Analysis
The analysis of the torque-measuring device began with the aluminum stock. Haskins Steel in Yakima, WA is the provider of the aluminum stock for CWU. A quick trip to the Haskins Steel website to see what dimensions aluminum stock was available in served as a starting point to analysis. All the possible stock dimensions were put into an excel spreadsheet that calculated the moment of inertia for those dimensions. The spreadsheet was used to choose a favorable moment of inertia based on the dimensions given. The spreadsheet is shown to the right.
With the spreadsheet made, the moment on the torque arm was used to calculate the stress in the various beam lengths. (Analysis A-2) Three beam lengths were acceptable based on the size requirements. These three lengths are used in the beam deflection analysis to test which length deflects an acceptable amount. None of the three lengths are thrown out due to beam deflection analysis. The stress in the beam is then compared to the ultimate yield stress of aluminum 6061-T6.
There are many kinds of load cell out there. In is a comparison of three applicable load cells based on cost, load range, dimensions, and max loading. Two of the three load cells were found to be acceptable for the projects need. The third load cell had a load range of 25 lbs to 200 lbs. This range is far out of the necessary range for this project.
The load cell decision had to be made first to know the necessary length of the column. With two acceptable load cell choices, there are two lengths used in the column calculations to find a favorable one. To optimize the purchasing process, the column will be designed for the same aluminum stock dimensions as the horizontal beam. Both column lengths were found to have acceptable critical loads.
The beam design was found to be satisfactory. To optimize the purchasing process, the column will be designed for the same aluminum stock dimensions. The column is then taken through the design process by means of column analysis. The slenderness ratio is compared to the column constant to classify the column as either long or short. Once it is classified as a long column or a short column, the equation for critical load is used to check if the column can hold the load made by the air motor. (Analysis A-5)
