Department of Mechanical Engineering

Spring 2017
[MECH-498]

Senior Design Project II

Mid-Project Report

Group Members:

Omar K. Almelhi - 100039916

Fares H. Al Awwa - 100040619
Mohamad M. Khalil - 100040634
Sara I. Alkhoori - 100039831
Sultana D. Abdulrahman - 100038600

Supervisors:
Dr. Bashar El Khasawneh
Dr. Anas Alazzam

1. Summary
 During this semester, we are expected to do more of hands-on work instead of research to
assemble the machine. Up to this point, we can say that the project progress is heading
towards the final stage as most of the machine parts are ready.
The report gives an overview of the work progress during this semester, starting with
machine parts that we have purchased and manufactured along with a financial analysis.
It also emphasizes on the issues and challenges that we have faced while building the
machine, and how we were able to deal with it.
2. Activities and Progress
2.1 Hydraulic System
We are using a hydraulic system to compress the soil mixture and produce a brick. The
final decision of choosing the suitable hydraulic system has been taken after several
changes in terms of hydraulic capacity and supplier. So far, we have decided on the main
components needed to operate the hydraulic cylinder, and they all will be purchased from
Power Hydraulics. At the beginning of the semester, we have met with engineers from
that company and discussed our requirements, and they suggested to have the following:
● Hydraulic Power Pack: which includes oil tank, motor, pump and all other
hydraulic components. The recommended hydraulic cylinder has a pressing speed
of 30cm/7s.
● Hydraulic Cylinder: which has a rear end flange with rod eye. It has a capacity of
15 ton and a stroke of 30 cm.
● Electric Control Panel: direct online with related switches. The main purpose of
using this control panel is to monitor the hydraulic movement up or down, and
adjust the pressing time.
As stated in the quotation that is mentioned in the appendix, all the parts are expected to
finish within 6-8 working days upon receiving first down payment. On March 6, 2017,
the first payment has been transferred to the company’s bank account, and the parts will
be delivered hopefully by March 15.

2.2 Manufactured Parts

Regarding the manufactured parts for the project they are divided into two parts. The first
part is the parts manufactured outside of the university, and the second is the parts
manufactured in the university. As mentioned from the previous Mid Report, the reason
behind manufacturing some parts in-house and others outside of; is the limitation of our
workshop.The parts manufactured outside of the university were mainly done in Aljaber
Precision engineering facility, where they were responsible for making all the steel parts.
They made the top and bottom plate, the pusher, holders, molds and other parts. the
delivery for these parts was supposed to be at the beginning of march, but due to some
issues it delayed to the middle of the month.
The parts manufactured in the university were mostly aluminum, and they were small in
size so they could be manufactured in the lab. The university-manufactured parts had to
be done using different manufacturing techniques like milling, turning, cutting, threading,
and using adhesive materials. Most of the parts that were supposed to be manufactured in
the lab have been done, and what is left are some components and things that need to be
checked and adjusted before manufacturing. Here we provide an overall picture of the
parts that were already manufactured. Please note that those are not all the parts, but a
portion of them. All the parts will be done during the coming two weeks.

Figure#: a portion of the manufactured parts.

All the parts that should be manufactured in the university are included in the appendix.

2.3 Purchased Parts

We have purchased some parts instead of manufacturing them as they were cheap,
durable, and readily available, which saved us time and effort. The table below shows the
parts that we have purchased so far and how many we purchased.

Product Quantity
High-Load Metal Gear - 20 Degree 3
Pressure Angle, Steel, 20 Pitch, 30 Teeth

