DESIGN AND MANUFACTURE OF UNDERWATER ROV

(REMOTELY OPERATED VEHICLE)

Under the Guidance of

Dr. Karuna Kalita

And

Dr. Gautam Biswas

INDIAN INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY GUWAHATI

October 2016-February 2017
 TABLE OF CONTENTS

Chapter 1 i) Introduction to Underwater ROV (Remotely Operated

Vehicle)
ii) Motivation
iii) Literature Survey
Chapter 2 i) Project Plan
ii) Team Structure
iii) Cost Estimate
Chapter 3 Design
i) Design Alternatives
ii) Proposed Design
Chapter 4 i) Material Selection
ii) Thrusters and ESCs

Chapter 5 Solid Works analysis of Cylinder

Chapter 6 Electrical Components
i) Pixhawk
ii) Raspberry Pi
iii) Tether Cables

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION
1.1 Introduction to ROV
Remotely operated underwater vehicles (ROVs) are remote control underwater robots driven
by an individual on the surface. These robots are tethered by a series of wires that send signals
between the operator and the ROV. All ROVs are equipped with a video camera, propulsion
system, and lights. Other equipment is added depending on the specifications required. These
include a robotic arm, water sampler, instruments that measure clarity, light penetration,
temperature, and depth. Team Antahsagri under robotics club was determined to create such
an ROV in order to fulfill a specific mission involving four separate tasks.

1.2 Motivation

Robotics Club of IIT Guwahati has worked on an amphibian bot which is capable of moving on land and
floating on water but it has never worked on an underwater ROV. Also, mechanical Department of IIT
Guwahati has a senior design project of an underwater ROV using torpedo model but it does not have
the facility of adding additional equipment like robotic arm. With that in mind, Team Antahsagri was
happy to be the first to take on the challenge of making an underwater ROV and build a frame that will
be able to mount extra modules which carry additional equipment depending on the need.

1.3 Literature Survey

There is not enough information as to say who invented the first ROV. Regardless of that, there
are two who deserve a lot of credit to the upbringing of this technology. The Programmed
Underwater Vehicle (PUV) was a torpedo developed by Luppis-Whitehead Automobile in
Austria in 1864, however, the first tethered ROV, named POODLE, was developed by Dimitri
Rebikoff in 1953. The U.S.A. NAVY has been recognized for advancing the technology to levels
of operation that could fit into recovering of objects lost during at-sea tests. In 1966 ROVs
became famous when US Navy Cable Controlled Underwater Recovery Vehicle (CURV) systems
recovered an atomic bomb lost off Palomares, Spain in an aircraft accident.

CHAPTER 2: PROJECT DETAILS

2.1 TENTATIVE PLAN
2.2 TEAM STRUCTURE
Team Leader: Shubham Tripathi (Civil Dept., 3rd year)

Team Sub-leaders: Shubham Pippal (Mechanical Dept., 3rd year)

Ajay Kumar (Mechanical Dept., 3rd year)

Mechanical Team:

1) Arun V. Kammath (Mechanical Dept., 2nd year)

2) Albert Tomy (Mechanical Dept., 2nd year)

Coding Team:

1) Meghdeep Jana (Mechanical Dept., 2nd year)

2) Bishal raj gayan (Mechanical Dept., 2nd year)
3) Abhinanadan gogoi (Mechanical Dept., 2nd year)

Electronics Team:

1) Abhishek Anand (Electronics and Communication Dept., 2nd year)

2) Kumar Rahul (Electronics and Communication Dept., 2nd year)

2.3 COST ESTIMATE

S.No. COMPONENT QUANTITY COST PER UNIT TOTAL COST
1 Thrusters 5 10721.51 53607.56
2 ABS Sheet 5 500 2,500
3 Water Tight Containers 2 2,000 4,000
4 Subsea LED Light 2 2,500 5,000
5 R-Pi Kit 1 6,000 6,000
6 Pi Camera 1 3,000 3,000
7 Pixhawk 1 15,000 15,000
8 Optical Cables 1 20,000 20,000
9 Nuts and Bolts 30 30 900
10 Controller 1 5,000 5,000
11 Batteries(12V,24V) 6 (3 each) 500,1000 4,500
12 Future Prospects
(Sensors, gripper, PID
etc.)
13 Intel NUC Kit NUC6i7KYK 1 62,000 62,000
Mini PC BOXNUC6I7KYK1
14 Waterproofing(Epoxy) 2 1,500 3,000
15 Ballast Weight 2 600 1,200
16 Buoyancy Foam 2 1000 2,000

