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Project: Treadle Pump

Project Management, 2014

Portland Community College

Andrew Davidson

Jake Schmid

Jesus Navarro

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Table of Contents

1. Introduction/ Rationale Statement

2. Project Approach/ Responsibilities

3. Risk Management

4. Is/ Is Not Tables

5. Development Schedule

6. Test Plan

7. Milestones

8. Photo Documentation, 6 pages

9. Bill of Materials

10. Autobiographies

11. CMET Learnings

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Introduction:

The overall goal of this project is to create a human interactive pumping

system that will draw rain-water from a catchment basin to a higher elevation

where the water will then be pumped to an organic garden area for crop

irrigation and water utilization.

Rationale:

This project aims to act as a functional pumping system that is operated by

human power only. The expected output will primarily provide irrigation to a drip

system that will water an organic garden area through the seasonal dry period.

Secondly this system could also be used to provide water to a crop processing

station.

The pumping system will be operated by human power safety and risk of

injury is a concern. Also the pump will need to be maintained and protected from

extreme weather conditions. This will also be a prototype build so marketing and

duplication will rest on the efficiency and effectiveness of the system.

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Project Approach and Team Responsibilities:

The project approach will utilize a group of three team member’s natural

strengths, and as a team a reasonable solution to build a pump will be explored,

designed and developed. The project will provide the best possible deliverable

within the budget and time frame allocated.

Member Roles:

Project Manager: Andrew Davidson, maintains the overall

responsibilities of the project by keeping costs reasonable,

maintaining schedules/ milestones, dividing workloads and by

keeping the project within scope. Other responsibilities include

keeping lines of communication open, documenting progress,

weighing options in design and driving solution oriented mindsets.

Technical Lead: Jesus Navarro, Develops the integral parts of the

operating mechanism, assists in design and assembly of the pumping

structure. Formulates flow and efficiency calculations. Creates power

point slides and provided the workspace.

Communication Specialist: Jack Schmid, Provides majority of the

material handling, tools and equipment. Assists in design and

assembly of the pumping structure. Communicates important stages

to stakeholders, team members, sponsors and interested parties.

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Risk Management:

The approach our team took to manage possible risks included in this

project was to analyze the pumping system itself by checking for mechanical and

material vulnerabilities. Furthermore by developing additions for personal safety

regarding slip protection and mechanical failure by installing mitigation devices.

These devices will aid in system longevity and operator safety. Included in this

section is a maintenance checklist to keep the pump running at its highest and

safest level.

Maintenance Checklist:

Grease pulley Bearings every 4 months or when rotation is noticeably

rough.

Check hardware tightness every 3 months.

Shelter pump during freezing weather and prolonged rain.

If left outside in cold weather purge pump cylinders to prevent any

cracking.

Inspect for any leaks in piping.

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Is/ Is not Table:

Engineered to move small amount of water Not engineered to pump large amount of water

Made to pump water from point A to point B Built as a simple system, for linear flow

The system will pump water form a water collection system

Not tested for elevations greater than 30 feet

The water will be pumped from a low elevation to a higher elevation

The pump those not use electrical or fossil fuel energy to power the pump.

Build to pump water at 10 feet of elevation differences

Not engineered for heavy duty irrigation

The treadle pump is human powered Complex machine

The system contains two piston and cylinder pumps powered by treadles.

Continuous (24 hr.) pumping system

Each piston pumps water individually Not a high pressure pumping system

Engineered to be a green system Not able to operate in freezing weather

Made to be fun to operate Not a vigorous workout machine

The Treadle pump is made to appeal to people The Treadle pump is easy to use

Is made for people to have fun while they are pumping water

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Simplified Product Development Schedule:

Week 1: Assembled team members and assigned team jobs (Project manager, Communication, and

Technical Lead).

Week 2: The team was introduced to a variety of projects and decided to take on the irrigation

project were we were introduced to the challenge of creating a system that would pump

water from point A to point B. One of the challenges that we had to overcome was to

make the finished product fun to operate and it had to be powered by human interaction.

Week 3: Gathered information on pumping systems and presented our idea to our sponsor.

