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.