1.
2 Product / Project Background
1.2.1 Project Background
To become a qualified Mechanical Engineer in future, we have to complete, pass and
master this course of Mechanical Component Design (Code: BDA31203).As part of
requirement to complete this course, we are required to apply the knowledge that we have
learned throughout the course by designing a machine which involved the gearing system.
From the topic given, we had chosen to design and optimize a gearing system for
lifting crane machine. According to the objective of the project, involved students will be
able to improve our technical report writing skills with the ability to:
1. Justify a design project in a formal report
2. Perform and present design calculations in a neat and organized manner.
3. Present the outcomes of the design of the design in the form of engineering
drawings.
1.2.2 Product Background
For this project, we chose lifting crane. It is a mechanical lifting device that function
to lift and lower materials vertically. Mechanical components such as gear system are able to
be found in lifting crane, this is to create mechanical advantage. In this way, human are able
to move loads far beyond the capability of human.
There are various applications in industries especially in transport industry for loading
and unloading of freight, in construction industry to move material from the ground to
elevated area and in manufacturing industry to move and assemble heavy loads such as the
assembly of car engine in car manufacturing industry. Lifting crane made the work easier for
the worker and increase the efficiency of work.
The earliest cranes were not structured by steel or cast iron but it was made from
wood. By the time of Industrial Revolution, the material of crane started to change to steel so
that it was able to withstand and carry heavier loads. Modern cranes attach internal
combustion engines, electric motors or hydraulic systems onto it to provide a greater lifting
force and saved the energy exerted from humans or animals since the power supplied for
century ago were by humans and animals.
Variety of lifting crane can be found and some even design for specific use only.
Sizes of lifting crane can be obtained from the crane used in workshop to the lifting crane
used to construct skyscraper.
Moreover, modern overhead cranes are also available in smaller scaled down
versions, suitable for use in smaller enterprises and applications to aid in the lifting and
moving process.
1.2.2.1 History of Lifting Crane
In order to aid in the process of moving and lifting heavy objects, the human
population have been utilising the crane. Indeed, the invention of the crane has been largely a
to ancient Greece, where these early devices were typically powered by men or animals.
Overhead cranes are a particular type of crane commonplace in a number of different
industrial environments. Here we take a brief look back at the history of the overhead crane
and how it became a staple and indeed essential component of numerous manufacturing
industries.
The first known construction cranes were invented by the Ancient Greeks and were
powered by men or beasts of burden, such as donkeys. This kind of cranes commonly used
for construction of buildings. Usually, this kind of cranes used for construction of tall
building.
Figure 1 First crane by human and animal
Larger cranes were later developed, employing the use of human tread wheels, which
is used to lifting heavier weights.
In Figure 2 : Tread
the High wheelAges,
Middle at Bonn, Germany
harbour and in
cranes Britain's
were Canterbury
introduced. Cathedral
It used to load and
unload ships and assist with their construction and some of it were built into stone towers
to get extra strength and stability. During Industrial Revolution, cranes was constructed
from cast iron, iron and steel. The first cast iron crane was constructed in 1834. That same
year, the wire rope was invented, a much stronger alternative to the natural fibre rope or
the metal chain.
Finally, in 1851, the third game-changing innovation appeared: the steam powered
crane. With the arrival of steam power, any load could be lifted at any speed, as long as the
engine was powerful enough.
Figure 3 The first iron cranes in 19th century
The first mechanical power was provided by steam engines, the earliest steam crane
was introduced in the 18th or 19th century with many remaining use well into late 20th
century. Nowadays, modern cranes were using electric motor and hydraulic systems. It is
needed to provide much greater lifting capability.
1.2.2.2 Brief of Lifting Crane
A lifting crane is a machine that that can be used to bring upward and downward the
materials and can also move horizontally. It is commonly used for bringing heavy things and
transfer them to other places. Usually, it has hoist rope, wire ropes or chains and shaves.
Cranes are usually used in transportation industry for the loading and unloading of freight, in
construction industry for the movement of bulk materials and also in the manufacturing
industry for assembling heavy equipment such as in manufacturing of car industry. It make
use of one or more simple machines to create mechanical advantage and thus move loads
beyond the normal capability of human.
