Multimedia

Final Manufactured Prototype

Testing

Buoy Absorptivity 

Test: 

The buoy was submerged in a saltwater tank for 24 hours with its mass recorded before and after.

Results:

• Initial mass of4.68 kg

• Final mass of 4.87 kg yielding a 

• 4.06% water absorptivity

• 0.5% loss in buoyant force

Heave Plate Drag Reduction 

Test: 

The heave plate's descent time to sink 4.2 m was measured and average for folded vs extended petals.

1. Heave plate correct side up, petals fold in on descent

2. Heave plate upside down, petals extended the whole descent

Results:

• Petals folded: 9.01s

• Petals extended: 15.70s

• 1.74X difference in drag

Waterproofing 

Test: 

Waterproof housings were tested 4.2 m underwater for one hour with paper towels inside to easily identify any leaks.

Results:

• Heave plate Blue Robotics passed - IP68

• Buoy Polycase leaked, a new lid was manufactured and passed testing - IP68

Data Collection 

Test: 

Inspection based tests where the digital signals either returned valid data or no data.

1. Individual module validation

   • Each sensor and module tested independently for reference

2. Protocol-level compatibility

   • To verify I²C and SPI communication compatibility shared-bus devices were tested in isolation and combination

3. Full system integration

   • 2 minute time trials run at programmed rates from 1 to 10 Hz

Results:

1. All sensors and modules passed

2. Stable data transmission without conflicts

3. Sampling interval without latency 150 ms (6.67 Hz)

Complete System

Test: 

The WEC was tested in Scripps Ocean-Atmosphere Research Simulator (SOARS) with a shortened tether as 0.05 to 0.2 m waves with periods ranging from 1 to 3 seconds were generated. 

Results:

• Buoy moved up and down with surface waves

• Heave plate remained essentially stationary in comparison

• Actuator stretched and retracted

• All sensors collected valid data

• Voltage output from turbine reflected the wave patterns

Final Prototype CAD

Heave Plate Design Iterations

Manufacturing the Buoy

Prototyping the Heave Plate

Prototyping the Buoy

Testing Sensor Communication