Testing

As seen in the pictures below, the buoy was tested in a partner's pool before being tested in the Sandy Hook Bay. At first, just the structure being weighed down with weights inside the orange bucket was tested for floatation. It passed the test, floating above its desired water line, which was a complete surprise. this meant that we will have to weigh it down more before the final test run. Next we tested the buoy with the solar panel on top. it passed this test too, the solar panel staying in place the entire test. the final test we ran was a wave test. this would be important to make sure the buoy would be able to withstand harsh conditions of the bay if necessary. to do this, i jumped in the pool to create a large splash. the buoy once again passed, remaining completely upright and keeping all insides dry. our buoy passed all tests given with flying colors. unfortunately due to time restraints, we were not able to test the buoy in the Sandy Hook Bay, but pictures of all the tests being run can be seen below.

Foam Hull Covered In Polyurethane

Final Buoy Painted and Ready to Transport

Test Trial 3: Wave Test

Test Trial 2: Buoy with Solar Panel in Pool

Test Trial 1: Pool

Weekly Log May 14

Today, we finished spray painting the buoy in period 4. When we came back during period 6, we loaded the buoy and the "solar panel" into Mike Heyer's truck. I will be taking it home this weekend to test it in my pool. We plan to test on Sunday, when all partners are available to test it out. As for my poster, it is nearly complete. All I need to do is write up a conclusion, which I cannot do until we have tested the buoy at least once. This means it should be done early on Monday.

Weekly Log May 11

Today, we finished covering the buoy with the polyurathane and hardening mix. It took us two days, and turned out very well. It did not eat away at the foam at all, so the structural integirty was not compromised. we plan on spray painting tomorrow and completing the anhoring system. next week, we will text it in the pool!

Weekly Log May 7

By today, foaming is completely finished, as well as sanding. We used the belt sander to round the buoy to an almost perfect shape. starting Monday, we will be using the polyurathane and hardening mix to coat the buoy. This will probably take a single day. If we have time, we will spray paint the buoy. We will also connect the anchoring system.

Weekly Log May 3

This week, we will finish foaming! Today, we will foam the bottom half of the buoy. Tomorrow, we will plan out how we would like to trim the buoy, and hopefully get started on that. By the end of this week, I hope that we will be able to have finished trimming the buoy. If we hear that we are able to cut the rope for the anchor, I hope to finish that by the end of this week too.

Weekly Log April 30

Today, we have almost finished foaming. We will need to finish foaming the bottom portion on Monday. on Tuesday, we will be able to begin shaping the hull. On Wednesday or Thursday (depending on how long it takes us to shape the buoy), we will be able to spray over the foam with a protective covering. We have already finished the "solar panel." Also today, Amanda and I measured out a peice of rope that will be used to anchor our buoy. Now we are researching the different depths in the Sandy Hook Bay to decide where we would like to deploy our buoy.

Weekly Log April 26

Today, Mr. Alfonse is not in school, so we will not be going down to the lab. :( I will be working on my poster for the Fine Balmy Night May. This will entail ONLY my part of the project, not my partners. For the rest of the week, I will be working on painting the solar panel to make it more "realistic." When we are finished with this, I will be helping Amy with the foaming.

Weely Log April 19

This weekend, I talked to my uncle Pat, who was able to supply me with a light to use on the buoy. Amanda will power this using the solar panel. Last week, we were able to build supports to hold the "solar panel" on the buoy. We used elbows to connect opposite sides of the buoy for the panel to rest on. we were also able to drill holes in the connecting pipes, which will hold the panel. this week, all we have left to do is drill holes in the mock solar panel to bolt it into the buoy. then we can foam the buoy and get ready to test it!

Weekly Log April 15

This week, we have gotten a lot accomplished. Me and Amy had plugged all the holes in the bucket. We also capped the the pipe inside the bucket. Then, we taped the smaller buckets to the frame of the larger bucket. Next, we cut out wedges that fit between the smaller buckets and the larger one to stop the smaller buckets from moving. Today, Mr. Alfonse picked up the solar panel so we have to see how we will attach the panel (IF we will attach the panel) to the buoy.