Overhead cranes subsequently came to be used extensively in the steel manufacturing
factories driving the industrial revolution. Since the advent of the industrial revolution the
overhead crane has been employed in a wide variety of different applications and there have
been a significant number of new innovations, which have seen the overhead crane undergo
significant modernisation. Overhead cranes are still widely used in the manufacturing of steel
as well as a number of other key industries, such as the refinement of other metals including
copper, and the automotive industry. Furthermore, modern overhead cranes are also available
in smaller scaled-down versions, suitable for use in smaller enterprises and applications to aid
in the lifting and moving process.
1.2.2.3 Type of Lifting Crane
Mobile Cranes
The most basic type of crane consists of a steel truss or telescopic boom mounted on a mobile
platform, which could be a rail, wheeled, or even on a cat truck. The boom is hinged at the
bottom and can be either raised or lowered by cables or hydraulic cylinders.
(Wikipedia, n.d.)
Figure 4 Mobile Cranes
Truck Mounted Crane
A crane mounted on a truck carrier provides the mobility for this type of crane.
Generally, these cranes can travel on highways, eliminating the need for special equipment to
transport the crane. When working on the jobsite, outriggers are extended horizontally from
the chassis then vertically to level and stabilize the crane while stationary and hoisting. Many
truck cranes have slow-travelling capability (a few miles per hour) while suspending a load.
Great care must be taken not to swing the load sideways from the direction of travel, as most
anti-tipping stability then lies in the stiffness of the chassis suspension.
Most cranes of this type also have moving counterweights for stabilization beyond
that provided by the outriggers. Loads suspended directly aft are the most stable, since most
of the weight of the crane acts as a counterweight. Factory-calculated charts (or electronic
safeguards) are used by crane operators to determine the maximum safe loads for stationary
(outrigger) work as well as (on-rubber) loads and travelling speeds. Truck cranes range in
lifting capacity from about 14.5 US tons to about 1300 US tons.
(Wikipedia, n.d.)
Figure 5 Truck Mounted Crane
Rough Terrain Crane
A crane mounted on an undercarriage with four rubber tires that is designed for pick-
and-carry operations and for off-road and “rough terrain” applications. Outriggers are used to
level and stabilize the crane for hoisting. These telescopic cranes are single-engine machines,
with the same engine powering the undercarriage and the crane, similar to a crawler crane. In
a rough terrain crane, the engine is usually mounted in the undercarriage rather than in the
upper, as with crawler crane.
(Wikipedia, n.d.)
Figure 6 Rough Terrain Crane
Side lift Crane
A side lifter crane is a road-going truck or semi-trailer, able to hoist and transport ISO
standard containers. Container lift is done with parallel crane-like hoists, which can lift a
container from the ground or from a railway vehicle.
(Wikipedia, n.d.)
Figure 7 Side lift Crane
All Terrain Crane
A mobile crane with the necessary equipment to travel at speed on public roads, and on rough
terrain at the job site using all-wheel and crab steering. AT‘s combine the road ability of
Truck mounted Cranes and the manoeuvrability of Rough Terrain Cranes. AT’s have 2-9
axles and are designed for lifting loads up to 1200 metric tons.
Figure 8 All Terrain Crane
Crawler Crane
Crawler is a crane mounted on an undercarriage with a set of tracks (also called
crawlers) that provide stability and mobility. Crawler cranes range in lifting capacity from
about 40 US tons to 3500 US tons. Crawler cranes have both advantages and disadvantages
depending on their use. Their main advantage is that they can move around on site and
perform each lift with little setup, since the crane is stable on its tracks with no outriggers. In
addition, a crawler crane can travel with a load. The main disadvantage is that they are very
heavy and cannot easily be moved from one job site to another without significant expense.
Typically, a large crawler must be disassembled and moved by trucks, rail cars or ships to its
next location.
(Wikipedia, n.d.)
Figure 9 Crawler Crane
Telescopic Crane
A telescopic crane has a boom that consists of a number of tubes fitted one inside the
other. A hydraulic or other powered mechanism extends or retracts the tubes to increase or
decrease the total length of the boom. These types of booms are often used for short term
construction projects, rescue jobs, lifting boats in and out of the water, etc. The relative
compactness of telescopic booms makes them adaptable for many mobile applications. Note
that while telescopic cranes are not automatically mobile cranes, many of them are. These are
often truck mounted.
