COLLEGE OF EME, NUST

Energy Harvesting from Highway Traffic through Compressed

Air
NS Muhammad Azam Raza
NS Nabeel Wahab Khan
NS H. M. Waqas Saleem
NS Muhammad Amir Idrees

Project Supervisors
Col. Dr. Syed Waheed Ul Haq
Col. Dr. Mazhar Iqbal
Asst. Prof. Rehan Ahmed Khan

Department of Mechanical Engineering

Energy Harvesting from Highway Traffic through Compressed Air

By
NS Muhammad Azam Raza
NS Nabeel Wahab Khan
NS H. M. Waqas Saleem
NS Muhammad Amir Idrees
DE-31 (DME)
Submitted to the Department of Mechanical Engineering
In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of
Bachelor of Engineering in Mechanical

---------------------------------Project Supervisors
Col. Dr. Syed Waheed Ul Haq
Col. Dr. Mazhar Iqbal
Asst. Prof. Rehan Ahmed Khan
Department of Mechanical Engineering
College of Electrical and Mechanical Engineering,
NUST.

---------------------------------Head of Department
Col. Dr. Syed Waheed Ul Haq
Department of Mechanical Engineering
College of Electrical and Mechanical Engineering,
NUST.
July, 2013
College of Electrical and Mechanical Engineering
National University of Sciences and Technology

DECLARATION
We hereby declare that no portion of the work referred to in this Project Thesis has been
submitted in support of an application for another degree or qualification of this of any
other university or other institute of learning. If any act of plagiarism found, we are fully
responsible for every disciplinary action taken against us depending upon the seriousness
of the proven offence, even the cancellation of our degree.

COPYRIGHT STATEMENT

Copyright in text of this thesis rests with the student author. Copies (by any
process) either in full, or of extracts, may be made only in accordance with
instructions given by the author and lodged in the Library of NUST College of
E&ME. Details may be obtained by the Librarian. This page must form part of
any such copies made. Further copies (by any process) of copies made in
accordance with such instructions may not be made without the permission (in
writing) of the author.

The ownership of any intellectual property rights which may be described in this
thesis is vested in NUST College of E&ME, subject to any prior agreement to the
contrary, and may not be made available for use by third parties without the
written permission of the College of E&ME, which will prescribe the terms and
conditions of any such agreement.

Further information on the conditions under which disclosures and exploitation

may take place is available from the Library of NUST College of E&ME,
Rawalpindi.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
First of all, we are eternally grateful to Allah Almighty who blessed us with wisdom and
courage to achieve what we had promised.
Secondly, we are thankful to our project supervisor Col. Dr. Syed Waheed Ul Haq who
gave us the initial idea about producing compressed air from speed breaker and without
his motivation and persistent help, we could not do this project. Thirdly we would like to
thank Sir Raja Amir Azeem for his suggestions and continuous guidance throughout our
project.
Next, we would like to thank the college authorities for providing us with required prerequisite. In the Last but not the least we would like to express our acknowledgement for
our parents who educated us enough well and their prayers remained with us at all the
times.

ABSTRACT
The natural resources in our country are decaying day by day. These energy crises
includes short fall of thousands of megawatts of electricity, the increasing prices of fuels
like gasoline, CNG etc. It seems that for foreseeable future, these crises would persist. So
to contribute to this national cause, we had been assigned a project to work on renewable
energy.

The aim of our project was to design an efficient energy harvester which will act like a
speed breaker and which will utilize the highway traffic for its working. An energy
harvester is a device that actually converts the vehicles mechanical energy into usable
electrical energy.

The working principle of our project is that when a vehicle will pass over it, it will move
down, by doing so, the air will be compressed by pistons. And this air will be used for
driving engine or generator directly for producing electricity. Different software's have
been used for its modeling, analysis and parametric studies i.e. Pro/E, ANSYS
Workbench 14.0 and matlab.

TABLE OF CONTENTS
Declaration and Copyright Certificate.....3
Acknowledgements.........4
Abstract...5
Table of Contents. .6
List of Figures.....10

CHAPTER 01
INTRODUCTION
1.1.

Energy Harvesting Types.13

1.1.1. Overview........13
1.1.2. Solar Energy..13
1.1.3. Wind Energy..14
1.1.4. Bio-Mass.........15
1.1.5. Speed Breaker as an energy harvester16
1.2.

Aim of project17

1.3.

Motivation......18
CHAPTER 02
SPEED BREAKERS GENERAL OVERVIEW

2.1. General Overview..20

2.2. Types of Speed Breakers...21

2.2.1. Normal Speed Breaker/Hump.....21

2.2.2. Speed Cushions.....22
2.2.3. Speed Tables..22
6

2.3. Selection of Speed Breaker.......23

2.3.1. Selection Criteria..........23
2.3.2. Requirements of Speed Breaker..24
2.4. Conclusion..24
CHAPTER 03
MATERIAL SELECTION
3.1. Introduction...25
3.1.1. Aluminum...25
3.1.2. Mild Steel....27
3.1.3. Cast Iron.....28
3.2. Conclusion........................................................................................29
CHAPTER 04
DESIGNING OF MECHANICAL COMPONENTS
4.1. Springs..30
4.1.1. Constraints....30
4.1.2. Material..31
4.1.3. Assumptions......31
4.1.4. Springs selection Criteria.32
4.1.5. Design No. 1...32
4.1.6. Design No. 2...34
4.1.7. Design No. 3...34
4.1.8. Inspection Report..36
4.2. Bolts...37
4.2.1. Assumptions...37
4.2.2. Lower Base Bolts Calculations.....38
4.2.3. Upper Plate Bolts Calculations.....41
4.2.4. Inspection43
4.3. Pressure Cylinder..43
4.3.1. Software Designing (MD Solids)...43
4.3.2. Mohr Circle.48
7

CHAPTER 05
SOFTWARE MODELING, ANALYSIS AND FABRICATION
5.1.

Components Used in our Modeling49

5.1.1. Upper Part49

5.1.2. Pistons.........51
5.1.3. Lower Part.........53
5.1.4. Full Assembly....55
5.2.

Analysis....56

5.2.1. Upper Plate56

5.2.1.1.

Design No.1..56

5.2.1.2.

Design No. 2.....58

5.2.1.3.

Design No. 3.....61

5.2.2.

Lower Plate...63

5.2.2.1.

Design No.1......63

5.2.2.2.

Design No. 2.66

5.2.2.3.

Design No.3..68

5.3.

