We use cookies to improve your experience, some are essential for the operation of this site.

Cooling Alvin forged titanium hemisphere.

Cooling Alvin forged titanium hemisphere.
Cooling Alvin forged titanium hemisphere.
Cooling Alvin forged titanium hemisphere.
Cooling Alvin forged titanium hemisphere.
Comments (0)
174734
Advanced Imaging & Visualization Laboratory
Cooling Alvin forged titanium hemisphere.
Still Image
06/25/2008
graphics/alvin_booklet/DSCF0259_rt.jpg
Meet Alvin booklet caption:
One of the forged hemispheres cools. Material from the hemisphere's interior and exterior was later removed to reduced its thickness to 3 inches.
Image of The Day caption:
One of two new hemispheres for the research sub Alvin cools at Wisconsin-based forge, Ladish, in June 2008. Once forged, the hemispheres, which began as 35,000 pounds of titanium ingots, were welded together using an electron beam to form a personnel sphere for the sub. In 2011, the brand-new sphere will be installed as part of an upgrade to Alvin that will also include new flotation, a new command and control system, and improved imaging systems. When improved battery technology becomes available, new batteries will be added to allow the submersible to reach depths of 6500 meters, giving scientists upclose and personal access to 98% of the sea floor.
Caption from Oceanus magazine, Vol. 51, No. 1, pg. 17:
The two larger ingots were sent to Milwaukee for forging. The Ladish Company beat the ingots into disks about 140 inches across and 4 inches thick. They heated them up and pressed them down, heated them up, pressed them down. Then they built a massive round mold and pressed each heated disk into the mold to make two hemispheres.
Caption from Oceanus magazine, Vol. 48, No. 2, pg. 14:
Above, one of the forged hemispheres cools. Material from the hemispheres interior and exterior was later trimmed to reduce its thickness to 3 inches.
Photo courtesy of Advanced Imaging & Visualization Laboratory, WHOI
© Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
Labels
This item includes these files
Image
Image
Collections