Week 4: Completed a materials list and gathered all of the materials needed to construct the treadle

pump.

Week 5: Broke down the construction of the treadle pump into three phases

(frame, pump, and treadles).

Week 6: Started working on phase one and build the frame that supports the pumping system and

the user. The frame of the Treadle pump was completed in five hours.

Week 7: The piston cylinders were made form PVC 4 inch diameter piping and end caps. The pistons

were assembled and the pistons and cylinder were fitted together. At this point, the piping

assemblies with the check valves are not complete. `

Week 8: The two piston pumps were mounted on the frame and the piping was attached to the

pumps. The last phase was completed and the treadle assembly was completed. The treadle

pump was tested and it was analyzed for any imperfections.

Week 9: Fixed problems and other imperfections that we encountered in the testing phase.

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Test Plan:

Item to Test Test Description Test Date Results

Frame The frame was tested on strength. The weight capacity was tested and twisting.

5/17/2014 The bracing on the vertical treadle supports kept the unit form twisting too much. The frame was able to support over 200 lbs.

Pulley The pulley (bicycle wheel) was attached to the treadle mast and high tension wires that are attached to the pulley enabled the treadles to go up and down.

5/24/2014 During the test, the rod that goes through the mast was bending and the wires were rubbing against the pulley and it made a lot of noise.

Pulley The rod that connected the pulley with the treadle mast was braced and tested again.

5/30/2014 The bracing added greater support to the rod and there was no more noticeable bending and noise that was caused from the rubbing of the wire on the wheel.

Pipe connections

The piping system was attached to the pumps and the connection to the hosing was tested for any leaks.

5/24/2014 The hosing connections were analyzed and leaks were identified at the intake and outflow. There was too much air in the system in the first run. It took longer to fill the five gallon bucket.

Pipe connections

The hosing connections were replaced with hose adapter to create an air tight seal.

5/30/2014 The hose adapter created a better seal and there were minimal leaks and the five gallon bucket was filled faster.

Pump Pump was tested on the ability of pumping enough water from a lower elevation to a higher elevation. The water was pumped from 12 feet elevation difference.

5/24/2014 The pumps were capable to pump water in elevation differences. In the first test the pump was able to transport five gallons in three minutes

Pump The pump was tested again with better air tight seals.

5/30/2014 The pump was able to move water faster. It was able to pump fill a five gallon bucked at 1.43 minutes, better than the first test.

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Milestone List:

Milestone Description Date

Complete Piston Cylinder The piston cylinder hieght and diameter was design to at least produce 10 psi.

Complete Piston The connection rod material had to withstand heavy loads

Complete Frame Making the frame strong was the key to make the treadle pump functional.

5/17/2014

Complete Piston cylinder pump and Frame Assembly

Placing the pumps in the correct position played a great role to create enough lift on the pistons to draw in water. When tested it pumped at a rate of 3.5 gal/min.

5/24/2014

Complete Mast and Pulley System attached to Treadles

The Pulley and treadle system enabled the pistons to move up and down.

5/24/2014

Complete piping system attached to Pumps

During the first test the connections were leaking, but when they were fixed the pump was able to fill a five gallon bucket in 1.43 minutes.

5/24/2014

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Treadle Pump Cost in Materials ACTUAL

