Gravity Generator - WordPress.comof gravity for the generation of energy. A great way to generate electricity for these countries is using gravity, not only to generate electricity,

Final Report Gravity Generator

BAET

Dalya Al-Karagholi 214508311

Mohammad Ahmad 214269252

Sarah Kassim 213467832

Mark Behman 213657358

MECH 2412 April 04, 2017

Index

I. Team Statement of Participation 2

II. Executive Summary 3

III. Planning and Clarification 3

i. Background 3

ii. Design Specifications (Comments and Corrections) 3

iii. Functional Structure Diagram (Comments and Corrections) 6

IV. Conceptual Design 8

i. Morphological Analysis 8

ii. Conceptual Design Selection (Comments and Corrections) 9

V. Embodiment Design 12

i. i. Preliminary Layout 12

ii. ii. Design Analysis (Comments and Corrections) 13

VI. Design Implementation 14

i. Manufacturing 14

ii. Prototype Analysis (Comments and Corrections) 15

iii. Final Design 18

Poster 20

Appendix A 21

1

I. Introduction

For our project, we had created a gear box system, with 6 gears and a single rack to

create a gravity generator which can generate 4V for approximately 1 second. We had created

our system from multiple items included within the acceptable materials list to create a successful

mechanism. The assembly process included the efforts of all the teammates to create closed

gear box which is represented in the images below.

II. Team Statement of Participation

The below statements certify that each member contributed to the project’s completion.

Sarah Kassim

• Conducted all the Strength Calculations

• Created Free Body Diagrams

• Created the functional structure diagram

• Assisted with the design and fabrication

• Completed Optimal Output calculations

• Responsible for creating the table with Yield Strength and Young’s Modulus

• Calculated Expected Output

Dalya Al-Karagholi

• Designed initial preliminary designs for the Conceptual Design Report

• Designed and fabricated parts of the gravity generator

• Assembled the gravity generator

• Tested the Project before finalizing the assembly

• Made modifications to the design and assembly

• Designed a poster for the project

Hasaan Ahmad

• Developed requirements list

• Designed the complete project using CAD (Prototype and Final

Design)

• Designed and fabricated parts of the gravity generator

• Assembled the gravity generator

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Mark Behman

• Created the Morphological Chart

• Assisted with the assembly of the gravity generator

• Responsible for creating the table with Yield Strength and

Young’s Modulus

II. Executive Summary In today’s society, many appliances and designs on energy generated by electricity. However, most of these designs depend on gears and rotational motion to generate energy rather than using a power outlet to receive electricity and convert it to energy. It’s especially important for countries which do not have the luxury of energy resources such as electricity to use the concept of gravity for the generation of energy. A great way to generate electricity for these countries is using gravity, not only to generate electricity, but as a way to advance in technology and have a better way of life. This report explains how gravity (weight) can be used to generate a minimum of 4 volts. Our team has put together designs and numbers to make this possible, along with CAD designs and material to be used to make this project possible.

III. Planning and Clarification

i. Background Our goal is to design and build a device that generates a minimum of 4V of electricity by using Kinetic Energy and converted Free Gravitational Potential Energy. Our design needs to generate electricity several seconds, or minutes in order to make it successful. A gear ratio is implemented in the designs discussed further in this report to maximize the total time the gravity generator will run for.

ii. Design Specifications (Design Specifications

Comments and Corrections)

The design specifications for our project consisted of the following main goals:

● 4V minimum generated from the final design ● Implement gravity (use of weights) to generate energy

● Maximize time in which 4V or higher can be attained

● Use only the supplied material

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Objective Tree Diagram

Figure 1: Objective Tree Diagram

Requirements list

category Demand or wish? Requirements

geometry D Size 2x2x1 (m)

weight (loading) w loading 10kg (max)

safety D lock mechanism appropriate insulation

costs D minimize costs; fewer and less expensive materials

functionality D spin continuously until locking mechanism is engaged

materials D minimize amount of design components of complexity

performance D Speed RPM Friction Wheel Radius

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Lock mechanism/stopper

user W ease of use/ operation

environmental W water resist operational under standard circumstances

manufacturing W Machine shop access Design complexity/ difficulty labor number of component

output D power:>= 4V

Table 1: Requirements List

Comments and Corrections

Briefly describe the errors you made in the selection of your requirements or objectives.

Some of the errors we made during design requirement selection include making user

operation a wish, as we did not consider this in our early design and generating 4V for a long

time was not possible. We were able to improve our design and make adjustments that outputted

results we can accept. Also, although we made cost a demand, we were not able to restrict the

usage of materials due to multiple prototypes in our process to create our best design.

