Shell Design for an Autonomous Underwater Vehicle to Improve Mobility and Efficiency of the Craft of the Mapua Institute

of Technology, Intramuros, Manila, Philippines A Thesis Proposal Presented to the School of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering Mapua Institute of Technology In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering By: Nohay, Julian Albert D. 2008104147 Evangelista, Patrick Kevin L. 2008151311 Reyes, Marc Anthony P. 2010141416 Reyes, Edvan Rhey O. 2010100907 Molato, Van Antolin L. 2010104133

10 December 2012

Chapter 4 methodology

We will conduct our study by designing the shell of our AUV based on our proposed teardrop shape and material to be used. We will then test its effectiveness by creating a scenario wherein it is deployed underwater with a specific density and at Standard temperature and pressure. By using the numerical properties (ie dimension, material properties) of our design and the underwater environmental conditions, we will be able to gather the needed data for our study. After acquiring the data, we will then compare it to the data of other AUV designs, and thus proving the effectiveness of our design.

Our objective is to design teardrop shape that will withstand the pressure and accommodate the external components of the craft also to increase its mobility. For determining whether the drag of the mobility will affect the proposed shape we use the drag force formula which is Fd = cd 1/2 v2 A another formula that we use is the Reynolds Number which is Re = ( u2) / ( u / L), after doing the calculations needed our team can say that in creating the teardrop shape will not affect the drag of the auv but will most probably increase its mobility.

The team also encounters some difficulty in accommodating the external components of the craft because of our proposed shell.