Project Title

JCATI - Drive System

Document Type

Undergraduate Project

Date of Degree Completion

Spring 2021

Degree Name

Bachelor of Science

Department

Mechanical Engineering Technology

Committee Chair

Charles Pringle

Second Committee Member

John Choi

Abstract

Each year, Mechanical Engineering Technology students receive a grant from The Joint Center for Aerospace Technology Innovation (JCATI) to engineer a device that is capable of breaking down carbon fiber trimmings for recycling. The students who received the grant this year have redesigned portions of the existing system in an attempt to solve issues that have kept the system from working properly in the past. Though much collaboration between group members has been needed, each member has been responsible for their own portion of the project. The purpose of this portion of the project has been to address binding and interference in the spur gears of the existing system. Many analyses related to drivetrain forces were done in order to determine what type of drive system would be able to handle the large forces that the system creates. Once a chain drive was selected as the best solution, shear and tensile load analyses were done to ensure that each component could withstand the large forces and pressures. The resulting chain drive required ANSI #100 chain and sprockets, along with some modification to existing parts. The drive system now functions correctly with no binding and less deflection than before. The chain drive has shown to be capable of withstanding the 2000 ft-lb of torque created by the reduction system. There is also much more strength in this portion of the drive system, resulting in better reliability.

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