mDot : RC Composite Jet Boat
IPD501 Final Project at UPenn
Spring 2014
The prompt for the final project for IPD501: Integrated CAM/CAD/CAE was to “build something you can control, and make it float.” My team of eight decided to build a sleek catamaran with a carbon fiber hull and dual jet drives.
I was in charge of propulsion electronics and water-cooling system. I also worked on prototyping the propulsion system, electronics mounting, and hull layup. The boat uses two 3300mAh 14.8V LiPo batteries powering 3650kV brushless inrunners via 60A speed controls to drive custom designed impeller jet drives. The motors and speed controls are passively water-cooled, using the pressure differential across the rotating impeller to circulate water through the cooling jackets. We used rapid prototyping methods to assess our designs and quickly identify issues and solutions.
MACHINING HULL MOLD
HULL HALVES BEFORE DEFLASHING
The boat hull is made of a fused two-piece carbon fiber and Kevlar layup with a removable vacuum formed ABS hatch. The jets are CNC machined aluminum with Delrin stators and SLS manufactured stainless steel impellers. The boat’s name, mDot, comes from the fluid mechanics variable denoting mass flow rate.
JET ASSEMBLY
STATOR (MACHINED DELRIN)
IMPELLER (SLS PRINTED 316SS)
STATOR FLANGES (MACHINED 6061)
One of the biggest challenges in IPD 501 every year is simply completing the final project in only four weeks, and mDot is regarded as one of the most comprehensive final projects seen from this class. The boat has remained in the MEAM display case on the first floor of the engineering building at UPenn.
Cover image for UPenn's mechatronic design website.