Did your final design meet all of your requirements? Why or why not.

Our final design was able to meet most our listed requirements, including size,

functionality, manufacturing, and performance. One requirement we overlooked was minimizing

cost of materials, as we built two functional prototypes during our design and manufacturing

process.

Did your final design reflect the design objectives that you chose? Why or why not.

Yes, our design reflecting majority of the design objectives such as functionality, as it

generated more than 4V, and design complexity, as our design was not difficult to assemble.

Cost efficiency was the only objective we did not do well on due to multiple prototypes.

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iii. Functional Structure Diagram (Functional Structure

Comments and Corrections) Step 1: Black Box Model

Figure 2: Step 1 of Functional Structure Diagram

Step 2: Tracing Flows


General Tracing Design: The “materials input” are the raw available materials used for the construction of the Gravity Generator Device. They are used to create the device which in turn can receive a start signal which can activate the gears to turn the motor. This allows the motor to rotate which in turn creates Low voltage electricity. The waste energy and heat are generated as output.

Step 4: Selecting the Boundary


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Comments: The flow chart created above are the original used in the Conceptual Design Report. This Flowchart received constructive criticism from Roger Carrick and had been reconstructed

according to his advice below.

Corrections:

The following flowcharts are corrections of Figures 3, and 4 due to them requiring the assistance

of gravity to rotate the motor that can in turn rotate the gears (which is inaccurate).

Step 2: Tracing Flows


Step 4: Selecting the Boundary


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IV. Conceptual Design

i. Morphological Analysis Morphological Chart

Function option 1 option 2 option 3

mass

vertically displaced

horizontally displaced

mass carried by hands

power source

starting the motor

rotating gears

weight source

Figure 5: Morphological Chart

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ii. Conceptual Design Selection (Conceptual Design

Comments and Corrections)

Figure 6: Concept Design 1

Design path:

Weight> polyethylene tube> wheel in the back

will spin> rod will rotate> front wheel will spin>

second wheel will spin> rotation of motor knob

Description:

This design will use the concept of gears but by

using a rod and wheels instead. The weight will

begin to drop which will pull the polyethylene tube. The rod will consequently rotate making the

second wheel rotate as well. This well consequently make the tube move and cause the motor

knob to rotate as well. This design is more complex than the following two designs, mostly

because it includes a lot of parts. But it has more chances of working.


Design path:

Weight> polyethylene tube> lever (steel rod)>

follow path of screws> wheel spinning >

motor knob rotating

Description:

In this design, the weight will pull on the

polyethylene tube following the path of screws setup in a circle around the wheel. This will make

the wheel spin which consequently makes the second polyethylene tube to move and cause the

motor knob to rotate. This design is fairly simple to make, but harder to execute than the first and

third designs.

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Design path:

Load> polyethylene tube> wheel spinning> rod

rotating> polyethylene tube rotating> motor rotating

Description:

The weight will pull on the polyethylene tube which

goes into the hole in the platform. Afterwards, the

wheel will start spinning which will cause the second

polyethylene tube to rotate which causes the motor

knob to rotate in that direction. This design is the

least in complexity.

1. Generate power >= 4V: The highest priority.

2. Design complexity: The difficulty/complexity receives the 2nd highest priority. 3. Cost efficient: The remaining 25% of the total performance grade is based on total cost.

4. Time management: Time management receives the least priority as it is not an important

requirement of the design.

Conceptual Design Weighting: 1-3 (Lowest to Highest)

Design Objective

Weight Conceptual Design 1

Conceptual Design 2

Conceptual Design 3

1 0.75 3 1 2

2 0.50 1 2 3

3 0.25 1 3 2

4 0.15 1 2 3

Total 3.15 2.8 3.95

Table 2: The Conceptual Design Weighting.

Based on the above results, the Principal Solution is to go with Conceptual Design 3.

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Comments: These designs all require the use of only one gear and rack that will fall with the help of gravity which was completely changed. Our group had used a brand new design with the use

of 6 gears as well as a rack system. The Morphological Chart as well is missing both the energy

source (Power generation method) as well as Friction control.

Corrections: This new gear system with a gear ratio of 1:30 was much more successful in reaching the goals of this project by projecting an output voltage of 4V for approximately 4

seconds. The figure below shows our new improved design. The rack is held in place by three

steel rods to direct its motion. The other three gears are held in place by steel rods which are

fixed in their place by gorilla glue. the last gear is glued to the shaft of the motor, and the motor is

fixed in its place by screwing its hinges to the fibreboard using its specific small screws. We have

tested this new design and it is proven to generate at least 4V.