Fabrication......70
CHAPTER 06
COMPRESSOR DESIGNING

6.1. Assumptions....73
6.2. Calculations.....73
6.3. Conclusions..74
CHAPTER 07
CONTROL SYSTEM DESIGNING
7.1. Designing......75

CHAPTER 08
SELECTION OF ENGINE
8.1. Wankel engine.....79
8.1.1. Advantages...79
8.1.2. Disadvantages...80
8.2. Two Stroke Engine.....80
8.3. Four Stroke Piston Engine.81
8

8.4. Selection...81
8.5. Basic Functions of compressed air engine81
8.6. Modifications Required..82
8.6.1. Stroke-1.82
8.6.2. Stroke-2.82
8.6.3. Timing82
8.6.4. Camshaft Design...82
8.6.5. Design Concept of Camshaft...83
8.6.6. Analysis of Camshaft...83
8.6.6.1. Constraints and Pressure Application........83
8.6.7. Modal Analysis ....84
8.6.8. Static Analysis...85
8.7. Fabrication of Camshaft.87
CHAPTER 09
COMPRESSED AIR APPLICATIONS
9.1. Applications...89
CHAPTER 10
CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
10.1. Conclusions..90
10.2. Recommendations...90
REFERANCES.91

List of figures
Fig: 1.1 Common working cycle of a solar panel...14
Fig: 1.2 Windmill turbine along with the main components15
Fig: 1.3 Anaerobic compositing..15
Fig: 1.4 No of vehicles per 100,000 people....17
Fig: 1.5 Protest against the load shedding in Lahore...........18
Fig: 1.6 Protest against load shedding in Peshawar..18
Fig: 2.1 Common speed breaker.....20
Fig: 2.2 Speed Bump across the width of the road...21
Fig: 2.3 Speed Cushions across the width of the road..22
Fig: 2.4 Speed Tables......23
Fig: 3.1 Silver Grey Metallic Aluminum...25
Fig: 3.2 Mild Steel Sheets...27
Fig: 3.3 Cast iron sheets.....28
Fig: 4.1 Suspension Springs...30
Fig: 4.2 Storage cylinder....43
Fig: 5.1 Front View....49
Fig: 5.2 Side View..50
Fig: 5.3 Top View..50
Fig: 5.4 Isometric View of upper part......51
Fig: 5.5 Isometric View of piston 51
Fig: 5.6 Front View of piston ..52
Fig: 5.7 Top view of piston ..52
Fig: 5.8 Upper Assembly...53
Fig: 5.9 Front view of lower part .53
Fig: 5.10 Right view of lower part54
Fig: 5.11 Top view of lower part .....54
Fig: 5.12 Isometric view of lower part .55

10

Fig: 5.13 Full assembly ...55

Fig: 5.14 Upper with all loading conditions...56
Fig: 5.15 Von-mises stress of design no.1.........57
Fig: 5.16 Shear stress of design no.1..57
Fig: 5.17 Total Deformation of design no.1..58
Fig: 5.18 Von mises stress of design no.2 59
Fig: 5.19 Max. Principal stress of design no.2..59
Fig: 5.20 Shear stress of design no.2 60
Fig: 5.21 Total Deformation of design no.2 .60
Fig: 5.22 Von mises stress of design no.3 61
Fig: 5.23 Stress Intensity of design no.3 ..62
Fig: 5.24 Total Deformation of design no.3 .62
Fig: 5.25 Lower Part with loading conditions.......63
Fig: 5.26 Von Mises stress of lower plate design no.1 .64
Fig: 5.27 Max. Principal stress of lower plate design no.164
Fig: 5.28 Stress Intensity of lower plate design no.1.65
Fig: 5.29 Total Deformation of lower plate design no.1....65
Fig: 5.30 Von Mises Stress of lower plate design no.2 .66
Fig: 5.31 Max. Principal Stress of lower plate design no.2...66
Fig: 5.32 Max. Shear stress of lower plate design no.2.............67
Fig: 5.33 Total Deformation of lower plate design no.267
Fig: 5.34 Von Mises Stress of lower plate design no.3..68
Fig: 5.35 Max. Principal Stress of lower plate design no.3....68
Fig: 5.36 Max. Shear stress of lower plate design no.3..69
Fig: 5.37 Total Deformation of lower plate design no.369
Fig: 5.38 Assembling of spring...70
Fig: 5.39 Punching of holes for outlets ............71
Fig: 5.40 Lower Base...71
Fig: 5.41 Full Assembly..72
Fig: 5.42 Pressure Cylinder.72
Fig. 7.1: Speed Breaker model full assembly....75
Fig. 7.2: Free body diagram76
Fig. 7.3: Step Response Plots....78
Fig: 8.1: Wankel engine....................79
11

Fig: 8.2: Two Stroke engine80

Fig: 8.3: Four Stroke Engine...81
Fig: 8.4: Cam Shaft original design.82
Fig: 8.5: Pro/E modeling of cam shaft....83
Fig: 8.6: Constraints and Pressure application...83
Fig: 8.7: Modal analysis of cam shaft.....84
Fig: 8.8: Max. Displacement..84
Fig: 8.9: Deformed Shape..85
Fig: 8.10: Max. Displacement of static analysis........85
Fig: 8.11: Max. Principal stress.86
Fig: 8.12: Max. Shear stress..86
Fig: 8.13: Von Mises stress...86
Fig: 8.14: Wooden model.....87
Fig: 8.15: Comparison between original and modified designs87
Fig: 8.16: Full assembled two stroke compressed air engine88

12

Chapter 1
INTRODUCTION
With the gradual increase in the prices of fossil fuels and other traditional sources of
energy, there rises a great need for alternate sources in order to meet the energy needs for
a country. And also these fossil fuels are depleting day by day. The over view of the
energy consumption in year 2004 shows that if these resources are being consumed at the
current rates, then by 2020, more than 80% of the entire available energy resources will
be consumed particularly oil and natural gas. The combustion products produced from the
petrol, diesel etc. has caused serious global problems, which includes the ozone layer
depletion (which stops the suns UV rays from coming to earth), greenhouse effect,
environmental pollution and acid rains. These are posing great danger to our environment.

1.1. Energy Harvesting Types

1.1.1. Overview
With the increase in energy demands, the use of alternative energy resources has been
increased since past few years. These alternative sources of energy are limitless that one
can imagine which includes solar energy, Bio-mass, Hydel energy, Nuclear energy and
Wind energy etc. One of these alternative sources of energy harvesting is via speed
breakers.

1.1.2. Solar Energy

Solar energy is the energy coming from the sun in the form of light and heat. It is
harnessed using specially designed photovoltaic cells called solar cells. These
photovoltaic cells are made of semiconductor materials like those found in computers
chips. When a beam of sun light hits the surface of the cell, it stimulates the electrons to
loose from their atoms. As the electrons starts flowing through the cells, they become the

13

Figure 1.1: Common working cycle of a solar panel

cause of electricity generation. These solar cells are placed in particular direction in order
to get maximum energy from the sun. Now a days, the large scale concentrating parabolic
collectors are being used for harnessing this energy. It is actually producing less than
1/10th of the 1% of total energy demand.
The above figure shows the cycle of working of a common solar panel. As we know that
sun is imparting its energy almost everywhere on earth. And the solar systems designed
for harnessing this energy have appeared to be successful up to some extent. There is a
need to store this energy via storage batteries to provide energy during night and cloudy
days.