(Wikipedia, n.d.)
Figure 10 Telescopic Crane
Loader Crane
A loader crane (also called a knuckle-boom crane or articulating crane) is a
hydraulically powered articulated arm fitted to a truck or trailer and is used for
loading/unloading the vehicle. The numerous jointed sections can be folded into a small
space when the crane is not in use. One or more of the sections may be telescopic. Often the
crane will have a degree of automation and be able to unload or stow itself without an
operator’s instruction. Unlike most cranes, the operator must move around the vehicle to be
able to view his load; hence modern cranes may be fitted with a portable cabled or radio-
linked control system to supplement the crane-mounted hydraulic control levers. In the UK
and Canada, this type of crane is almost invariably known colloquially as a “Hiab”, partly
because this manufacturer invented the loader crane and was first into the UK market, and
partly because the distinctive name was displayed prominently on the boom arm. A loader
crane is a loader crane mounted on a chassis with wheels. This chassis can ride on the trailer.
Because the crane can move on the trailer, it can be a light crane, so the trailer can transport
more goods.
(Wikipedia, n.d.)
Figure 11 Loader Crane
Stacker Crane
A crane with a forklift type mechanism used in automated (computer controlled)
warehouses (known as an automated storage and retrieval system (AS/RS)). The crane moves
on a track in an aisle of the warehouse. The fork can be raised or lowered to any of the levels
of a storage rack and can be extended into the rack to store and retrieve product. The product
can in some cases be as large as an automobile. Stacker cranes are often used in the large
freezer warehouses of frozen food manufacturers. This automation avoids requiring forklift
drivers to work in below freezing temperatures every day.
(Wikipedia, n.d.)
Figure 12 Stacker Crane
Railroad Crane
A railroad crane has flanged wheels for use on railroads. The simplest form is a crane
mounted on a railroad car. More capable devices are purpose-built. Different types of crane
are used for maintenance work, recovery operations and freight loading in goods yards.
(Wikipedia, n.d.)
Figure 13 Railroad Crane
Tower Crane
The tower crane is a modern form of balance crane. Fixed to the ground (and
sometimes attached to the sides of structures as well), tower cranes often give the best
combination of height and lifting capacity and are used in the construction of tall buildings.
The jib (Colloquially, the ‘boom’) and counter-jib are mounted to the turntable, where the
slewing bearing and slewing machinery are located. The counter-jib carries a counterweight,
usually of concrete blocks, while the jib suspends the load from the trolley. The Hoist motor
and transmissions are located on the mechanical deck on the counter-jib, while the trolley
motor is located on the jib.
The crane operator either sits in a cabin at the top of the tower or controls the crane by
radio remote control from the ground. In the first case the operator’s cabin is most usually
located at the top of the tower attached to the turntable, but can be mounted on the jib, or
partway down the tower. The lifting hook is operated by using electric motors to manipulate
wire rope cables through a system of sheaves. To hook and unhook the loads, the operator
usually works in conjunction with a signaller (known as a ‘rigger’ or ‘swamper’). They are
most often in radio contact, and always use hand signals. The rigger directs the schedule of
lifts for the crane and is responsible for the safety of the rigging and loads.
A tower crane is usually assembled by a telescopic jib (mobile) crane of greater reach
(also see “self erecting crane” below) and in the case of tower cranes that have risen while
constructing very tall skyscrapers, a smaller crane (or derrick) will often be lifted to the roof
of the completed tower to dismantle the tower crane afterwards. It is often claimed that a
large fraction of the tower cranes in the world are in use in Dubai. The exact percentage
remains an open question.
(Wikipedia, n.d.)
Figure 14 Tower Crane
Self-erecting Crane
Generally, a type of tower crane, these cranes, also called self-assembling or
“Kangaroo” cranes, lift themselves off the ground using jacks, allowing the next section of
the tower to be inserted at ground level or lifted into place by the partially erected crane itself.
They can thus be assembled without outside help or can grow together with the building or
structure they are erecting.
(Wikipedia, n.d.)
Figure 15 Self-erecting Crane
Level Luffing Crane
Normally a crane with a hinged jib will tend to have its hook also move up and down
as the jib moves (or luffs). A level luffing crane is a crane of this common design, but with an
extra mechanism to keep the hook level when luffing.
