Blog 1 - Making a Research Plan
Blog 1 - Making a Research Plan
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Initial Decisions
Initial Decisions
In 2019, researchers found that friction contributes to over 80% of watercraft resistance and fuel inefficiency. This, coupled with the millions of boats found across the world today, emphasizes the impacts of an overlooked factor in global energy usage.
I knew I wanted to conduct research in the STEM field. I immediately turned to rocket technology and improving space travel as a result of my interests in aerospace and physics. However, after getting the opportunity to compete in Croatia, I was introduced to the importance of water-faring transportation.
After research in both fields, it became clear that rocket technology was much more refined and technically reliant whereas watercraft efficiency was a much more open field.
Research stage 1
Research stage 1
Highlighted the impacts of watercraft efficiency on energy usage as a whole and provided info on the science behind drag reduction
Research stage 2
Research stage 2
Introduced the idea of biomimicry, where biology and engineering meet, through sharkskin's proven effectiveness in drag reduction
Research stage 3
Research stage 3
Presented the European Sea Bass as another organism with high potential skin structure and revealed a research gap
Research Stage 4 - Methodology
Research Stage 4 - Methodology
Finally, prior research into sharkskin outlined a potential method for this growing experiment. I would only need to make a few edits to change the water turbulence and account for multiple test subjects:
Using electron microscope images, replicate a pattern for mako and sea bass skin structures along with a smooth control
Using a 3D printer and CAD, produce 3 1 ft long tubes lined with the skin patterns
Flow water through a pump that passes through these tubes at different known speeds, simulating varying turbulence
Measure the water pressure before and after the tube interaction to find the change in water pressure
These results would allow me to compare changes in water pressure among each organism. Lower changes in pressure indicate higher drag reduction. With this information in hand, I can formulate a more nuanced look at watercraft designs using animal skin structures, addressing the gap and potentially opening the door for more efficient energy usage.
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