Development of Underwater Vehicle with Small Buoyancy Control Device

Abstract

This paper deals with the design of an underwater robot with our small buoyancy control device that utilizes the volume difference of paraffin wax between solid and liquid states. The paraffin wax in the device covered with a silicone rubber. When the paraffin wax is heated, it melts and the device expands like a balloon. We chose hot water as a heating method. We built a circuit in which hot water circulate to heat the paraffin wax. We fabricated a jig to install them to the circuit, in which four of the devices are installed. We conducted an experiment and confirmed that its buoyancy change, which roughly agreed with the expected value. In addition, we fabricated a device in a cylindrical shape with a small diameter.