Chapter 7 of this report and in particular the 
undersea laboratories, stations, and vehicles. 
Hl. TEST FACILITIES 
The conquest of three strange environments in 
the last 30 years demonstrated the need for 
complete and adequate testing. In striving for high 
altitude operation of military aircraft in the late 
1930’s and early 1940’s engineers quickly dis- 
covered that operating conditions in the rarified 
atmosphere above 10,000 feet were completely 
different. 
They were compelled to design and build 
entirely new environmental simulation facilities to 
test, evaluate, and qualify aircraft engines, electri- 
cal systems, and mechanical systems. Development 
of the B-29 aircraft was delayed at least two years, 
and the jet engine was delayed for an indetermi- 
nate time beyond initial conceptual stages because 
facilities did not exist. 
After the first supersonic flight in October 
1947, the aircraft industry encountered problems 
of adiabatic temperature rise in mechanical and 
electrical components due to ram air compression. 
Entirely new concepts of test equipment were 
essential to simulate high altitude, high tempera- 
ture operation. 
The first Sputnik in October 1957 launched the 
world into the third new environment, the vacuum 
of space. Recent construction programs on large 
and expensive space simulation facilities again 
forcefully demonstrated that test facilities must be 
provided to conquer a new hostile environment. 
A. Simulation Facilities 
1. Current Situation 
Developing and utilizing the undersea frontier 
may face a completely unnecessary barrier—lack of 
test capability to qualify, certify, and ascertain 
operational readiness and effectiveness of future 
deep operating equipment. Without this capability, 
undersea development will be faced with failures, 
frustrations, wasted effort, and possible loss of 
life. 
Within government and industry there are only 
17 large pressure test facilities capable of simu- 
lating pressure to 2,270 feet (1,000 pounds per 
square inch) and five large tanks capable of 
simulating pressures to 22,700 feet (10,000 psi). 
Figure 26 presents a summary of these facilities. 
Figure 26 
LARGE U.S. PRESSURE TEST FACILITIES 
Maximum 
State Diameter Length Pe 
Pressure eae Feet Location 
(PSI) 
20,000 4.0 8.0 1ITR 
15,000 5.0 8.3 Southwest Res. 
15,000 4.0 20.0 NSRDC 
10,000 10.0 Sphere NSRDC 
10,000 5.0 10.0 NCCCLC 
6,000 6.0 21.0 NSRDC 
5,500 6.0 10.0 NCEL 
4,000 7.5 19.0 Southwest Res. 
37/50 4.0 8.5 Southwest Res. 
3,000 6.0 10.0 NASL 
1,300 8.0 28.0 Perry 
1,200 Sia 36.0 NOL 
1,200 11.5 33.0 NSRDC 
1,200 7.5 Sphere Southwest Res. 
1,000 8.3 26.0 NRL 
1,000 7.0 14.0 Electric Boat 
1,000 75 19.0 Electric Boat 
NiTR - Illinois Institute of Technical Research, Chicago 
Southwest Res. - Southwest Research Institute, San 
Antonio, Texas 
NSRDC - Naval Ship Research and Development Center, 
Carderock and Annapolis, Maryland 
NCCCLC - Naval Command, Control, and Communica- 
tions Laboratory Center, San Diego, Cali- 
fornia 
NCEL - Naval Civil Engineering Laboratory, Port Hue- 
neme, California 
Naval Applied Science Laboratory, Brooklyn, 
New York 
Perry - Perry Submarine Builders, Riviera Beach, Florida 
NOL - Naval Ordnance Laboratory, White Oak, Maryland 
NRL - Naval Research Laboratory, Washington, D. C. 
Electric Boat - General Dynamics, Electric Boat Division, 
Groton, Connecticut 
NASL - 
Few environmental tests have been conducted 
on structures, external machinery systems, or 
other deep submersible components. As structures 
and components are designed for lighter weight, 
greater strength, and increasingly improved per- 
formance, it becomes necessary to utilize more 
advanced materials, which may affect the perform- 
ance and fatigue life of the systems. 
Navy data indicate that the fatigue life of 
HY-140 steel may be only one-tenth that of 
HY-80 steel, and fiber reinforced plastic pressure 
housings may have a very short life measured in 
only tens of cycles. Simple crush tests will not 
demonstrate expected performance. It will be 
necessary to subject structures and components to 
VI-77 
