This is our first attempt at water testing to check buoyancy and current center of mass with ME team at UI.
Category Archives: Pool Testing
Full Scale Pneumatic Test
In this video, we tested the pneumatic equipment that Clippard generously donated to us in the tank that we have recently been using. We show how the system works, as well as the markers falling and two ways to launch our torpedoes.
Torpedo and Marker Dropper Initial Test
We have two different designs of torpedoes printed out, both 6″ long, one that will fit in a 1″ copper tube and the other in a 3/4″ tube. They both fly through the water very well. We can’t wait till we put some pneumatic oomph behind them with the system that was just donated to us by Clippard Minimatic.
The marker dropper will have a pneumatic piston installed in it that will move the tray back and forth to allow the steel ball to fall through.
Below are some images of the models and what was printed out. The torpedo diameter was only .007″ larger then what we designed for, showing the extreme accuracy that 3D printing can bring.
New Testing Pool: Radial Flume Tank!
If you have not seen our post about our first ROV test, please see it here.
While our 400 gal tank is great for simple tests, it is inadequate for any kind of large movements. Enter the ~12,000 gal Radial Flume tank owned and operated by the WSU Water Resources Laboratory. This tank is in the same location as our small 400 gal tank, and allows us to move the AUV around in nearly any way we please. We will be able to run almost all of our tests in this tank, saving us hours over traveling to and from off-site pools.
We look forward to posting new videos of the AUV navigating this new tank!
A special thanks to those that helped make this possible:
- Dr. Michael Barber, Director, State of Washington Water Resource Center
- Mark Siegenthaler, PhD Candidate, CEE
- Matthew McDonnald, MS Candidate, CEE
ROV Prototype Version 1.0
This is our very first ROV (Remote Operated Vehicle) test. We used a 4″ piece of ABS pipe to house our Sabertooth 2×12 motor controllers and Ardunio microcontroller which was controlled by a Wii nunchuck. This is a very big step in producing our AUV.