1.1.3. Wind Energy

Wind energy is the energy harnessed from wind. It is harnessed using wind turbines, wind
mills and wind pumps. The large wind turbines are employed in open area where the
speed of wind is more than enough to drive wind energy harvesting systems. Wind mill
pumps are used to pump water from underground. Here in this case pistons are used to
pump water from underground.
Wind turbines have large specially designed impellers on which when high speed air
strikes, become the cause of rotation of the impeller. This impeller is connected to the
shaft of the generator via gears which eventually drive the generator for producing
electricity. Figure 1.2 shows the parts of a wind mill turbine and also the direction of air

14

on the blades. Here in this figure, we can see that the blades are connected to the
generator via shaft and gears assembly.

Figure 1.2: Windmill turbine along with the main components

1.1.4. Bio-Mass
Bio-Mass is an organic matter from wood, dead bodies and animal waste. It is also one of
the form of energy used as a source of heat for domestic purposes. The municipal waste,
manure, and agricultural by products are also included in the category of bio-mass which
can be converted into valuable fuels for vehicles and industrial applications. It is actually
a universal source of energy which can be converted in almost every form of energy as
liquid and natural gas, electricity and process heat etc. Different technologies have been
used for bio-mass conversion.

Direct Combustion

Anaerobic Digestion

Figure 1.3: Anaerobic Compositing

15

Thermo Chemical Conversion

Enzymatic Fermentation

1.1.5. Speed Breaker as an energy harvester

We are all familiar with the term speed breaker. Speed breaker is actually used to slow
down the speed of the vehicle on crowded roads and to decrease the road accidents.
People usually do not like these speed breakers. And also they become the cause of noise
pollution and environmental pollution as the traffic passes over with low speed gear,
means more fuel per mile. But we can make use of these speed breakers to get energy. On
road when vehicles passes over the speed breakers, these vehicles losses enormous
amount of energy. We can make these speed breakers as an efficient energy harvester.
According to the statistics provided by Additional Director General, Excise & Taxation,
Lahore, Punjab, the rate of growth of traffic on roads has been increased during past ten
years. This rate of growth is increasing day by day. This increase in the number of traffic
along with the increase in number of speed breaker stimulates to make use of these speed
breakers. The following table 1.1 shows the increase in number of vehicles from 2002 to
2011. [1]
Table 1.1: No. of registered vehicles in Punjab

16

Figure 1.4: Statistical data provided by Government of Punjab, no. of vehicles per
100,000 people

1.2. Aim of project

We can make use of these speed breakers by manufacturing a mechanical system that can
work like speed breaker as well as provide usable energy too. In this report, there is a
practical fabrication of this system which can be used for both purposes. This speed
breaker will provide us compressed air which can be used to generate electricity via
engine, turbine etc. T-59 tank pistons have been used for compressing the air.

Design of speed breaker as a source of alternate energy:

Uses road traffic for its working

No need of any external source of energy for working

Air to be compressed is atmospheric air

Is compact

Is less costly to be fabricated and to be maintained

17

1.3. Motivation
The main thing from which we get motivation for this idea of producing compressed air
from speed breaker is the current situation of Pakistan. Load shedding of electricity and
Sui-gas has crossed all the limits. Almost every day, we see there is a protest going on
against load shedding of electricity, or increase in the prices of petroleum etc. There are
some pictures shown below, from where it can easily be seen.

Figure 1.5: Protest against the load shedding in Lahore [2]

Figure 1.6: Protest against load shedding in Peshawar [3]

These pictures depict the current situation of Pakistan. Our police are also unable to
control this situation because this is a fact and what can they do? They are also under the
same situation as the other public. Nobody is free enough to go outside for nothing, but
just for protest. But these problems initiate an individual to do these kinds of thing.
Everyone is tight due to this. There should be some permanent solution to these problems.
Our countrys economy has severely affected from this. Because most of the industries
are totally dependent on these two sources particularly. Most of the investors have moved

18

their business from our country, multinationals are moving from this country. Pakistan is
passing through the worst era of history. In order to save our country, we have to put an
effort to contribute to decrease the bad situation of Pakistan. Although this contribution is
very small that has a minor effect on the energy crises but if it worked then it can be
applied at major level to produce usable energy.
We are not alone in the world who is encountering the energy problem; many other
developing countries of the world are also facing these problems. But they have found
some means to cater for these problems. We have got this enthusiasm from other
developing nation of the world. We would be proud to do something for our country and
our people.

19

Chapter 2
SPEED BREAKERS GENERAL OVERVIEW
2.1. General Overview
Speed breaker is generally a device used to reduce the speed of the vehicle in order to
stop the road accidents. In different countries it is known with different names. For
example, in Jamaica, it is known as a sleeping policeman/a kipping cop. In British
accent, it is known as speed hump/road hump. In New Zealand accent, it is known as,
a judder bar. And Pakistani and Indian usually use to say it as Speed jump. It usually
ranges in heights between almost 3in to 4 across the whole width of the road. They are
made of different materials like recycled plastic, asphalt, metal and rubber etc.
The use of these speed breakers has been increased in the world and they can be found at
those places where there is a need to slow down the vehicles speed. The speed limit for
these speed breakers is almost 11 m/sec (40 km/h). Although they are effective in
reducing the speed of the vehicle. But they are the cause of noise pollution and also
become the cause of vehicle damage if a vehicle passes over it with high speed. Figure
2.1 shows the common speed breaker.

Figure 2.1: Common speed breaker

20

2.2. Types of Speed Breakers

Speed breakers are classified in different ways. The types of speed breakers include the
following:
1- Normal Speed Breaker
2- Speed Cushions
3- Speed Tables

2.2.1. Normal Speed Breaker/Hump

It is the type of the speed breaker which is actually provided throughout the full width of
the road. The height of these speed breakers ranges between 3 in to 4 in. This type of
speed breakers are used on highly populated roads where there are greater chances of road
accidents. They usually have pavement like marks in order to increase the visibility for
motorists. They are not used for big roads or emergency routes. They are generally made
of rubber, asphalt type materials. Their tops are rounded and they are smaller in length
than the speed tables. Here the figure 2.2 shows the speed hump across the width of the
road.

Figure 2.2: Speed Bump across the width of the road

21

2.2.2. Speed Cushions

These type of speed breakers are smaller in sizes. These type of speed bumps do not
cover the whole width of the road. Instead these are in two cushions on place with smaller
spaces between them, both having height of almost 3 in and having width of almost 67 in
across the width of the road. They are actually provided for emergency services or where
the bus services operate. They are designed in such a way that the greater size vehicles
can straddle the cushion without slowing down the speed. But the smaller vehicles have
to pass over these because these vehicles cannot straddle the cushion. Figure 2.shows the
speed cushions attached to the road with spaces between them.

