Ion

On Friday October 16th, 2015 the first test of the hull was conducted. The sub reached a depth of 13 feet 2 inches. No water leaked into any of the sealed compartments including the main electronics housing and both camera housings. Because the integrity of the hull was not fully known, the electronics were taken out prior to testing. About 16 pounds of additional force was required to achieve neutral buoyancy.

Due to the over buoyancy discovered in the first pool test it was decided that a new hull will be made that utilizes the same geometry as the current hull but with scaled down dimensions and stainless steel. By making the hull smaller the sub will be more manuverable in the water and less buoyant. The stainless steels high density will also work to counter the buoyancy force created by the hulls geometry therefore achieving near neutral buoyancy. There are many subsystems left to integrate with the sub so exact neutral buoyancy will be achieved until after those systems are integrated. Changes in the buoyancy can be achieved through the use of weights or pvc pipes. In addition to changes in size and material the new hull will utilize toggle latches to secure the acryllic lid to the hull and provide a water tight seal. Previously the lid had to be bolted to the hull which was time consuming and damaged the acryllic.

During the Spring semester the final design of the hull was submitted to the machine shop for fabrication. After a few minor modifications once in the shop the hull was finished and ready for electrical connections, latches, and waterproofing. Upon initial waterproof testing there were some leaks from the bolts in the toggle latches. Teflon tape was used on the threads of the bolts and marine epoxy was used when necessary. Furthermore a thin foam strip was used on top of the existing rubber gasket to ensure an even greater seal along the lid. The hull and frame is now complete and ready for electrical components.