Figure 9: Final Gravity Generator Design

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V. Embodiment Design

i. Preliminary Layout

The design that our team has come up is one that uses the concept of a rack and pinion. Below is

figure 10 and figure 11 that show our initial CAD models of the gear and rack with approximate

measurements. In figure 11, it is shown that our rack will have a weight attached to it from the

bottom which will drag it towards the ground and that will cause the gear to rotate.

Figure 10: Preliminary CAD model of the gear Figure 11: Preliminary CAD model of the rack

Figure 12: Sketch of the rack and pinion to be used

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ii. Design Analysis (Design Analysis Comments and

Corrections)

Comments: We had conducted analysis on the following components: Gears and Rack. The gears were very important in terms of them being the main parts for the gravity generator to work

and if there is any defect in the teeth occurring due to constant moving and motion, the gravity

generator will not work. As the gears are rotating, they are inducing friction upon one another

which can cause wear and tear as the material being used (fibreboard) is quite vulnerable. To

make sure that each tooth was strong enough to overcome this obstacle we had double layered

the fibreboard so that the gears were around 6mm thick to prevent chipping and breaking. We

had design this using multiple calculations of strength and loading to ensure the modulus of all

the gears are similar and can ensure smooth motion. The shafts were then designed to a specific

length (12 mm ) so that they can fit all the gears within the axis along with connecting to both

walls of the gearbox. The shaft had forces acting upon it and thus we had calculated the torque

of the gears on each member along with discovering the yield strength and yield modulus of

each material (from the material catalogue provided in project constraints) so that it was

appropriate to withstand and efficiently work. The rack itself had to have a similar modulus and

go through a similar construction, as well as a calculation process as the gears due to forces of

friction acting upon its teeth and the weight that is attached to the bottom. To counteract the

weight being too strong and damaging the rack we had added enforcements to strengthen. The

addition of bushings, as well as wall materials aided in the overall design of the gravity generator.

Corrections: We had first created a prototype with 6 gears that was able to create 4V for a period of 4 seconds (maximum). This however, was improved by our final design which had a much

longer rack (1112.14 mm) compared to the previous length (609.6 mm). We had also been

concerned regarding the teeth breaking from the force of the mass and that they wouldn’t be

able to withstand the forces acting upon it. The teeth in the gear created in the prototype had

broken off due to the force of the weight and thus we ensured by adding extra material (9 mm

thickness), that the teeth will not break off in the final design. Once all the parts were re-lasered

and reassembled we noticed that there are no issues.

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VI. Design Implementation

i. Manufacturing

Materials used during the manufacturing process of the Gravity Generator

● Fiberboard: This material was used to create the gears, gearbox, supports/bearings, and

rack. The fibreboard isn’t a very strong material and thus to increase the strength of the

gears and racks made from this material we had to double layer all of the parts so from

the original 3mm it became 6mm.

● Polyethylene Rod: this material is used for the bushings/spacers so that it can assist in the

reduction of vibrations so that the gears can rotate smoothly and efficiently. This was

extremely important as there was a great need for a spacer between the gearbox walls

and the gears along to prevent any surface friction that can cause any disruptions with the

gravity generator.

● Steel Rod: Used as shafts so that it can hold the gears for rotation in the same location.

These shafts were used to as joints within the gearbox and the steel material ensured that

it was strong and capable of withstanding any torsional or bending forces acting upon it

from the rotation of the gears from the gravity generator.

● Gorilla Glue: Used to join all parts of the gravity generator together. This adhesive was

extremely strong and was meant to be used on wooden surfaces so that it can connect all

parts of the gearbox together to create the gravity generator.

Manufacturing methods used for the creation of the Gravity Generator

● Laser cutting: Used to cut the fibreboard into the gears and rack as well as the gearbox

itself. This was an extremely accurate machine as it was able to cut the fibreboard into the

necessary parts and pieces that make up our final gravity generator design. This was

located in the Sandbox in the prototype lab, and with the assistance of the guru’s we

were able to provide them with the necessary files converted from the SOLIDWORKS

parts so the guru can arrange it successfully with the least amount of material (fibreboard)

wasted.

● Wood Band Saw: Used in the machine shop located in the basement of Bergeron Building

to reduce the size of the 24” by 24” fiberboard sizes to an acceptable 24” by 20” size that

can fit into the laser cutting machine.

● Mill: Used to drill holes in the polyethylene rods to turn them into small bushings.

● Computer-Aided Design: The use of Solidworks to help design the gravity generator to

complete a full design in which we can later on laser cut and manufacture. This was done

using many components of the software to allow us to create, analyse and design as well

show the assembly and motion of the final gravity generator before cutting parts.

