Project 1 2023 | Kian Laylo | 27785947

Problem Statement
“Design a system that adjusts and maintain the position of an underwater structure for
farmed aquatic organisms.”

Design Specification Worksheet

Cawthron Date: Pages: 3
Aquaculture Depth Adjustment Mechanism Project 02/03/2023
Issue No. of
Park No: 1 requirements: 46
🗹 Functional 🗹 Manufacturing 🗷 Ergonomic

🗹 Quality 🗹 Timing 🗹 Ecological

🗹 Safety 🗹 Economic 🗷 Aesthetic

🗹 Lifecycle 🗹 Accessibility

Hard/Soft Requirement List Contributor(s) Change

Constraint of Date
Functional
Hard The mechanism must have a means to raise and lower Cawthron 2/03
the farm with the assistance of structure’s positive
buoyancy.
Soft The mechanism must have a means of lowering/raising Cawthron
the structure remotely.
Soft The mechanism must be able to lower the structure to Cawthron
~57 meters.
Hard The mechanism must have a means of detecting the Cawthron
current depth of the structure and relaying this
information remotely.
Hard The mechanism must be able to lower and raise the Cawthron
structure weighing ~2.5 tons (with at least 1.5 design
factor to account for any external forces).
Hard The mechanism must have a means of clamping on and Kian
releasing the structure.
Hard The clamping system must be able to hold forces (with Kian
safety factors) exerted on the mechanism when being
raised or lowered.
Hard The farm is considered to be a simple cylinder with Shayne G.
dimensions: 5m diameter, 2 m height, and 0.3 m
diameter centre hole.
Hard The mechanism must not physically disrupt the space of Kian
the farmed organisms within structure.
Hard The mechanism must have a means to maintain the Cawthron
depth at which the aquaculture is intended to be.
Hard The mechanism must have a means to maintain the Kian
horizontal position of the structure.
 Project 1 2023 | Kian Laylo | 27785947

Hard The mechanism must not interact with any of the other Cawthron
farms when equipped.
Hard There is a distance of ~50 m centre to centre between Kian/
each farm. As an allowance, there must be a 25 m space Cawthron
separating the edges of each mechanism to account for
strong currents/other external forces.
Soft The mechanism must be able to resist any aquatic Cawthron
organisms that latch on which may affect its function.
Quality
Soft Any fastening systems or joints involved in the intended Kian
design must applied consistently with quality. E.g., good
consistent welded joints/corners, rivets, nuts, etc.
Soft Material acquisition must come from suppliers that are Kian
known to distribute quality materials (low risk of
compromised quality – quality control).
Soft Consider materials which may interact with the Cawthron
properties of water e.g., electrolysis, etc.
Soft The mechanism must be able to resist any substantial Kian
changes in the water’s temperature.
Soft The mechanism must be robust enough to resist any Kian
damages caused by strong currents/waves.
Safety
Soft The implementation of the design should minimise the Kian
safety risks of any staff involved in any interactive
processes with the structure e.g., maintenance, etc.
Soft The method of lowering and raising the farm should Kian
minimise the safety risks of any nearby divers/personnel.
Soft The design and methods of manufacturing/assembly Kian
must be as safe as possible.
Soft The mechanism must have a means of informing any Kian
potential marine vessels of the structure’s presence.
Soft The mechanism must not use any substances/materials Kian
which are inherently hazardous e.g., radioactive
materials.
Lifecycle
Soft The mechanism ideally, should have a lifecycle <15 years. Cawthron
Soft The mechanism should ideally use materials that are Kian
sustainable and are able to be recycled at the end of its
life cycle.
Soft The mechanism must be easily broken down for recycling Kian
at the end of its life cycle.
Hard The mechanism must be able to resist any fatigue it may Cawthron
experience from the cyclic nature of the elliptical
movement of the structure due to open-ocean external
factors.
Manufacturing
Soft The process of assembly and disassembly of the Kian
mechanism should be as undemanding as possible
(simple).
 Project 1 2023 | Kian Laylo | 27785947

Soft The design must be robust enough to make amends to Kian

any changes should any issues arise from the testing of
the prototype or changes in the shape/dimensions of the
aquaculture farms.
Soft The design should be simple enough to be manufactured Kian
in relatively medium numbers. (The project is innately a
bespoke product and therefore mass production is
currently not in consideration).
Soft The manufacturing site should ideally be as close to the Kian
aquaculture farm sites as possible for ease of transport
(Nelson or upper South Island region).
Timing
Hard Designed and built within 12 months Cawthron
Soft The mechanism must be able to be implemented on the Kian
aquatic farm < 1 week.
Soft The mechanism must be able to lower and raise the Cawthron
structure consistently every 6 weeks.
Economic
Soft Total material costs < $10,000 NZD. Kian
Soft Processes and methods of manufacturing the mechanism Kian
should be commonly used or well-known – deterring
from the need to undergo any research on new
fabrication/assembly methods.
Ecological
Soft The mechanism must not emit any soundwaves which Kian
could impact the surrounding aquatic wildlife.
Soft The mechanism must not release any substances which Kian
may negatively affect the properties of the surrounding
water.
Soft The process of manufacturing and assembly of the Kian
mechanism should release as little greenhouse gases as
possible.
Soft The mechanism must not impede in the ability to harvest Cawthron
the farmed organisms.
Soft The mechanism should have a means of Cawthron
detecting/gathering data on nearby marine organisms.
Soft The speed at which the mechanism raises/lowers the Kian
structure must not be so fast as to disturb or negatively
affect the farmed organisms.
Accessibility
Soft The mechanism must be relatively accessible for any Kian
maintenance/changes on-site should there be any issues
with the farm or the mechanism.
Hard The mechanism must not be so large as to be incredibly Kian
difficult to transport from the manufacturing/assembly
site to the farm sites.
Soft The mechanism must be able to accommodate variations Cawthron
in changes in the tethering system or the structure.
Project 1 2023 | Kian Laylo | 27785947