Abstract A buoyancy module consisting of a glass spherical shell contained centrally of a body of cured syntactic foam that is free of trapped gas pockets and having the form of a right hexagonal prism whose length is equal to the distance between its opposite sides. The diameter of the glass shell is about 3 inches and the inside diameter and length of the prism is about 4 inches. The module is fabricated by supporting the shell centrally in a mold, filling the mold volume around the shell with spherical hollow glass or plastic granules 10 to 100 microns diameter, evacuating the air from the mold, heating the mold and vacuum impregnating the granules with a resin system, pressurizing the mold, curing by polymerization reaction, removing the casting from the mold and trimming the ends of the casting.
A buoyancy module comprising: a glass spherical shell, integral continuous void-free syntactic foam surrounding the spherical shell and in intimate contact with the shell over the entire outer surface of the shell and having the geometric configuration of a hexagonal prism with squared, ends, wherein the inside diameter of the hexagonal prism and the length of the prism are equal, and the center of the spherical shell and the center of the hexagonal cylinder being essentially coincident.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
77 words
A buoyancy module comprising: a glass spherical shell, integral continuous void-free syntactic foam surrounding the spherical shell and in intimate contact with the shell over the entire outer surface of the shell and having the geometric configuration of a hexagonal prism with squared, ends, wherein the inside diameter of the hexagonal prism and the length of the prism are equal, and the center of the spherical shell and the center of the hexagonal cylinder being essentially coincident.