TOTAL COST = Rs. 1,87,707/-

CH 3: DESIGN
3.1 ALTERNATIVE DESIGNS
 Design Alternative 1

Fig1 Design Alternative 1

 The first design that was observed is shown above in Figure 1. This design employs the usage
of 2 legs at the bottom of the ROV that serve several purposes. The ability to insert lead rods into
the legs, and apply positively buoyant material at the top will always ensure that the ROV will
remain upright. Another purpose is that if the unit is operating on the ocean floor, it will be able to
rest on the ground while performing the predetermined duties. The last advantage would be to
mount the claws on these legs, which would be aligned right in front of the camera. This design also
utilizes the implementation of four thrusters. The two mounted horizontally in the wing will provide
the ascent and descent, while the other two mounted at the end of the wings will provide the
maneuverability in the horizontal plane. The main body material was not chosen for this alternative,
but there were a few materials that were considered. The first one was aluminum. Although
aluminum is not relatively expensive, machining all the parts would be. The other material was PVC.
This material was highly likely to be chosen due to the very low cost, and ease of availability. Not to
mention that it comes in many diameters with all types of fittings.

 Design Alternative 2

Fig 2: Design Alternative 2

The second alternative of the design was to make it in the shape of a box. This setup follows the
traditional design of ROVs. The whole system would be enclosed in a cage with foam on the top,
weights on the bottom and all the electronics in the middle of the ROV such as Figure 2. Having a
box setup allows the components to be fixed on the cage, which makes it easier to construct and
increases stability. The robotic arm and weights would be placed on a plate at the bottom of the
cage followed by dividing the foam into four sections and placing them in specific locations above
the whole ROV to achieve the desired buoyancy. The camera together with the four thrusters would
be placed around the outside of the cage to balance each other out (the camera is located directly
above the robotic arm). All electrical components would be at the center, housed in a cylindrical
body for their protection. The materials considered to this design are the same as Design Alternative
1. ROVs constructed in this fashion are not as hydrodynamic as the Design Alternative 1, due to their
cage-like structure. Also this structure is considerably bigger than an ROV without the cage. On the
other hand, having the cage permits the addition of parts even after the ROV has been built and
used compared to an un-caged setup where the ROV can only carry the instruments it was designed
to.

3.2 PROPOSED DESIGN

 Fig 3. Proposed Design

For the proposed design shown above, the team decided to combine both design alternatives. The goal
is to be as hydrodynamic as possible, but keeping the stability of the system and ability to add
components. This design would be compact meaning all the parts would be placed as close as possible
while leaving space for specific additions. A smaller ROV increases the maneuverability of the system
under water. The model will have a cylindrical body with a transparent dome in the front where the
camera will be located, a foam top and everything surrounded by a small, tight cage. The four thrusters
would be placed on the wing-like structures (two on each one, facing two axes) for movement.
Components such as the robotic arm would be placed on the cage with the ability to be removed if
needed. For this design, the team plans to try the same type materials as the alternatives but would like
to experiment also with a body made up of ABS sheets. The idea is to calculate the buoyancy of the ROV
only by the components it will by carrying without considering the body.

CHAPTER-4
MATERIAL SELECTION
The properties of the material used in the project are:

1) It is preferred to select the material whose density is near to water density for the frame
and buoyancy system in order to have a neutral buoyant vehicle.
2) Since some of the sensors work based on the Earth magnetic field, materials should
have low magnetic properties not to influence the output of the sensors.
3) Material should be resistive to water corrosion.
4) Easily available materials in market are used in this ROV.
5) Materials should be machined and formed easily to perform desired plan.
 Material Density(kg/mm3) Young’s Thermal
modulus Conductivity(W/mc)
ABS 1.060E+003 2.890E+009 0.299
PVC 1.400E+003 2.585E+009 1.785
Bronze 8.874E+003 1.096E+011 62.000
SS316 (Stainless 7.750E+003 2.067E+011 16.000
Steel)
Table 1: List of selected material and their properties

MAJOR COMPONENTS

1) THRUSTERS:
ROV uses motors and propellers to move itself through water. Such combination of motor and
propellers are called thrusters. Thrusters with cowling on them and specially shaped blades to
conform to the inside of the cowling are called Nozzles.

