DESIGN AND TEST OF A MICROSPHERE-BASED COMPOSITE DIVING SUIT FOR IMPROVED TACTICAL PERFORMANCE IN A NAVAL SPECIAL WARFARE ENVIRONMENT

Abstract

Naval Special Warfare (NSW) operators are required to dive into cold waters for a prolonged time to infiltrate demanding environments. While underwater vehicles give the opportunity for longer infiltration ranges and deeper dives, the diving suit, which protects the diver from hypothermia, becomes the most essential diving equipment for the success of the mission. Although the first wetsuit was made in the 1950s, there has been no significant advancement in the neoprene material until recently, and the shrinking neoprene air pockets under depth pressure decrease the thermal insulation of the wetsuit and affect the diver’s buoyancy. To overcome this downside, the K-Suit Mk.4 prototype was created to give NSW operators an alternate diving wetsuit option with superior ergonomics, depth-independent thermal insulation and buoyancy, and possible sound protection. This wetsuit has a base layer of 3mm neoprene and two layers of composite materials. The first composite layer is composed of 8mm-thick glass microspheres mixed with a polymer and the second is thinner and forms solid ceramic beads coupled with the same polymer. Six experimental dives were carried out to gather temperature and pressure data. The data were analyzed, and the result is the K-Suit has the ability to outperform the traditional 7mm diving wetsuit specifications that NSW typically uses.