Blog #4

Remote-Controlled Garden Seeder

Team 31- Beyza Kural, Syed Hussain, Nawaf Abulhaija

Progress Update 11/11-11/25

    During the work period of November 11 - November 25, our team has been working on finalizing the design in SolidWorks so that we can have our CAD completed for our Design Review Report on December 2. Our milestones 1-3 are completed and we are now on milestone 4 in which we have the major components of our design finalized. Currently, our team is focused on the smaller details of the CAD such as fine dimensioning and the electrical layout. The electrical components include the power supply, wiring, motors, etc. The figure below shows the progress of our CAD design. 

Figure 1. Updated CAD of Garden-Seeder 

    Based on our initial design concepts, we decided that our "Design Concept 1" would be most effective in meeting our client's needs. After conducting a design feasibility analysis, we were able to rank Design Concept 1 as the highest, in terms of operational, technical, economic, and schedule feasibility. The key advantage of this design is its component layout - the sufficient spacing will allow for easier operation and for the parts to be easily changed out, if necessary. It has simple wiring which makes it easier on the team since we are not experienced in circuit boards. The estimated cost to develop this design is around $550 and it is estimated that it will take 4-7 months to complete, depending on our vendors and sourcing. 

    Some of the major features of the design include rotating spikes for the aerator, treaded tires, a low-speed-high-torque motor, a large 10,000 mAh power supply, and an automatic seed distribution system. These components will help our team address the main technical goals that we initially set up to meet our client's needs. The rotating spikes allow the remote-controlled garden seeder to aerate the soil and the treaded tires help with navigating through different potential terrains such as wet soil. These features are highlighted in the figure below. 

Figure 2. Key Features of CAD

    To determine the strength and success of our current design, we conducted a load analysis, a torque analysis, a gear ratio analysis, and an FEA analysis. The results of the load analysis indicated that our device will be about 52 pounds with all of the different components. The torque analysis results have shown that our device requires an output torque of 0.22 N-m. The gear ratio for our devices must be 0.0144578 according to the analysis results. We conducted a von Mises stress analysis, a strain analysis, and a displacement analysis which are shown in the figure below. The results indicate where the stress concentrations, strain, and displacement are located with a specific load applied. Overall, the stress and strain are not significant to the device's integrity, but the displacement seems to be high at the center of the top surface of the garden seeder. 

Figure 3. FEA Analysis of CAD

    Our team will begin purchasing materials during the winter break to prepare for the spring 2024 semester to execute the design. We intend to take advantage of potential holiday deals by purchasing a wide-angle RC camera at potentially reduced prices. We will send drawings of components such as the frame, hopper, cylinder, brackets, shafts, and aerators to our vendor for fabrication. We will also 3D print parts for the suspension system. By completing these tasks during the winter break, we are setting the stage for an early start in assembling the device once the spring semester begins. This approach not only allows us to expedite the assembly process but also provides a cushion in case any issues arise during fabrication, such as concerns with dimensioning or materials. Having this additional time enables us to address any potential setbacks, ensuring a smoother progression towards assembling the prototype.

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