CONCRETE HULLS FOR UNDERSEA HABITATS 



JERRY D, STACHIW 



U. S, NAVAL CIVIL ENGINEERING LABORATORY 



PORT HUENEME, CALIFORNIA 



ABSTRACT 



Exploratory experiments have shown that concrete is an accept- 

 able construction material for hulls enclosing undersea habitats at 

 atmospheric pressure. Models of spherical concrete hulls with and 

 without penetrations have been built and tested to destruction in 

 simulated hydrospace. Test results indicate that positively buoyant 

 concrete hulls of spherical shape are feasible for location to 3500 

 feet depth, while negatively buoyant hulls of the same shape may be 

 able to be placed at depths to 10,000 feet. Both economical and 

 military considerations seem to favor concrete hulls for permanent 

 ocean bottom installations. 



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