Design and dry-land tests of a walking submersible dredger/miner.
Type:
Presented during:
CEDA Dredging Days 2005 - Dredging: The Extremes, Rotterdam
Authors:
Sarkar S., Bose N., and Sarkar M.K.
Abstract: Use of surface floating dredgers in deep inland reservoirs, continental shelves and tidal inlets, either for dredging or mining is restricted by several operational limitations. Ladder length is a major constraint and in the absence of good approach roads, transportation of bigger surface floating dredgers to inland areas is difficult. In shelf areas dredging operations are less precise due to currents, waves and winds. High investment costs are involved in the construction of large high capacity dredgers. Modifications of such systems after construction are difficult. Deployment of small, modular, comparatively less expensive submersible dredgers/ miners is a suitable solution to some of the above mentioned problems. For capital dredging instead of increasing the capacity, a number of such vehicles can be operated simultaneously. Legs are effective for locomotion over unstructured terrain. A collaborative research project between Memorial University of Newfoundland, Canada and Excavation & Equipment Manufacturing (P) Ltd., India has been set up to develop, design, build and test a small prototype of a modular walking submersible dredger suitable for deep inland reservoirs. The mechanical construction of this electro-hydraulically operated prototype is complete. The vehicle is presently being remotely operated on land. This paper describes the overall design of the vehicle, the proposed unique mode of locomotion and its suitability in dredging or mining operations, as also the task planning. Periodic gait has been developed for forward and backward straight line and curvilinear locomotion on natural terrain. Experiments for straight line and curvilinear locomotion on dry land, flat terrain were carried out to determine the accuracy and reliability of designed locomotion system in following a desired path for dredging or mining operations. Experimental results for straight line locomotion were compared with the theoretical gait planner. The concept of the mathematical model developed for performance evaluation of the vehicle is discussed.
Keywords: Submersible, walking dredger, gait-planning tests