Team Members & Role:
- Steve Baiardi – Team Lead
- Rebecca Bartlett – Design Lead
- Hari Krishnan – Analysis Lead
- Daniel Nelson – Fabrication Lead
Abstract:
The goal of this project is to redesign the release block system that is currently in use by MIKEL. MIKEL deploys acoustic beacons to the ocean floor in various locations that typically remain in place for two or more years. After the deployment is finished, MIKEL needs to retrieve the beacons. Therefore, MIKEL uses a release block system to separate the buoyant acoustic beacon from the anchor. This allows the acoustic beacon to rise to the surface and be collected by MIKEL. The current release system is functional however it is not easily reusable, has no built in redundancies, and occasionally has delays in its release of the beacon due structural weakness. The block is also very labor intensive to build and requires precise fabrication which adds to the time and costs of producing these blocks. In order to address these issues, our team has designed a redundant pin release system. The design includes a pin which is held in place by a Mag Switch (a magnet with a manual on/off switch). When the Mag Switch is turned off, using a servo, the magnetic field is reduced allowing the spring to pull on the pin and release. The chain connected to the anchor slides off the pin and releases our entire system: disconnecting the buoy and anchor. This system is made redundant by combining two of these individual releases in parallel which will activate simultaneously allowing or a failsafe in case one system fails. This new system is easily reusable by simply turning the Mag Switch back on and reconnecting the pin. Additionally, almost all of the parts can be reused with only the anchor needing to be replaced. The overall design is straightforward and omprised mainly using a combination of off the shelf products allowing for easy manufacturing and reduced costs. Finally, the design is very structurally sound with a simple pin and support design preventing any failure due to release forces. Overall, our mission is to improve MIKEL’s release block and design an easy to manufacture, reusable, inexpensive, and redundant release block mechanism rated for full ocean use.
