEN ENDS OF SAID JACKET MEMBER; SUBMERGING SAID COMPOSITE VESSEL IN WATER TO A DEPTH WHERE THE HYDROSTATIC PRESSURE APPLIED THERETO REACHES THE YIELD POINT OF THE JACKET MATERIAL; SUBMERGING SAID COMPOSITE VESSEL IN WATER TO A PREDETERMINED ADDITIONAL DEPTH WHERE THE HYDROSTATIC PRESSURE APPLIED THERETO EXCEEDS THE YIELD POINT OF SAID JACKET MATERIAL WITH SAID JACKET MATERIAL WHEREBY UNDERGOING A PREDETERMINED PLATIC DEFORMATION AND SAID MATERIAL OF SAID INNER BODY CHAMBER UNDERGOING A PREDETERMINED ELASTIC DEFORMATION: AND RETURNING SAID COMPOSITE VESSEL TO THE SURFACE OF THE WATER TO A REGION OF ESSENTIALLY ATMOSPHERIC PRESSURE, AT WHICH PRESSURE THE JACKET MATERIAL IS IN A STATE OF RESIDUAL TENSION AND THE MATERIAL OF THE BODY MEMBER IS IN A STATE OF RESIDUAL COMPRESSION; THE RESIDUAL TENSION IN THE MATERIAL OF SAID JACKET MEMBER BEING OPERABLE TO HOLD THE JACKET MEMBER AND BODY MEMBE IN RIGID ASSEMBLY.