If we can *easily construct pressure vessels that can contain pressure far greater than that of the deep sea internally (high pressure inside, low pressure outside), what are the challenges that prevent us from making a vessel that can withstand deep sea pressure externally while maintaining low pressure internally?
In: Engineering
Water pressure at the bottom of the ocean (Mariana’s Trench) is over 17,000 psi. A SCUBA tank is roughly 4,000 psi. I do not believe it is correct to say we can easily build pressure vessels that “contain far greater pressure than that of the deep sea”.
Building a pressure vessel to withstand that pressure is not terribly difficult; the problem is that it must be so thick that it won’t float and needs some method of flotation. This is why deep submersibles use titanium rather than steel. Steel is just too heavy. It is also why Stockton Rush used carbon fiber in the Titan Submersible.
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