Mechanical-sub team
Mechanical Design
Overview of the mechanical sub-system
Functions
The clothes dryer allows heat and airflow to dry the clothes efficiently and evenly.
Objective
Designing a functioning drum drive which is the main component of the dryer for the dryer.
Constraints
- Limited equipment
- Tight timeline
- The drum volume must be greater or equal to 0.5L 3.4
- The clothes dryer must dry the 0.5 L of clothes within 1 hour
The Design
Drum Size
The drum volume is approximately 0.5L. The diagram below shows the basic design of the drum (front and back rings are attached). The drum is designed to dry a small piece of clothing in a short time. It is also decided to rotate at a desired speed. The scale of the drum drive with the volume of 30cm^2. The final design for mechanical parts
Drive System and Motor Support
A motor will be used for the drum drive to provide rotation. The mounting position of the motor will be on the outside of the drum, on the bottom panel. Additional support will be built to support the motor. A bracket is used to secure the motor from slipping. Two pulleys will be used. The first pulley (figure 6) is called the drive pulley, which would be used to drive the drum. It is attached at the front of the motor. The second pulley (figure 7) is the tension pulley, which will be used to provide tension for the belt and prevent it from slipping. The tension pulley is placed next to the motor, and it has a base support that is attached on the bottom panel. Figure 4 and 5 are two design alternatives for the connection of the two pulleys. The final design is as shown in figure 5: the two pulleys are connected in a zig zag direction so that the tension pulley can provide sufficient tension for the belt. The belt will first go around the drum, through the drive pulley and the tension pulley.
Temperature and Humidity Sensor
The extra feature will be attached to the backboard of the drum. Extra screw holes will be designed as well.