On March 23, OceanGate, a US manned diving service provider, announced that Toray Composites (USA) Company (CMA) will be its preferred supplier. Toray will provide OceanGate with aviation-grade carbon fiber prepreg for the production of new carbon fiber shells for deep-sea manned submersibles.
The production of the new submarine hull is scheduled to start later this year.
"For a long time, CMA has been a trusted supplier in the aviation industry and a global leader in the development of prepreg composite materials. Their experienced technical team and expertise in composite materials will be accumulated in the next generation of manned submersibles. It plays a key role in the development process and will create a new era for aviation composite materials to explore marine resources, "said Stockton Rush, CEO of OceanGate.
"In order to provide efficient solutions to the equipment manufacturing market, we must use high-performance composite materials in the equipment design so that the hull can withstand a strong external pressure of approximately 45.5 MPa at a target depth of 4,500 meters below sea level. Carbon fiber finds new ways of application, and also provides technical support for improving human understanding of the unknown regions of the earth and oceans. "Said Philip Schell, vice president of industrial sales at CMA.
Earlier, OceanGate announced on February 26 that it has signed a cooperation agreement with NASA to jointly develop carbon fiber high-pressure shells that can withstand deep sea high-pressure environments and cosmic vacuum environments.