Design and development of underwater glider

Project Title

Design and development of underwater glider

Project Area of Specialization Mechanical EngineeringProject Summary

Autonomous Underwater Glider is a type of autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV). It is a technology undergoing active and rapid development that uses small changes in its buoyancy in conjunction with wings to convert the vertical motion to horizontal, and thereby propel itself forward with very low power consumption. Autonomous Underwater Gliders are used for underwater cable inspection and surveys in shallow and deep water.  The laboratory-scale underwater glider with emphasis on pitch and depth control will help to use it for further experiments. This project is contributed to the development of underwater vehicles.The development of an integrated onboard controller for the navigation, control and guidance of the vehicle is one of the challenges in realizing a fully autonomous vehicle for a proposal for the development of vehicle control system for the AUV.

In the first phase, a CAD model is developed. In the second phase, a buoyancy engine will be designed. In the third phase, a controller will be designed for mass flow rate control of ballast tank and position control of internal moving mass

The fourth phase includes the programming in Arduino and testing the hardware.  

Using Arduino microcontroller, all the electrical systems on the glider will be controlled which includes a pressure sensor used to sense depth. A linear actuator will be used to move the pistons used for buoyancy control. Arduino's can take both analog and digital inputs as well as analog and digital outputs

Project Objectives

The kinematic model for underwater vehicle using environmental uncertainties cannot stabilize a pure statefeedback law. The implementation of state feedback control system including nonlinearities is challenging. Alternative way of control algorithms will be developed that will achieve quick convergence and fast response and that will be helpful for correcting the trajectory under nonlinearities.

To perform mathematical modelling of the underwater glider for achieving saw tooth pattern

To calculate the hydrodynamic forces of underwater glider

To apply a suitable controller for controlling the motion of internal moving mass and buoyancy of the glider at desired pitch and depth.

Project Implementation Method

The primary objective of the project is to develop the underwater glider at the desired pitch and depth. this includes the motion control of internal moving fixed mass and variable mass of the ballast engine. The students will assemble the ballast tank, internal moving fixed mass mechanism and wings profile. After complete assembly, the students will perform experimental testing for controlling pitch and depth of the glider.

Benefits of the Project

The design and development of underwater glider for survey and surveillance of ocean along the entire coast is one of the prime needs of Pakistan. it is also envisaged that the observation class vehicle may be upgraded to an intervention class at a later stage. The preliminary mechanical design and identification of system components, sensors and other hardware have to be completed to chalk out the specification. 

Technical Details of Final Deliverable

The overall project includes the design, modelling and simulation of underwater glider. The main components of the glider are internal moving fixed mass and ballast tank control which will be assembled in the main body of the underwater glider. The motion of the glider will be remotely controlled and the date of the gyros and depth sensor will be recorded in the data logger. The experimental data will be compared with MATLAB simulation of the glider.

Final Deliverable of the Project Hardware SystemCore Industry SecurityOther Industries Education Core Technology RoboticsOther TechnologiesSustainable Development GoalsRequired Resources

Item Name	Type	No. of Units	Per Unit Cost (in Rs)	Total (in Rs)
			Total in (Rs)	70000
Pressure sensor	Equipment	1	25000	25000
Gyros	Equipment	1	10000	10000
DC motor with driver	Equipment	1	7000	7000
Stepper motor with driver	Equipment	1	6500	6500
Controller	Equipment	1	9500	9500
Ballast tan	Equipment	1	10000	10000
Internal assembly design	Equipment	1	2000	2000