Figure 2.3: Speed Cushions across the width of the road

2.2.3. Speed Tables

This type of speed breakers are longer speed bumps along with a small flat segment in the
center. They are enough long to cover the whole wheel base of a vehicle. Their design is
such that they can allow a vehicle to pass over without being slow.as with the normal
speed breakers or speed cushions. As they slow the vehicle less than the other types, they
22

are used on high dense roads with some particular speed limits. Typical speed limits used
for these types of speed breakers ranges from 20 mi/hr. to 30 mi/hr. Figure 2.4 shows the
speed tables.

Figure 2.4: Speed Tables

2.3. Selection of Speed Breaker

2.3.1. Selection Criteria
There are many selection criteria available that can be used. But the primary criteria that
can be used are actually a type of forces applied on the speed breaker and stiffness of the
suspension springs, heavy duty and cost. The operating conditions for this vary over a
wide range as it is installed in an open environment and hence the broad spectrum of
seeks is applied for their designing and performance. All these implications must be
considered when assessing the unit that to be used. While selection of speed breaker,
there are following points that must be kept in mind:

Materials to be used, of overall speed breaker

Operating forces and temperature ranges

Types of loads acting

Types of springs to be used

Types of pistons
23

Maintenance, cleaning, inspection, repair possibilities and extension

Economically feasible

Fabrication Techniques to be used

Applications

2.3.2. Requirements of Speed Breaker

There are some requirement that speed breaker has to fulfill that includes:

High pressure compressed air generation capability

High life expectancy and reliably

Safe operation so that it might not damage the lower side of the vehicle

High quality product

Low residual stresses be introduced in the design

Material compatibility with the outside environmental conditions

Easy to be installed and convenient in size

Maintenance and service should be easy.

Easy to be manufactured

It should be of low cost

2.4. Conclusion
We are not discussing the actual speed breaker or their working, nor types and uses.
These things can be found on web. Because here in our case the geometry of speed
breaker that we are using is important due to the availably of space.
Our main requirement is that our speed breaker should be compact in size and light in
weight if possible. Moreover, the cost of this whole assembly should be less. After
studying the mentioned types of speed breaker, we come to a conclusion that we cannot
use any of speed breaker from here. So we have designed our own speed breaker which
resembles a little bit with the speed tables. After doing some necessary mathematical
calculations and experiments we can say that it can fulfill our requirements.

24

Chapter 3
MATERIAL SELECTION
3.1. Introduction
There are many materials available that can be used. These materials include aluminum,
Mild steel or Low carbon steel, and Cast iron. Lets first discuss these materials and their
properties.

3.1.1. Aluminum
Aluminum is a ductile material and is found in the boron group in the periodic table. Its
color is silvery white. The symbol for this metal used is Al; having atomic number 13.
This metal is not actually soluble in water. It is found in the Earth crust in abundance and
3rd most abundant metal. Earths total weight comprises of almost 8% of this elements
solid surface. It is one of the reactive elements in the nature.
It has very good resistance to corrosion capabilities. Its alloys are mostly used in
aerospace and other transportation and building areas. As it is reactive in nature this can
be used as a catalyst in the chemical mixtures. Also it is used in explosives as ammonium
nitrate to extend the blast power.

Figure 3.1: Silver Grey Metallic Aluminum

25

Table 3.1: General properties of Aluminum

Table 3.2: Miscellaneous properties

26

It is a very soft material, durable, light in weight, and malleable with different
appearances range from silver to dull greyish. It cannot be soluble in alcoholic liquids.
The yielding of this metal in pure form ranges from 7MPa to 11MPa. While, its alloys
have yield strengths in range from 200 to 600Mpa. As its surface consists of very thin
layer of aluminum oxide, its corrosion resistance is very high.
In powdered form, it does not leave its silvery color. Its atoms are arranged in a face
centered cubic structure. [4]

3.1.2. Mild Steel

It is most common form of carbon steel having 0.16 to 0.29 % of carbon contents. It do
not come in the category of brittle or ductile. Its yield strength is 248 MPa and ultimate
tensile strength of 841 MPa.
It is relatively cheap and malleable as compared to the other materials. If it is passed
through carburizing process its hardness can be increased. It is used as a structural steel
when it is needed in larger amounts. Its density is approximately 7.85 g/cubic centimeter
and the modulus of elasticity is almost 210 GPa. It usually suffers from yield run out.
Because, it has only one yield point. But other materials have two yield points. The first
yield point in those materials is always higher than the next one and it drops dramatically.
[5]

Figure 3.2: Mild Steel Sheets

27

3.1.3. Cast Iron

When we talk about cast iron then we are actually talking about the Gray iron. It
identifies actually the ferrous group. Its alloys can be identified by the color of the
fractured surface. Grey cast iron is usually named because of its greyish fractured surface.
Its alloys consist of Carbon and silicon elements. It comprises of 2.1-4% of cast iron by
percent weight. And also they contains very handsome amount of silicon normally range
from 1-3% by percent weight. Its melting temperature ranges from 1150 degree C to
1200 degree C. which is almost 300 degree C lower than the pure irons melting point.
It comes in the category of brittle excluding malleable cast iron. As it has low melting
point, good resistance to deformation and wear, good machinability and cast ability, it has
become one of the most usable engineering material having wide range of different
applications. It is resistant to rusting and destruction.

Figure 3.3: Cast iron sheets

Its main component is silicon which makes it grey cast iron. It has many useful
properties. When it is solidified, it expands as the graphite precipitates. This results in the
sharp casting of material. It has high thermal conductivity because of graphite present in
it. It has capability to damp the mechanical vibrations. [6]

28

Table 3.3: Comparative properties of different types of Cast iron

3.2. Conclusion
Aluminum is softer material and also very expensive so this is not suitable for our case.
Because in our case, the material should be harder so that it can bear the load of almost
500 to 600kg and also reversal loadings.
Cast iron is brittle material as compared to mild steel and aluminum. It cannot be bended
as easily as other materials do. Because it contains high carbon contents. Which make it
very strong and brittle.
Mild steel has all properties which we needed. It can easily be bended and easy to work.
It is also not very costly and easily available. So, we have selected this material for our
project.

29

Chapter 4
DESIGNING OF MECHANICAL COMPONENTS
In our project, the components to be designed include the following:
1. Springs
2. Bolts
3. Pressure cylinder

4.1. Springs
Spring is the main component of our project. It is serving two purposes. One, this is
supporting the upper part and the second, when a load is applied on the upper part, the
upper plate and piston assembly moves down, it is then used to restore the upper
assembly to its original position. Different springs were designed and best design was
selected on the basis of our loading conditions and other general requirements.

