AA Testing

Final Design solution ('Meriqa)

ROV arm servo placed onto ROV to simulate weight

Assembled ROV frame floating with PVC arm frame

ROV frame submerging completely

Ballast tank submerged in water

ROV frame partially submerged

The ROV frame and ballast tanks worked as expected during the dunk tests. The ballast tanks consistently maintained positive buoyancy while being submerged in the tank for five minutes and did not leak any air. After drying off both tanks, the tanks were shaken and weighed to ensure that water did not leach into the PVC structure. Each tank weighed in at 1.2 pounds on both occasions using an electronic scale. The frame also weighs 4.4 pounds which means that the ROV as a whole still possesses a buoyancy allowance of about 3.2 pounds. The ROV frame also submerged as planned in the tank of water. As expected, the frame sank laterally and flat while purging all air from the ROV frame. The ROV frame also sat at the bottom of the tank for five minutes to guarantee air bubbles were not held within the frame. After drying the ROV frame, the weight of the frame remained constant at 4.4 pounds. After initial testing with the ROV frame and ballast tanks separately, the entire ROV hull then underwent further testing while assembled. The entire ROV hull assembled with attached ballast tanks floated for well over five minutes without any issues. Even with the mechanical arm housing, waterproof servos, underwater camera and brackets placed onto the ROV hull, the ROV hull maintained positive buoyancy.