Pneumatics
The team needed to create some sort of fast reciprocating motion that would ultimately break up thick layers of ice that form on the ground and remain their after conventional snow removal techniques have been employed. The team considered mechanical methods to create this reciprocation motion but ended up choosing to utilize pneumatic, compressed air, in order to create this motion for numerous reasons. Firstly. a mechanical system would only allow for the adjustment of the speed of the impacts but not the pressure/force that would be generated by each impact. In a pneumatic system, the force/pressure of each impact could be adjusted by the air pressure that the cylinder is supplied with and the speed of impact could be controlled by the speed at which the valve controlling the cylinder is flipped.
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Next, the team had to decide what compressor, tank, valves and cylinders would be best suited for this application. Calculates were performed to determine a relationship between the air pressure supplied to the cylinder and the pressure at which the chisel would strike the ice. Based on these calculations the team decided that a 1-1/16" Stainless Steel Double Acting Cylinder with a 2" stroke would be sufficient. This decision will be confirmed with a testing device that the team is currently developing. The team then calculated the volume of air required for the cylinder to cycle at a rate of 120 cycles per minute. Which resulted in a 0.24CFM or 0.72CFM for three cylinders operating at this rate. With this, the team then needed to choose a compressor and tank that would be able to supply enough air to fulfill the needs of the cylinders. After extensive research the team decided on a Viair 480C Compressor along with a 5 gallon tank. The Viair 480C has a max operating pressure of 200PSI and can supply 1.02CFM of air at 100PSI tank pressure, which would be able to keep up with the needs of the cylinder. A schematic of the complete system thus far can be seen below.
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As previously mentioned, the team is currently working to develop a testing device to test a pneumatic cylinder at various pressure to determine how much force/ pressure is needed to break ice. This will allow the team to also test numerous chisel styles that will be attached to the end of the cylinders to determine which is most effective. This devise will also allow the team to determine what angle of attack is most effective.
