Design and prototyping of an <i>in situ</i> system to clean a cylinder head conveying line following an engineering systems design approach

Abstract

In the present study, a cleaning system was designed and assessed for removing engine oil stains and metal swarf and shavings that adhere to rollers of conveying lines which convey cylinder head as well as other heavy engine components. Systems engineering design approach was employed in this study and a typical design process was followed. Preliminary, intermediate, and final design were conducted following an identification of the design problem, within that process a sequence of tasks such as synthesis, analysis, prototyping, and assessment were completed. A design idea was selected out of five initial design concepts and evolved into the final system after evaluations and modifications. The final cleaning system is composed of a cleaning mechanism, a drivetrain system, a powertrain system, and other components. Testing results showed that the designed machine can be easily integrated onto the conveying line to provide effective cleaning performance. The weight and manufacturing cost for the design were minimised to facilitate the application of this designed equipment to replace human labour in providing cleaning performance in highly automated, modern factories.