Diploma in Pressure Hulls and Hydrostatic Fatigue
Online postgraduate diploma of 800 hours in pressure hulls and hydrostatic fatigue, with 8 modules covering shell mechanics, buckling and collapse, hull materials, dive-cycle fatigue, fabrication, hydrostatic testing and classification rules, applying ASME PVHO-1, ABS rules for underwater vehicles and DNV-RU-UWT, with an assigned technical tutor.
Diploma in Pressure Hulls and Hydrostatic Fatigue — studying from Ireland
Ireland maintains a small defence force, the Defence Forces, which operates its own engineering corps and equipment maintenance capabilities. Defence procurement and development are handled through the Department of Defence, while much of the wider defence-related industrial activity involves dual-use technologies, electronics and communications systems supplied by domestic and international firms. Engineers in this area typically work on land vehicle maintenance, military communications, protective equipment and systems integration. Policy and procurement are governed by national and European frameworks, including EU defence initiatives.
Fees for Ireland: €1,290 (Euro), with instalments and employer sponsorship available.
Relevant bodies in Ireland
Typical roles
Questions from Ireland
Which Irish bodies oversee defence engineering and does a private qualification count?
Defence in Ireland is overseen by the Department of Defence, and the Defence Forces run their own training and technical structures. Engineers Ireland sets general professional engineering standards. SEIUM's qualifications are private and not state-awarded, and they are not accredited by any national body, so recognition for any defence-related role is decided by the relevant authority or employer.
Do Irish defence and land-systems employers hire people with private online qualifications?
Irish defence-related hiring is limited and often subject to security vetting and specific qualification requirements, so employers set their own criteria. A private online qualification may be taken into account alongside experience, but we cannot say how any employer will view it or guarantee any result. Check requirements for particular roles directly.
Can I study this from Ireland while working, and what is the workload?
Yes, the programme is 100% online and taught in English, so you can study from home without travel or a student visa. Master's programmes total 1,900 hours, postgraduate diplomas 800 and specialist courses 300. Each student has an assigned technical tutor, fees can be paid in instalments, and employer sponsorship may be possible. Plan your weekly hours realistically around your job.
Take the controls.
Run a real engineering trade-off from this field. Move the sliders, watch the model react in real time and beat the challenge.
What you will be able to do
Calculate stresses in stiffened cylindrical hulls under external pressure.
Analyse buckling and collapse taking imperfections into account.
Select pressure hull materials according to operating depth.
Assess fatigue life under dive cycles.
Define fabrication controls and circularity tolerances.
Interpret hyperbaric tests and correlate them with models.
Apply classification rules to design verification.
Who it's for
- Naval structural engineers.
- Pressure hull specialists.
- Fatigue and fracture analysts working on marine structures.
- Naval welding engineers.
- Classification society surveyors.
- Hyperbaric test engineers.
- Engineering or science graduates seeking to enter naval shipbuilding.
What you'll work with
- ASME PVHO-1 (safety standard for pressure vessels for human occupancy)
- ABS Rules for Underwater Vehicles, Systems and Hyperbaric Facilities (classification rules)
- DNV-RU-UWT (DNV rules for underwater technology)
- Lloyd’s Register Rules for Naval Submarines (naval classification rules)
- BS 7910:2019 (assessment of flaws in metallic structures)
- EN 13445-3 (unfired pressure vessels, design)
- MIL-S-16216 (HY-80/HY-100 steel plate specification)
- ANSYS Mechanical
- Abaqus
- Femap with Simcenter Nastran
- nCode DesignLife
- MATLAB
8 modules
1.1Membrane theory of shells1.2Frame-stiffened cylinders1.3Stresses in frames and between frames1.4The von Sanden and Günther expression1.5Spheres and end bulkheads1.6Design depth and collapse depth1.7Safety factors1.8Effect of penetrations1.9Cones and transition zones1.10Practical exercise: calculation of stresses between frames
