Corporation 1 Members: Ryan Best Hasnain Meghani Cory Bryan Daniel Edwards Summer 2005 8/01/2005 Dr. David Beale Mr. Tom Delay2 Abstract The purpose of this project is to address design problems with the toroidal wrapping machine. The new design will change the gear support system, and the frame will be totally redesigned. It will consist of a new frame, gear, and spooling device. The new design will eliminate previous design problems. The new frame will be more rigid and eliminate vibration and deflection. The new gear support will continuously support the gear. This will stabilize the gear and eliminate alignment issues. The new spool system will allow the carbon fiber to be transferred without damage. The spool system will also ensure that the material is placed in the correct position. The new system will also simplify the tank changing method. It will be possible for one person to make the change. The final project will incorporate all these changes and produce a more efficient wrapping machine.3 Table of Contents I. Introduction (Ryan Best) 4 II. Main Body a. Frame Design (Cory Bryan) 5-6 b. Caster Mounting (Hasnain Meghani) 7 c. Gear Support (Daniel Edwards) 8-9 d. Spool Design (Cory Bryan) 10-11 e. Toroid Angle Changing (Ryan Best) 12-13 f. Toroid Changing (Daniel Edwards) 14-15 III. Conclusion (Ryan Best) 16 IV. Appendix A – Cost Report 17 V. Appendix B – Frame FEA (Hasnain) 18 VI. Appendix C – Caster Mounting Plate FEA (Hasnain) 19 VII. Appendix D – Parts List 20 VIII. Appendix E – Drafts4 Introduction The goal of this project is to redesign the tank wrapping machine assembled by the preceding group. During initial testing of the machine, several problems were seen in the previous design. The main design flaw was found to be the frame. The weight of the gear assembly along with vibration caused by the interaction between the pinion and ring gear caused excess movement in the frame. Excess frame movement caused an unstable relationship between the pinion and the ring gear. This unstable relationship caused unnecessary wearing of the ring gear. Also, inserting and removing the tank to and from the machine proved to be very difficult. It involved removing several components and setup required precise realignment. Changing the wrapping angle was difficult as well because it required moving multiple joints at one time. At least three people were needed to make the adjustments required to change the wrapping angle. The carbon fiber wrapping mechanism was poorly designed and must be redone to allow for smooth wrapping. The following sections will describe each design flaw and the changes needed to overcome the flaws.5 Frame Design Investigating the previous frame design revealed numerous problems. The whole frame itself was very unstable and rickety. The table was also at an angle and this made the gear run poorly. The vibration in the frame caused the machine to be very loud and unpleasant. The last major problem was that deflection in the frame caused gear and pinion alignment problems. The problem with the frame was that it was constructed of 1.5 inch aluminum square tubing. This frame was held together by numerous screws and brackets. The adjustability of this design as well as the size made it weak and unstable. The next problem with the design was the angle the frame was set to. This angle caused the gear to speed up and slow down. Figure 1 Vibration was also a concern with this design. Vibration of the frame caused the machine to be very loud during operation. This vibration also cause wear on the ring gear. Deflection was the last issue with the frame design. Deflection in the frame caused alignment problems between the ring gear and pinion. This problem caused excessive wear on Figure 2 the ring and pinion gear.6 The new frame will be constructed of 3 inch steel square tubing. The frame will be welded together for added strength. The table will be fixed in the horizontal position to eliminate angle problems with the gear. The larger welded frame will be more rigid and supply more support. The new design will eliminate the vibration and deflection problems. This will allow the machine to operate quietly and efficiently. Figure 3 Figure 47 Caster Mounting The caster mounting plate will be manufactured on the CNC machine. Steel will be used for this part. A total of six mounting plates are required for this machine. The mounting plate is shown in figure 5. A detailed drawing is shown in Appendix C. The casters are then press fitted into the caster mounting plate. There are two casters on each mounting plate. The tire ring is used to align the casters with the mounting plate. This is shown in figure 7. The parts are Figure 5 dimensioned to obtain a Class LN1 fit. The mounting plate is then attached to the gear at six locations thirty degrees apart using nuts and bolts. Detailed drawings are shown in Appendix C. The gear with the mounting plate is shown in figure 6. Figure 6 Figure 78 Gear Support Supporting the ring gear is very important for good operation of the toroid wrapping machine. Improper support could cause ring gear and pinion misalignment, which will lead to wear of the aluminum ring gear. The gear shouldn’t be able to move in the horizontal or vertical direction. The gear support in the previous design (Figure 8) consisted of sixteen casters mounted to the frame. The casters only supported from the bottom outside of the gear. This allowed the gear to move up in the horizontal direction, causing wear on the ring gear. Figure 8: Old Gear Support The new gear support design (Figure 9 & Figure 10) has continuous gear support in all directions. It is a very rigid support that is not aligned by hand after a toroid change. This design calls for a 2.5” thick by 36” diameter piece