Journal of Marine Science and Engineering (Apr 2024)

Optimization Design of a Winch Suction Underwater Dredging Robot Using Orthogonal Experimental Design

  • Lijun Wang,
  • Yehao Kang,
  • Yibo Wang,
  • Zeyong Zhao,
  • Liyang Shang,
  • Xiaona Song,
  • Donglai Xu,
  • Ruixue Cheng

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse12050741
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 12, no. 5
p. 741

Abstract

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In marine engineering and water conservancy projects, dredging often occurs due to silt accumulation, which can impede the long-term development of water ecosystems and water storage systems. To enhance dredging efficiency and the performance of dredging machines, a novel type of winch suction underwater dredging robot was designed. Computational fluid dynamics software was utilized to establish a fluid model of the robot’s winch suction dredging device and conduct model simulation experiments. The simulation test results were used to investigate the factors influencing dredging performance and their impact laws. Five key factors—namely, the reamer rotational speed, reamer arrangement angle, water flow rate, inlet pipe diameter, and outlet pipe diameter—were selected for consideration. By setting up various sets of factor levels, the significant influence of different factors on dredging efficiency was examined. Analysis of variance was employed to analyse the results of the orthogonal experimental design, leading to the identification of optimal factor levels and the establishment of an optimal scheme group. The results of the optimal scheme were verified, demonstrating a 13.049% increase in dredging efficiency and a 19.23% decrease in power consumption of the sludge pump compared to the initial experimental setup. The performance of the optimal program surpassed that of all the experimental designs and met the design requirements.

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