Performance Composites manufactured the composite fairing used on the Deepsea Challenger, a submersible that completed a record-breaking dive to the deepest part of the ocean 35,787 ft at the Mariana Trench. This composite fairing holds the world record for the deepest ocean depth that a composite part has reached.James Cameron's solo record-breaking descent of 6.8 miles (35,787ft) to the bottom of the Mariana Trench in the Deepsea Challenger was completed on March 26, 2012. James Cameron spent over 3 hours on the seafloor. The expedition is the centerpiece of Deepsea Challenge, a joint scientific project by Cameron, the National Geographic Society and Rolex to conduct deep-ocean research.
The Deepsea Challenger team hired Performance Composites to develop a composite laminate for the fairings that could offer unique characteristics including minimal water absorption at maximum depth (16,500 psi of sea pressure) and excellent impact strength and toughness. The key role for the lower fairing is to be a bumper to protect the crew sphere to absorb the impact with the sea floor in case the submersible loses control on the descent. The lower fairing also support the descent ballast weights, and has a garage door to let out the remotely operated underwater vehicle. This project was done in secrecy and completed under a very tight schedule.
The Performance Composites engineering team came up with the ¾” thick composite laminate to meet the structural requirements and to have less than 1% water absorption at the maximum depth at 32 degree F temperature. The laminate was made with
polyester fibers fabric and a high elongation epoxy resin. The entire faring was vacuum infused in one piece. Performance Composites also designed and fabricated the master and molds for the upper and lower submersible fairings. The molds were designed with a sealing system to maintain 29.5" of vacuum during the vacuum infusion manufacturing process.
This impressive submersible was piloted by Cameron in his voyage down to the Mariana Trench, in the western Pacific Ocean near the Philippines. The voyage, the first of its kind in more than 50 years, hopes to give mankind a better understanding of the least explored deep sea environment.
Performance Composites was proud to be a part of the Deepsea Challenger team. The composite part that we produced hit the world record for the deepest recorded ocean depth that a composite part has reached.