Figure 4.1: Suspension Springs

4.1.1. Constraints
In our project, there are two constraints on the basis of which we have selected our
springs.
1. Rod on which spring is wounded
30

2. Height
Here material can also be our constraint because of its availability. We have used Chrome
silicon steel for our spring designing.
These constraints are applied to all the spring designs.

4.1.2. Material

4.1.3. Assumptions
1. Isotropic properties.
2. Select the weakest point that shows the strength of material.
3. There is no buckling.
4. Stress concentration is assumed negligible.
5. Temperature effects are negligible.
6. Gravity is constant (9.8

).

7. No humidity.
8. Perfect lubrication.
9. No crack is induced.
10. The machine element is mechanically balanced and no vibration will be induced.
Therefore, there is no additional fatigue load acting upon the part.
11. Nested round wire due to space limit.
12. No localized yielding induced.
13. Short peening is engineering decision.
14. Stiffness is consistent according to Energy Theory.
15. Set removal is zero for fatigue.
16. The induced stresses of wire bending are normal to shear loading so we ignore it
due to hot working.

31

17. Buckling is not possible as spring is guarded by cylinders and rods.

These assumptions are applied to all the spring designs.

4.1.4. Springs selection Criteria

The spring selection criteria is based on the following:

4.1.5. Design No. 1

The maximum weight on the springs is 600 kg.
(

Over a rod

The Bergstrasser Factor is

(

32

) (

(
(

)
)
(

As this design is fulfilling our requirement, it can be our suitable design. But for the time
being, we cannot take it as our final design. First we will discuss other designs with
varied diameter.

33

4.1.6. Design No. 2

The maximum weight on the springs is also same i.e. 600 kg.
(

Over a rod

The Bergstrasser Factor is

(

) (

4.1.7. Design No. 3

The max. Weight in this case will also be same.
(
34

Over a rod

The Bergstrasser Factor is

(

) (

(
(

)
)
35

)
(

As height, is our one of the constraint so we cannot go beyond 381 mm where solid
length of 13 mm diameter spring is 339.46mm.

Which is far less than we need so this is also not feasible. So we are left with spring
design # 1 having wire diameter of 10 mm.

4.1.8. Inspection Report

The maximum weight on the springs is 600 kg.
(

Over a rod

The Bergstrasser Factor is

(

36

) (

Our design depends on the availability of the desired spring from the market because
manufacturing of our own spring is very costly. From the spring designs above, it is clear
that spring design # 1 is the best option but it is not available from market so we looked
for the spring having a wire diameter nearly equal to 10 mm so we got the spring having
wire diameter of 9.525 mm which is having a factor of safety nearly equal to that of 10
mm wire diameter spring.

4.2. Bolts
Bolt is the next member after spring which is bearing load. Now, there are some design
consideration for bolts.

4.2.1. Assumptions
1. The stress concentration effects are neglected.
2. The bolt is not tighten much otherwise the washer can crack.
3. During tightening, assume not all load eventually drops at the nut head.
4.

Inertial effects are neglected.

5. Nuts used are new and never used before.

6. Isotropic properties.
7. Temperature effects are negligible.
8. Gravity is constant (9.81

).

9. No humidity.
37

10. It is mechanically balanced so there is no vibration in it. Therefore there is no

additional fatigue load acting upon the part.
These assumptions will be used for both upper and lower part of the assembly.

4.2.2. Lower Base Bolts Calculations

The bolts used are of steel.

Table 4.1: Standards for Bolts

38

The next size nearest to this calculation is 32mm = 3.2 cm for the bolt.

( )

Where

)2

Tensile-stress area
Length of threaded portion in grip
Major diameter area of fastener
Length of unthreaded portion in grip

Where

is the estimated effective stiffness of the bolt or cap screw in the clamped zone

or area.
[

Where
C= Fraction of load applied P on bolt

39

Table 4.2: SAE Standards for steel bolts

SAE Grad 1

Assuming a factor of safety of 5 for 3 bolts

40

Rearranging above equation for P, we get

(

Where
P= External tensile load
Factor of safety = n =5
No. of bolts used = N = 3
So, using values we get,

So the allowable stress would be:

Which is lower than .

Now as we can see from the above calculations that the maximum allowable strength is
lower that the proof strength of the bolt material, so on the basis of these calculations we
can say that our bolt is safe.

4.2.3. Upper Plate Bolts Calculations

41

Table 4.3: Standards for Bolt Threads

42

4.2.4. Inspection
The available bolts in market are of IBI standards. We have to use bolts of this standard.
There is a minor difference in the dimensions of the bolts used in the calculations. But all
the calculation are done for the SAE standard bolts.

4.3. Pressure Cylinder

Pressure cylinder is used to store the compressed air from the compressor. When have to
check the safety of our cylinder which would be holding the pressurized air so that we can
confidently store the compressed air.

Figure 4.2: Storage cylinder

The stress calculation has been done using MD SOLIDS software. There is report
generated from this software.

4.3.1. Software Designing (MD Solids)

The hoop stress is computed from the equation:

.
The axial stress is computed from equation

43

Normal stresses in the cylinder wall:

)(

The axial stress parallel to the longitudinal axis of the closed cylinder is

)(

The hoop and axial stresses are the in-plane principal stresses for the cylinder. The third
principal stress acts in a radial direction. On the other side of the cylinder, the (gage)
pressure is zero.
Consequently, the radial stresses in our case will be:

On the inner surface, the radial stresses will be

As the pressure pushes the inside surface. The magnitude of the radial stresses is much
smaller than the in-plane stresses, and it is often ignored. If the radial stress is considered,
a

state

of

tri-axial

stress

exists

on

the

inner

surface

of

the

cylinder,

, is the third principal stress. This non-zero principal stress affects the
magnitude of the absolute maximum shear stress.

Shear stresses in the cylinder wall:

The absolute max. Shear stress on the outside surface of a closed cylindrical pressure
vessel occurs in an out-of-plane direction.

44

This shear stress is given by the equation,

)(

The maximum shear stress in the plane of the cylinder wall (in-plane shear stress) is given
by

)(

On the inside surface of a closed cylindrical pressure vessel, the absolute maximum shear
stress must account for the radial stress created directly by the pressure. The most positive
principal stress is the hoop stress,

And, the most negative principal stress is the radial stress,

Therefore, the absolute maximum shear stress on the inside surface of the cylinder will
be given by
(
[

)
(

)]

Strains in the cylinder wall:

The strains in the cylinder wall due to internal pressure pose an interesting situation.
When we design a pressure vessel, we usually speak in terms of gage pressure rather than
absolute pressure. On the outside of the cylinder, the gage pressure is zero. Since there is
no pressure acting in the radial direction, the normal stress in the radial direction on the
outside surface of the cylinder wall is zero. The stresses on the outside surface of the
cylinder act entirely in the plane of the wall (that is, in the circumferential and
longitudinal directions); therefore, the wall is in a state of biaxial stress. We must use
Hooke's Law for biaxial stress to compute the normal strains.

