Glass Sphere of the Underwater Habitat

I chose the underwater habitat to be made of a giant laminated gorilla glass sphere with aluminum enhancements. Laminated Gorilla Glass is transparent and very strong. Properly selected aluminum alloy on the other hand is resistant to underwater corrosion and it bonds perfectly with silicon dioxide (glass).

The sphere will be constructed underwater. The glass sections will be manufactured on land and they will be connected with each other using molten aluminum underwater. It’s like an underwater stained-glass manufacturing. Instead of lead, aluminum is used to increase strength and improve water sealing.

I decided on my idea after reading these articles:

Aluminum has strong adherence to silicon and silicon dioxide

Induction Heating in Underwater Wet Welding

Induction heating aluminum underwater is technically possible. The electric required for this process would be supplied by the construction ship on the surface. The heated aluminum will then be poured on the gaps between the glasses to form a strong structure with good sealing. This technic once perfected would allow giant structures to be constructed underwater.

Building structures using smaller and relatively light weight materials (compared to steel) would allow autonomous robots to carry the construction work on site. They would be powered by electricity generated by floating vertical wind turbines attached to the autonomous construction ship.