Mousetrap Powered Elevator Design and Development - Report Example

Mousetrap Design and Development (Name of the student) (Name of the Institution) (Date of submission) Table of Contents Table of Contents 2 1.0 Introduction 3 2.0 Design Requirements 3 3.0 Concepts in the development of the mousetrap 4 3.1 Force Concept 4 3.2 Energy Concept 5 PART II Force concept in mousetrap design 6 4.0 Conclusion 8 Mousetrap Design and Development 1.0 Introduction Mousetrap powered elevator is can be defined as a device which is used and killing mice, more especially one with a spring bar which snaps down on to the mouse when it touches a piece of cheese or what is bait. The elementary design of the powered mousetrap is one where one side is tied to a string on the tip of the mousetrap snapper and the other end of the string has a loop that is developed to hold a hook which is firmly glued to the axle drive. In designing the mousetrap the loop is placed over the axle hook and wounded around the axle by turning the wheels of the vehicle in the opposite direction of the intended vehicle motion. This paper discusses the design, material required and major concepts involve in the formation of the mousetrap powered elevator using locally made materials. 2.0 Design Requirements The elementary design of the powered mousetrap is one where one side is tied to a string on the tip of the mousetrap snapper and the other end of the string has a loop that is developed to hold a hook which is firmly glued to the axle drive. In designing the mousetrap the loop is placed over the axle hook and wounded around the axle by turning the wheels of the vehicle in the opposite direction of the intended vehicle motion. The lever arm is pulled closer to the drive as the string is wounded around the axle by the turning wheels. This has the ability to help the mousetrap’s spring to wind up and store the required energy. The string is pulled off the axle drive when the driver wheels are released and this caused the wheels of the mousetrap to rotate. Materials necessary for the formation of the mousetrap powered elevator include; Mousetrap Used recycled materials whenever possible Wheels: metal lids, CDs, wheels from the old toys other disk shaped object Pull Cord: string, rubber bands or fishing line Chassis: wood scraps, balsa wood, ice cream sticks, stiff wire Axles: wooden dowels, metal tubes (copper or brass), axles from old toys Glue: strong enough to withstand force of mousetrap Tools: pliers, screwdrivers, hammers, handsaw and drills 3.0 Concepts in the development of the mousetrap Designing a mousetrap is a simple way of showing how the energy can be transmitted from one location to another to accomplish some specifically designed objective. In designing the mousetrap powered elevator device, there are two main variables must be taken into consideration since they will determine the overall performance of the trap. They include energy and force. 3.1 Force Concept Force is the first concepts which is used in the designing the mousetrap. In order to change the mousetrap motion, one must apply force, in order to increase speed, force must be used. They include; Friction force and Force of Torque Friction force This can be defined as the confrontation of motion between two or more objects. In most cases, friction between the materials in the trolley reduces the amount of energy that is used to move the trolley or car; therefore, it is important to reduce the amount of friction. Nevertheless, it is the friction between the wheels and the floor that assist the car to move. Air resistance is another source of friction on a moving car. Air resistance always acts against the car motion and therefore should be reduced to increase performance. The first law of Newton is called law of inertia, further explains the actions of inertia. Force of Torque: Torque this is a rotational force, angular force that helps in causing changes in rotational motion 3.2 Energy Concept Energy can be defined as the ability to do work. Work is the applying a force to an object, and actually moving that object. In case the object is not moved, no work is done. The aim of the project relies on efficiently transferring the spring energy to the car’s wheels. Energy includes; Kinetic Energy: This is the energy which is possessed by a moving body. Potential Energy: this is an energy which is possessed by stored object. Potential energy is converted to kinetic energy immediately the mousetrap begins to move. The concepts involved in the transfer of this energy mostly depend on an understanding of simple machines. The trap can act as a lever to transfer the energy to the axle acts on the wheel as second transfer of the energy. Lastly, the energy is used to push the wheel against the floor, causing the car to move. In such circumstances, any friction or resistance in the energy transfer results into decline in the machine efficiency and reduce the performance. In the designing, machine should be kept as simple as possible with proper maintenance as it will increase its efficiency for long time. PART II Force concept in mousetrap design Full view The above figure explains how friction concepts affect the operations of the mousetrap Side view is given below; Friction is what slow down or stops the movement in case of car mousetrap it stops the vehicle while the energy is what moves the vehicle. In circumstances where a vehicle encounters too much friction, the energy supply will get exhausted faster than expected and the vehicle will not be able to travel for a long distance and in some circumstance accelerate very fast. The wheels must be in contact with the surface that is why the surface must be smooth to help in reducing the friction. Force of torque also plays a very important role in the performance of the mousetrap. This can be explained as below; Torque this is a rotational force, angular force that helps in causing changes in rotational motion. In the mousetrap car, the snapper arm helps in applying a force that helps drive through pulling the string as shown in the above figure. As a result, torque force is produced around the axle. The two forces determine the energy which needs to be produced to ensure efficient performance of the mousetrap. The mousetrap is one of the ways of showing how the energy can be transmitted from one location to another to accomplish some specifically designed objective. 4.0 Conclusion In making the base of the mousetrap, Balsa wood is the best. The lowest amount wheels for the car should be three, and they should be as short as possible. The testing of the car should be in a flat surface. The distance is measured from the starting to the farthest point of travel, utilizing a straight line to connect the two points in the wheel of the mousetrap. The testing should be done on a flat surface and materials made of recycled materials to reduce the cost of making the gadget. Read More