Load Analysis and Material Optimization for an Underwater Autonomy Sensorized Task Platform

With developing technology, options for fabrication and material selection broaden. An example is 3D printable photopolymer resin used to create parts serving several applications. An application of this photopolymer resin is the ONR research project for the creation of the sensorized task platform for a robot to use underwater. The resin in this project was used to fabricate custom-made connecting brackets. These fabricated parts were hastily designed with no detailed analysis on stress distributions or material consumption. Using SolidWorks simulation analysis and Instron machines for experimentation, the goal of this project was to modify the original part with a reduced weight of 10% from the original design with no increased risk of failure. From this requirement, several parts were modified in SolidWorks from the original model that consumed unnecessary material. After several studies were conducted for the models, the final model achieved a 22% to 24% material reduction with no compromise to its strength.