Propellers have certain characteristics to them, which indicate what should be the right
combination for the task and size of the ROV. These characteristics are as follows:

 Hub: the center section of the propeller.

 Blade Fillet: the radii defined by the transition of the blade faces into the hub.

 Pressure Face: the forward face of the propeller blade.

 Leading Edge: the blade edge adjacent to the forward end of the propeller hub.

 Trailing Edge: the blade edge adjacent to the back end of the propeller hub.

 Blade Tip: the blade edge on the outermost radius of the propeller.

 Emitter Holes: holes drilled into a channel near the leading edge.

Two sets of numbers describe the size of the propeller to be used. These numbers are diameter
and the pitch. The diameter will always be first and then the pitch.

 Diameter: Distance from the center of the hub to the tip of the blade times two.
  Pitch: Pitch is defined as the theoretical forward movement of a propeller during one
revolution.

 Cupping: Many of today's propellers incorporate a cup at the trailing edge of the propeller
blade. Its purpose is to give it a better grip on the water.

 Rake: Rake is the degree that the blades slant forward or backwards in relation to the hub.
Rake can affect the flow of water through the propeller.

When choosing the motor, significant consideration was taken to ensure that the power is the
output of the motor. Thus, when having a big motor, it may draw sufficient current that could
reduce performance but will be able to operate at low efficiency. On the other hand, when it is
too small, the amount of thrust will be inadequate. After choosing a motor, the proper
propeller must be chosen for the task. When doing so, we must select the diameter of the
propeller to be bigger than the motor diameter. The pitch of the blade will depend on the
diameter and the rotational speed of the motor in RPMs. The width of the blade determines the
amount of water it pushes; thus lighter or thinner blades are used for higher speed
applications. Even though these characteristics will help us determine which combination will
be the most adequate for our scenario, the final combination will be chosen during
experimentation. After doing some research on the appropriate combination of propeller and
motor, T100 thruster was chosen, that will accommodate the necessities of the ROV.

The T100 Thruster is a proprietary underwater thruster designed specifically for marine

robotics. It’s high performing with over 5 pounds of thrust and durable enough for use in the
open ocean at great depths. A variety of mounting options, simple control, and a low price tag
make it the perfect thruster to use on our marine robot.

Performance  

Maximum Forward Thrust 2.36 kgf

Maximum Reverse Thrust 1.85 kgf

Minimum Thrust 0.01 kgf

Rotational Speed 300-4200 rev/min

Electrical  
Performance  

Operating Voltage 6-16 volts

Max Current 12.5 amps

Max Power 135 watts

Phase Resistance 0.24 +/- 0.01 Ohms

Phase Inductance (@ 1 kHz) 0.120 +/- 0.008 mH

Physical  

Length (without BlueESC) 102 mm

Diameter 100 mm

Weight in Air (with 1m cable)(without BlueESC) 0.65 lb

Weight in Water (with 1m cable)(without BlueESC) 0.26 lb

Propeller Diameter 76 mm

Mounting Hole Threads M3 x 0.5

Mounting Hole Spacing 19 mm

Cable Length 1.0 m

Cable Diameter 6.3 mm

Dimensions
T100 Thruster (without BlueESC)
Electrical Connections
Connecting to an External ESC

The thruster has a cable containing three wires. These three wires must be connected to the
three motor wires on the electronic speed controller (ESC). The order does not matter, but if
the motor direction is the reverse of what is desired, switch two of the wires.

The three wires in the cable (green, white, blue) are always connected to the same motor
phases, so connecting the colors in a consistent fashion will result in all motors rotating in the
same direction.

