Reverse Engineering Approach for the Design of Gear-box for a Hand-guided Vibratory Roller Soil-Compactor

Abstract

Soil compaction is one of the most critical components in the construction of roads, airfields, embankments and foundations. For a developing country like Nigeria, the equipment needed to compact soil for the above-mentioned purposes especially in the rural areas needs to be readily available. However, this is usually not the case as most of the available equipment like Roller compactors are imported. A cheaper and faster way to make them available is by reproducing the existing ones through ‘Reverse Engineering’. Reverse Engineering (RE) can be defined as the process of discovering the technological principles of a device, object or system through analysis of its structure, function and operation usually for the purpose of reproducing it or for a more competitive procurement. In this project, the Reverse Engineering design (mechanical) of a parallel shaft gearbox for use in a hand roller compactor was carried-out. Its entire functionality was outlined and the engine capacity to be coupled to the gear box in order to provide the required energy for an acceptable soil compaction was determined. The energy required according to Standard Compaction Test AS 1289 – E1.1 ranges from 595 KJ/m³ to 2072 KJ/m³ according to the Modified Compaction Test AS 1289 – E2.1. Therefore, the energy required for various levels of compaction, ranges between these two values. Four different soil types were considered and the energy required for different ‘Compacted lift thicknesses’ using the parameters of the hand roller compactor were found to fall within the above values (595 – 2072 KJ/m³), thus, justifying the viability of this design procedure.