45

Using

The circumferential strain is given by the equation:

( )(

)(

And the strain in the axial direction is given by:

( )(

)(

The strain in the radial direction (caused by the Poisson effect) is given by the equation:
( )(

)(

The internal pressure creates an equal compression stress in the radial direction on the
inner surface of the cylinder (i.e.,

).

Since there are normal stresses in three direction on the inside surface of the cylinder
(longitudinal, hoop, and radial directions), the wall is under the state of tri-axial stress.
We must use Hooke's Law for tri-axial stress to compute the normal strains.
Using

, the circumferential strain is given by the equation as:

( )[
(

)[

)]
(

46

)]

And, the strain in the axial direction is given by the equation:

( )[
(

)[

)]
(

)]
.

The strain in the radial direction (caused by the Poisson effect) is given by
( )[
(

)[

)]
(

)]
.

Note that the difference between the strains on the outer and inner surfaces is relatively
small, and this difference gets smaller as the ratio of inside radius to wall thickness (r/t)
gets larger. Because of this, the effect of pressure on the inside surface of the cylinder is
sometimes neglected when computing strains in the cylinder.

Stresses on a weld:
The normal and shear stresses acting perpendicular to the specified welded joint (that is,
in the n-direction) are given as:

And

(CW on the n face), respectively.

The normal and shear stresses acting parallel to the specified welded joint (i.e., in the tdirection) are given by:

And

Respectively.

47

4.3.2. Mohr Circle

48

Chapter 5
SOFTWARE MODELING, ANALYSIS AND FABRICATION
After completing the designing of theoretical part, there comes the software modeling
part. As it is necessary to investigate our model in some software like Pro/E, ANSYS etc.
because these software include all the factors which we cannot include in our manual
designing like temperature effects, different material properties, different physical
properties etc. This is also because now a days, industries also use different designing
software in order to get more reliable results.
The software used for modeling of our project is Pro/E wildfire 5.0. And the analysis of it
has been done on ANSYS workbench 14.0 with module static structural.

5.1. Components Used in our Modeling

The components include in our modeling are given under.

5.1.1. Upper Part

The upper part has been modeled in such a way that upon loading it will move down and
due to spring action in opposite direction, it will move back to its original position.
Keeping these things in mind, we designed it in Pro/E according to our assumptions.

Figure 5.1: Front View

49

Figure 5.2: Side View

Figure 5.3: Top View

50

Figure 5.4: Isometric View

These are the different view of upper part modeling.

5.1.2. Pistons
The modeling of pistons has also been done using Pro/E.

Figure 5.5: Isometric View

51

Figure 5.6: Front View

Figure 5.7: Top view

52

Figure 5.8: Upper Assembly

5.1.3. Lower Part

The part is the main base of the project on which upper assembly is supported by the
springs. We have modeled it also on Pro/E.

Figure 5.9: Front view

53

Figure 5.10: Right view

Figure 5.11: Top view

54

Figure 5.12: Isometric view

5.1.4. Full Assembly

Both the lower and upper parts are assembled using Pro/E assembly module.

Figure 5.13: Full assembly

In this assembly, the pistons are connected through a rigid joint. The pistons are adjusted
in this assembly using the cylinder command in the sleeves such that the piston can move
55

in the sleeves and compressed air can be produced. Springs are connected using
mechanisms in Pro/E assembly.

5.2. Analysis
Now, here comes the part of analysis.
Here in our case, as we cannot do the manual calculations for the upper and lower plates
so we have to do this using some designing software. We have used ANSYS workbench
14.0. There are three designs each for both the plates.
In our case, as we have selected mild steel. We can do designing on the basis of this.
Another thing is that we can use the greater length. But we cannot use the greater length
as our design is already enough large in size, so with the increase in the size, then more
space will be required for its installation. Last thing, which is now left behind is the
thickness of the both plates. All these analysis have been done on the worst case
scenarios.

5.2.1.Upper Plate
5.2.1.1. Design No.1
Thickness of the upper plate = 2mm
After applying loadings,

Figure 5.14: Upper with all loading conditions

56

After running analysis, we got results as shown below:

Figure 5.15: Von-mises stress

Figure 5.16: Shear stress

57

Figure 5.17: Total Deformation

Factor of Safety:

The factor of safety can be found by the given formula:

(

As the factor of this design is very low which can be used for our case because of heavy
duty work. And the also the deformation are greater in this case.

5.2.1.2. Design No. 2

Here in this case, the loading conditions would be same.

After doing analysis, we got results as

58

Figure 5.18: Von mises stress

Figure 5.19: Max. Principal stress

59

Figure 5.20: Shear stress

Figure 5.21: Total Deformation

60

Now this factor of safety is reasonable for our case as there are reversal loadings present
in it. But first we have to examine that the next design is more feasible for our project or
this one.

5.2.1.3. Design No. 3

Also here in this case, the loading conditions are same.

Figure 5.22: Von mises stress

61

Figure 5.23: Stress Intensity

Figure 5.24: Total Deformation

62

The results shows that this is also suitable design for our case. But as we know that the
higher the factor of safety, the higher the price of material. So keeping in all aspects, we
come to a conclusion that the best choice is the second design.

5.2.2.Lower Plate
5.2.2.1. Design No.1
Thickness of lower plate= 5mm
After applying loadings:

Figure 5.25: Lower Part with loading conditions

The analysis of the above plate shows the following results:

63

Figure 5.26: Von Mises stress

Figure 5.27: Max. Principal stress

64

Figure 5.28: Stress Intensity

Figure 5.29: Total Deformation

Although we are applying load on this plate which cannot be reached up to this extent.
But still this factor of safety is very low we cannot chose this for our project.
65

5.2.2.2. Design No. 2

Thickness of the plate = 5mm
Analysis of this plate shows the following results:

Figure 5.30: Von Mises Stress

Figure 5.31: Max. Principal Stress

66

Figure 5.32: Max. Shear stress

Figure 5.33: Total Deformation

This can be suitable for our final design but we have to first examine the next design than
on the basis of both these results we can conclude our final result.

