INDIAN INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY, BOMBAY

Department of Mechanical Engineering

Course :ME-637 Manufacturing Automation L-T-P-C : 3-0-0-6

Instructor : K.P. Karunakaran II Semester 2016-17
Date : April 10, 2017 (Monday) 5:30PM Duration : 1 hr.
Instructions: Roll No
 Answer all the questions; answer as briefly as
possible. Marks /65

TEST - 03

Part A
(1 mark each)

1. Why motors with shaft mounted cooling fans are not suitable for constant torque
applications?
In a constant torque application, same torque is needed at lower speeds also. Since torque
remains same, current also remains same and hence, heat generation remains same.
However due to lower speed, effectiveness of shaft mounted fan is more and motor heats
up beyond permissible limits.

2. Equipment body is connected to the Earth for protecting the equipment. True or False?
Justify the answer.
False. The current follows least resistant path. When earthing is done, it is less resistant
than the human path.

3. Distinguish among the terms pump, fan, blower and compressor.

 ‘Pump’ is primarily for incompressible fluids. It raises the pressure.
 ‘Compressor’ is same as pump for compressible fluids.
 ‘Fans’ and ‘blowers’ are same. There is very moderate increase in pressure but they
handle huge volumes.

4. Mention at least two benefits of reservoir in a compressor.

1. It stabilizes flow
2. It facilitates intermittent running of the compressor.
3. Large surface area and the time of storage before use facilitates cooling.

5. For “emergency switch”, will you recommend NO or NC contact? Why?

Had it been implemented using NO, any accidental cutting of its cable, say by a rat, will
go undetected. Such a NO-based emergency switch will fail to respond to the emergency.
Therefore, NC is used as emergency switch.

6. Name at least two popular PLC brands.

Allen Bradley, Siemens, Schneider Electric, GE-Fanuc, ABB, Mitsubishi
7. Distinguish between a limit switch and a proximity switch.
Limit switch is a mechanical device that requires physical contact for its actuation
whereas proximity switch is mostly an inductive device which gets activated by the
approach of a metallic object.
8. What do you understand by potential-free contact?
When the contacts of a relay are used only for shorting or opening two terminals that do

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 not have any voltage or potential, such contacts are known as “potential-free contacts”. It
is always safer to use only potential-free contacts. Even of there is a situation demanding
“potential contacts”, it is possible to achieve the same functionality with the help of
“potential-free contacts”.

9. Which one of the following sensors is the most appropriate for counting of boxes on
moving conveyor?
[a] Proximity Switch [b] Limit Switch [c] Photo Switch [d] Pulse Encoder
[c] Photo Switch

10. What do you understand by “scan time of PLC”?

The PLC eternally reads the all inputs, performs the necessary computation and
accordingly changes the states of the outputs. The time taken do this is called “scan time
of the PLC”.

Part B
(Weightage is given against each)

1. Write the equation of the synchronous speed of an induction motor in terms of the power
supply frequency f and number of poles p? Calculate it for a 6-pole motor with the power
supply frequency as 50Hz. [2]
Answer:
120 f 120∗50
n s= = =1000 rpm
p 6

2. Calculate rated torque of 132 kW, 415 V, 3 Phase, 50 Hz, 1480 RPM rated speed. What is
the motor power at 1000 RPM for rated torque? [2]
132/(2*π*1480/60 ) = 86.6 N-m
132*(1000/1480) = 89.19 kW

3. Mention at least two types of compressors popular for pneumatic systems. Compare them
in terms of performance and cost. [1+1]
(i) Reciprocating compressors, (ii) Screw compressors.

Reciprocating compressors are noisy and inefficient but the cheapest. Screw compressors
are very silent and efficient but more expensive.

4. Distinguish between diaphragm cylinder and the standard single acting cylinder in terms
of isolation, stroke and application. [2]
 Diaphragm cylinder has no piston which is replaced by a diaphragm made of rubber,
plastic or sheet metal.
 It will have short but powerful stroke.
 The diaphragm isolates the working area from air.