The Basic ESC is a simple speed controller. It is the AfroESC 30A pre-programmed with custom
firmware that allows forward and backward operation.

Specifications
Diagram

Specification Table
Electrical    

Voltage 6-16.8 volts  

Max Current 30 amps  

Physical    

Length 50 mm 2.0 in

Width 25 mm 1.0 in

Height 11 mm 0.45 in
Electrical    

SOLID WORKS ANALYSIS FOR CYLINDER

WITH ELECTRICAL COMPONENTS
Power Connectors Male 3.5 mm bullet  

Solid works also offered us another alternative to determine the behavior of the material
Motorpressure.
under ConnectorsSince Female
the only3.5closed
mm bullet
body of the ROV is the two   cylindrical pipes of
PVC with the clear acrylic dome for storing electronic components and battery , this
would
Signal be the only area3-pin
Connector experiencing hydrostatic
servo connector pressure.
(0.1” pitch) The area
(ground,   under analysis is
shown in the figure below
5V, signal)

Pulse Width Signal    

Signal Voltage 3.3-5 volts  

Max Update Rate 400 Hz  

Stopped 1500 microseconds  

Max forward 1900 microseconds  

Max reverse 1100 microseconds  

Signal Deadband +/- 25 microseconds (centered around  

1500 microseconds)

CH-5
 CH-6
ELECTRICAL COMPONENTS

Block Diagram Of Electrical Components

1. PIXHAWK AUTO-PILOT

PIXHAWK is a high-performance autopilot-on-module suitable for fixed wing, multi rotors,

helicopters, cars, boats and any other robotic platform that can move. It is targeted towards
high-end research, amateur and industry needs and combines the functionality of the PX4FMU
+ PX4IO.

Specifications
1. Processor

 32-bit ARM Cortex M4 core with FPU

 168 MHz/256 KB RAM/2 MB Flash
 32-bit failsafe co-processor

2. Sensors
 MPU6000 as main accel and gyro
 ST Micro 16-bit gyroscope
 ST Micro 14-bit accelerometer/compass (magnetometer)
 MEAS barometer

3. Power
 Ideal diode controller with automatic failover
 Servo rail high-power (7 V) and high-current ready
 All peripheral outputs over-current protected, all inputs ESD protected

4. Interfaces
 5x UART serial ports, 1 high-power capable, 2 with HW flow control
 Spectrum DSM/DSM2/DSM-X Satellite input
 Futaba S.BUS input (output not yet implemented)
 PPM sum signal
 RSSI (PWM or voltage) input
 I2C, SPI, 2x CAN, USB
 3.3V and 6.6V ADC inputs
Pixhawk connector and Ports
Pixhawk PWM connectors for servos and ESCs and PPM-SUM
in and SBUS out