67

5.2.2.3. Design No.3

Thickness of the plate= 7mm
Analysis of this design shows the following results:

Figure 5.34: Von Mises Stress

Figure 5.35: Max. Principal Stress

68

Figure 5.36: Max. Shear stress

Figure 5.37: Total Deformation

This can be more feasible design for our project but we cannot take this because if we
take this thickness, our project would be not be economical.
So, our suitable design would be 5mm.
69

5.3. Fabrication
Different techniques has been used for the fabrication of our project. The material used
here was already been decided in the past chapters. These techniques includes the
following:
Bending
Welding
Sand Casting
Machining
Polishing and Finishing
Hydraulic Pressing

Figure 5.38: Assembling of spring

70

Figure 5.39: Punching of holes for outlets

Figure 5.40: Lower Base

71

Figure 5.41: Full Assembly

Figure 5.42: Pressure Cylinder

72

Chapter 6
COMPRESSOR DESIGNING
In our case the pistons which are in sleeves and are well insulated are acting as a
compressor. The inlet to the compressor is the hole as in the case of two stroke engines.
The initial pressure of the air is atmospheric pressure. When piston passes through the
inlet hole it compresses the air to certain high pressure which then opens the check valve
and compressed air moves to the storage cylinder. The calculation of the discharge
pressure from the cylinder is calculated as follows.

6.1. Assumptions
1. This is isothermal process. There is no change of temperature as we are not
dealing with higher pressure.
2. Friction is neglected
3. Atmospheric pressure is 1 bar.
4. There isnt any loss of pressure

6.2. Calculations
Given data:

Solution:
First we have to find the compression ratio from the formula given below

Displaced volume can be calculated as:

Putting values

The clearance volume can be calculated as:

73

(
)

So

Now putting values of

and

we get

Where

6.3. Conclusions

74

Chapter 7
CONTROL SYSTEM DESIGNING
7.1. Designing
The main parts included in our system for control system designing are:

Springs

Pistons

The springs has been discussed in detail in past chapters. So here we will discuss the
Piston which is actually acting as a damper in our case.
Damper is the part of suspension system and it functions as it has liquid in it and as we
know that liquids are incompressible moreover, dampers are used in combination with
springs and as the vehicle passes through rough roads, damper makes the motion of
spring smooth as it has liquid so liquid takes the force and keeps the vehicles smooth and
comfortable for the passengers. Here in our project as sir is being compressed in the
cylinders with the help of pistons. When force is applied on the ramp it moves down and
compresses the air but as air is compressed and a pressure is developed inside and that air
cant be further compressed so it will oppose the motion of the ramp and thus acting like
a damper.

Figure 7.1: Speed Breaker model full assembly

As we see in the above figure that our four springs are in parallel with each other and our
4 dampers are also in parallel to each other so we can think of our project having one
spring and one damper and we can model it with one degree of freedom. The below
diagram shows the one degree of freedom diagram

75

Figure 7.2: Free body Diagram

Now we are going to drive its transfer function and state space model

Using laplace transform

(

)
( )
( )

Now for state space model we use the initial differential equation

Replacing

Equations can be written as

Comparing Equations

76

[ ]

[ ]

Now putting values

( )
( )
This is our required transfer function. Now using Matlab we have found the different
types of response plots.
Matlab Code:
For simple case:

>> m=30;
k=15500;
c=4309.87;
s = tf('s');
P = m/(s^2 + (c/m)*s + (k/m));
step(P)
stepinfo(P)

ans =

RiseTime: 0.5953
77

SettlingTime: 1.0671
SettlingMin: 0.0523
SettlingMax: 0.0581
Overshoot: 0
Undershoot: 0
Peak: 0.0581
PeakTime: 2.7996

Figure 7.3: Step Response Plots

78

Chapter 8
SELECTION OF ENGINE
We have different engine which we can modify according to our design. But first of all
we have to investigate that which engine will fulfill our requirement.

8.1. Wankel engine

Wankel engine is actually a variable volume progressive cavity device. The whole space
is divided into three housings, each repeating the same cycle. Now as we know that the
rotor rotates and arbitrarily revolves thus compressing and expanding the combustion
chamber. There is one combustion stroke for two revolutions of crank shaft for a 4-stroke
piston engine while wankel engine is capable of generating a combustion stroke per each
drive shaft revolution which means one power stroke per each revolution and three power
strokes per revolutions therefore the power generated by wankel engine is much greater
as compared to 4-stroke piston engine having similar engine properties. This engine has a
higher power output. It is also because of the smoothness in the circular motion which
eliminates dangerous vibrations that can occur in the reciprocating engine due to of their
working.

Figure 8.1: Wankel engine

8.1.1. ADVATAGES

79

As the rotor is directly connected to the output shaft in the Wankel engine thus there is no
need of connecting rods, a crankshaft and crankshaft balancing weights that is why
Wankel engine is lighter than that of reciprocating engine of similar power output.
Vibrations produced by Wankel engine is less as discussed above so it results in smoother
power flow.

8.1.2. Disadvantages
The overall sealing of Wankel engine is worse even piston rings are not perfectly sealed
and allow for expansion. This is the main factor for decreasing the efficiency of Wankel
engine and constraining its use in the automobile industry.

8.2. Two Stroke Engine

The desire to have one revolution of crank shaft to produce work compared to two
revolutions of crank shaft to produce work in a 4-stroke piston engine has led to the
invention of 2-stroke engine.

Figure 8.2: Two Stroke engine

There are no piston valves in the 2-stroke engine but there are inlet and exhaust ports due
to which the suction and exhaust strokes are eliminated. The spark plug starts ignition
when the compression stroke is near to its completion. When 80% of the power stroke is
complete, the exhaust port is opened slightly which gives a slight way to exhaust gases
but as piston moves further downward the inlet port is also uncovered and fresh fuel
moves in expelling the remained exhaust gases into the atmosphere. For a 2-storke
80

engine, the specific fuel consumption is more than a 4-stroke engine which increases the
cost of its operation.

8.3. Four Stroke Piston Engine

There are four strokes comprising of intake stroke, compression stroke, power stroke and
exhaust stroke. During the inlet stroke the piston moves downward in order to get a fresh
charge of fuel and then compressing it to a certain level. Combustion is initiated by a
spark plug and thus power is produced, as the piston reaches the bottom dead center the
exhaust valve is opened and exhaust gases move out during the exhaust stroke of the
piston.

Figure 8.3: Four Stroke Engine

8.4. Selection
Using air as a fuel to run engine requires perfect insulation. As we all are aware of the
compressors in which a slight leakage can ruin all the efforts. First choice was Wankel
engine but we were constrained to look for other engine because of its least availability in
Pakistan market. We looked at 2-stroke engine but in this case, for an engine to work on
compressed air we have to give it a mean effective pressure on piston head, our inlet and
power stroke cant be overlapped which is necessary so it was also rejected. Next option
considered was a 4-stroke engine which met our criteria of overlapping the inlet and
power stroke so we decided to convert this 4-stroke piston engine to compressed air
engine.
We selected a C-70 engine and we will move on to understand its operations and we will
derive a system to convert it to compressed air engine.

8.5. Basic Functions of compressed air engine

81

As we know there will be only two strokes required for a compressed air engine to work.
Air with certain mean effective pressure will push the piston down thus giving a power
stroke and as the piston moves up, the exhaust valve will have to be opened so that the air
can get out and piston can travel in upward motion without any hurdle. The next condition
is that the intake valve must be closed while piston is coming up so that there can be
minimum forces on the piston head.

