I need to spec a rolling-element thrust bearing in a fairly corrosive environment. Unfortunately I can't seem to find anything commercially available (400 series stainless won't work).
I am considering making our own thrust bearing. It should be easy to manufacture a cage from 304SS (just a...
I am considering the design of a lightweight gearbox. I was hoping that by using an internal-external gear pair, I could get away with a much thinner gearset than I would with an external-external gear pair for the same torque. However I have not been able to find a good online reference for...
Hi all
I've run into a new problem. We often spec 17-4PH for hardened parts that must stay operate in a fresh water environment. For the first time, I machined the part using EDM before heat treatment (to H1025). After immersion, the EDM surface shows significant corrosion, as shown in the...
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I'm a mech eng, so this is veering outside my expertise. I'm in the process of designing a portable material handling device for a customer. The device will need to be powered by a large battery (24v, 40a, 10 amp hours). I've done some preliminary research, and it looks like I'll...
Here's an interesting problem for you. I'm trying to make a mechanism consisting of a deck of laser-cut thin plastic sheets. Each sheet will have a beam cut into one edge, as shown in the attached sketch. The mechanism works by bending each of these beams in the deck independently.
Ideally...
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I need some outside expertise diagnosing an odd issue. We have designed a tool that uses a multi-vane compressed air motor. (http://www.irtechpubs.com/ir_pdfs/Air%20Motors/Air%20Motors/Vane%20Motors/04562716_ed3.pdf)
We have started this motor hundreds of times, but twice this year...
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I've got a small application that needs an underwater linear guide. Unfortunately I can't use plastics in this application, so I'm left with austenitic stainless steel only, and there aren't too many off-the-shelf solutions in stainless.
I am considering using grooved rollers on a...
I'm hoping someone can walk me through this process, because I'm missing something. I'm trying to size a filter/regulator/lubricator package. I have some difficult specs to meet though. The supply pressure could be anywhere from 90 to 150 psi. The downstream pressure should be no less than...
We are designing a tool which must be periodically cleaned in an ultrasonic cleaner, which means immersing it in a water-based detergent solution for a few minutes every few weeks. The tool has several moving parts including gears and bushings, and I could use some help determining what is...
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I have an application which requires a bellcrank arrangement to operate underwater without lubrication. I am about to decide what materials to use. For reference:
- the pins joining the linkages together are about 1/4" diameter.
- the mechanism operates at low speeds (on the order...
Must control anger....
I'm building a bathroom in the attic. When planning the job, my contractor suggested I'd have to cut and reinforce the floor joists to make way for the sanitary pipe. I told him he could go under the floor joist, as there is a chase below (above a 2nd storey shower)...
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I am about to take possession of a 2.5 story double brick house with a finished attic in Ontario. Like most of the houses built at the same time, the house has little to no insulation. Consequently the attic (12' x 24' with a slanted 8' ceiling) is stifling hot in the summer, and much...
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I have an application which involves pre-loading a heavy spring with a cam mechanism operated by a handle, but I'm concerned about the operator losing grip of the handle and having it whip around under the force of the spring.
One way to avoid the problem would be to ensure that there...
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We have been using Solidworks for five years or so, but we're only now starting to implement the PDM Vault. The reasons we want to start using PDM are:
1) Better collaboration between multiple engineers and draftsmen
2) Revision control to allow us to retrieve older copies of drawings...
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I'm designing and epicyclic gearbox under tight space constraints. In order to increase the load capacity, I'm thinking about increasing the number of planets from 3 to 4, 5 or 6. I know that without flexible planet pins the load won't be taken up evenly by all 6 planets. Does anyone...