Weekly Log April 12

This week, Amy and I will be cap the 1 1/2" pipe inside the bucket to stop any water from entering. Next we will tape the small buckets to the larger one, then build the foam around the hull. We will not be able to start today because Mr. Alfonse is not here and we cannot go to the lab without him. We plan to start this work tomorrow.

Weekly Log April 9

This week, I have met with Amy to discuss what steps are next. We need to cap the pipe inside the bucket to stop water from entering the bucket. After that, we will need to put caulk around the holes in the bucket to stop leaks. After that, we will tape all the small buckets to the frame of the large bucket, so that they will stay in place when we use the foam to make the hull.

Weekly Log April 7

Today is our first day back from break! After a great week in England and Scottland, it is back to reality. At this point in time, I will be talking to Amy to see what our next step in the construction process is. Today, Elizabeth will be finding out if she will be getting her data logger or not, which is a big part of the project. By the end of this week, I plan to have 90-100% of my construction finished.

Weekly Log March 25

Today, Mr. Alfonse is not here again so we cannot go to the lab. At this point, I cannot do much more until we find out what is happening with the solar panel. I can help Amy bolt smaller buckets to my structure for balace. hopefully this can be finished by next week, so that we can seal off the inside of the bucket at mold the foam.

Weekly Log March 22

This week, I do not have much to do on the structure. Before I can build a support for a solar panel, I need to know how large the solar panel will be. My partner Amanda has been talking to a representative at Seabright Solar who has offered us a solar panel to borrow. the only problem is that it is 5 feet long, which would be much too big for our purposes. she will be going this week to talk to the man and see if he can get us anything smaller.


Also, we leave for England on Thursday!!! :]

Weekly Log March 19

This week, I finished drilling holes through all the pipes i needed to attach the bucket. That consisted of four pipes. I also bolted the bucket into place. after that, Amy and I tested a glue to see if the 1.5" pipe would stay glued. It was very successful. This week, we also had our formal reports of progress for the third marking period.

Weekly Log March 15

Today, I finished drilling holes into the bucket. I also searched the lab with my partner Amy and we found bolts the exact size we need to bolt the bucket into the frame. For the rest of the week, i will be drilling holes into the other PVC pipes that will be sticking up so the bolts can run from the pipes into the bucket.

Pictures

Day 1: My partner Amanda and I taking our PVC pipe inside to begin construction
Making my first cut on the PVC pipe with the Hack Saw
A zoomed view of my first cut using the hack saw
Day 2: retrieving our PVC pipe from the shed to continue work
Using the Band saw to cut straighter, cleaner edges



All PVC pipes cut and placed into their appropriate fittings
Gluing bottom 1.5" PVC pipe through bucket and middle fitting

Weekly Log March 12

This week, I spent more time in the lab finishing up on my construction. We started drilling holes into the bucket today, and I hope to finish that next week. I will also need to drill holes into the pipes so we can bolts the bucket onto the frame of the structure i have build thus far. I hope to have this done by next week.

Weekly Log March 8

Today, the Press Release is due. Because I did not have all of my materials in the beginning of last week, I had gotten an early start on the document. I handed it in on Wednesday and worked on building the rest of the week. Amy bought the bucket we need for the project this weekend so we will have that to use today as well. For the rest of the week, I need to drill a hole through my center PVC 4-way connector, Cut the 1 1/2" pipe to its proper length, and bolt the bucket to the structure. Also at the end of this week will be our Formal Reports of Progress.

Weekly Log March 3

Yesterday, I went down to the lab and have finished cutting half of my PVC pipe into its proper lengths. Also, I finished my Press Release. Today, I hope to go back to the lab and continue cutting the pipes. Tomorrow due to HSPAs, I will have systems in the morning. We will be getting a tour of the lab and taking a safety test. After we will be given time to work in the lab again or finish our press releases. I hope to be done cutting by Friday after class.

