Production Aquanaut - Ultra Low Profile CPU/Pump Water Block

[duynguyenle]

Uhh the screw in that location actually reduces stress in the acrylic mid span. So no, adding a hole there wont increase the chances of a crack occurring. Pyotor has a valid point, in that the bow in the acrylic loads the sealing ring unevenly. Orings are recommended to have a optimal squish for sealing against set pressures. Loading unevenly means some areas are over squished, some is optimal and some is under squished. Also acrylic is very good at creep so yes there is a possibility of leakage at a later date due to deformation of the plastic and loss of preload in the center. Creep occurs at room temperature for loaded plastics, and heat accelerates the process.

I dunno, based on that photo, the pump attachment bolt right above it, so you'd be loading the region between those two holes in shear. There's too many variables in this particular example (especially regarding the flatness of the pump housing itself) so I can't really say with any certainty whether this additional shear in the corner is of concern.

In terms of creep, from my (very limited) experience with plastics (mainly non-structural POM and PEEK), I would be more concerned about thermally induced creep at regions of higher stresses (fastener holes/notches, and especially holes with threadforms, in this case). You are correct that on a longer timeframe, loss of preload due to creep could be a problem, I'm just not entirely convinced that it is of the same order of importance as the loss of preload due to thermally induced creep around threadforms ( I don't have as much experience with acrylics compared to POM/PEEK/Nylon).

In any case, I stand by my point about the modded hole. One way to improve that would be to actually counterbore the bottom plate and use a bolted joint with a nylon washer instead of tapping directly into acrylic (but I am not convinced there's adequate margin in the bottom plate to do so)

 

[Pyotr]

Ouch, that looks like a crack waiting to happen. Drilling and tapping a hole with just a few mm of acrylic on either side in the area of the block with the most stress? That doesn't sound like a good idea to me, especially when the screw will just be holding against threads cut into the acrylic. I would rather deal with changing an O-ring every few years (the loop should be torn down for cleaning anyhow) than ruining a perfectly good block.

True. I did state its a less than idea location to install. The chamfer from the head does reduce, but not eliminate stress risers in the material. over time with heat cycles it drastically increases the risk. It's why I'd rather look into extending the coldplate screws into the top plate. Alternatively, using a material that's not as susceptible to cracks E.G. POM. (have I beaten that horse to death yet?)

Uhh the screw in that location actually reduces stress in the acrylic mid span. So no, adding a hole there wont increase the chances of a crack occurring. Pyotor has a valid point, in that the bow in the acrylic loads the sealing ring unevenly. Orings are recommended to have a optimal squish for sealing against set pressures. Loading unevenly means some areas are over squished, some is optimal and some is under squished. Also acrylic is very good at creep so yes there is a possibility of leakage at a later date due to deformation of the plastic and loss of preload in the center. Creep occurs at room temperature for loaded plastics, and heat accelerates the process.

Exactly. the trade off with the location is risk cracking the acrylic, or risk blowout of the seals. given that you can see the consequence of the bend in the sealing profile of the preformed packing, id rather risk potential cracks than a blowout.

 

[Nouvolo]

The mod looks ok I think.

Aquanaut was designed with all screws installed from the bottom for better aesthetics in mind.

Mentioning again, there is no leak issue with this, after extensive testing. Feel free to do whatever for your peace of mind. Just don't want after about 50 posts down the thread, users will get confused and everybody starts trying to mod, thinking the original will leak...

 

[einmannbude]

Yesterday I finished assembling my custom loop with Aquanaut as CPU block. Unfortunately the CPU temperatures are beyond good and evil. I hope, I made some installation error, but just to make sure this is not expected behaviour, I wanted to share the data I get and ask for feedback:

In Windows idle the CPU is already nearly 60°C hot, if I let pump and fans run at reasonable speed for idle mode.
If I max out fans and pump, the water temperature is around 27°C in Windows idle. CPU temps around 50°C.

So, there is a delta between CPU and water of more than 20°C. This should not be the case, right? At the same time my GPU is at 30°C in idle, so there is almost no delta.

 

[einmannbude]

Yesterday I finished assembling my custom loop with Aquanaut as CPU block. Unfortunately the CPU temperatures are beyond good and evil. I hope, I made some installation error, but just to make sure this is not expected behaviour, I wanted to share the data I get and ask for feedback:

In Windows idle the CPU is already nearly 60°C hot, if I let pump and fans run at reasonable speed for idle mode.
If I max out fans and pump, the water temperature is around 27°C in Windows idle. CPU temps around 50°C.

So, there is a delta between CPU and water of more than 20°C. This should not be the case, right? At the same time my GPU is at 30°C in idle, so there is almost no delta.

Nevermind, I found the problem. It was wrong installation indeed. The CPU block didn't even touch the CPU. Now everything works very well.

 

[sos]

@Nouvolo Is there a possibility to rotate am4 bracket by 90 degree?

Or they may be a problem with tightening socket screws?

 

[thelaughingman]

@Nouvolo Is there a possibility to rotate am4 bracket by 90 degree?

Or they may be a problem with tightening socket screws?

look up Nouvolo previous replies - IIRC it was because of the screws

 

[Valantar]

Finally got my pump (Laing DDC 3.2 PWM) wired up + sleeved, and got the Aquanaut assembled today. Fitment looks excellent on my part, no gaps, bends or flexing visible. Very happy so far, looking forward to getting it installed.

Also decided to sand the surface of its screws for some extra grip + a less shiny look. About 10 minutes and a sheet of 240 grit sand paper and IMO they look pretty decent. Not professional-level obviously, but suitably matte, and definitely grippier. The camera's sharpening does exaggerate how scratchy they look, as the real-world finish is more of a vague criss-cross scratch pattern in a mostly matte surface. It's worth noting that sanding brings out any and all imperfections very clearly though - the flatter part on the top of the screw in particular. But I like it!