SQUASH BALL LAUNCHER
This project was part of my Further mechanics module in my 2nd year at Loughborough University. The project was to design a squash ball launcher which worked under completely mechanical mechanisms and launched a squash ball as far as possible. This was a group project and the design my group came up with can be seen on the left.
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The process of this project was to mechanically analyse, develop, produce a CAD model and then finally manufacture the launcher. Unfortunately, due to the University closing down because of COVID-19 the final manufacturing stage of this project was unable to happen.
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However, the rest of the project was able to happen and this can be seen below.
Before any CAD modelling could happen lots of research had to be done to find out how this launcher would work. My groups design was based on a tennis ball launcher with two wheels spinning very fast in opposite directions and firing a ball out from between them. But how would this work?
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First of all, torsion springs were researched into how they could be incorporated into our design and produce a high enough torque to launch our squash ball as far as possible.
Once the torsion springs had been purchased the gear ratio and mechanism was developed. I developed this using two main gears and one driving gear. The main gears were incorporated with ratchets to stop them spinning the opposite way. This can be seen to the right.
The driver gear was attached to the operating handle and could be engaged into the main gears to turn them and then popped out again to make sure no momentum and energy was lost when the wheels were spinning.
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In order for the launcher to work the top wheel is wound up clockwise and the bottom wheel is wound up anti-clockwise.
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Ball bearings were used to allow the wheels and gears to spin freely and reduce the friction to maintain the efficiency of the mechanism.
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Once all the research and calculations were complete the final model could be design on CAD.
The image to the right shows an engineering drawing assembly of the final design of the squash ball launcher which i created using SolidWorks.
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Accurate engineering drawings of each component were created and these would have been used to manufacture the launcher if COVID-19 had not of caused the Univeristy to close.