Weekly Log March 1

Last week, we were given another two snow days. This was a minor set back in the building process. This week I will be finishing my press release and finish cutting all PVC pipes to their proper sizes. I hoped to have all the cutting done last week, so I am slightly behind my schedule. Today I will be working on my press release and any other written work I need to get done. Tomorrow I hope to be in the lab again working on the cutting of the PVC pipe.

Engineering

During the construction period of this buoy, I will be considered the structural engineer. A structural engineer works solely on the makeup of the final solution. I myself will be concerned with the outer skeleton of the buoy itself. While two of my partners are working on the electronic system that will be placed inside my structure, my other partner will be concerning herself with the buoyancy of the overall buoy. Overall, my job in the construction of this buoy is to build a structural skeleton that will hold together in the water and be capable of holding all the equipment the electronic engineers will be placing inside of it.

Manufacturing

My part of this product will be using an American system of manufacturing. This is defined as a type of manufacturing that involves semi-skilled workers machines, tools, or templates. Parts of a structure in an American system of manufacturing interchangeable and mass produced. The products being used to build the structural aspect of the buoy include PVC piping and fittings (different styles can be seen in Figure 3), as well as anchor chain and a plastic heavy duty bucket. These are all things that are massed produced and interchangeable, but need to be cut and put together by a semi-skilled workers.

Categories
The only category I will be using in my design is the construction. Once I receive all the pieces I need to build my buoy, I will simply cut them to the proper sizes and construct the final buoy. The proper in depth procedure of how the structural aspect of the buoy will be constructed can be seen in my plan of procedure on my blog. My partner Amy will be working with physics and buoyancy. My other two partners, Amanda and Elizabeth, will be working on electronics. They will be connecting all sensors to a computer and a data logger to work without any outside energy source. So the overall buoy will be using construction, physics, and electronics in the final manufacturing steps. Below in Figure 4 is an exploded view of my final solution, which shows how the buoy will be constructed.

Science - Surveying and Tension

Surveying
Part of the science included in the final solution of my buoy includes surveying the Sandy Hook Bay. In order to deploy my buoy in the most logical location, I must know the depths of the bay very well. From a very general project I had done last year in physics, it was very obvious that the depths in the bay vary vastly every mile. This means that I must know the exact depth of the location I plan on deploying rather than just a general area’s depth, if I do not want to run into problems. If I do not have enough chain for a certain location, the anchor will pull my buoy under water. If the buoy has too much slack, it will drift too far from its location of launch. NOAA does much work with this kind of science, especially here in the Sandy Hook Bay. I hope to be working with NOAA to receive data on the depths of Sandy Hook and then deciding with my partner the most logical place to deploy the final product. After decided what location we plan on deploying the buoy, it is up to me to calculate how much anchor chain will be needed to reach the anchor, the bottom of the buoy, and continue up to the outward support PVC pipes. is an image of the general depths in the Sandy Hook Bay from a few years ago.

Tension
Another science aspect in my project involves tension. Tension, the force that pulls or stretches an object, is accredited to ancient Greeks and Romans. This is very important when I am considering the length of the anchor chain. If I make the chain too long for the site, the buoy will be able to drift farther away from the anchor. This would create a safety hazard for boaters as well as threaten the integrity of the buoy itself. If the line I decide to use is too short for the site I deploy the buoy, the force of the anchor will be stronger than that of the buoy and the anchor will pull it under water. This would most likely ruin all the equipment, as well as apply too much force on the foam hull, tearing it apart and detaching the rest of the buoy. By spreading the anchor chain between multiple lines on the buoy rather than one area, I will be spreading the tension the anchor forces on the buoy into four separate areas rather than just one. Figure 5 shows a similar simplified image, with the force being spread between two separate chains.