Pawl for Ratcheting Gear 3

Ratcheting Gear 32 Teeth 1

Steel Machinable-Bore Sprocket for ANSI 2

Number 35 Roller Chain, 3/8" Pitch, 40
Teeth

High-Load Metal Gear Rack - 20 Degree 1

Pressure Angle 4 Feet Length, 20 Pitch

Steel Machinable-Bore Sprocket for ANSI 2

Number 35 Roller Chain, 3/8" Pitch, 11
Teeth

Roller Chain ANSI Number 35, 3/8" 1

Pitch, 6' Long

Rotary Shaft 1566 Carbon Steel, 3/4" 1

Diameter, 60" Long

Compact AC Gearmotor Base/Face 1

Mount, 50 in.-lbs. Torque At 1 Maximum
rpm

High-Load Metal Gear - 20 Degree 1

Pressure Angle, Steel, 20 Pitch, 15 Teeth

Gas Spring 35.43" Extended Length, 150 2

lbs. Extension Force

Ball Bearing Trade No. R8, for 1/2" Shaft 6

Diameter, 1-1/8" OD

High-Load Metal Gear - 20 Degree 1

Pressure Angle, Steel, 20 Pitch, 40 Teeth

Music Wire Torsion Spring 360 Degree 1

Angle, 271" Spring OD, .021" Wire, Left-
Hand, Packs of 6

Ball Bearing Trade No. R12, for 3/4" 2

Shaft Diameter, 1-5/8" OD
All the parts mentioned above were purchased from McMaster-Carr. The order was
placed on February 15, 2017, and we have received the shipment on February 19, 2017.
For now, we are only left with the screws and columns. We have the required
specifications of each part but still searching for a supplier.

2.4 Microcontroller Programming and Wiring

The selection of a microcontroller was discussed in the first progress report of SDP I,
where the different alternatives were addressed and compared. The Arduino UNO is
selected among Raspberry Pi, BeagleBone, and many others due to its low cost and
having large community. The main task of the Arduino is controlling the vertical
movement of the hydraulic and the rotation of an AC motor according to signals from
limit switches positioned on the machine. The figure below illustrates the process.

The major tasks of setting up the Arduino are presented in the figure above. Breaking
down the major task into minor tasks simplifies the problem and makes the solution
effective. A discussion of the tasks is presented below.
2.4.1 Power Source
Choosing a power source for the Arduino is crucial for making it autonomous.
There are four different ports for supplying power to the board:
1. USB port: USB connection coming from a computer or any power source
with a USB port such as a mobile battery bank,
2. Japan Jack port: AA or PP3 batteries providing or any power adaptor
providing a voltage of 7 to 12V is suitable,
3. Vin socket: applying 6 to 12V across the Vin socket, and
4. 5V socket: applying 5V across the 5V socket.
The use of batteries, whether rechargeable or nonrechargeable, is not efficient
since they require recharging or replacing periodically. The USB port is
appropriate but not practical, because powering the Arduino with a USB
connection from a computer does not provide autonomy. The Vin and 5V socket
are preferable for drawing power for Arduino-dependent devices rather than
inputting power. The last choice is the power adaptor, which provides an effective
and practical solution.
 a) USB Port b) Japan Jack port

c) Vin socket d) 5V socket

Pictures: https://www.open-electronics.org/the-power-of-arduino-this-unknown/

2.4.2 Basic Code

A first draft of the code is discussed below. The first code represents the base for
the final code, where improvements will be made throughout the semester after
completing the minor tasks. The importance of this stage is getting familiar with
programming of the Arduino. The circuit consists of an Arduino UNO,
breadboard, switches, LEDs, resistors, and wires. The task is to connect three
switches to three LEDs, where each switch turns one LED when pressed. This is
analogous to the function of the machine, where a limit switch triggers a specified
motion. The circuit and the code will be expanded once the rest of the tasks are
achieved. The following figure shows the basic circuit. The code is provided in
the appendix.
2.4.3 Using Relays
The voltage provided by the Arduino UNO can be 0, 3.3, or 5V, which is very
small compared to the operating voltage of the hydraulic system or the motor. A
relay, which is an electrically operated switch, will be used to operate the high-
voltage devices. Figure X shows a simple circuit where a single relay is used to
turn on an LED once a pushbutton is pressed.
 2.5 Soil Testing
The soil being tested is laterite. The testing is to achieve the following. In the mold it would be
very expensive to have pressure sensors embedded in the mold. Therefore, a relation between the
strain and the size of the initial soil has to be tested. An experiment is being conducted to relate
the change in the size of the soil till it becomes a brick and its relation to pressure and size of the
brick. This will utilize the INSTRON machines in the university as they measure both force and
displacement. And based on the force, the pressure achieved can be calculated.

3. Outputs and Deliverables

As per the original agreement of the project, the outputs for the project should be the same as in
the original agreement. We should deliver a machine that will produce interlocking bricks in a
continuous fashion. This is supposed to be the deliverable of the project. The machine should be
disassemblable, and should be operational in various locations.
The deliverables for the project haven’t changed, but one thing might be scrapped from the
project. The “interlocking molds” for the brick, while a component of the brick, are not a main
aspect of the project. Therefore, for financial reasons, the molds might not be produced and the
brick will be flat. If time permits, the molds will be made and fitted to achieve the full
interlocking shape of the brick.

