Abstract
The engineering team at Midwestern State University is working on a double planetary gearing transmission coupled by driving chains and sprockets. The ultimate purpose of this project is to manufacture and automate a transmission apparatus for the Machine Element Design Laboratory. The current team is the fourth team to work on this project and is tasked to build a better entry and exit shaft, as well as a braking system, and automate the entire system.
The Willis Gearing Theory was used to determine the system’s theoretical gear ratios. Next, the entry and exit shafts of the transmission, as well as the braking system, were designed using the SolidWorks CAD software. The blueprints were then sent out to a machine shop for manufacturing and then assembled. A programmable logic controller activated two linear actuators to move two keyed shafts at the entry and the exit of the transmission. An Arduino board was used to ensure safe placement of the braking blocks. It is expected that a future team will complete the PLC programming, measure the mechanical advantage of the system to compare to the theoretical velocity ratio, determine the efficiency of the transmission, and create a lab manual.
