Mechanical Design Solutions for Buoys to be Used in the Marginal Ice Zone

A series of four hulls were to be designed for launch either in open water or through ice in the marginal ice zone (MIZ). This paper reports on solutions implemented up to the third buoy of the series. Maintaining structural integrity for each of these buoys is critical to their survival. The units must be small enough to permit insertion via an eight inch hole if deployed through the ice, they must be designed rugged enough to survive the unfriendly MIZ environment, and since they are to be expendable, cost must be minimized. Units are to have an operating life of six months minimum and must be modular for transportation reasons but easily assembled on site without tools. Details of the ice penetrator and electro-mechanical connector designs are highlighted along with some details of the environmental considerations.