Modeling of Optimal Screw Jack Design
1 2
R.Senthilkumar,
Mechanical Engineering,
Krishnaswamy college of Engineering,
Annamalainagar,Tamilnadu
1 2
thermalsenthil@gmail.com
Abstract- The aim of this paper is modelling of optimal screw jack
design using VBA Programming in AutoCAD package software.
Today’s demand grows need of good design and quality product
with short span of time to achieve a better product. The software
development in the digital world is a vital role to satisfy a
number of demands, in this regard author considers CAD
software to develop design of screw jack. The application
software having the instruction as per the developer but it not
meets the user. When the user handles that software, they need a
long time span to complete a 3D modelling with complicated
design. In AutoCAD, the programming languages are embedded
through macros to design our needs as programming language.
They are lisp programming, Auto lisp programming, dialogue
control language programming and visual basic programming.
In this paper design of screw jack using visual Basic aide
programming language embedded with AutoCAD is developed.
The Visual Basic language software is user friendly and it is
windows application. The development of dialogue boxes and
coding for the designs are very easy to debugging than the other
language in AutoCAD. Basically, the design of 3D modelling
carries a huge space to save the process and also inconvenient to
transfer from one system to another system configuration. The
programming language occupy little space and also easy to
transfer via a small memory disc to other system configuration.
The development of modelling, 2d design and other
parameter are easy to explore simultaneously through dialogue
boxes of proposed software. This software having the code to do
for optimization of screw jack modelling , when click required
command buttons in the dialogue box. The step by step of the
statement in this software is executed to process the parameter. If
anyone of the parameter is not satisfy, it will carry out the
optimization without knowledge of user to produce exact design
parameters and give good design. In future this kind of software
development helps the researchers and scholars to get quick and
precision design or any data.
Keywords-Macros; VBA; Form designer; Modules; Design;
Optimization and Modelling.
I. INTRODUCTION
The integration of computers into the product design and
development process has benefited engineering industry in
several ways. The computer can store and handle engineering
data accurately and consistently in the various stages of
design, development and manufacturing like conceptual
design of systems, analysis, component design,
documentation, process planning & manufacturing.
The computer aided design and computer aided
manufacturing results in better and consistently good quality
978-1-4244-9082-0/10/$26.00 ©2010 IEEE
P.Ramesh, 3P.Velmurugan,
Mechanical Engineering,
Annamalai University,
Cuddalore, Tamilnadu,
erprlme_2000@yahoo.co.in
products invariably at a lower cost, with the attendant benefits
of faster development of different variants of the product or
model. CAD helps the designer to quickly visualize the
product and its component subassemblies and parts. This
reduces the time required to synthesize, analyse and document
the design. The result is not only lower design cost but also
shorter product development times. Design errors are reduced
by the in-built accuracy of calculations and checks available in
the system. These factors lead to improvement in the quality
and accuracy of design.
II. IMPLEMENTATION OF CAD
AutoCAD has evolved from DOS – Based, command –
line driven program to a full – fledged windows application. A
computer aided design package used for drafting of
Engineering, Civil, and Electrical drawings. AutoCAD is one
of the successful application programs. Learning AutoCAD
means learning the speed, ease with which your drawings can
be prepared and modified using a particular program in the
computer. The most important factor involved in this
computer to store many programs or drawings, to editing the
existing drawing, to backup the drawings with other device
like Floppy Diskette, Compact Disc, etc., and handle large
amount of Engineering data. AutoCAD offers a
comprehensive selection of 2D & 3D drawings.
The various design – related tasks which are performed by
a modern computer-aided design system can be grouped into
four functional areas:
1. Geometric modelling
2. Engineering analysis
3. Design review and evaluation
4. Automated drafting
These four areas correspond to the final phases in Shigley’s
general design process. Engineering analysis corresponds to
phase 4, dealing with analysis and optimisation. Design
review and evaluation is the fifth step in the general design
procedure. Automated drafting involves a procedure for
converting the design image data residing in computer
memory into a hard-copy document. It represents and
important method for presentation (phase 6) of the design.
The following four sections explore each of these four CAD
functions.
III. VISUAL BASIC APPLICATION
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 Microsoft VBA is an object-oriented programming Vc = W W
environment designed to provide rich development Ac S (2)
capabilities similar to those of Visual Basic (VB). The main (d c ) 2
4
difference between VBA and VB is that VBA runs in the same 16T1
process space as AutoCAD, providing an AutoCAD- Shear stress due to the torque, W
intelligent and very fast programming environment. There are S (d c ) 3
four advantages to implementing VBA for AutoCAD: Maximum principal stress (tensile or compressive),
x The Visual Basic programming environment is easy to
learn and use. V c (max)
1
2
>
V c  (V c ) 2  4W 2 @ (3)