4. Outcomes and Lessons Learned

The lessons we learned from our time working on the project were numerous. We mention some
of the lessons we deduced from our experience:
● Always make sure that you have enough funding: in the beginning of the project, we
were not sure that the funding will be enough even with modifications and optimization.
 Now, we are sure that the funding is not enough. As a lesson, seeking sponsors from the
beginning of the project is one option to avoid such problems.
● Have optimized designs approved in early stages so that the design process finishes
early: the project has had multiple versions and optimizations, and the final design was
only approved at the beginning of the second semester. This made the manufacturing
time small for us. If the project design approval came early, the manufacturing process
would have had more time to be completed.
● Read extensively on the science behind each process: some parts of the project, like
the hydraulic cycle and the arduino programming, were not familiar to us. This meant
that building one fully from scratch was a difficult and expensive option, and meant that
we have to rely on external companies to build some of the systems for us. Having more
knowledge about the subject will make it easier in the future for us to build the system
fully by ourselves.
● Make sure you go to the right people: while some companies have offered us their
help, the process of manufacturing and approving the project in the company takes a lot
of time. This will cause many components to be delayed. Having a manufacturer where
the processes are sure to be done smoothly and without delay is vital for future projects.

5. Dissemination
When doing a project it is important to split the work based on the strength points of each team
member. Therefore, the team has discussed the strengths of each team member and split the work
accordingly. Below is a table that clarifies the work distribution along the team.
Throughout the course of the project, we tried to keep the major tasks to the same people, but for
the small ones the tasks were interchangeable between the members. This was done to ensure
that all the tasks, big and small, were always progressing, and that nothing got stuck.

6. Risks, Issues and Challenges

Throughout the project, there have been many issues and challenges. There are many things that
we as a group had to face and overcome. The problems that we have faced can be categorized
into two parts: internal and external.
6.1 Internal issues and challenges:
The internal issues (i.e. issues that are within the team itself) were not numerous, but they were
serious. Team coordination was an issue when it came to checking on finished work, or when we
reviewed our weekly progress with the advisors. It is necessary to have fluid and constant
communication between the members and the advisors. Although it is much better than the first
semester, we still need to modify on this field a little bit more.
Another internal issue was the fact that the roles of some members were more active and
involved than others, which causes the load to be more concentrated on some members, while
others have very little work.

Another internal issue is the lack of technical knowledge about certain fields in the project.
Things like the programming of an arduino, or the basic components of a hydraulic cylinder
cycle were some of the things the group members lacked. This resulted in some work being
delayed due to the lack of knowledge to make it. Of course, we have overcome these issues, and
are progressing steadily.

6.2 External issues and challenges:

The external issues of the project can be defined as any issue that originated from outside the
team members, and is directly affecting the project. There are many external issues that the
project faced, and while most of them have been resolved, some remain to be.

To begin, one of the biggest issues the project faced was budget. We started the project with the
hopes that the given budget from the university will be sufficient. However, with time, we
discovered that the parts needed to complete the project will cost a lot of money, so we sought
some companies to support us, and found a candidate in Aljaber Group, where they offered to
make the parts we asked for for free. That turned out in a bad way, however, as the company
decided to cancel its sponsorship a mere two weeks from the delivery deadline. This threw a
wrench in our plan, as we now had to find a source of money to pay the amount of money
Aljaber asked for. We did so by paying the down payment from our own pockets (9850 AED),
and we are expected to pay the next amount by the middle of the month. We tried to resolve the
issue by making the university reallocate some of an old project that the SDP project leader
worked on, but the university claims that the transfer will take at least a month to complete, so in
the meantime we will have to pay the rest of the money from our own pockets.

Another external issue we faced is the delay from the manufacturer. The parts we needed from
Aljaber were given to them as drawings and explained since the middle of January. However,
with all the delays, and the slow progress due to the long chains of authority any decision has to
go through, the companies were very slow to respond to anything we propose to them. This issue
was made worse by the university, where it has the same attitude of long chains of authority for
any decision especially if it is related to money. We got assurances that we will get the money
we spent on the project, but that will take some time.

Another challenge we had to go through is the manufacturing itself. Making parts in the
computer is easy, but designing and building them for the real world is a different issue. That
became evident when we decided to manufacture the parts of the project in the university. While
most of the parts have had no major issues to them, some parts were very difficult to
manufacture, and required precision, fittings and tests to ensure that the perfectly fit to our liking.