Pixhawk connector diagram

Pixhawk system features
 The Pixhawk flight controller is a further evolution of the PX4 flight controller system.
Pixhawk consists of a PX4-FMU controller and a PX4-IO integrated on a single board with
additional IO, Memory and other features.
 It is highly optimized to provide control and automation for APM flight navigation
software with high performance and capacity. Pixhawk allows current APM and PX4
operators to seamlessly transition to this system and lowers the barriers to entry for
new users.
 The NuttX real-time operating system features high performance, flexibility, and
reliability for controlling any autonomous vehicle.
 A Unix/Linux-like programming environment, integrated multithreading and autopilot
functions such as scripting of missions and flight behavior provide powerful
development capabilities.
 A custom PX4 driver layer ensures tight timing across all processes.
 Peripheral options include digital airspeed sensors, external multi-color LED indicators
and external compasses.
 Most peripherals are automatically detected and configured.
 A very powerful 32-bit processor with an additional failsafe backup controller and
extensive memory.
o STM32F427 32-bit primary microcontroller: 168 MHz, 252 MIPS, Cortex M4 core
with a floating point unit.
o Two megabytes of Flash program memory and 256 kilobytes of RAM.
o STM32F103 backup failsafe 32-bit co-processor provides for manual recovery
and has its own power supply.
o Socket for a plug in micro SD memory card for data logging and other uses.
 Advanced sensor profile
o 3 axis 16-bit ST Micro L3GD20H gyro for determining orientation.
o 3 axis 14-bit accelerometer and compass for determining outside influences and
compass heading.
o Provision for external compass with automatic switch-over if desired.
o MEAS MS5611 barometric pressure sensor for determining altitude.
o Built in voltage and current sensing for battery condition determination.
o Connections for externally-mountable GPS units for determining absolute
position.
 Extensive I/O interfaces with dedicated connectors
o Fourteen PWM servo or ESC speed control outputs.
o Five UARTs (serial ports), one high-power capable, 2 with HW flow control.
o Two CAN I/O ports (one with internal 3.3V transceiver, one on expansion
connector)
o Spectrum DSM / DSM2 / DSM-X® Satellite receiver compatible input: Permits use
of Spectrum RC Transmitters.
 o Futaba S.BUS® compatible input and output.
o PPM sum signal input.
o RSSI (PWM or voltage) input.
o I2C and SPI serial ports.
o Two 3.3 volt and one 6.6 volt Analog inputs.
o Internal microUSB port and external microUSB port extension.
 Comprehensive power system with redundancy and extensive protection.
o The Pixhawk is supplied with an in line power supply with voltage and current
sensor outputs.
o Ideal diode controller with redundant power supply inputs and automatic fail-
over.
o Servo rail high-power (max. 10V) and high-current (10A+) ready.
o All peripheral outputs are over-current protected and all inputs ESD protected.
o The provided external safety button enables safe motor activation / deactivation.
o LED status indicators and driver for high brightness external multicolored LED to
indicate flight status.
o High-power, multi-tone piezo audio indicator also informs of current flight
status.
o High performance UBLOX GPS plus external compass in protective case available.
o Weight: 38g (1.31oz), Width: 50mm (1.96”), Thickness: 15.5mm (.613”), Length:
81.5mm (3.21”)

2. Raspberry PI
 The Raspberry Pi is a small, barebones computer developed by The Raspberry Pi
Foundation, a UK charity. It is a credit card sized PC in a 45g SOC.Developed by pi
foundation from university of Cambridge, UK. Cheap with low driving power of 5W. Its
basic aim was to promote computer teaching aid for school going students.

Types of Variants
Specifications
 Supply Voltage:5Volt
 Weight:50gm
 CPU:700MZ single core,ARMv6 processor
 System On Chip(SOC):Broadcom BCM2835
 Memory(RAM):512 MB
 Storage : Micro SD card
 USB ports:4
 Network:10/100 Ethernet port
 HDMI port: Transmit digitally audio and video files to compatible digital audio
device or computer monitor
 Peripherals:40 pin GPIO
3. TETHER CABLES
PHYSICAL
ITEM VALUE
Tether Diameter 7.6mm
Weight 0.43kg/m
Buoyancy in Fresh water Neutral
Buoyancy in Salt water Slightly Positive
Wire Gauge 26 AWG
Working strength 35 Kgf
Breaking Strength 155 Kgf
Minimum working bend diameter 20mm
 The Fathom Tether is a high quality tether cable designed specifically for ROVs and other
subsea applications. It is neutrally buoyant, has 350 lb breaking strength, and is embedded with
water-blocking fibers to seal any leaks. The tether has a diameter of 7.6mm and is slimmer than
the vast majority of comparable ROV tethers. The core of the cable contains Kevlar strands for
strength and Dacron fibers for space filling. Both fibers are impregnated with water blocking
compound to block any leaks caused by nicks or rips in the cable. The high-visibility yellow
polyethylene foam jacket resists abrasion and provides neutral buoyancy. The stiffness of the
cable is designed to be flexible enough to give plenty of freedom to your ROV, but stiff enough
that it does not become tangled easily.

ELECTRICAL
ITEM VALUE
DC resistance @ 20°C 0.0386  Ω/ft
Characteristic impedance @ 1MHZ 120 Ω
Capacitance @ 1KHz 16.5 pF/kft
Insulation resistance @ 500 VDC >500 MΩ/kft
Voltage rating (Twisted Pairs) 300 VDC
Voltage rating (Between Pairs) 600 VDC