Technology - PVC pipe

PVC piping was chosen as the most logical material for building this buoy because it is cheap and easy to use. However before making a final decision, I had to do some mathematical equations to ensure this material would be strong enough to support the systems that will be used in the final product. First, I had to learn the differences between different PVC pipes.
The two main types of PVC pipe are schedule 40 and schedule 80. The term “schedule” refers to the thickness of the pipe’s wall, not its diameter. This in turn refers to how much pressure the pipe will hold. After doing some research, I discovered that schedule 40 PVC pipe is most often used in aquaculture applications. This is because it is not only cheap and easy to come by, but it is also so strong that it will not be distorted even when being walked on by a person. After deciding to use PVC schedule 40 pipe due to all the recommendations I had found online, I thought it would be important to research the amount of pressure it can withstand. The minimum amount of pressure required to make the pipes burst is 890 psi. The maximum operating pressure of the pipe is 166 psi. In the image, you can see a chart representing the bursting pressure and maximum operating pressure for PVC schedule 40 pipe, indicated in red (engineeringtoolbox.com). Although schedule 80 piping can obviously withstand more pressure, ocean pressure is very small at the surface, so these pipes will work just perfectly. Also, it is highly recommended that a person using PVC pipes for aquaculture purposes use schedule 40 PVC pipe.

Math- anchoring

A very important aspect on my final product is going to be how I anchor this buoy. I mentioned this earlier in the report, under science. The major aspect is tension. The anchor and chain will be pulling on the buoy in order to keep it in place. It is very important that the chain is not applying any force when there is no tide, or else the buoy will be pulled under water. On the other hand, it is important that the buoy applies some force on the buoy when the tide picks up in order to stop the buoy from drifting far from its deployment site (an image of loosely anchored buoys can be seen in the picture). This means I have to calculate the depth of the deployment site, as stated above in the science section. Then I have to determine how much of the buoy will be under water with all the equipment inside the container. From here, I must calculate the height of the anchor, and subtract it from the site’s depth. The equation I will use will look something like this:
Chain length= Site’s Depth – height of anchor – length of buoy under water + (4*chain needed to extend to each outer support)
This equation will give me the final length of chain needed to anchor my final buoy. In case of a mistake, I will make sure to have a chain that extends slightly longer than my necessary calculations. I will be able to trim off any extra chain if needed, but leaves some room for mistakes.
Since I do not know what equipment will be on the buoy thus far (including test
taking equipment and solar panels), I cannot complete this calculation. A single solar panel will make a very large difference in the weight of the buoy. I have come up with this equation to ensure that I can do the calculations correctly when I am given all the final information.

Weekly Log February 23

So far this week, I have finished all of my drawings and my STEMM report! This means I am now caught up with the rest of our class, so I can work on the same pace with everyone else. Today, I started working on my Press Release. Originally, the due date was this Friday but it was moved back until next Friday. I have finished the introduction and have a small part of the body finished. Today, I plan on going to Home Depot to buy some PVC fittings so that I can hopefully start constructing this week. I hope to be done with the simple structure by the end of Friday, leaving me all of next week to continue on with the Press Release.

Weekly Log Feb 17- Bid process update

Today, Mr. Alfonse and I found a supply of PVC pipe that is just what i need to complete the structure for my buoy. This means I will not have to do a bid process for the pipes. For a bucket, I have researched and realized they cost only around $6.00, so I will buy one myself.

Weekly Log February 16

Last week, we did not have many days of school due to the snow. I was in Florida Thursday through Monday to visit a college as well. This means I had very little time to work on any school work this past week. This week, I will wrap up my STEMM report. I have to finish my math section and then my conclusion. This should not take me too long. I plan to have my STEMM report as well as my perfected exploded view completed by this Friday. This would make me caught up with the rest of the class. After this work is done, I will be getting my materials and get started on my construction!

Weekly Log February 4

During the course of this week, I have finished filling in my calendar. This includes all due dates and what I am going to do beforehand to insure all my work is completed in a timely fashion. I have written on my calendar what I plan on doing for almost every class period. All empty days will be used to complete work that I might not have finished from earlier. If all work is finished, I will use that time to work ahead. Also this week, I have started my STEMM report. Yesterday I worked on the introduction and the addition of pictures. To add on to all of this, Amy and I made some slight changes in our final solution. We plan on sinking the container into the foam rather than having it rest on top of the foam. I have redrawn my Orthographic view, 2 magnified views, and my isometric view. All i have left is my isometric exploded view. This leaves me with a good amount of work to do in the next few days, but i believe it is able to be accomplished.

