Design and fabrication of a towing tank for hydrodynamic experiments as Ashesi university

Abstract

A two-axis towing tank for conducting hydrodynamic and biomimetic experiments at Ashesi University, Ghana, has been designed, fabricated, and validated. Motion control of the carriage along the tank is achieved through a custom-built MATLAB application controlling speed, trajectory, and data acquisition. The system is broken into four subsystems: the MATLAB-based control application, the electrical and electronic system, the mechanical system, and the data acquisition system. The MATLAB-based control application sends commands to the electrical and electronic systems, which control the mechanical and data acquisition systems. Experiments were conducted to measure the motion system's accuracy and reliability in velocity and travel distance. Sixty experiments were performed across three different velocities and travel distances, with each set of parameters tested ten times. The findings from these experiments reveal a maximum error margin of 2% for velocity and 1.82% for travel distance, indicating the system's reliability as an experimental platform. Minimal equivalent platforms have been created on the African continent; hence, this work offers significant potential to advance teaching and research in Africa's engineering programs. This design bridges theoretical learning and practical application, offering students a hands-on experience of fluid mechanics through experimental measurement and enabling technical research in areas currently limited largely to computer simulation. This system will support the development of a skilled engineering workforce equipped to tackle Africa's industrial opportunities in transportation, marine engineering, offshore technology, aerospace, sensing, and advanced technologies such as biomimetics.