2.1Local interframe buckling2.2The Windenburg-Trilling formula2.3Overall buckling of the structure2.4Frame tripping2.5Out-of-circularity imperfections2.6Non-linear collapse analysis2.7Elastoplastic interaction2.8Classification rule criteria2.9Scale model testing2.10Lab: finite element collapse analysis
3.1HY-80 and HY-100 steels3.2High-strength HSLA steels3.3Titanium for great depths3.4Composites for underwater vehicles3.5Fracture toughness3.6Weldability and preheating3.7Hydrogen cracking3.8Seawater corrosion3.9MIL-S-16216 specification3.10Case study: steel versus titanium in a deep-diving vehicle
4.1Low-cycle fatigue4.2S-N curves for welded joints4.3Stress concentration at penetrations4.4Hot-spot stress4.5Palmgren-Miner cumulative damage4.6Service dive spectrum4.7Crack growth and the Paris law4.8Welding residual stresses4.9Flaw assessment according to BS 79104.10Workshop: fatigue life of a penetration
5.1Forming of hull sections5.2Frame welding5.3Circularity measurement5.4Stress relief5.5Ultrasonic and radiographic testing of welds5.6Magnetic particle testing5.7Fabrication tolerances5.8Weld repairs5.9Material traceability5.10Practical exercise: assessment of a circularity report
6.1Hyperbaric test chambers6.2Strain measurement and gauges6.3Trial dive6.4Test-to-model correlation6.5Acoustic emission6.6Reduced-scale testing6.7In-service structural monitoring6.8Acceptance criteria6.9Pressure cycle records6.10Case study: data from a hyperbaric test
7.1ABS rules for underwater vehicles7.2DNV standards for subsea technology7.3Lloyd’s Register naval rules7.4ASME PVHO-1 for hyperbaric enclosures7.5Plan review and approval7.6Periodic surveys7.7Extension of operational life7.8Non-conformity management7.9Safety case7.10Case study: classification checklist
8.1Depth and life requirements8.2Material selection8.3Sizing of frames and shell plating8.4Buckling and collapse analysis8.5Fatigue assessment8.6Penetration detailing8.7Fabrication and testing plan8.8Verification against the rules8.9Report and presentation8.10Final project: final review with the tutor
How you'll learn
Delivered 100% online on the SEIUM campus, with downloadable materials, recorded classes and an assigned technical tutor. There are no fixed timetables: you progress at your own pace within each intake, so the programme fits around your job.
Each module combines theory, guided reading of the original standard and applied exercises. The working software is ANSYS Mechanical, Abaqus, Femap with Simcenter Nastran, nCode DesignLife and MATLAB, in free, academic or evaluation versions. Case studies are based on real procedures: collapse testing in a hyperbaric chamber, circularity measurement of hull sections and strain measurement during trial dives. Assessment is continuous by module, plus the final integrated project.
Standards covered: ASME PVHO-1, ABS Rules for Underwater Vehicles, Systems and Hyperbaric Facilities, DNV-RU-UWT, Lloyd’s Register Rules for Naval Submarines, BS 7910:2019, EN 13445-3, MIL-S-16216.
Build it end to end
Your final project follows the real engineering workflow, step by step, reviewed by your tutor.
Where this takes you
Requirements
- Prior technical training or professional experience in the sector. No university degree is required.
- Internet connection and a computer capable of running the programme software.
- English sufficient to read technical standards.
Ready to start?
Send your application today. Our admissions team replies within 72 hours with your study plan and funding options.
Frequently asked questions
The programme totals 800 hours over 6–8 months. You set your own pace within each intake, and your tutor helps you plan the workload around your job.
You work with ANSYS Mechanical, Abaqus, Femap with Simcenter Nastran, nCode DesignLife and MATLAB, using free, academic or evaluation versions. Your tutor indicates the free alternative wherever one exists.
A SEIUM Institute diploma, awarded on passing the continuous assessment and the final project. It is SEIUM's own qualification, not an official state degree; its recognition depends on the programme completed and the regulations of each country.
Yes. Modules passed are recognised in a higher programme in the same area (postgraduate diploma or master's). Ask about the recognition policy when you enrol.
Prior technical training or professional experience in the sector (no university degree required), a computer able to run the software and English sufficient to read technical standards.
Start dates are set by SEIUM's faculty for each intake. Our admissions team will confirm the next available date when you apply.
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