A MOORED OCEANOGRAPHIC DATA ACQUISITION SYSTEM 



used to install the anchor and submerged buoy. A thirty foot utility boat 

 was used to tow the buoy into position and connect it to its mooring lines. 

 Constant underwater to surface telephone communication between divers and 

 boats was maintained to insure that the equipment was accurately placed. 



MAINTENANCE 



This system was designed with a life expectancy of two years. It should 

 require relatively low maintenance because the buoys were built of synthetic 

 materials that have high corrosive resistance to the environment. All metals 

 were chosen on the basis of their compatibility with each other and the en- 

 vironment. Military specification grade zinc anodes were used on all metal 

 parts for cathodic protection. All components subject to fouling were coated 

 with antifouling paint. Few available design criteria can be relied upon 

 when choosing materials or dimensions because of unpredictable amounts of 

 corrosion, loading, wear and fatigue. Therefore, frequent regular inspections 

 are made of the entire system. 



CONCLUSION 



It is difficult to maintain fixed buoy installations of this nature for 

 long periods in the ocean. Several failures have proven that no compromise 

 can be taken in the most insignificant details of design, material or work- 

 manship. Information gained from solving problems will certainly result in 

 improving future systems. 



ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 



The authors are indebted to Drs. John C. Steinberg and William Richardson 

 and Messrs. Morton Kronengold, Jack M. Loewenstein and Raul Murciano of the 

 Institute of Marine Science, University of Miami for their assistance and 

 encouragement in this work. 



REFERENCES 



Contribution No. 602 from the Institute of Marine Science, University of 



Miami, Florida. This work was supported in part by research contract 

 Nobs 90190. 



o 



'^Braincon Manufacturing Company, Marion, Massachusetts. 



Georgia Institute of Technology, Daniel Guggenheim School of Aeronautics, 

 Atlanta, Georgia 



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