Two-Stage Transmission

The project goal is to analyze, design, and test a mechanical transmission to couple the output from a brushed DC motor to the system's output which is a bicycle wheel. Working in a group of five, we designed and fabricated an acrylic gearbox enclosure which housed two pairs of spur gears. Here is the link to our critical design review for a detailed description and CAD of the gearbox.

We selected a gear ratio that would optimize the maximum rotational speed of the wheel over the time it takes for the wheel to reach 250 rpm. We chose to add acrylic walls on top and bottom to dampen mechanical vibrations. During the fabrication stage of the project, we used the end-mill for dimensioning the acrylic walls of the enclosure, tapping screw holes for fastening the walls together, and drilling holes to press-fit ball bearings into. During our demonstration, we achieved a max rpm of 500 and it took 6.203 seconds for the system to reach 250 rpm.