MICROSPHERE-BASED PASSIVE MATERIAL FOR LOW-TEMPERATURE DIVING SUITS
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Authors
Brown, Jonathan M.
Subjects
Navy diver
dive operations
Navy diving and salvage
scuba
scuba diving
scuba diver
thermal resistivity
heat loss
wetsuit
microsphere
neoprene
ice diving
Arctic diving
Arctic scuba
dive operations
Navy diving and salvage
scuba
scuba diving
scuba diver
thermal resistivity
heat loss
wetsuit
microsphere
neoprene
ice diving
Arctic diving
Arctic scuba
Advisors
Kartalov, Emil P.
Date of Issue
2018-06
Date
Publisher
Monterey, CA; Naval Postgraduate School
Language
Abstract
Navy divers and dive-qualified personnel are often required to operate in cold water. The threat of hypothermia and other health concerns limits the time a diver is allowed in the water. The neoprene wetsuit is the primary material used for protection in low temperature conditions. Small pockets of air within the neoprene create a thermally insulating layer of air between the diver and the ocean. As the individual descends underwater, the increase of static pressure on the wetsuit causes the protective air pockets to shrink. This sharply lowers the overall thermal resistance of the wetsuit. By replacing the insulating air pockets with rigid glass microspheres, changes in depth had significantly less negative influence on the thermal resistivity and buoyancy of the fabricated material. Resulting experimental data related thermal resistivity to volumetric fraction of microspheres in the polymer. This effort ultimately proved the superior thermal properties of the fabricated composite over neoprene and expanded future possibilities for passive thermal protection in low-temperature waters.
Type
Thesis
Description
Series/Report No
Department
Physics (PH)
Organization
Identifiers
NPS Report Number
Sponsors
Office of Naval Research
Funding
Format
Citation
Distribution Statement
Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited.
Rights
This publication is a work of the U.S. Government as defined in Title 17, United States Code, Section 101. Copyright protection is not available for this work in the United States.