Lead-screw post hole digger

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Contents

List of Parts

Table *****: Individual Components of Redesigned Post Hole Digger
Part Number Name Qty. Weight Function Material Manufacturing Process Image Dimensioned Drawing Vendor Info
1 Shaft 1 NA oz Constrains inner parts of tool and handles physical stresses of digging T 6061 Aluminum Extrusion
2 Central rod 1 NA oz Transmits rotational motion of lead screw into translational motion, forcing shovels closed T 6061 Aluminum Extrusion
3 Crank 1 NA oz Turned by user to close shovels Steel Extrusion
4 Shovel 2 NA oz Contain dirt when digging Steel Stamping
5 Shaft handle 2 NA oz Provides gripping location for ground penetration strike and location for applying counteractive moment to shaft when turning crank to close shovels T 6061 Aluminum Extrusion
6 Shaft peg 4 NA oz Allow user to force tool into the ground using his/her foot T 6061 Aluminum Extrusion
7 Guide bushing 2 NA oz Constrains central rod to maintain linear motion within shaft T 6061 Aluminum Extrusion
8 Lead screw 1 NA oz Transmits rotation of crank into translation of central rod Steel Automated CNC lathe/threading machine
9 Lead screw nut 1 NA oz Constrains lead screw Brass Automated CNC milling
10 Lead screw nut bushing 1 NA oz Constrains lead screw nut and locates it within shaft T 6061 Aluminum Lathe???
11 Inline ball joint 1 NA oz Transmits rotation of lead screw to translation of central rod and connects the two parts Steel  ???
12 Shovel link 2 NA oz Connects central rod to shovels T 6061 Aluminum Extrusion
13 Shovel pivot bolt 1 NA oz Joins center of the two shovels, allowing them to pivot about it as a central axis Steel Upset forging
14 Shovel link bolt 2 NA oz Joins each respective shovel to its shovel link Steel Upset forging
15 Central rod bolt 1 NA oz Joins central rod to the two shovel links as a loosely pinned connection Steel Upset forging
16 Link bushing L 2 NA oz Bushing for shovel link bolt to maintain correct spacing between shovel link and shovel in the large gap Plastic (PTFE) Injection molding
17 Link bushing S 2 NA oz Bushing for shovel link bolt to maintain correct spacing between shovel link and shovel in the small gap Plastic (PTFE) Injection molding
18 1/4" Nylon Lock Nut 3 NA oz Nut for both shovel link bolts and the central rod bolt Steel Upset forging
19 5/16" Nylon Lock Nut 1 NA oz Nut for shovel pivot bolt Steel Upset forging




Quality Function Deployment

Insert QFD here

Mechanical Analysis

Include both new and old Mechanical Analysis.

Our mechanical analysis of our product was carried out in two main phases. The goal of our first analysis was to optimize the design of our post hole digger by determining an appropriate lead screw design to purchase and then use in the development of our product. The result of this analysis was a set of parameters describing our ideal lead screw, and the acquisition of a screw that most closely matched these parameters for use in our prototypes. Our second analysis focused mainly on the durability associated with our product and whether or not the design would be sufficiently strong to withstand the rigors of post hole digger use. We concluded that all of the components of our design had high factors of safety and would thus be suitable for their intended use.

Our first analysis was submitted to the client in early November, and can be viewed in pdf from here. As stated above, the main result of this analysis was the selection of the lead screw design shown on the right in Figure --. Our second analysis was completed recently and is presented in its entirety here.

Determination of Lead Screw Stress

The first step in our second analysis was to determine the stress on the threads of our lead screw when the post hole digger impacts the ground. When a user drives any post hole digger into the ground, they do so with a significant amount of force as they wish to penetrate the earth as much as possible. This results in a fairly large force being incident on the open heads of our post hole digger, which travels up the shaft of the digger and is incident upon the lead screw. If this force is large enough or the lead screw not strong enough, the threads of the screw could be damaged, possibly rendering the digger unusable.


Mechanical Analysis: Your quantitative mechanical analysis (and any relevant mechanical testing) will be evaluated on the following criteria:

 Is the purpose of the analysis clearly stated? How does the result help to understand the design or justify design choices?
  Is the analysis at a reasonable level of complexity? An extremely difficult analysis is unwarranted at this stage, but the analysis should be sufficient to provide some new information, not just something obvious.
  Are assumptions clearly stated, and are they appropriate?
  Are all symbols and all steps in the analysis clearly defined? (Often this will require a picture to show where the parameters appear in the product). Is the analysis fully defined such that another engineer could reproduce the results given only the documentation?
  Is the conclusion from the analysis clearly stated? (e.g.: if the analysis calculates a required force of 5.0N, is this good? bad? Does it imply other requirements? What does it mean, and why should the client care?)
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