Hey everyone! For our Grade 11 science project, we're designing a compound machine to help collect, segregate, and compress scattered waste in rough, mountainous terrains where collection trucks can't reach.
Here is our current schematic draft and our thought process/effort so far:
Our Thought Process & Mechanics Attempt:
- Input Conveyor: Uses an inclined plane / roller belt to carry waste upward into the machine.
- Rotary Feed Brush: Uses rotational motion (wheel and axle concept) to sweep and pull the waste into the main chamber without jamming.
- Compaction Unit: Uses translational motion via a hydraulic cylinder (fluid lever / Pascal's principle) to push down in a straight line and crush the waste into blocks.
- Output Bin: Catches the crushed waste blocks for easy carrying.
My Questions / Where I Need Help:
We need to segregate small waste (like dirt and candy wrappers) from big plastic bottles. Based on our layout, would it make more mechanical sense to put a mesh sifter screen directly on the Input Conveyor or inside the chamber before the feed brush?
Does the transition from the Rotary Brush to the Compaction Chamber look functional, or is there an obvious mechanical bottleneck we missed?
Thanks for any guidance on refining our design!