Figure 16 Level Luffing Crane
Hammerhead Crane
The “hammerhead”, or giant cantilever, crane is a fixed-jib crane consisting of a steel-
braced tower on which revolves a large, horizontal, double cantilever; the forward part of this
cantilever or jib carries the lifting trolley, the jib is extended backwards in order to form a
support for the machinery and counterbalancing weight. In addition to the motions of lifting
and revolving, there is provided a so-called “racking” motion, by which the lifting trolley,
with the load suspended, can be moved in and out along the jib without altering the level of
the load. Such horizontal movement of the load is a marked feature of later crane design.
These cranes are generally constructed in large sizes, up to 350 tons.
The design of hammer crane evolved first in Germany around the turn of the 19th
century and was adopted and developed for use in British shipyards to support the battleship
construction program from 1904-1914. The ability of the hammerhead crane to lift heavy
weights was useful for installing large pieces of battleships such as armour plate and gun
barrels. Giant cantilever cranes were also installed in naval shipyards in Japan and in the
USA. The British Government also installed a giant cantilever crane at the Singapore Naval
Base (1938) and later a copy of the crane was installed at Garden Island Naval Dockyard in
Sydney (1951). These cranes provided repair support for the battle fleet operating far from
Great Britain.
(Wikipedia, n.d.)
Figure 17 Hammerhead Crane
Gantry Crane
A gantry crane has a hoist in a fixed machinery house or on a trolley that runs
horizontally along rails, usually fitted on a single beam (mono-girder) or two beams (twin-
girder). The crane frame is supported on a gantry system with equalized beams and wheels
that run on the gantry rail, usually perpendicular to the trolley travel direction. These cranes
come in all sizes, and some can move very heavy loads, particularly the extremely large
examples used in shipyards or industrial installations. A special version is the container crane
(or “Portainer” crane, named by the first manufacturer), designed for loading and unloading
ship-borne containers at a port.
(Wikipedia, n.d.)
Figure 18 Gantry Crane
Deck Crane
Located on the ships and boats, these are used for cargo operations or boat unloading
and retrieval where no shore unloading facilities are available. Most are diesel-hydraulic or
electric hydraulic.
(Wikipedia, n.d.)
Figure 19 Deck Crane
Bulk-Handling Crane
Bulk-handling cranes are designed from the outset to carry a shell grab or bucket,
rather than using a hook and a sling. They are used for bulk cargoes, such as coal, minerals,
scrap metal etc.
(Wikipedia, n.d.)
Figure 20 Bulk Handling Crane
Jib Crane
A jib crane is a type of crane where a horizontal member (jib or boom), supporting a
moveable hoist, is fixed to a wall or to a floor-mounted pillar. Jib cranes are used in industrial
premises and on military vehicles. The jib may swing through an arc, to give additional
lateral movement, or be fixed. Similar cranes, often known simply as hoists, were fitted on
the top floor of warehouse buildings to enable goods to be lifted to all floors.
(Wikipedia, n.d.)
Figure 21 Jib Crane
Floating Crane
Floating cranes are used mainly in bridge building and port construction, but they
are also used for occasional loading and unloading of especially heavy or awkward loads
on and off ships. Some floating cranes are mounted on a pontoon, others are specialized
crane barges with a lifting capacity exceeding 10,000 tons and have been used to
transport entire bridge sections. Floating cranes have also been used to salvage sunken
ships. Crane vessels are often used in offshore construction. The largest revolving cranes
can be found on SSCV Thialf, which has two cranes with a capacity of 7,100 metric tons
each.
(Wikipedia, n.d.)
Figure 22 Floating Crane
Aerial Crane
Aerial crane or ‘Sky cranes’ usually are helicopters designed to lift large loads.
Helicopters are able to travel to and lift in areas that are difficult to reach by conventional
cranes. Helicopter cranes are most commonly used to lift units/loads onto shopping centres
and high-rises. They can lift anything within their lifting capacity, (cars, boats, swimming
pools, etc.). They also perform disaster relief after natural disasters for clean-up, and during
wildfire they are able to carry huge buckets of water to extinguish fires. Some aerial cranes,
mostly concepts, have also used lighter-than air aircraft, such as airships.