It is typically used for clamping application that typically require short powerful strokes.

5. Show the major components of a typical PLC in the form of a simple block diagram. [3]

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6. Draw the symbols of the following: [4]
a. NO push button b. NC switch c. NO contact d. Relay
NO push button NC switch NO contact Relay

7. Distinguish between micro-controller and PLC. [4]

Feature PLC
Programming User friendly Ladder logic.
Ease of use Easy to understand for non-
electronic experts as it requires
no sophisticated programming
skills.
Scalability Highly scalable from a single
machine control to a large
industrial plant control
Applications Mostly for the control of
Continuous Process Control,
Batch Processing and Discrete
Manufactuiring. etc.
Micro-controller
C-like language.
Complex to program as it
requires a fair amount of
electronic knowledge.
Application specific, generally
confined to single machine or
local process.
Mostly for the control of
domestic appliances and small
but sophisticated equipment.
These are known as embedded
systems. Eg.: washing
machines, cameras, Micro-
Aerial vehicles (MAVs) etc.

8. The foundry ladle picks molten metal from the furnace and pours into the ladle as shown
in the left side figure. Its pneumatic control diagram is shown on the right side. Explain

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 the processing steps. [4]

9. Draw a two-stage reciprocating compressor. Will both cylinders have (i) the same
diameters or (ii) the first stage will have the larger diameter or (iii) the first stage will
have the smaller diameter? Justify your answer and reflect the same in the figure. [3+1]
The first stage will have larger diameter as the
volume handled at that stage will be higher.

10. Match the following: [4]

a Check valve A

b Shuttle valve B

c Throttle relief valve C

d Flow control valve (throttle type) D

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 a Check valve A

b Shuttle valve B

c Throttle relief valve C

d Flow control valve (throttle type) D

11. A spring return single acting cylinder has to be controlled using a push-button. When the
button is pressed, it should move forward; as soon as the button is released, it should
return. What valve will you choose? Draw the complete pneumatic diagram of both. [4]

12. Compare the features (advantages, limitations and applications) of pneumatic and
hydraulic systems in the form of a table.
Features Pneumatic System
Medium Air. Free and abundant. Clean.
Open/ closed loop system Open. No need for return path.
Pressure range Low (5 bar). So, for light
operations.
Compressible nature Compressible. So, sluggish
response. It gives cushioning
effect.
Cost Low.
[5]
Hydraulic Systems
Oil. Oil spill is a nuisance.
Closed. Return path is required
along with filters and chillers.
High (25 bar). Hence, suitable for
very heavy systems.
Incompressible. So, sluggish
response.
Incompressible. So, fast response.
High.

13. Answer the following:

3a. Sometimes, the motor applies effort onto the load and some other times it absorbs
energy from the load and pumps it back to the power grid. Four scenario arising out of
this concept can be represented as four quadrants in a speed-torque space. Draw these
quadrants and identify them with their appropriate names choosing from the words
[forward, reverse, motoring, braking]. [3]

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 3b. For a crane, if upward direction is positive, what is the quadrant of operation while it
lowers the load? [1]

3c. Pumping water from a sump to the overhead tank. [1]

14. A tank is used to mix two liquids. Its schematic diagram is given in the figure. Draw the
control circuit (in the form of a ladder diagram) that operates as follows: [10]

i. When the ‘Start’ button is pressed, solenoids A and B energize. This permits the two
liquids to begin filling the tank.
ii. When the tank is filled, the float switch trips. This de-energizes solenoids A and B
and starts the motor used to mix the liquids together.
iii. The motor is permitted to run for one minute. After one minute has elapsed, the motor
turns off and solenoid C energizes to drain the tank.
iv. When the tank is empty, the float switch de-energizes solenoid C.
v. A ‘Stop’ button can be used to stop the process at any point.
vi. If the motor becomes overloaded, the action of the entire circuit will stop.
vii. Once the circuit has been energized it will continue to operate until it is manually
stopped.

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