The design and fabrication of a pedal powered washing machine
Date
2020-05
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Abstract
Performing daily activities such as laundry are influenced by available resources which vary
concerning demographics and geography. An estimated 14% of the global population live off-grid;
a fraction of which live off-grid by choice and the majority do so due to the limited to no electricity
supply. The provision of electricity to meet the rate of demand is essential to improve the standard
of living; however, our energy and resource consumption habits increase carbon emissions. Large
scale laundry habits have been identified as a contributor to climate change with studies concerned
by the considerable carbon emissions released by automatic washing machines. However, the
alternative handwashing is considered time consuming and labour intensive. These alternative
perspectives establish the trade-off faced between labour-intensive and energy-intensive habits or
technologies. In the era of accelerated climate change, it is essential for understanding how
technological inefficiencies and energy-intensive technologies affect climate change and
sustainability. Motivated by addressing the trade-off, this project aimed to design and simulate an
alternative powered washing machine. The alternative concept originated from the sustainability
initiative of Environmentally Optimized Laundry, which intends to satisfy the need for a less
labour-intensive laundry practice specifically communities and households living off-grid and also
encourage a less energy-intensive laundry practice for the majority of the population. This project t,
therefore, offers an unconventional yet more effective alternative to handwashing by mimicking
some characteristics of a modern electrically powered washing machine. The outcomes of this
project demonstrate the possibility and the benefits of rotating a washing drum with the capacity
of 6.5kg using purely mechanical rotational input.
Description
Capstone Project submitted to the Department of Engineering, Ashesi University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the award of Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering, May 2020
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Capstone project
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Keywords
rotational drum, mechanical washing machine, bicycle powered