The 2011 Build

The Build

After coming up with a plan the team divided up the work.  One group of students built the mission props so we could practice the missions on the bench and when we went to the pool.  The other team members were divided up to make the frame or structure of the ROV, another group built the manipulator or gripper, another group make the spinner used to close the valve and the last group worked on the tether, cameras and electrical system.

The simulated well and riser pipe in our test tank.

Designing the "Spinner"

 A valve was located on the simulated well.  The students needed to pilot their ROV into position and turn the valve.  Turning the valve stopped the simulated flow of oil.  The oil was simulated by running water through a garden hose into the bottom of the well.

Making sure the "spinner" matches up to the valve.  

                    Bench Testing 

The students tested several designs before they came up with one that worked the way they wanted and would fit on the ROV.  Testing the payload tools on a bench in the lab saves time and allows the students to work on different payload tools at the same time while finalizing their designs.

Testing the spinner.  

                Adding Power, 
            Making Sure It Works


Once the students are able to prove that their design works on the bench, the focus shifts to making it work on the ROV.  In the next picture you can see the final design of the "spinner" attached to the ROV.

Attaching The "Spinner" To the ROV

Once the students are able to prove that their design works on the bench, the focus shifts to making it work on the ROV.  In the next picture you can see the final design of the "spinner" attached to the ROV.

"Spinner mounted on the ROV.

This same process has been used by our teams for the past fours years and while we have refined the process, kept notes, diagrams and photos we attack each MATE Competition essentially the same way every time.  In our next blog we will look at how we designed our gripper and mechanical arm.