8.6. Modifications Required

It is required to convert a 4-stroke engine to 2-stroke engine as we require only 2 strokes.
Let us define these two strokes first.

8.6.1. Stroke-1
In the first stroke, intake valve will open and compressed air will push the piston down
hence the intake stroke will also act like the power stroke.

8.6.2. Stroke-2
In this stroke, exhaust valve will open and the air which is still at higher pressure than
ambient will move out.

8.6.3. Timing
For the compressed air engine, it is obvious that both the valves must be open twice for
each revolution of crank shaft as compared to a conventional 4-stroke engine in which
valve open once every two revolutions. This obviously telling us that there is a need to
change the design of camshaft.

8.6.4. Camshaft Design

The movement of valves is being controlled by camshaft, the lobes on the camshaft are
designed to open the valves accordingly. If the profile of camshaft is changed it will
change the timing of the valve motion. Camshaft of the C-70 is shown in the diagram
below.

Figure 8.4: Cam Shaft original design

82

For two revolutions of crankshaft, camshaft will move only one revolution and valves will
open only once. Now, we want to open the valves twice during one revolution of camshaft
so we have to make mirror of each lobe at 180 degree to existing lobe means now we have
four lobes.

8.6.5. Design Concept of Camshaft

Cam shaft has been designed so that it opens twice both the inlet and exhaust valve twice
during one revolution. The proposed design is as follows:

Figure 8.5: Pro/E modeling of cam shaft

8.6.6. Analysis of Camshaft

We did analysis of the camshaft on PRO-E wildfire 5. The steps are as follows

8.6.6.1. Constraints and Pressure Application

Figure 8.6: Constraints and Pressure application

83

As in our case the camshaft only rotates in one plane while its translation in any direction
is restricted so we gave the camshaft the displacement constraint along X Y Z directions.
While it is constrained to rotate in XY plane. The conditions are shown in the figure
above. As we know that the only component upon which force will act are the lobes of
camshaft so we only applied pressure on the lobes. We searched for the pressure which is
acting on the camshaft lobes and applied it. After that we selected the material which is
steel in our case.
After the application of constraints, pressure and material we are now able to run the
analysis. The results are as follows.

8.6.7. Modal Analysis

Figure 8.7: Modal analysis of cam shaft

The aim of this analysis is to see maximum displacement of the camshaft. After selecting
the modal analysis we ran the analysis to see the results.

Figure 8.8: Max. Displacement

84

This is the displacement for the combined mode and its value is 2.66 and these will be
balanced by rocker reaction so our model is safe and reliable.
The deformed shape is as follows

Figure 8.9: Deformed Shape

8.6.8. Static Analysis

The maximum displacement in this case is

Figure 8.10: Max. Displacement of static analysis

85

Figure 8.11: Max. Principal stress

Figure 8.12: Max. Shear stress

Figure 8.13: Von Mises stress

86

After applying the von misses stress criteria and compared it with the yield strength of the
steel the factor of safety found to be 56.88. These analysis shows that the camshaft is safe
so we can use it in our engine.

8.7. Fabrication of Cam shaft

The processes used for fabrication of our cam shaft are as follows:

Wood working

Sand Casting

Machining

Polishing and finishing

Figure 8.14: Wooden model

Figure 8.15: Comparison between original and modified designs

87

Figure 8.16: Full assembled two stroke compressed air engine

88

Chapter 9
COMPRESSED AIR APPLICATIONS
In everyday life, compressed air can be used in countless different ways. Compressed air
is widely used in industry because of its safety and reliability. Most of the companies use
compressed air at some stages of their operations. In modern industries, the
manufacturing processes often utilizes compressed air. Equipment in automotive working
shops, presses, dry clean stores depends upon reliable compressed air supply. Road
construction companies also use compressed air to power their tools. It is also used in
blowers, pneumatic tools and spraying guns. Some of these applications are mentioned
here as:.

9.1. Applications

Vehicle services

Foods and beverages:

Power generation

In Plastics

In wood

In Electronics

In metals

89

Chapter 10
CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

10.1. Conclusions
Our project is although a small but not the least effort towards the harvesting of energy.
Now this is the suitable time because our country is facing huge energy crises.
Our speed breaker is producing compressed air having pressure of almost 5 to 6 bar. We
have also modified Honda CD 70 bike engine as an application of compressed air. This
engine requires compressed air having pressure of almost 3 bar. Our goal was to achieve
compressed air having a pressure of 7-8 bar which we have nearly achieved. As this was a
new idea, so achieving such pressure is above our expectations. The whole assembly is
simple and easy to install. The selection of right material for the upper and lower plates
was a great deal for us. Similarly the suspension springs were not that easy to select. Thus
this project was a great increase in our practical and theoretical knowledge.

10.2. Recommendations

We have used mild steel for our project but it is too heavy and there is a risk of
rust and corrosion so we recommend that composite materials should be used
instead as it can provide same strength, it would be non-corrosive and it will be
lighter than mild steel.

We have used 4 pistons for compressing air and these pistons are connected to
upper sheet through connecting rods which are acting as point loads. In order to
avoid these point loadings we recommend the connection between the upper plate
and pistons via truss structure so that the whole weight can be distributed evenly
in the truss members.

As we are using a single system to produce compressed air, we recommend that a

number of such systems should be placed in series in such a way that the output of
one system is the input of other system and so on. In this way we will get more
pressurized compressed air for our utility.

90

REFERENCES
1- http://adeelmohammad.weebly.com/1/archives/04-2013/1.html accessed on 02-072013
2- http://piaf.pk/photogallary.html accessed on 02-07-2013
3-http://pukhtunkhwatimes.blogspot.com/2009/07/protest-against-loadsheddingin.html accessed on 02-07-2013
4- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aluminium accessed on 03-07-2013
5- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mild_steel#Mild_steel accessed on 03-07-2013
6- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cast_iron accessed on 03-07-2013
7- Tasfia Rahman- Design of Efficient Energy Harvester from Ambient Vibration- Thesis
Work, April 2012
8- Andrea Pirisi, Francesco Grimaccia, Marco Mussetta, and Riccardo E. Zich- Novel
Speed Bumps Design and Optimization for Vehicles Energy Recovery in Smart Cities14 November 2012
9- Aswathaman. V- Energy Speed Breaker is Now a Source of Power- 2010 International
Conference on Biology, Environment and Chemsitry, IPCBEE vol. 1 (2011) IACSIT
Press, Singapore
10-Ashok Kumar Sharma, Omkar Trivedi, Umesh Amberiya, Vikas SharmaDevelopment of Speed Breaker device for generation of compressed air on highways in
remote areas- International Journal of Recent Reseach and Review, VOL 1, March 2012

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