Weekly Log January 28

This week, the school has midterm exams. This means we will not be in the lab for very often. we have two days of exam, where we will be able to work on our formal report of progress to our mentors. This was a formal paper written about how much we have done so far this entire year. This includes drawings, developmental work, any problems encountered by this time, and all other work from first marking period. At the end of this week, we will start making our calendars. We will also be getting all the new due dates for our thrid marking period work.

Tools and Equipment

Plan of Procedure

• Cut all pipes to proper lengths
• *See drawings for dimensions
• Drill 1/2” holes 1” from the edge of each 1’ PVC pipe
• *See A and B labeled on Figure 4
• Drill 1" hole through center of four-way PVC fitting
• Drill three small 1/2" holes through the bottom 3” of the 1" thick PVC pipe
• *This should yield 3 holes on either side, for a total of 6 holes
• Drill 1" hole through the bottom of the container
• *Hole must be centered, because this is where the 1” PVC pipe will be inserted through the container
• Fit all pipes into appropriate fittings
• *See Figure 7
• Glue 1" pipe through center of the four-way fitting
• Mold foam around pipe structure
• *Go to a beach or sand box
• *Dig a hole slightly bigger than intended hull dimensions
• *Put connected pipes into sand at proper depth
• *Fill hole with expanding foam, allow to set
• *Extract hull from sand
• *Sand down to proper shape/dimensions
• Place container on to buoy
• *1” pipe should fit through the center of the container’s bottom
• Glue pipe to container from the inside of the container
• Cap all exposed PVC pipe
• *This will stop any water from leaking into the center of the hull
• Cap the 1” pipe on the inside of the container
• *This will stop any water damage on the equipment in case a lower level of water blockage fails
• Insert shackle to 1" pipe's bottom
• Attach anchor chain to shackle and through every outside exposed PVC pipe
• Insert any equipment necessary
• *This equipment is not determined yet, so exact steps are unattainable
• Close container with watertight lid

Exploded View

Isometric View

Figure 2A

Magnified Orthographic: 1A

Orthographic

Background Information

Sandy Hook Bay, New Jersey


Acquiring information about the oceans and other bodies of water is hard for scientists. The act of continuously traveling to the body of water they need information from is much too tedious. It is also extremely complicated to ensure the data is all taken during the same tides and other important factors. The slight differences lend themselves to error in the data.

I researched a sea sampling vessel named The Observer to compare costs of building a buoy versus continuously making trips to obtain water samples. The first (and most obvious) cost is the vessel itself. Some of the less obvious costs of using a vessel include fuel, ice, supplies, food, water, bait, oil, and equipment. Not only this, but the people going on the constant trips must coordinate times and locations that they can all get together at.

Not only is data complicated to acquire, but it is vital for scientists to keep track of. The slightest changes in salinity or temperature can majorly affect species living in the water. Fish and other sea-bound organisms are adapted to the environment they live in. They are easily affected by changes in the water. Some of the smallest changes can be fatal for certain species. This is why it is important for scientists to have a constant flow of information sent to them. They can easily view and analyze information being sent to their computers from a research buoy.

Because the buoy is meant to spectate and analyze water samples, it is very important that it be environmentally friendly. If the buoy itself is disturbing the environment, sending it into a body of water would be moot. The buoy must take water tests while not disturbing any organisms that live in that specific area.

My task is to design a research buoy that will do the work for scientists. It must take all important water tests, such as temperature, pH, salinity, and more. The buoy will be electronically wired to send the acquired information to a team of scientists. These scientists can now analyze the data in a much simpler manner than ever before.
The buoy must be anchored to the body of water it lies in. The design I will create should be logical and coincide with the electrical aspect. By building this research buoy, the data is guaranteed to be consistent with little or no error.