Another issue is our access to the manufacturing lab in the university. Of course, to work in the
lab, the lab engineer has to be present. However, the lab engineer is only available from Sunday
till Thursday until 5 pm. This means that we can only work on manufacturing the parts on these
times, and that we cannot work in the weekend or late each day. This makes producing the parts
slow.

7. Collaboration and Support

The project would not have become a reality if multiple collaborations and supports from many
people and entities have come together. We would like to extend the thanks to all the ones that
helped us in the project, and they are:
● Dr. Bashar El Khasawneh and Dr. Anas Alazzam: the supervisors of the project. They
have supported the project with their guidance, assistance, notes, and knowledge. They
helped us to produce the new and innovative ideas the made the project something
special.
● Dr. Kenan: for providing us with the knowledge about soil and soil testing
● Mr. Tuza Olukan: a PHD researcher from MASDAR Institute, who actually inspired the
project and provided us with something to begin with.
● Mcmaster Carr: for helping us in providing the parts that we needed from them, and
being ever-professional and on time with their deliveries.
● Aljaber Group: for providing us with their technical expertise, and for agreeing to
manufacturing some of the machine’s parts.
● Mr. Aitesam from Enerpec: for giving us his time and explaining to us about hydraulics
and their components.
 ● Power Hydraulics: for making the hydraulic system and the relays for us.
● Mr. Ricardo and Mr. Jimmy from KUSTAR: for providing us with technical help in
manufacturing and modifying the parts that were supposed to be made here in the
university.
● Ms. Marianne Hassan, Mr. Walid Alsawalhi and Mr. Atiq Siddiqi: for helping us in
the financial issues that the project has been through, and being considerate to our
situation.
Without all these people, the project would not have reached the stage that it is at right now. The
things that the project lacks will all arrive in the coming week, and by that the only stage left
would be the assembling of the project.

Financial Statement:

For any project to become a reality, purchasing parts, equipment and material are vital. As such,
each project has a financial statement that should list the things, from where we got them, and
how much did it cost. Of course, the details of the purchases are listed in the appendix.

Parts Company Price [AED]

General parts for the Mcmaster Carr 2420

machine

Hydraulic system Power hydraulics 15050

Manufactured parts Aljaber Group 19700

Power Hydraulics details:

Components Price [AED]

Hydraulic Power Pack 10,540.00

Hydraulic Cylinder 2,760.00

Option 1: Electric Control Panel 1,750.00

Option 2: Electronic Control Panel 9,970.00

It should be noted that the financial statement for the whole project is not yet finalized, and as
such, we haven’t yet put the full amount of spent money for the project. However, the only
remaining things to be added are the hydraulic oil, the columns and the soil itself. This means
that the statement will not change much more than it already is
Now regarding the money that is supposed to cover all of the said expenses, most of the money
was going to be sponsored by Aljaber, but that changed when they decided that they cannot
sponsor us, leaving us with no choice but to try to find a new source of money. We did so by
reallocating some of the fundings we had from a previous project, but this is still under process.
This meant that for the time being, we had to rely on the original project budget (15000 AED),
and on our own pockets to drive the project forward. Hopefully, we will get our money back in a
month’s time, but in the meantime we have to pay for the parts in order for them to be delivered
in time.

8. Next Steps:
In the next stages, since we are reaching the final weeks of the project, the machine should be
assembled, tested, and checked. The steps can be summarised in the following points:
● Finishing the parts that we are supposed to finish in the university
● Sort out all the financial issues with all the locations
● Building the machine: the parts should arrive from the manufacturers by next week. We
need to check all the parts and make sure that they fit perfectly.
● Finishing the programming: the arduino programming is almost finished. The next step
would to make it work with the components that we have in the machine (relay and the
motor). This could be done once we have the components delivered to us.
● Testing the soil: while not important for the operation, the soil could be tested to
determine the optimal pressure for the machine to press on. However, this is not
important, as the pressure designated for the bricks is rated at 9-10 tons from the
literature. Therefore, applying said pressure on the soil for 10 seconds will be sufficient
to form the brick.
● Buying the oil for the hydraulic: while Power Hydraulics has agreed to provide us with
the hydraulic system, it will not provide us with hydraulic oil for operation. We need to
buy our own supply of oil.
● Buying the columns for the machine: this is the only component left where we haven’t
decided from where it will be from. Most probably, we will buy such columns from the
local market, as we have all the dimensions and numbers to support our dimensions.

