Project Multimedia

Development of a test stand

The test stand used to learn how the shells interacted with the flow inside a small diameter tube, including a mount for testing the sensors. We learned that with a large height differential, the flow of the water moves too fast due to the small volume of water that it accommodates, so the flow was turbulent and we could not see the shells passing by with our eyes. In order to have laminar flow with no air bubbles, we need to have a smaller height difference between the inlet and outlet so the shells will be moving slow enough to sense it and take a clear photo of it.

Keyence Vision System

Testing the Keyence Vision System to detect passing shells. The system accurately identified small and transparent shells, but its high cost made it impractical for our application.

Keyence FIber Optic FU-18 Sensor Set-up

Pictured here, is the final test of the Keyence Fiber Optic FU-18 sensor setup, which successfully detected small and transparent shells passing through water. Precise alignment was crucial to avoid false detections, so we designed a custom mount to ensure accurate sensor positioning.

PrelimiNary shell photosensoring

First test of a through-beam photoelectric sensor, which was too powerful, detecting changes in light intensity only when multiple shells were clustered together, rather than identifying individual shells.

First look at Flow control

First test of a float switch device, implemented to control the height of the waterflow into our hopper. This is to ensure that the shells undergo constant pressure and that the inlet sump doesn't overflow if left unchecked.

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Diverting Flow

Very first prototype at diverting water. This design solution was simple, just an insert that spins 180deg with a stepper motor. This design was iterated slightly to ensure less direct physical diverting of the shells, as well as magnets to achieve less friction and to keep the insert waterproof. However, this first prototype is very similar to what we ended up with!

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