College - Author 1

College of Engineering

Department - Author 1

Mechanical Engineering Department

Degree Name - Author 1

BS in Mechanical Engineering

College - Author 2

College of Engineering

Department - Author 2

Materials Engineering Department

Degree - Author 2

BS in Materials Engineering

College - Author 3

College of Engineering

Department - Author 3

General Engineering Department

Degree - Author 3

BS in General Engineering

College - Author 4

College of Engineering

Department - Author 4

Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering Department

Degree - Author 4

BS in Industrial Engineering

Date

6-2022

Primary Advisor

Karla Carichner, College of Engineering, Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering Department

Additional Advisors

Crow White, College of Science and Mathematics, Marine Science Department; Jim Widmann, College of Engineering, Mechanical Engineering Department; Lily Laiho, College of Engineering, Biomedical Engineering Department; Vladimir Prodanav, College of Engineering, Electrical Engineering Department

Abstract/Summary

This report aims to provide technical insight into the Deep Ocean Vehicle project performed by the Barrel Eye Explorers. The project was a part of the 2021-2022 Interdisciplinary Senior Project class at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo. The team consisted of Nikki Arm, Mason Gariepy, Brianna Roberts, and Kyle Walsh who were engineering students in the Mechanical, Materials, General, and Industrial engineering departments, respectively. This project was sponsored by Dr. Crow White and overseen by Karla Carichner. The project was a continuation of Nikki Arm’s internship with Global Ocean Design during the Summer of 2021. The lander, Deep Ocean Vehicle (DOV) Seastang, was donated to Nikki by Kevin Hardy at Global Oceans Designs. Dr. White identified the potential need for an affordable vehicle that could observe the effects of the development of an offshore wind farm. Dr. White helped the team define basic requirements for the project: the lander had to be pressure rated for a minimum of 4,200 feet and capable of attracting and observing the biodiversity of the drop area. A lander is an autonomous subsea vehicle that descends to the sea floor, and autonomously carries out tasks before ascending to the surface for recovery. Landers are often cheaper than other research payload options like remote operated vehicles (ROV) or autonomous underwater vehicles (AUV). Since landers can only move vertically in the water column, they are typically used to survey the biodiversity in specific areas using bait release systems and cameras. Initially, the team decided the lander needed four new subsystems. These subsystems included a camera, lighting, bait release, and sensors subsystem. Ideas were generated for each subsystem using rapid prototyping techniques learned in class. The concepts for each subsystem were placed into a Pugh matrix and weighted for how well they met the criteria. A single aluminum arm with an attached plate was chosen for the bait release. Custom housings were donated by Global Ocean Design to the project for the camera and lighting systems. After researching the price of sensors, the subsystem was deemed unnecessary. Part sourcing and manufacturing began after the final concept design review. Few changes were made to the design of the lander from this point. After the integration of the new systems, the team added a small support beam to the bottom of the lander to counteract any torsion caused by the bait arm. With the completion of these subsystems, the team began testing the performance of the entire vehicle. Individual tests were executed on the timed weight release, the release mechanism for the bait arm, the compatibility of the lights and camera, the buoyancy of the lander, and the lander as a whole (Full System Test). The lander and its subsystems successfully passed each test it was put through and acquired research footage in a 200ft deployment. In the future, the team believes the lander is ready for a deployment to part of the ocean at a depth of 4,000 feet.

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