Figure 23 Aerial crane or ‘Sky cranes’
Hoist/Overhead Lifting Crane
Also referred to as a suspended crane, this type is normally used in a factory, with
some of them being able to lift very heavy loads. The hoist is set on a trolley which will move
in one direction along one or two beams, which move at angles to that direction along
elevated or ground level tracks, often mounted along the side of an assembly area.
(Wikipedia, n.d.)
Figure 24 Overhead Crane
1.2.2.4 Mechanical Principle of Lifting Crane
In designing a crane, there are two major consideration should be taken into account.
The first one is the magnitude of the load that the crane should able to lift. It also known as
the lifting capacity of the machine. The second is the stability, the crane should remain stable
when lifting the load so it does not topple over. These two factor play a big role in the final
design of the crane.
Lifting Capacity
The crane has been developed down the centuries to the finely engineering
machine, even though there a lot of evolution throughout the time, but the basic
principle remain the same which is the lever, pulley and the balance.
a) The Lever - The horizontal beam which act as a lever pivoted about a point
called the fulcrum. The idea is to attach a heavy load that needed to be lifted
at the shorter end of the beam and apply smaller force in the opposite
direction to the longer end of the beam. The mechanical advantage that can
be found here is the ratio of the load's weight to the applied force is equal to
the ratio of the lengths of the longer arm and the shorter arm.
b) The Pulley - All crane contains a tilted strut that supports a fixed pulley
block. Cables are wrapped multiple times round the fixed block and round
another block attached to the load. When the free end of the cable is pulled
by hand or by a winding machine, the pulley system delivers a force to the
load that is equal to the applied force multiplied by the number of lengths of
cable passing between the two blocks. This is the other mechanical
advantage that implemented in the crane.
c) The hydraulic cylinder - This can be used directly to lift the load (as with a
HIAB), or indirectly to move the jib or beam that carries another lifting
device. Cranes, like all machines, obey the principle of conservation of
energy. This means that the energy delivered to the load cannot exceed the
energy put into the machine. For example, if a pulley system multiplies the
applied force by ten, then the load moves only one tenth as far as the applied
force. Since energy is proportional to force multiplied by distance, the output
energy is kept roughly equal to the input energy (in practice slightly less,
because some energy is lost to Friction and other inefficiencies).
Figure 25 Component of Overhead Hoist Lifting Crane
1.2.2.5 Component of Overhead Crane
Bridge Girder
The principal horizontal beam of the crane
bridge which supports the trolley and is
supported by the end trucks.
(A. Bhatia, 2012)
Bridge Idler Wheel
A system that used to transit the rotation of
the rotating device
Hoist
The hoist mechanism is a unit consisting of
a motor drive, coupling, brakes, gearing,
drum, ropes, and load block designed to
raise, hold and lower the maximum rated
load. Hoist mechanism is mounted to the
trolley.
(A. Bhatia, 2012)
Panel
Control panel is the cabinet which contain
electrical components to control the motor
and equipment.
Pendant Festoon
Flat cable on a trolley traveling on a C rail
provides direct contact, which is extremely
wear resistant.
(A. Bhatia, 2012)
Trolley Festoon The unit carrying the hoisting mechanism
which travels on the bridge rails in a
direction at right angles to the crane runway.
Trolley frame is the basic structure of the
trolley on which are mounted the hoisting
and traversing mechanisms.
Bridge Drive
The function of motor drivers is to take a
low-current control signal and then turn it
into a higher-current signal that can drive a
motor.
(Future Electronics: Motor Drivers, n.d.)
End Truck Located on either side of the bridge, the end
trucks house the wheels on which the entire
crane travels. It is an assembly consisting of
structural members, wheels, bearings, axles,
etc., which supports the bridge girder(s) or
the trolley cross member(s).
(A. Bhatia, 2012)
An energy absorbing device for reducing
End Truck Bumper impact when a moving crane or trolley
reaches the end of its permitted travel, or
when two moving cranes or trolleys come
into contact. This device may be attached to
the bridge, trolley or runway stop.
(A. Bhatia, 2012)
Runway Beam The rails, beams, brackets and framework
on which the crane operates.
(A. Bhatia, 2012)
Runway Rail
The rail supported by the runway beams on
which the crane travels.
(A. Bhatia, 2012)
Wire Rope
The wire rope is a piece of equipment that is
used mainly for production tasks.
