Categories
Global Health Archive ME Archive Simulation Archive

Ugandan Water Project

The main goal of this project is to build, assemble, and successfully test an accelerated testing machine for the India Mark II. In the India Mark II pump, the water gaskets wore off frequently during the pumping of water and needed frequent replacement which proved costly. To counter the problem, the project below proposes an accelerated testing machine composed of a slider-crank mechanism. The mechanism incorporated a flywheel driven by a motor that ensures continuous harmonic motion that replicates pumping mechanisms in the field. The mechanism was designed, simulated and a finite element analysis carried out in CAD software. These are covered in the report along with testing results and recommendations provided for improvement of future designs.​

Project Description

The water crisis in Uganda is hitting new highs every year. This problem is extremely important because it involves public health and welfare. The previous pump design has some flaws, which include the gaskets inside wearing off very frequently. Every time the water pump stops working no water is generated, which means people cannot access water. This increases costs as repairing that pump requires both financial resources and time. The main goal of this project is to improve the current design and develop an efficient, long-lasting pump that can supply water to people in need generously. To achieve this goal, an accelerated life testing machine is made to analyze newly developed gaskets. These gaskets will then be used in the field to increase pump efficiency and uptime. This will help the team in reducing overall production cost and hopefully put a pause to water insecurity. 

Presentation Video

Demo video

CAD Assembly

Acknowledgments

The team would like to thank University of Rochester’s Mechanical Engineering Department, especially Professor Muir, the Teaching Assistants, John Miller, and Chris Pratt for this assistance, help and guidance throughout this semester.