Fall 2018 - Spring 2019
Fall 2018 - Spring 2019
Fall 2018 - Spring 2019
spring 2018
miniature bucket-wheel excavator
in collaboration with natalia baykova, morgan potts, & shane Shearman
Engineering projects most often have cost or material constraints, whereby engineers must meet a certain minimum strength while minimizing cost or material. The concept of the "safety factor" therefore is important: what is the allowable load that the structure should be able to withstand, beyond its most basic or nominal load? In this project, the team set out to build a miniature bucket-wheel excavator that minimized structure mass while achieving a predetermined 2X to 2.5X safety factor, i.e. the structure would fracture when handling a load (in the form of marbles) 2 to 2.5 times its intended load. Ultimately, the team achieved a 2.03X safety factor before failure.
my contributions
During this project, I taught myself topology optimization in ANSYS, which I used to inform the design of a lightweight but robust truss structure for the excavator boom. In addition to developing my understanding of fracture behaviors, this project furthered my ability to work with many fellow engineers on a complex, interdependent system.
The excavator was comprised of three subsystems, each with three to four designated team members. My team was responsible for the boom, which would transport the overburden from the excavation site to a storage compartment.
The final design of the excavator was deceivingly robust for its thin frame. The boom weighed just 1.02 lbs but could hold 6 lbs in storage before failure. Each part was constructed from 1/8" medium density fiberboard (MDF).
Iterative testing of physical models revealed a pattern of failure starting with tension, leading to torsion, and ending with a moment which snaps the boom in half. Theoretical calculations confirmed the results of simulation (FEA) and physical results.
The excavator was comprised of three subsystems, each with three to four designated team members. My team was responsible for the boom, which would transport the overburden from the excavation site to a storage compartment.