9. Appendix

10.1 Arduino Code

int switchState1 = 0, switchState2 = 0, switchState3 = 0;
int switch1 = 2, switch2 = 4, switch3 = 12;
int LED1 = 3, LED2 = 9, int LED3 = 13;
void setup() {
pinMode(LED1, OUTPUT);
pinMode(switch1, INPUT);
pinMode(LED2, OUTPUT);
pinMode(switch2, INPUT);
pinMode(LED3, OUTPUT);
pinMode(switch3, INPUT);
}

void loop() {
switchState1 = digitalRead(switch1);
switchState2 = digitalRead(switch2);
switchState3 = digitalRead(switch3);

if(switchState1 == LOW) {
digitalWrite(LED1 , LOW);
}
else {
digitalWrite(LED1 , HIGH);
}

if(switchState2 == LOW) {
digitalWrite(LED2, LOW);
}
else {
digitalWrite(LED2, HIGH);
}

if(switchState3 == LOW) {
digitalWrite(LED3, LOW);
}
else {
digitalWrite(LED3, HIGH);
}
}

10.2: pictures of the university-manufactured parts

Figure#: front-half inch bearing house
Figure#: front bearing base
Figure#: back bearing base
Figure#: half inch bearing base
Figure: molding chamber support (1 of 2)
Figure#: rack holder
 Figure#: rack pieces

Figure#: back shaft supporter

10.3: quotations of purchases and payments
 Figure#: invoice from Aljaber

Figure#: down payment for aljaber parts (our own money)

 Figure#: quotation from Power Hydraulic (first choice)
CAD technical drawings of the parts

2) parts to be produced outside the university:

2) Parts made in university:
3) Parts to be ordered from Mcmaster carr
ANSYS simulation results:

● Top-plate tests (200000 N):

Figure#: top-plate equivalent stress

Figure#: top-plate total deformation
Figure#: top-plate equivalent elastic strain
 Figure#: top-plate equivalent plastic strain

● Top molding press (90000 N)

Figure#: top molding press total deformation
Figure#: top molding press equivalent stress
Figure#: top molding press equivalent elastic strain
 Figure#: top molding press equivalent plastic strain

● Holders for extraction (9000 N, impact)

Figure#: holder total deformation
Figure#: holder equivalent stress
Figure#: holder equivalent stress

Figure#: holder elastic strain

 Figure#: holder plastic strain

● Bottom plate (150000 N)

Figure#: bottom plate total deformation
Figure#: bottom plate equivalent stress
Figure#: bottom plate elastic strain
 Figure#: bottom plate plastic strain

● Bottom plate support (150000 N)

Figure#: bottom plate support total deformation
Figure#: bottom plate support equivalent stress
Figure#: bottom plate support elastic strain
 Figure#: bottom plate support plastic strain

● Bottom molding press (150000 N)

Figure#: bottom molding press total deformation
Figure#: bottom molding press equivalent stress
Figure#: bottom molding press elastic strain
 Figure#: bottom molding press plastic strain

10. References

[1] E.A.Adam, "Compressed Stabilised Earth Block Manufacture in Sudan," United Nations
Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, Paris, 2001.

[2]"MetalsDepot® - Buy Steel Channel Online!", Metalsdepot.com, 2017. [Online]. Available:

http://www.metalsdepot.com/products/hrsteel2.phtml?page=channel&LimAcc=%20&aident=.
[Accessed: 02- Jan- 2017].

[3]Compressed earth blocks, 1st ed. Braunschweig: Vieweg, 1995.

[4]2017. [Online]. Available: https://ultimaker.com/download/21925/UltimakerOriginal+

%20assembly%20manual%20%28v3.1%29.pdf. [Accessed: 01- Jan- 2017].
[5]F. Beer and E. Johnston, Mechanics of materials, 7th ed. New York: McGraw-Hill.

[6]Arduino dubai distributor, Dubai U.A.E. [Online]. Available: http://www.aldegal-

electronics.com/. [Accessed: 11- Jan- 2017].

[7]J. Nussey, Arduino for dummies. Chichester, U.K.: J. Wiley & Sons, 2013.

[8] Dr. Haris Doumanidis Machine Element design notes, 2016

[9] "Mcmaster-Carr". [Online]. Available: https://www.mcmaster.com/# [Accessed: 8 Nov.

2016]

[10] CH. Rajesh, Aljaber Group Operational Manager, interview

[11] Dr. bashar El Khasawneh, interview and discussions

[12] Dr. Anas Alazzam, interview and discussions

[13] Masdar Phd Student Tuza Olukan, interview

[14] Dr. Kinan, interview