Capitol University

Cagayan de Oro City

9000 Philippines

DESIGN AND FABRICATION OF HUMAN-POWERED STREET SWEEPER USING

THE CHAIN AND SPROCKET MECHANISM
MARJHON B. ZAMORA, JOEL FRANCIS S. MASCARIṄAS, JESSA R. BERNAL
Researchers

Engr. Juvy Mae I. Vincent

Adviser

ABSTRACT

Cleaning is the main basic need for all human beings and it is essential for daily routine process. Keeping debris off the
street and out of the gutters prevents the debris from entering and plugging the storm drainage system which can add to the cost
the city faces for cleaning drainage lines. Street Sweepers are designed to remove material from road surfaces by mechanical
means, such as brooms, or by suction through a vacuum or regenerative air system. With this, the researchers come to an idea of
creating a street sweeper which will be used in Capitol University specifically in College of Engineering area where there are
many dried leaves falling in the ground due to many trees that were planted in the area which may possibly cause flooding.
The concept of this study is to minimize human effort in cleaning the paved roads of Capitol University by creating a machine
that could also clean and sweep most especially the leaves from the roads, To do this the researchers conceptualize a design of a
street sweeper machine that is easy to operate yet environment-friendly. Minimizing air pollution is also one of the factors to be
considered in designing the street sweeper machine.
This study focuses on the design, fabrication and testing of a Human Powered Street Sweeper Machine using the
principle of the chain and sprocket mechanism. The fabricated street sweeper machine was able to collect and sweep leaves on
the road fronting the engineering building. The street sweeper can be used to sweep the leaves on the paved roads by
incorporating the broom, dust pan and trash bin into one. The street sweeper machine, based in the data gathered was able to
collect an average of 1,877.22 grams of leaves or 95.58 percent from an initial weight of 1,964 grams in a 51,408 square inches
area in just ten minutes of operation of the machine.

INTRODUCTION OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY

BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY
Cleaning is the main basic need for all human beings and
it is essential for daily routine process. There are two ways for
street cleaning, the manual process and mechanized process. In
manual process, a person continuously swept the street with the
use of broom and shovel by their hand to clean off the debris,
waste or etc. While in mechanized process, a vehicle
containing broom at bottom continuously rotating, clean the
street as well as sucks the dust spread by the rotating broom.
Keeping debris off the street and out of the gutters
prevents the debris from entering and plugging the storm
drainage system which can add to the cost the city faces for
cleaning drainage lines. Street Sweepers are designed to
remove material from road surfaces by mechanical means, such
as brooms, or by suction through a vacuum or regenerative air
system. Street sweepers are semi-custom vehicles in that a cab
and chassis is mounted with the sweeping equipment, including
hoppers, brooms, vacuums, engines and additional equipment.
Sweepers are configured into either a single engine or dual
engine configuration. In a dual engine configuration an
auxiliary engine is bolted to the top of the vehicle or integrated
into the machinery. The majority of street sweepers have twin
steer capability for driver vision and maneuverability. There
are many types of street sweeper machines depending of the
type of street sweeping that is needed. They are graded into
different abilities and sizes and they would be used in the area
where they would be most suited.
Generally, there are three types of street sweeping
technologies that are recognized within the street sweeper
industry. These technologies can be identified as Mechanical
Broom Sweepers, Vacuum Sweepers and Regenerative Air
Sweepers. These three fundamental technologies can each have
unique variations to the technology that is implemented by a
sweeper manufacturer. An example of this would be the “high-
efficiency” modification. Sweepers of all types commonly use
gutter brooms to move dirt and debris into the path of the pick-
up mechanism of the sweeper. To control fugitive dust, a series
of water nozzles are typically used to spray a mist of water
around brooms and within the sweeper hopper.
With this knowledge, the researchers proposed to design
and fabricate a Human Powered Street Sweeper to be used in
school campus of Capitol University specifically in College of
Engineering. This type of street sweeper is different from
modern street sweeper that is used nowadays in other countries
because of its simplicity and easy to operate. This cleaner is an
approach to deliver easy and time efficient cleaning the ground
in the campus by reducing human efforts.
Specifically, the following are specific objectives of the
study:
1. To design a Human-Powered Street Sweeper to be
used in Capitol University campuses.
2. To fabricate a prototype of the Human-Powered
Street Sweeper that is easy to operate and high in
cleaning efficiency.
3. Lastly, to test the performance of the fabricated
Human-Powered Street Sweeper in terms of its
efficiency and output percentage.
CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK
This research study is anchored on improvement, data
gathering, and design of Human-Powered Street Sweeper.
Figure 1 is the schematic diagram of the conceptual
framework, the interrelated processes that constitute in order to
come-up with a well-designed output.
• Design a Human Powered Street Sweeper Using the Chain and
Sprocket Mechanism using a design software to elaborate its
INPUT dimension, structure, and the mechanism itself.
• Fabricate the final design of the Human-Powered Street
Sweeper.
PROCESS
• Test the performance of the street sweeper.
OUTPUT
Figure 1. Conceptual Framework of the Study
 The Figure 1 above shows the input, process and
output of the conceptual framework for this study. The input is
the design of the street sweeper machine. The design is made
using design software which in this case the researchers used
AutoCAD based on the design conceptualized by the
researchers. The process involves the fabrication of the
designed street sweeper machine. The fabrication process is
done at the machine shop located at the ground floor of the
engineering building. Lastly, the output is the fabricated
human-powered street sweeper machine and also its
performance in terms of its efficiency and output percentage.
SCOPE AND LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY
This study focuses on the design and fabrication of a
Human-Powered Street Sweeper using only the Chain and
Sprocket mechanism that could be used as a cleaning and
sweeping machine inside the campus of Capitol University
specifically in College of Engineering area where there are
many dry leaves falling on the ground and it could not be
avoided due to many trees that were planted in the area which
may possibly cause flooding. In addition, this study will try to
determine the performance of the machine in terms of its
efficiency and output percentage. The study will be limited
only to the design, fabrication and testing of the structure and
mechanical parts of the machine that is pure manual
mechanism composed of a scraper conveyor, trash bin and a
rotating broom which collect the waste. Also, in the testing
phase, the mechanism will be limited only to flat and plain
concrete surface and the trash to be collected will only be
limited also to leaves.
PROJECT DESIGN
During the conceptualization of the design of the
street sweeper machine, the researchers considered a fully
functional, easy to operate and good maneuverability machine.
In the initial design of the machine, a bicycle was attached to
the left side. However, during the initial testing and data
gathering the researchers found out that the machine was
difficult to handle especially when turning. The proponents
then decided to modify the design of the machine by removing
the bicycle and installing another wheel on its left side and
attaching a handle on the upper rear of it. The machine then
operates by pushing forward so that the brush and scraper
conveyor will rotate.
The trash bin frame assembly is composed of the
following as showed in Figure 3;
a.) Trash bin frame,
b.) Two (2) mountain bike wheels, wherein the right side wheel
has a 52 teeth sprocket attached on it,
c.) Two (2) wheel support frame,
d.) Two (2) wheel support bars attached on the sides of the
trash bin,
e.) Handle, and
f.) Two (2) steel tubes that are used to connect the trash bin
frame and scraper conveyor frame assemblies together.

RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODOLOGY

RESEARCH LOCALE
The study is conducted inside the Capitol University
campus, Cagayan de Oro city. The researchers will utilize the
paved roads of the university to conduct and test the street
sweeper prototype. One of the reasons why the researchers
chose the area is because the road is concrete and flat-surfaced.
Alongside the roads there are trees planted and the leaves fall Figure 3. Trash bin assembly
on the roads. These leaves are then swept by assigned Moreover, the scraper conveyor frame assembly is
maintenance personnel. This is also the reason the researchers composed of the following as shown in Figure 4;
chose to design and fabricate a street sweeper to help the a.) Scraper conveyor frame
maintenance department in cleaning the roads of the campus. b.) Front wheel assembly
c.) Cylindrical brush with shaft
d.) Two custom-made pillow block bearing for the cylindrical
brush shaft
e.) Two (2) scraper conveyor shafts each of which has two
sprockets attached on it
f.) Four (4) scraper conveyor big pillow block bearings
g.) Two scraper conveyor chains with six scrapers attached
h.) Chain driving the cylindrical brush
i.) One (1) detachable big sprocket for initial drive
j.) Two (2) detachable small sprockets, and
Figure 2. Google Map image of the location of Capitol
k.) Two scraper conveyor plain sheet sidings
University
l.) Front scraper made of plain sheet, and
m.) Cylindrical brush and scraper conveyor covers
RESEARCH PLAN
In this project, the proposed concept is to minimize
human effort in cleaning the paved roads of Capitol University
by creating a machine that could also clean and sweep most
especially the leaves from the roads. To do this the researchers
conceptualize a design of a street sweeper machine that is easy
to operate yet environment-friendly. Minimizing air pollution
is also a factor to be well-thought-out in designing the street
sweeper machine.
The researchers will then proceed to the gathering of
the materials needed in the fabrication of the street sweeper
machine. After that is the fabrication phase and will be done at
the machine shop laboratory located at the ground floor of the
engineering building since it has all the necessary tools and
equipment to be used in the fabrication. Lastly, testing will be
made to test if the machine operates according to its purpose
and adjustments will be made when necessary to further
improve the performance of the machine.
Figure 4. Street sweeper machine
TESTING PROCEDURE
The machine was tested after the fabrication phase.
Adjustments were made to ensure all the components ready for
the testing. In this phase the researchers test the machine
following these procedures shown below. The weighing scale
used in the experiment is calibrated before the start of any of
the trials.
Measure the area where the test will be conducted
Collect fallen leaves and weigh using a weighing scale
Spreading the weighed leaves all over the area
Install a trash bag onto the built-in trash bin of the machine
Using the machine, sweep the leaves for a period of ten (10)
minutes
Figure 5. Testing Procedure Flow Diagram
RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS
Figure 6. Layout of chain and sprocket in the machine
Design of Chain Drive for Sprocket A to B Results
Figure 7. Chain and Sprocket Layout
Design of Chain Drive for Sprocket C to D Results
Figure 8. Chain and Sprocket Layout
Design of Chain Drive for Scraper Conveyor Sprocket E &
G to F & H Results
Figure 9. Chain and Sprocket Layout
Street Sweeper Machine Experimental Data Discussion and
Analysis
During the testing phase, the researchers tested the
machine by operating it for a period of ten (10) minutes per
trial for ten (10) trials on the road fronting the engineering
building. The area where the machine was tested has a length
of 1097.28 cm and width of 302.26 cm having a total area of
331,663 cm2. The researchers tested the machine for ten
minutes with the initial weight of leaves as 1964 grams. The
researchers will test the capacity of the machine by how much
leaves it would sweep within ten minutes of operation.
After the testing was done, the researchers recorded
the data gathered and tabulated these data. The researchers
found out that for every ten minutes of operation, some of the
leaves were not swept completely as shown in the table 1. The
collected leaves per trial were weighed using an electronic
