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The Body
The second generation vehicle features a
seamless, smooth contoured ellipsoidal body made of fibre
reinforced plastic. The shape of the vehicle has been
decided after calculations, keeping various hydrodynamic
parameters in mind to improve the overall performance of the
robot. The compressive strength of the material allows a
working depth of approximately 10 metres for the design
thickness of 4mm throughout. Designed with positive
buoyancy, it is to be propelled by 4 thrusters. The profile
of the vehicle makes it easily manoeuvrable. Undesirable
roll and pitch motions are eliminated by the design,
eliminating the need of extra thrusters.
The main hull is split into two
symmetrical halves by a plane parallel to its longest side
and equidistant from the edges. Waterproffing is done by a Y
configuration that comprises of a Y shaped protrusion
arising out of the edges all around the perimeter of the
lower half. Sandwiched between the arms of the Y attachment
and the edge of the other half is a custom made silicon
rubber O ring. Compression of the ring physically blocks
water leakage. One of the arms of the Y attachment forms a
skirt like structure that traps an air bubble around the
entire joint.
An efficient clamping system provides the
compressive force to compress the O ring and hold the two
halves of the hull together. This is a significant
improvement over the previous model that employed 16
nut-bolts for sealing the hull.
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