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
Mechanical Engineering Department
Degree - Author 2
BS in Mechanical Engineering
College - Author 3
College of Engineering
Department - Author 3
Mechanical Engineering Department
Degree - Author 3
BS in Mechanical Engineering
College - Author 4
College of Engineering
Department - Author 4
Mechanical Engineering Department
Degree - Author 4
BS in Mechanical Engineering
Date
6-2021
Primary Advisor
Peter Schuster, College of Engineering, Mechanical Engineering Department
Abstract/Summary
This document serves as the Final Design Review report for the design team conducting the research raft design project for Lawrence Livermore National Lab (LLNL). Our team has taken on a project to design a new research raft for LLNL.
The current rafts are suitable, but engineers have modified and altered the rafts to add more features as needed. This has led to a raft that accomplishes mission goals, but still has room for streamlining. The battery technology has also improved. Our goals were to redesign the raft from the ground up, reducing the size and weight. We also wanted to incorporate some new method to increase raft density in the designated storage space.
We underwent extensive customer and background research to begin the ideation design process with the goal of deciding a final design direction. After multiple phases of idea generation and refinement, we agreed on a stackable catamaran raft design with inflatable pontoons. Drawing from preliminary design evaluations, we felt confident that this initial design direction meets all our engineering specifications. After receiving approval and feedback from our sponsor, we began detailed design to work towards manufacturing a verification prototype.
Our detailed design efforts led to a final design for the entire raft. Because of the expense of some components of the final design, we made modifications to manufacture a verification prototype with the resources we had and at a lower cost. These modifications included reducing the total amount of welding necessary for the frame and substituting expensive purchased components with cheaper options. We used the Cal Poly Machine Shops to manufacture the entire frame, and upon completion the raft was assembled.
During and after assembly, we subjected the verification prototype to a variety of tests, to ensure the design met the previously defined engineering specifications. The tests included a raft assembly and deployment time test, a payload box waterproofing test, and an on-water speed test. The prototype passed most of these tests, and where it failed, we made some changes to ensure the integrity of the design. While ensuring that the design meets the specifications, the testing also provided insight into how and where the design could be improved.
At the completion of the project, we shipped the raft and all its components to LLNL. It is our hope that they first use it as a first iteration, to improve portions of the design, and then to implement the design for their entire fleet of rafts. While this may take some time and capital investment to accomplish, we feel that our efforts have the potential to radically change Lawrence Livermore’s testing capabilities.
URL: https://digitalcommons.calpoly.edu/mesp/616