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In conclusion, we were able to create a prototype design, test it and understand the areas of

development to create our final design which was much more manageable as we had familiarity

with the processes and could easily develop the final design, cut the new parts and reassemble

them. The process of manufacturing was the most time consuming process but was also the most

results driven and provided us with great tools and experiences that we can use as a team to

continue and improve ourselves.

ii. Prototype Analysis (Prototype Analysis Comments and

Corrections)

Prototype images

Figure 12: Top Side View

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Figure 13: Bird’s eye View of Gearbox System

Figure 14: Side View of the Gear and Rack System.

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Testing Analysis

For the Testing Analysis of the mechanism we had the prototype attached to the stand using a

clamp with the help of Andy the guru in the prototyping room (See Appendix A, figure xx). We

had successfully created a stable prototype which could conduct all 5 tests without any

problems. We conducted all the tests using the materials available and already set along with the

stand. The voltage created by the motor turning was calculated and visualized in a LabVIEW

program. We had conducted more than 5 tests (approx. 7) to conclude that our prototype was

indeed successful in producing the required voltage amount (4V) but was insufficient in holding

that voltage for a long period. The average time would be less than second (~0.8s) from all 7

tests. The results of the tests are displayed in Appendix A, figures 4-9.

Comments: The prototype was able to perform very well as we had a great gear ratio of 1:30, as well as 6 gears creating 4V for approximately 4 seconds. We were concerned however whether

each tooth was strong enough to overcome the torque and forces being applied and whether

they would deteriorate (chip or break) so we had double layered the fibreboard so that the gears

were around 6mm thick to prevent chipping and breaking. We had design this using multiple

calculations of strength and loading to ensure the modulus of all the gears are similar and can

ensure smooth motion. The shaft had forces acting upon it and thus we had calculated the torque

of the gears on each member along with discovering the yield strength and yield modulus of

each material (from the material catalogue provided in project constraints) so that it was

appropriate to withstand and efficiently work. The rack itself had to have a similar modulus and

go through a similar construction, as well as a calculation process as the gears due to forces of

friction acting upon its teeth and the weight that is attached to the bottom. To counteract the

weight being too strong and damaging the rack we had added enforcements to strengthen. The

addition of bushings, as well as wall materials aided in the overall design of the gravity generator.

Corrections: We had first created a prototype with 6 gears that was able to create 4V for a period of 4 seconds (maximum). This however, was improved by our final design which had a much

longer rack (1112.14 mm) compared to the previous length (609.6 mm). We had also been

concerned regarding the teeth breaking from the force of the mass and that they wouldn’t be

able to withstand the forces acting upon it. The teeth in the gear created in the prototype had

broken off due to the force of the weight and thus we ensured by adding extra material (9 mm

thickness), that the teeth will not break off in the final design. Once all the parts were re-lasered

and reassembled we noticed that there are no issues.

17

iii. Final Design The changes that we made to our prototype design is improving the rack by adding a much longer rack, (1112.14 mm) compared to the previous length (609.6 mm), to the final design. We had also been concerned regarding the teeth breaking from the force of the mass and that they wouldn’t be able to withstand the forces acting upon it. The teeth in the gear created in the prototype had broken off due to the force of the weight and thus we ensured by adding extra material (9 mm thickness), so that the teeth will not break off in the final design. Once all the parts were re-lasered and reassembled we noticed that there are no issues. The prototype was able to last for approximately 4 seconds, and our final design’s longest time is TBA (we will conduct our testing on Thursday). Our gravity generator costed us approximately: $7.48. Calculations: ($3.95 + $2.09 + ($0.20*6) + $0.15 + $0.09) (Based off of Table 3, Appendix A). Photographs of Final Design

Figure 15: Bottom View of the Gears, shafts and bearings inside the gravity generator.

Figure 16: Top View of the gravity generator.

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CAD of Final Design

Figure 17: Full Rack of the gravity generator.

Figure 18: Final Design of the gravity generator

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Poster

Figure 19: Poster

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Appendix A

Figure 20: Test 1 of the BAET project, (Time: .35s, Volt: 6.82 – beyond the limit)

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22


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Figure 23: Test 4 of the BAET project, (Time: 3.57, Volt: 7.85)

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25


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Figure 26: Testing placement of the BAET prototype with the help Lassonde Guru Andy

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Table 3: Available Material List with Prices

28

Documents

Gravity Generator - WordPress.comof gravity for the generation of energy. A great way to generate electricity for these countries is using gravity, not only to generate electricity,