Table of Contents

• Types of Underwater Vehicles
• A Brief History of Undersea Technology
• Modern-Day Uses of Underwater Vehicles and Technology
• A Detailed Look at a Work Class ROV

• Common Design Challenges
• A Design Methodology for Underwater Vehicles

• Physical Properties of Water
• Water Movements
• Plant and Animal Life in Water
• The Water Column

• Structural Overview
• Structural Performance Criteria
• Other Structural Design Considerations
• Good Structural Shapes
• Good Structural Materials
• Other Useful Materials
• Metal Corrosion
• Fabrication and Assembly

• Pressure
• Pressure-Related Forces on Submerged Objects
• Basic Principles of Pressure Hull Design
• Calculating Pressure-Related Forces on Spheres and Cylinders
• Constructing Leak-Proof Openings
• Pressure Compensation Techniques
• Encapsulation
• Encapsulation (Potting)
• Adding a Card Cage

• Why Things Float or Sink
• Designing for Optimal Buoyancy
• Why Things in Water Tip or Flip
• Trimming a Vehicle’s Orientations
• Stability
• Ballast Systems
• Practical Tips for Ballasting and Trimming a Small Underwater Vehicle

• The Basics of Moving a Vehicle through Water
• Estimating Thrust Requirements
• Producing Thrust
• An Introduction to Electric Motors
• An Introduction to Propellors
• Building Your Own Thrusters
• Thruster Placement

• Energy, Power, and Efficiency
• Vehicle Power Choices: What’s Realistic?
• An Introduction to Electricity and Electric Circuits
• How Much Electricity Does My Vehicle Need?
• Electric Power Sources for Small Vehicles
• Transmission and Distribution of Electrical Power
• Steps in Circuit Design and Construction

• Control Systems
• Navigation
• A Basic Control and Navigation System
• Advanced Control Options: Moving Beyond SeaMATE

• Hydraulic Mechanisms
• Manipulators
• Underwater Tasks and Tools
• Considerations When Designing Payloads
• Examples of Payload Options for Simple ROVS

• Operations Overview
• Operational Phases

• Building the SeaMATE ROV
• Sourcing Materials
• Constructing the Frame
• Constructing the Ballast Subsystem
• Constructing the Tether and Junction Box
• Constructing Thrusters
• Adding an Underwater Video Camera, Lighting, and Sensors
• Fabricating the Control Box, Wiring the Junction Box, and Testing
• Constructing Payload Tools
• Preparing for Sea Trials and Ops
• What’s Next? Going Beyond SeaMATE

• Dimensions, Units, and Conversion Factors
• Useful Constants, Formulas, and Equations
• Hydrostatic Pressure
• Material Properties
• How to Find Parts
• How to Find Additional Information