CROB Lecture
Title:
A New Approach to Submersible and Underwater Vehicle Designs
Abstract:
On 26 March 2012, James Cameron piloted the submersible Deepsea Challenger, 11 kilometres down to the bottom of the Mariana Trench. Deepsea Challenger’s co-designer, builder and pilot Ron Allum tells the story behind the build, the technical challenges faced and breakthroughs made.
His talk covers the development of the structural syntactic foam Isofloat® which provided the vehicle’s chassis and floatation, the pressure tolerant electronic systems including battery and propulsion devices, and his more recent designs and innovations which are now available for submersible and unmanned underwater vehicle (UUV) design.
He also discusses how the lessons he has learned can be applied in the broader realm of 21st century submergence operations, where manned and unmanned vehicles are required to perform increasingly sophisticated tasks in deeper, more challenging environments.
Short Biography
Ron Allum has played a key role in of some of the most daring and audacious explorations of our planet. In 1983 he was a dive leader on a world record 6.24 kilometre exploration of Cocklebiddy Cave which runs under Australia’s vast Nullarbor Plain. He later joined a documentary team and went onto explore the cave systems of Mexico, Florida, the Bahamas and the Caribbean, and the ice caves of Alaska.
He commenced work on the DEEPSEA CHALLENGER submersible in 2005, researching and overseeing the building of the pressure sphere that forms its core. When the sphere was completed he went on to develop a unique formula for syntactic foam, Isofloat®, capable of withstanding the extreme pressure of full ocean depth. Isofloat® provided the flotation and forms the structural chassis of the DEEPSEA CHALLENGER. Allum's pressure-balanced, fluid filled electronic systems and other innovative ideas kept the submersible's weight to a minimum while maximizing its ability to do science and imaging work in the world's deepest spots. During the expedition, Ron piloted the DEEPSEA CHALLENGER on a dive to 1,180 metres off Ulithi Atoll, an experience he describes as one of the most satisfying of his life.
In 2012 he established Ron Allum Deepsea Systems to manufacture Isofloat commercially. In 2013 he established Ron Allum Deepsea Services to develop new concepts and design innovative vehicles for deep sea exploration. His extraordinary skills were recognized when he was awarded the New South Wales Senior Australian of the Year for 2012 in recognition of his outstanding contributions in the fields of engineering, science and exploration.