> (V )  4 W @
x VBA runs in-process with AutoCAD. This translates to
very fast program execution. The maximum shear stress,Wmax= 1 2 2
c
x Dialogue construction is quick and effective. This allows 2
developers to prototype applications and quickly receive Design for nut, the bearing pressure
feedback on designs. (Pb) = W
S
x Projects can be stand alone or imbedded in drawings. 2
>(d )
o
2
@
 (d c ) n
(4)
This choice allows developers great flexibility in the 4
distribution of their applications. W
The shear stress in the screw, W(screw) =
S .n.d c .t
A. Macros Dialogue Box
The tearing strength of nut,
The Macros dialogue box allows to run, delete, and
create new macros, and provides access to the VBA project W=
S
4
>
(D1 ) 2  (d o ) 2 V t @ (5)
options.
The crushing of the collar of the nut,
B. VBA Manager S
W= [(D2)2 – (D1)2] Vc (6)
The VBA Manager allows to manage the projects. It can 4
create, delete, embed, or extract projects. Also view which Design for handle and cup, D3 = 1.75 d0
projects, if any, are embedded in an open drawing. The pressure conditions,
2
x P1 W ª ( R 3 )  ( R 4 ) º
C. Vbaide 3 3
T2 =
3 « 2» (7)
¬ (R 3 )  (R 4 ) ¼
The VBA Interactive Development Environment. This 2
application allows you to edit the code and forms in the
The critical load, Wcr=Ac x Vy ª Vy ªLº º
2
project, or copy code and forms from other projects. It also
«1 « » »
«¬ 4C S E ¬ k ¼ »¼
allows to set references to other application Object Models. 2

Design of body, Diameter of the body at the top=1.5

IV SCREWJACK DESIGN – MANUAL
D2, Thickness of the body = 0.25 d0 , Inside diameter at the
bottom,=2.25 D2, Outer diameter at the bottom=1.75,
The documentation and design procedures [1, 3] are
Thickness of base =2 t1,, Height of the body = Max. lift +
as follows,
Height of nut + 100 mm extra, Efficiency,
S V ec d T
The load (W) = (d c ) 2 x , (1)
T0 = W tan D x ? K= 0 . (8)
4 F .S . 2 T
When the screw is under compression.
From this relation find design of screw jack spindle
parameter. Check for principle stresses, The mean diameter of
V. DESIGN OF SCREW JACK – OPTIMIZATION
screw,
do  dc p Today’s computer is a vital role in all field to execute
d= and tan D =
2 Sd their needs. In an Engineering field the computer is utilized to
Assuming coefficient of friction between screw and perform and fetch data’s of an experiment. The design having
nut, P = tan I number of software’s to produce a model or draft, but the
? Torque required to rotate the screw in the nut, model are not firm to the user initially. The user could follow
the commands and procedure to produce their model and also
d ª tan D  tan I º d
T1 = P x W tan (D + I) d W« »
need many days and hours to execute the model. To avoid
2 2 ¬1 tan D tan I ¼ 2 insufficient knowledge regarding the screw jack design and
Compressive stress due to axial load, long time span to design author develop a software to execute
a screw jack design within a time. The software is developed

314
using Auto CAD embedded visual basic aide. The procedure modelling design of screw jack is obtained directly in the
of software development as follows AutoCAD screen through the link of VBA command manager
i. Link of VBA run mode. The view of modelling also prepared to represent
ii. Form designer the view direction to plot for the use. It is shown in fig 5.7
iii. Modules

A Design
It is “an iterative decision – making activity to produce the
plans by which resources are converted, preferably, optimally,
into systems or devices to meet human needs”.
.
B Optimization Figure 2: Design Condition
The fig .1 shows design of screw jack dialogue box
and it is used to link the problem parameter. After selecting
appropriate data to the each and every section of this dialogue
box, click one of the command buttons to execute. Say
modelling / 2D design / parameter / view / and definition.

Figure 3: Optimization either with Load

or dc Dialogue Box

Figure 4: the optimization with load

Figure 1: Design of Screw jack Dialogue Box.

When the modelling/ or 2D design parameter is

clicked, the command in the main screen is to execute the
results of screw jack design. If any of the design criteria
statement is not satisfy, then the modelling is not suitable for
the design. Therefore the design is repeated with change of
parameter or optimization. The execution will take the same
process. The optimization is the process to run the parameter
many times to fit the exact value without the knowledge of the Figure 5: Optimization Either with dc.
user. Therefore the dialogue box (fig .2 and .3) shows to select
the condition to link main screen or optimization dialogue
box.
The Result of optimized screw jack modelling is
brought out either in the form result parameter (fig .6) or 3D
modelling (Fig .8) or 2D modelling (fig .9). The 3D and 2D

315
 VI CONCLUSION

The software has been developed for a set of inputs

that are being given through screw jack dialogue box. The
software gives design of modelling, drafting, result parameter,
views and definition. The design of screw jack has been
represented in three-dimensional view (3D) by adopting the
procedure of Machine Design data. The design of dialogue
box contains number of command button to interact various
events of screw jack. Once set of values are given in dialogue
box it produce output either in text mode or modelling in Auto
CAD software. In future, the researchers or scholars are
implement this kind of technic to obtain quick and precision
modelling for various inputs to display number of output.

REFERENCES
Figure 6 : View Of Dialogue Box
[1] Dr. Sadhu singh “Machine Design” Khanna publishers, Delhi.
1997.

[2] NK. Mehta “Machine tool design and numerical control” Tata
McGraw-Hill Pulishing company Ltd., New Delhi. 1998

[3] TJ. Prabhu “Design of Transmission elements” Mani offset,

Chennai. 1999

[4] Mikell P.Groover Emory W. Zimmers, Jr. “CAD/CAM Computer

– Aided Design and manufacturing” Asoke K.Ghosh prentice –
Hall of India P.Ltd., New Delhi.

[5] Faculty of Mechanical Engineering PSG College of Technology

“Design data” DPV Printers Coimbatore.

Figure 7: 3D modelling of screw jack design

Figure 8 : 2D Design of Screw Jack

316