Polyurethane Sealant to Mitigate Crack Effects in Glass-to-Metal Sealed Underwater Connectors
Glass insulated underwater connectors allow for deep sea exploration. However, the long term reliability of the insulation is reduced due to surface cracks formed during manufacturing. In this thesis, we propose and test a sealant to overcome limitations associated with internal cracks. The need fo...
| Main Author: | |
|---|---|
| Other Authors: | |
| Format: | Thesis |
| Published: |
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
2022
|
| Online Access: | https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/139129 |
| _version_ | 1811081288104280064 |
|---|---|
| author | Rico, Catalina Kim Le |
| author2 | Jonart, Douglas |
| author_facet | Jonart, Douglas Rico, Catalina Kim Le |
| author_sort | Rico, Catalina Kim Le |
| collection | MIT |
| description | Glass insulated underwater connectors allow for deep sea exploration. However, the long term reliability of the insulation is reduced due to surface cracks formed during manufacturing. In this thesis, we propose and test a sealant to overcome limitations associated with internal cracks. The need for a sealant was identified following a series of experimental tests simulating environmental, operational, and human handling conditions. Analysis shows there is an insignificant effect of insulation resistance attributed to any undetectable crack growth formed during operational and handling conditions. Seawater intrusion, however, is determined to be the primary failure mode. An extensive cleaning procedure allows for partial recovery from salt damage, although the process is unsuitable for field maintenance. We show promising test results in easing cleaning requirements for a recoverable connector by applying a polyurethane sealant to the connector face. |
| first_indexed | 2024-09-23T11:44:23Z |
| format | Thesis |
| id | mit-1721.1/139129 |
| institution | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
| last_indexed | 2024-09-23T11:44:23Z |
| publishDate | 2022 |
| publisher | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
| record_format | dspace |
| spelling | mit-1721.1/1391292022-01-15T03:38:42Z Polyurethane Sealant to Mitigate Crack Effects in Glass-to-Metal Sealed Underwater Connectors Rico, Catalina Kim Le Jonart, Douglas Ricard, Michael J. Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Mechanical Engineering Glass insulated underwater connectors allow for deep sea exploration. However, the long term reliability of the insulation is reduced due to surface cracks formed during manufacturing. In this thesis, we propose and test a sealant to overcome limitations associated with internal cracks. The need for a sealant was identified following a series of experimental tests simulating environmental, operational, and human handling conditions. Analysis shows there is an insignificant effect of insulation resistance attributed to any undetectable crack growth formed during operational and handling conditions. Seawater intrusion, however, is determined to be the primary failure mode. An extensive cleaning procedure allows for partial recovery from salt damage, although the process is unsuitable for field maintenance. We show promising test results in easing cleaning requirements for a recoverable connector by applying a polyurethane sealant to the connector face. S.M. 2022-01-14T14:51:40Z 2022-01-14T14:51:40Z 2021-06 2021-06-30T15:37:49.613Z Thesis https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/139129 In Copyright - Educational Use Permitted Copyright retained by author(s) https://rightsstatements.org/page/InC-EDU/1.0/ application/pdf Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
| spellingShingle | Rico, Catalina Kim Le Polyurethane Sealant to Mitigate Crack Effects in Glass-to-Metal Sealed Underwater Connectors |
| title | Polyurethane Sealant to Mitigate Crack Effects in Glass-to-Metal Sealed Underwater Connectors |
| title_full | Polyurethane Sealant to Mitigate Crack Effects in Glass-to-Metal Sealed Underwater Connectors |
| title_fullStr | Polyurethane Sealant to Mitigate Crack Effects in Glass-to-Metal Sealed Underwater Connectors |
| title_full_unstemmed | Polyurethane Sealant to Mitigate Crack Effects in Glass-to-Metal Sealed Underwater Connectors |
| title_short | Polyurethane Sealant to Mitigate Crack Effects in Glass-to-Metal Sealed Underwater Connectors |
| title_sort | polyurethane sealant to mitigate crack effects in glass to metal sealed underwater connectors |
| url | https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/139129 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT ricocatalinakimle polyurethanesealanttomitigatecrackeffectsinglasstometalsealedunderwaterconnectors |