Item Cost

Pvc pipe schedule 40- 4" diam3' 12.49

Wood screw zinc FHP #10x1 3/4" 4.86

Wood screw zinc #10x2-1/2" flhd phil wood 1.18

EMT 2-hole strap 1" 4 pack 1.76 (2) 3/4"x 2' Pvc pipe 2.48

36"x 1/2"x 1/16" steel round tube 7.62

Lag screws 5/16" 2-1/2" hex 1.70

Fender washers 1/4" 0.28

Lock washers 0.15

(4) 1" Pvc coupling 1.68

(4) 3/4"x 1/2" Pvc bushing 2.96

(4) 3/4" female adapter 1.84

Norton 100 hp 9x11 med prem sandpaper 3.97

(4) 3/4"x 1/2" Pvc tee 2.36

Fitting 1.86

Washers 0.48

(2) hex bolts 1/4"-1" 0.24

Fasteners 0.23

3 pieces of leather 8.97

Tube vinyl 1/2" id x 3/4" od 7.60

(4) 90 degree Pvc elbow 2.76

(8) adapter insert poly 1/2" 4.74

5/16" galv hexnut 0.10

2x6-8' dry df prem 4.86

5/16"x 5 hexbolt nc gr 2 zinc 0.49

Bicycle wheel 10.00 Eye bolts 5.98

Cable friction connecters 4.77

12"x 3/8 -16 threaded rod 2.74

(10) uncoated wire rope 1/8" x 1" 3.20

Washers 0.56

Nuts 1.72

48"x 1"x 1/8" steel bar 6.48

3/8" rod coupling nut 2 pk 1.20

Tee nut 2.36

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Nylon lock nuts 1.97

Wood screw 10x2"x 1/8" 5.98 Grip tape 6.00

(4) One way valves 39.96

Total 170.58

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Autobiography:

(PM) Andrew Davidson, Born 1982 in Vancouver, Washington where he

also spent his adolecent life, Childhood was rocky, but defined a certain

mental toughness. After leaving highschool he spent time as a

volunteer firefighter and then begun traveling the nation exploring

potential areas to plant roots. After about 8 years of moving around

the country and working as a chef in the restauraunt industry. The

Pacific Nowthwest drew himm back in. Today he is living in Portland,

Oregon where he is persuing a degree in Civil Engineering Technology

and continues to explore the outdoors, and always looking for new

experiences.

A little bit about myself; my name is Jack Schmid, I am 44 years-old and nearing graduation

from PCC-earning a degree in AAS in Civil Engineering Technology. I have worked building and

sometimes designing things for 20 years prior to going back to school. I framed houses for 3

years and then fabricated railroad cars for 17 years at Gunderson’s LLC. I wanted to get more

into the designing and inspection aspect of things we rely in a civil capacity, so I decided on the

CMET program. I think it has been a good fit. I have two great kids and I enjoy the outdoors a

great deal, I also like to work with wood. After graduation I plan on a month long camping trip.

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My name is Jesus Navarro Gonzalez and I am a current student at Portland Community

College, graduating in Spring of 2014. My interest in Engineering came about when I started my

Freshman year in Canby High School. I was interested on the geometry of structures, load

analysis where the relative positions of subsystems do not vary over time, and on how forces

were distributed along the members in static equilibrium. My Engineering career path was

started in Oregon State University were I completed my PreCivil and I am planning to finish my

bachelors degree in Civil Engineering in the near future after gaining work experience in the

field. At the end of my winter term in Oregon State University my school expenses were too

great to handle and I decided to pursue a shorter career related to Civil Engineering in Portland

Community College. Portland Community College offers a great Civil Engineer Tech program

and I enjoyed their great support in the transferring process.

Self-Reflection:

Taking on the Treadle Pump project was a great challenge because it tested all of our

knowledge learned throughout the Civil Engineer Tech program. Our group had to build a

pumping system that could pump water from point A to point B with about 10 feet of elevation

difference. The challenging part about the project was that we needed to create a machine that

was able to pump water by using human motion and the pump system had to carry enough

water to irrigate crops. Building the pump and piping system was a great challenge because the

system had to be air tight to prevent any leaks. The first test that was performed the pump

system was analyzed and leaks were present at the check valve connections. After the leaks

were fixed the second test gave better results with minimal leaks and water was pumped

faster. Overall, I enjoyed working on the Treadle Pump project because it challenged my way of

thinking.

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CMET Learnings

Fluid Mechanics

o Potential Energy

o Volumetric Flows

Strength in Materials

o Bending

o Deflection

o Material Choice

Drafting Design

o Dimensioning

o Scales

Statics

o Point loads

o Moments on the pulley system

Lessons Learned List

Lesson # Description of Incident Lesson Learned

1 Leaking pump connections

Better seals, strong adhesive and appropriate fittings.

2 Bending of supporting rod under loads Developed an outside brace.

3 Treadle Width 2"x4" to 2"x6" for greater stability.

4 Slip protection Added grip tape to treadles for safety.

5 Hosing collapse under presssure Using stonger walled hoselines.

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