(Hoist: chain Hoist or wire rope hoist, 2015)
Hook Block A hook block is an assembly to which the
hook of a hoist or crane is attached; it
typically consists of a steel enclosure
housing a number of sheaves or pulleys that
carry the ropes or chains that facilitate the
lifting of a load. The most important
functions of any hook block is facilitating of
a free turning or rotating hook arrangement.
(Scott, 2016)
Pendant / Pendant Cable The pendant gives the operator precise
control over the motions of the crane. Each
pushbutton on the pendent controls an
operating function of the crane.
(Munck Cranes INC, 2012)
Radio control
Remote control units improve safety for the
user by enabling them to operate the crane
in a position of better visibility and
therefore reduced operational risk.
(Street CraneXpress : Lifting Equipment,
2011)
1.2.2.6 Stability in Lifting
For stability, the sum of all moments about any point such as the base of the crane
must equate to zero. In practice, the magnitude of load that is permitted to be lifted (called the
“rated load” in the US) is some value less than the load that will cause the crane to tip
(providing a safety margin).
Under US standards for mobile cranes, the stability-limited rated load for a crawler
crane is 75% of the tipping load. The stability-limited rated load for a mobile crane supported
on outriggers is 85% of the tipping load. These requirements, along with additional safety
related aspects of crane design, are established by the American Society of Mechanical
Engineers in the volume ASME B30.5-2007 Mobile and Locomotive Cranes.
Standards for cranes mounted on ships or offshore platforms are somewhat stricter
because of the dynamic load on the crane due to vessel motion. Additionally, the stability of
the vessel or platform must be considered.
For stationary pedestal or kingpost mounted cranes, the moment created by the boom,
jib, and load is resisted by the pedestal base or kingpost. Stress within the base must be less
than the yield stress of the material or the crane will fail.
1.2.2.7 Highlight of the Project
Gear System
Figure 26 Example of Gear
Gear system is an essential system for the designs and studies of mechanical
engineering. This is due to gear system is able to transmit energy, change the direction
of rotation and increase torque or speed (Gear, 2016). A gear is the basic unit of a
gear system. The gear is installed in a shaft in order to allow the smooth rotation of
the gear. By meshing it with another gear, they form the simplest gear system that
able to transmit rotational energy from one end to the other end. The difference in
number of teeth or radius, enable it to have a gear ratio which allow us to increase or
decrease the speed or torque. However, there is a limit of increased in torque or speed
due to the yield strength and the fatigue strength of the material of gear. Thus, we
have to mesh more gear into the gear system, in order to obtain the desired outcome,
speed or torque.
There are several mechanic transmission systems which able to transmit
energy efficiently such as chain and sprocket system and belt and pulley system
(Guleria, 2012). However, gear system provides crucial advantages over the others.
Gear system offers more accurate timing compare to chain and sprocket system
because in gear system all the gears are attach together firmly in small space while
chain and sprocket system will experience a split-second delay due to tension of the
chain. Other than that, gear system is less noisy and able to adapt well with different
loading. For belt and pulley system, if the belt is used for some time, the friction of
the belt and the pulley will produce a noisy sound. Furthermore, gear system has
advantage on precision machine such as watches and CNC machines due to having
definite velocity ratio. By having teeth on gears, phenomena of slipping will not occur
on gear system, thus definite velocity ratio is reserved. Furthermore, gear systems
offer many different geometries which offers different advantages suited for varied
applications. Car’s steering gear system (rack and pinion) is a good example to show
advantage of gear for different geometry. This geometry is impossible for chain and
sprocket to adapt into this geometry.
Figure 27 Car’s steering gear system
Usually, gear system is protected by using a housing or gear box. The gear box
enables the shafts that support the gears to stay in desired positions in order for the
gear system to work. Furthermore, the gearbox that uses multiple gears and gear trains
are able to provide speed and torque conversions from a rotating power source to
another device from time to time. The most common use is in motor vehicles, where
the transmission adapts the output of the internal combustion engine to the drive
wheels. Such engines need to operate at a relatively high rotational speed, which is
inappropriate for starting, stopping, and slower travel. The transmission reduces the
higher engine speed to the slower wheel speed, increasing torque in the process.
Gear Efficiency
Efficiency is the ratio of actual outcome over the desired outcome. A high
efficiency system is able to produce an actual outcome close to the desired outcome.