weighing scale to see how much of the original amount of
leaves were swept. The weight of collected leaves using the
machine was tabulated and the average weight was computed.
Weight of Collected
Trial Time Duration Leaves in grams (g)
1 10 minutes 1903.3 g
2 10 minutes 1875.3 g
3 10 minutes 1837.7 g
4 10 minutes 1900.5 g
5 10 minutes 1936.9 g
6 10 minutes 1885.7 g
7 10 minutes 1836.4 g
8 10 minutes 1801.4 g
9 10 minutes 1864.4 g
10 10 minutes 1930.6 g
Table 1. Weight of the collected leaves using the street
sweeper machine
The Table 1 shows the weight of the leaves collected
using the street sweeper machine for ten minutes for every
trial. Using these data, the researchers then calculated the
average weight of the collected leaves by adding all the weight
and dividing these by ten and the result was 1877.22 grams of
leaves. The calculated average weight of the collected leaves
somehow shows that it is approximately 95.58 % of the
original weight of the leaves being scattered on the testing area
per trial. This implies that the overall sweeping capacity of the
fabricated street sweeper machine is 95.58% for an area of
331,663 cm2.
The fabricated street sweeper machine is practically
an environment-friendly machine because it does not use or
burn any fossil fuels. The machine is operated by simply
pushing the machine towards the direction and there is no need
for a broom and a dustpan thus making it possible for an
operator to do the cleaning process fast and easy.
The efficiency of the fabricated sweeper machine
was also determined comparing the actual and the theoretical
rotational speeds of the sprockets as shown in Tables 2 & 3
below.
Theoretical Rotational Speed of 127.324 rpm
Sprocket A
Theoretical Rotational Speed of 472.9 rpm
Sprocket B
Theoretical Rotational Speed of 1249.85 rpm
Sprocket D
Table 2. Summary of Theoretical Rotational Speeds of
Sprockets
Actual Rotational Speed of Sprocket 99.793 rpm
A and Development of Simplified Road Cleaning Machine with
Actual Rotational Speed of Sprocket 371.328 rpm
B International Journal of Engineering and Scientific Research
Actual Rotational Speed of Sprocket 981. 367 rpm
D
Table 3. Summary of Actual Rotational Speeds of Sprockets
Based on the results of the actual and theoretical
rotational speeds, the researchers found out that the efficiency
of the street sweeper machine in terms of its output rotational
speed is 78.52 %. This is obtained by dividing the actual
rotational speed of sprocket D, which is the output speed of the
machine, by the theoretical rotational speed of the same
sprocket and multiplying the result with 100% thus having the
result of 78.52 % of efficiency. This implies that there are
several things to be improved on the machine to increase its
output speed efficiency.
CONCLUSION
Based on the results obtained, the following
conclusions were drawn;
a. The researchers were able to design and
fabricate a street sweeper machine using the
principle of the chain and sprocket mechanism.
b. The fabricated street sweeper machine was able
to collect and sweep leaves on the road fronting
the engineering building.
c. The street sweeper machine, based in the data
gathered was able to collect an average of
1877.22 grams of leaves or 95.58 percent from
an initial weight of 1964 grams in a 331,663
cm2 area in just ten minutes of operation of the
machine.
d. The street sweeper can be used to sweep the
leaves on the paved roads by incorporating the
broom, dust pan and trash bin into one.
RECOMMENDATIONS
Based on the results and conclusions of the study, the
proponents advance the following recommendations;
a. Using materials that are more rust-resistant and
lightweight.
b. Expanding the width of the scraper conveyor and the
cylindrical brush to collect more leaves.
c. Use different design/materials for the scraper.
d. For future researchers, should try other mechanisms
for the machine to compare performances and seek
more efficient ways to clean and sweep leaves and at
the same time minimizing human effort.
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INTERNET
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Street Cleaner-Final Report
Retrieved from:
https://www.egr.msu.edu/sites/default/files/content/indiastreetc
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Retrieved February 10, 2019
https://energyeducation.ca/encyclopedia/Horsepower?fbclid=I
wAR1gIFNHXA2d07Ake9NIU0HkVpcqQ2TIk0YHQFO__a0
NAWbf69Lq4FSsTcc

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