Beverage Can Delivery System
Group Members: Andrew Howard and Garret Karnowski
Overview:
The initial idea was to design a device that would be able to deliver a beverage can from point A to point B with minimal effort from the user. We wanted the device to be constructed in a way that the structure was strong, yet portable. We scoured our households and dorm rooms and came upon some materials that were part of some construction kits that fit our needs perfectly. The device uses a simple marble to accomplish the task of sending the beverage on its journey to the consumer. This marble is carried up a tower and is then allowed to travel throughout a series of loops, drops, bounces, and other energy conversions until it reaches the end of our device. From there it trips a rod that releases our beverage can delivery vehicle. The vehicle travels to the end of the guide rails and drops off the can for the enjoyment of the consumer.
Design Procedure:
To begin with, we had the idea for delivering the can to the consumer. We were unsure as to how we wanted this to be performed. One of our first ideas was to have the can actually go through various energy conversions and have it arrive at the final destination. We scratched this idea simply because we realized that nobody wants a carbonated beverage on the verge of exploding due to being rolled throughout a series of loops and drops. We also decided early on that using as much plastic as possible since generally speaking plastics reduce weight yet retain a great deal of structural integrity and strength. After searching through all of the stuff that we had lying around, we discovered that K-Nex and another plastic construction set might just do the trick. After trying a few various setups, we were able to accomplish the goal that we had set out to perform.
Description of Device:
A marble is lifted to the top of a 40 inch tall tower by an electric motor and corkscrew. From there the ball travels down an incline into a small loop. After exiting the loop, it curves around and heads back the opposite direction until it reaches a hole in the track it is traveling on. The marble falls through the hole onto an awaiting trampoline. The trampoline provides an elastic force that hurls the ball in an arc into a basket. The marble is caught in the basket and falls through a hole in the bottom of the basket. From there the marble travels down another incline and strikes a paddle that is attached to a seesaw. The strike drops another marble that was balanced on the seesaw and it travels down one more incline and hits a rod. The rod that was holding back the delivery vehicle is now moved and the vehicle freed. The vehicle travels along its track and drops off the beverage can at the end.
Materials Used:
The entire device is made out of K-Nex pieces and another plastic construction set. These materials technically did not cost us anything as we already owned them. The only cost that we incurred was the purchase of the beverage, and the gasoline used to transport the device from its build site.
Gas = $5.00
Beverage = $1.00
Knex and Other Construction Set = Free
Calculations:
Motor moving
Work = mgh
Work = (.002204)(32.2)(3.366)
Work=.2389 hp
Speed at the Loop
mgh = (1/2)mv^2
(32.2)(1.5) = (1/2)v^2
V = 4.9 ft/s^2
Drop to the Trampoline
Mgh = (1/2)mv^2
(32.2)(1.75) = (1/2)v^2
v = 5.3 ft/s
Projectile Motion (Ball Bounce)
Y-y=(x-x)(tan0)-(g/2v^2)(1+tan0^2)(x-x)^2
Y-0 = (1.75)(tan28.5)-(32.2/2*5.3^2)(1+tan28.5)(1.75)^2
Y= 1.495 ft or 18 inches
Center of Mass of the Bridge
CM = (m1r1 + m2r2)/ (m1 + m2)
CM = (1)(3) +(1)(3) / (1+1)
CM = 3 inches
Average Velocity of Cart
V = d/t
V = 8 ft/ 2 seconds
V = 4 ft/s
Conclusions:
The device performed in the way in which we desired. We did find out from the start that stability was crucial for our device as it is slightly top heavy. Another problem that we incurred on a frequent basis was having to recalibrate the trampoline after moving the device from location to location. This could have been fixed by using an adhesive and making all of the connections in the device permanent, but the owner of the parts did not want to have them in this arrangement forever. In hindsight, we should have attached the entire device to a base, possibly plywood. Then we would be able to take string and run it from the top to the edges of the base in order to increase stability. However, this would have made transportation an issue. If time had permitted, it also would have been interesting to see if we could find a way for the device to reset itself automatically and be able to perform the task over and over. It would have also been very interesting to have the device pop the tab on the can and pour it into an awaiting container for the consumer’s enjoyment. All in all, we feel that we learned a lot about the actual applications of energy transfers and the conservation of energy throughout an entire system and how crucial it is to reduce energy loss as much as possible.