In a gear system case, outcome is measured by using power. Gear efficiency of a gear
is given by:
Where,
T2 = torque at output gear
T1 = torque at input gear
w2 = angular velocity at output gear
w1 = angular velocity at input gear
Gear efficiency is an important factor in engineering calculation. It determines
the specification of motor used. If a gear system with a low gear efficiency, a higher
power motor is needed due to high power lost in the gear system, and vice versa.
Moreover, it can tell us how well a gear system doing. We always choose a higher
efficiency gear system over a lower efficiency for the same gear ratio, as less power
motor is needed and save cost.
Electric Motor
A motor is a machine (usually powered by internal combustion or electricity)
that supplies motive power to devices with moving parts. Electric motor is chosen
instead of a combustion motor. This is due to electric motor does not produce side
products that pollute the environment and electricity supply is more convenient than
fuel supply.
Electric motor is able to convert electrical energy to mechanical energy, while
turbine or electric generator is able to convert mechanical energy to electrical energy.
Electric motor uses the forces of electricity, magnetism, angular momentum, and
inertia, as well as electromagnetic theory, Faradays theories of electric current, and
Tesla's theories of alternating current to produce mechanical motion.
Selecting a suitable electric motor is a crucial aspect as the electric motor is
the only motion input of the gear system. There are several steps we need to follow in
order to choose a suitable electric motor.
Firstly, we need to determine the application requirement. To determine the
application requirement, we must gather the relevant technical and commercial
requirement. Most of the method used is overlooked. The information gathered will
be used to determine the type of motor used. If we failed to do so, the gear system
might perform poorly or not meeting our requirement. Below is the table of aspect we
need to consider:
(Selecting a Gearmotor in Simple Steps. Groschopp, 2012)
Next, we need to consider the type of motor used to meet our application.
The most common types of motor found are permanent magnet, ac induction,
brushless DC, and universal motor. Each of their characteristics and comparison are
listed below:
(Selecting a Gearmotor in Simple Steps. Groschop, 2012)
After selecting the type of motor, we need to select a suitable speed and torque
output of the motor. Selecting a suitable specification of motor is important as it can
maximize the performance of our system. If the torque of the motor is too low, the
system not able to operate. However, if the torque of the motor exceed the require
torque excessively, most of the energy are wasted as the excessive torque can convert
into speed. The ideal case is the torque of motor exceed the required torque but not
too much.
1.3 Objective & Design Scope
1.3.1 Objective
The objective of this project is to design suitable gearbox/transmission system
which is applied at lifting crane system that satisfied the power or torque requirement at
the machine and power or torque provided from the motor.
1.3.2 Design Scope
Literature Review
Cranes are industrial machines that are mainly used for materials movements
in construction sites, production halls, assembly lines, storage areas, power stations
and similar places. Their design features vary widely according to their major
operational specifications such as: type of motion of the crane structure, weight and
type of the load, location of the crane, geometric features, operating regimes and
environmental conditions. (A. Bhatia B. , 2012)
In order to carry out the analysis and design of gearbox, we need to consider:
i. Weight of load
ii. Lifting speed
iii. Diameter of hoist
To determine the type and power of motor needed and further determine gear
ratio.
Analysis
In this project, we will use spur gears for the gear box design.
The motor used will be low power due to the maximum weight we consider
for a car engine is 500kg and low lifting speed. From the motor data sheet, we realise
the motor having high speed while low torque. Thus, a higher gear ratio is needed to
make the speed lower and the torque higher. Due to the maximum gear ratio of 10, 2
sets of gears maybe needed.
Arrangement of gears need to be consider in order to make gear box smaller to
save space. Diameter of shaft will be bigger on the last set of gears to withstand
higher torque at the output shaft while smaller diameter is needed on the first set of
gears. Size of bearing is an important factor that need to be consider. An intermediate
size of bearing will be considered first as the load and torque in the application are
consider low load.
3D Modelling
Solidwork is used to visualise our general idea, gear arrangement of spur gears
and gear box.
Project Drawing
Assembly drawing explode drawing with BOM and component detail drawing
of the entire gear box system including the gears, shaft and gear box will present in
detail using Solidwork.
1.4 Milestone / Planning Chart
