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Midterm Presentation 2 SENIOR DESIGN TEAM 25: PALM HARVESTER Slide 2 Group Members Ricardo Aleman, ME Gianni Alessandria, IE David Boswell, ECE Yuze (Liam) Liu, ME Brian Newman, ME Bolivar Lobo, IE Louis-Olivier Verret, IE 2 Ricardo Slide 3 Advisors Dr. Okoli (Sponsor) Dr. Olawale (IE supervisor) Dr. Amin (ME senior design coordinator) Dr. Clark (ME advisor) Dr. Frank (ECE senior design coordinator) Dr. Moss (ECE advisor) 3 Ricardo Slide 4 Project Review Palm Harvester Goal Develop an effective, efficient, and economical oil palm harvester 4 Ricardo Slide 5 Review of Fall 2013 5 Background Research Early September 2013 New Design (CWTP) Late September 2013 Small Mechatronic Prototype Mid-October 2013 CWTP CAD November 2013 Ordered parts December 2013 Ricardo Review Testing Electrical Status Safety Future Work Slide 6 Review of Spring 2013 6 Received parts January 2014 Machining January February 2014 Assembly February 2014 Testing Early March 2014 Ricardo Review Testing Electrical Status Safety Future Work Slide 7 New Name: MORPHEUS 7 Mechatronically Operated Retractable Palm Harvesting Experimental Use System Morpheus Greek God of Dreams Ricardo Review Testing Electrical Status Safety Future Work Slide 8 Assembly Status All mechanical subassemblies have been completed! 8 Ricardo Review Testing Electrical Status Safety Future Work Slide 9 Testing Liam 9 Slide 10 Cart and Pole Testing Cart rolled out to AME field Pole assembly was winched 25ft Winching up was not hard Winching down was safe with braking All problems were observed and noted 10 Liam Review Testing Electrical Status Safety Future Work Slide 11 Testing Issue 1: Wobbly Legs Cart wheels werent perfect when rolling to field Problem stems from wobble in cart legs Need to reduce wobble in cart legs to improve maneuverability 11 Target Actual Liam Review Testing Electrical Status Safety Future Work Slide 12 Testing Issue 2: Loose Pivot Ring Gap between the pivot ring and the bottom pole Shims were used during testing to tighten pole on pivot block Need a better way to secure pole inside pivot ring 12 Liam Review Testing Electrical Status Safety Future Work Slide 13 Testing Issue 3: Pole Rotation Poles should only slide up or down However, testing showed that poles rotated also This rotation can cause damage and unanticipated failures, thus Need to constrain pole rotations 13 Liam Review Testing Electrical Status Safety Future Work Slide 14 Testing Issue 4: Bracket Yielding The pulley brackets yielded Why wasnt this anticipated? See wire twisted around pole Twisting wire required extra winch force which wasnt expected, thus yielding Need to reinforce pulley brackets 14 Liam Review Testing Electrical Status Safety Future Work Slide 15 Solution 1: Wobbly Legs Need to reduce wobble in cart legs to improve maneuverability Temporary solution by filling gaps with material to occupy space We used shims during testing Future work can improve the legs by designing them more rigidly 15 Ricardo Review Testing Electrical Status Safety Future Work Less rigid physical model Rigid CAD model Slide 16 Solution 2: Loose Pivot Ring 16 Ricardo Need a better way to secure pole inside pivot ring Add T-handle screw T-handle screw allows manual tightening of pole inside pivot block Easy to tighten and remove Review Testing Electrical Status Safety Future Work Slide 17 Solution 3: Pole Rotation Need to constrain rotation Use inner plastic bars to constrain rotation Also use orange tape along tubes to watch for potential rotations 17 Ricardo Review Testing Electrical Status Safety Future Work Slide 18 Solution 4: Bracket Yielding Need to reinforce pulley brackets Bending likely because of extra load from twisting rope One fix is to constrain rotation ( Solution 3) Also use pulley with wing to distribute load better 18 Ricardo Review Testing Electrical Status Safety Future Work Slide 19 Electrical System Status 19 David Slide 20 RCA Cable Monitor Winged wire connectors Battery Camera 45 ft wires Camera Camera and Monitor Wiring 20 David Review Testing Electrical Status Safety Future Work Monitor Camera Battery RCA Cable Wire Slide 21 Battery 45 ft of Wires rated 20 Amps Pushbutton Winged wire connector Pole Saw Wiring 21 David Review Testing Electrical Status Safety Future Work Wire Pushbutton Pole Saw+ Battery Slide 22 Experiment on Tree Branches Need to know pole saw current to estimate power consumption and properly select wiring by gauge Carried out a field test 33 data runs 11 small branches 11 medium branches 11 large branches Material: wood Measured current (A) versus branch diameter (in) for 33 cases Note: Stems of oil palm fruits may be softer than wood, making this a conservative experiment 22 Branch Designation Diameter (in) Small0.4 0.7 Medium0.7 1.0 Large1.0 1.5 Review Testing Electrical Status Safety Future Work David Slide 23 Experiment on Tree Branches 23 David 33 runs: 11 small, 11 medium, 11 large branches, respectively. Results show 8A current as largest operation current. Review Testing Electrical Status Safety Future Work Slide 24 Updates Power estimate 8 amps of current 5 sec/ cut 24 From analysis: Higher rated wires (20A) Winged wire connectors for easy storage Wiring changes: David Review Testing Electrical Status Safety Future Work Slide 25 Safety Considerations Gianni 25 Slide 26 26 Safety Considerations INDUSTRIAL HELMET SAFETY GOGGLES GLOVES Gianni Review Testing Electrical Status Safety Future Work Slide 27 Keep the harvester stationary Check for level ground Do not push/pull the harvester while the poles are extended 27 Safety Considerations Gianni Use the bullseye from cart Review Testing Electrical Status Safety Future Work Slide 28 Fix tree grips to tree before turning on pole saw Remain attentive for falling branches or fruit 28 Safety Considerations Gianni Review Testing Electrical Status Safety Future Work Slide 29 In case of inclement weather, it is recommended to stop the operation, lower the poles, and resume only after the weather has been cleared. In case the telescoping pole falls, the operator should immediately stop and exit outside of the range that the pole saw can cover. 29 Safety Considerations Gianni 43 ft Review Testing Electrical Status Safety Future Work Slide 30 FUTURE WORK 30 Ricardo Review Testing Electrical Status Safety Future Work Slide 31 Questions, Concerns, Suggestions? 31