NOAA Research Buoy

Above is a buoy constructed by NOAA [National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration]. This buoy was constructed after a Tsunami in Indonesia raised the death toll to almost 300,000 people. NOAA's buoys are constructed to not only take water quality tests, but also to help predict phenomenons such as tsunamis and earthquakes.

Weekly Log January 19

Starting tomorrow, we will present our formal reports of progress. I am not 100% sure what we are supposed to be presenting, because my group is sightly behind since our change in project. My group will be presenting on Thursday and Friday. I will have most of my developmental work done, but cannot be sure I will have all of it, as well as an outline. I hope to get a lot of work done today with drawings and scannings, since these are things I cannot do at home and we will not be in the lab again until after presentations. I will be able to update my blog and make an outline from home, so those are my least important aspects at this moment.

Weekly Log January 14

This week, I have finished my orthographic and almost my isometric drawing. I should have my isometric done by tomorrow and hopefully will be able to start my exploded view. Because I drew an isometric exploded of the inside of the buoy, I believe that drawing will not take me as long. I have my materials list finished as well, so I will start working on my plan of procedure. I have a rough set of steps written down, but I must talk to Amy before anything can be finalized. I hope to have my developmental work finished by Monday after class, but I am not sure if this is a realistic goal. If my work keeps up at this pace, it is a possibility though.

Weekly Log January 11

This week, I will be starting my isometric views of my drawings. I hope to be finished by the end of this week, but this might not be realistic. I also want to figure out how to draw the cylinders in 3d. This would help with my orthographic magnified drawing as well as my isometric. After my drawings are done, I will start my list of materials, list of tools/equipment, and my plan of procedure. I have rough lists of all of these things, but would like to perfect them after my drawings are finished. On top of all that, our scientific and mathmatical analysis must be done soon as well. I figure the best way to get all of this done is to focus on one thing at a time and get that done!

Weekly Log January 8

Yesterday, Amy and I had a conversation to make some slight changes in our skeletal design. we decided to use fittings rather than drilling directly into the PVC pipe. This will help to keep the structural integrity of the pipes. For the central pipe that needs to reach from the container to the bottom of the hull, we will drill a hole in the middle 4 way fitting. This pipe needs to hold all the sensors, so it does not have to be as thick as the other pipes. We will use all other pipes with a 2" diameter and give the central pipe a 1" diameter. This will also help keep the integrity of the fitting by drilling a smaller hole. Today, I will put some finishing touches on my orthographic view. Mostly, this involves a magnified exploded view of the central fitting.

Limitations

• Time: The buoy must be constructed within a single school year
• Space: The buoy can only be built in the school’s shop
• Equipment: The buoy can only be built using the school’s tools
• Materials: The buoy can be built only of materials in the school’s shop
• Capital: The buoy must remain within a set budget
• Weight: The buoy must remain within the weight limit the Blue Sea can hold/deploy
• Location: The buoy cannot be deployed or left in certain locations due to laws by NOAA and the Coast Guard

Weekly Log January 5

This week, my group and I will start our developmental work. Our presentation went over very well, and our project is now underway. I have started my orthographic drawing and am very pleased so far. After talking with Mr. Alfonse, we are both happy at this point in time. We decided to add some hatching and magnified detials and then I will be complete. Next I will start working on my isometric and isometric exploded, as well as my bill of materials and plan of procedure. Amy and I are still waiting for a response from the foam company. Amy has e-mailed John Wallinga's contact at the company again asking for prices. As of right now, it is a strong possibility that we will construct our own foam hull, which will be much cheaper than purchasing one.

Electrical Specifications

• The buoy needs to be fully functioning for hours it is deployed, each time it is tested.
• The buoy must be self-powered.
• The electrical equipment must fit inside the structure of the search buoy.
• The electrical equipment must maintain its integrity in all conditions.
• The electrical equipment must maintain its integrity throughout the entire employment without requiring maintenance.