Method of assembling a glass spherical segment viewing port to a submarine vessel

Claim 1

IN A METHOD OF MAKING A PANORAMIC VIEWING APERTURE FOR A DEEP SUBMERSIBLE VEHICLE WHICH COMPRISES THE STEPS OF, PLACING A GLASS DOME IN CONTACT WITH A MOUNTING RING, LAPPING SAID GLASS DOME INTO MATING SURFACE CONTACT WITH SAID MOUNTING RING, CLEANING SAID GLASS DOME AND MOUNTING RING, TREATING A SUITABLY DIMENSIONED TITANIUM GASKET TO IMPROVE EPOXY CEMENT BONDING THEREWITH, COATING AN ASBESTOS GASKET, SAID TITANIUM GASKET AND THE LAPPED SURFACES OF SAID GLASS DOME AND MOUNTING RING WITH EPOXY CEMENT, THE IMPROVEMENT COMPRISING: ASSEMBLING THE GLASS DOME, MOUNTING RING, TITANIUM GASKET, AND ASBESTOS GASKET SUCH THAT THE TITANIUM GASKET IS JUXTAPOSED WITH SAID GLAS DOME AND SAID ASBESTOS GASKET WITH SAID MOUNTING RING AND THE GASKETS IN MUTUAL CONTACT IN A SUBSTANTIALLY HORIZONTAL POSITION SUCH THAT THE JOINT THEREBWTEEEN EXTENDS VERTICALLY; PRELOADING SAID ASSEMBLY WITH A PREDETERMINED COMPRESSING FORCE TO FORCE THE COMPONENT PARTS INTO MATING ENGAGEMENT; CURING SAID PRELOADED ASSEMBLY WHILE MAINTAINING SAID COMPRESSIVE FORCE FOR A PREDETERMINED SAID CONTROLLED TEMPERATURE TO CAUSE THE EPOXY CEMENT TO BIND SAID COMPONENTS INTO A UNITARY ASSEMBLY; INCREASING THE PRELOAD PRESSURE MEANS TO A PREDETERMINED AMOUNT; AND JOINING SID ASSEMBLY TO SID DEEP SUBMERSIBLE VEHICLE TO COVER AN OPENING THEREIN SUCH THAT THE SPATIAL RELATIONSHIPS OF THE COMPONENTS DURING CURING IS PRESERVED, THEREBY PROVIDING A PANORAMIC VIEWING PORT THEREIN TO WITHSTAND OPERATIONAL CONDITIONS IMPOSED BY DEEP-SEA DEPLOYMENT.