buoyancy durability question

[Danny]

one question: if I use a solid cell foam float pac on top of my ROV, and it's coated in a fibreglass shell, would I have to wory about pressure compression/distortion if the fibreglass is thick enough?

[Unorthodox]

Well, how deep are you planning to go? If you want to photograph Challenger Deep then no, if you want to see the bottom of your neighborhood lake, then probably.

[Danny]

the absolute max would be 80 feet, and that would not by any means be the average working depth. more like 30/40 feet on average.

[sthone]

I don't think you'll have any problems at that depth.

I've tested the 2" pink insulation foam from Home Depot down to a simulated depth of 200' and while I couldn't see what happened in the test chamber the foam came out with no noticeable deformations.

_Steve

[Danny]

thanks, thats what I was going to use, atually. coat it with fiberglass, mount some attatchment brackets, and paint it bright yellow, it should be a solid bouyancy float. there will be two holes, one for the vertial thruster and one just part way through to secure the compas housing. but I think I will wait until all the other components are built so I can guestimate how much foam I need.

[Unorthodox]

I like using dryer sheets for my small fiberglass projects. They are nice and thin, with dense unwoven fibers, you just need to wash them out really good to get the chemicals out. I dont know if you have your materials lined up yet.

[Danny]

not all of them, I will be waiting to weigh the final frame with all the attatchements to see how much I would need. the stuff isn't exactly cheap here