CHENDHURAN

POLYTECHNIC COLLEGE
PUDUKKOTTAI – 622507

IMPLEMENTATION OF RACK AND PINION TO

SAVE EXCESS WATER
PROJECT WORK 2021-2022

Done by

NAME REG NO
NAGARAJU M 20214816
NAVEENKUMAR S 20214818
PALANIYAPPAN K 20214819
PANDISELVAM S 20214820
PERIYAKARUPPAN M 20214821
PRABAKARAN M 20214822

Report Submitted in partial fulfillment for the award of the

“Diploma in Mechanical Engineering” of the
Directorate of technical education,
Government of TamilNadu

Under the Guidance of

LECTURER

DEPARTMENT OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING

CHENDHURAN POLYTECHNIC COLLEGE

PUDUKKOTTAI – 622507
 BONAFIDE CERTIFICATE

This is to certify that the report titled

IMPLEMENTATION OF RACK AND PINION TO

SAVE EXCESS WATER

is a bonafide record of work done by

Register Number: of the Department of

Mechanical Engineering in partial fulfillment for the Directorate of Technical

Education, Government of Tamilnadu during the academic year 2019-2020

PROJECT GUIDE HEAD OF THE DEPARTMENT

Dr.SG.SHELVARAJ, M.E, Ph.D.,

(LECTURER/MECH) HOD/MECH and PRINCIPAL

Submitted for the Board Examination held on

Internal Examiner External Examiner

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

At the outset, we express our thanks to our esteemed chairman. Thiru AVM
SELVARAJ and beloved CEO Dr. AVM.S.KARTHICK B.E.,MBA., Ph.D for their
dynamic role and for elevation of our institution to greater heights by providing us with
all the infrastructure and other essential facilities.

Also we would like to extend our thanks to our principal & also HOD of
Mechanical Engineering Department Dr. S.G.SHELVARAJ M.E.,Ph.D for his
constant effort in helping us by providing the necessary equipment and materials that
were used to build the project.

Not the more formality but from the depth of our heart, we extend our sincere
thanks to our project guide Mr.J.VIJAYARUBAN B.E., lecturer in Department of
Mechanical Engineering for his valuable suggestions, motivation, and constant
support.

We are really indebted to our parents, faculty members and our friends for their
timely help, and for the mental and moral support. Along with their blessing of the
almighty, we will continue to feel the success.

We would like to submit our special thanks to our Department Staff Members
and Lab Instructors and other non teaching staff for their valuable suggestions to
improve the content and quality of the project.

We also exhibit our thanks to one and all who had constantly supported us
either directly or indirectly to complete in completing this project successfully.

CONTENTS
Chapter no Title Page no

I Abstract 01

II Introduction 03

III Literature review 07

IV Selection of Materials 11

V Component Description 14

VI Working Principle 17

VII Diagram 19

VIII Cost Estimation 21

IX Features 24

X Conclusion 26

XI References 28
CHAPTER I
ABSTRACT

1
 CHAPTER I
ABSTRACT

Due to the lack of water resources and extreme use of potable water, a
mechanical system is proposed to prevent infection and decrease water consumption in
washing of hands and faces, utensils, ablution and similar operations. This study
presents a suitable cost mechanical ways with easy implementation to save water and
prevent infection. The proposed methods depends on controlling the water flow valve
using legs controlled pedals instead of hands because hands are already busy while
washing. This mechanical system is intended to save the cost of power and components
and for safety thus, electrical or electronic control is not used. The system design is
developed in a way that eases its practical application on the already installed water
valves without need to replace these valves entirely. The system is characterized by its
simplicity, easy installation and maintenance besides its low effective cost.

2
 CHAPTER II
INTRODUCTION

3
 CHAPTER II
INTRODUCTION

Rationalization of water consumption is a critical issue because of limited water

resources in many countries and high cost of water purification or desalination. Careful
tracking of water consumption patterns in ablution and washings in public and private
facilities in multiple regions especially in the Middle East is realized. Ablution is a
mandatory religious routine for Muslims that typically include washing of hands, face,
mouth, nose, arms, swabbing on head, ears and washing feet .Tracking revealed that
most of users leave taps opened and water continues running despite there are time
periods they don’t use water such as while washing teeth or switching ablutions organs.
Other additional important observations could be summarized as follows:
i. When washing dirty hands, user opens the tap and he needs to wash the tap
handle after washing his hands and then re-wash his hands. In addition, with some
handle types, there may be difficulty in opening and closing as fingers glide on tap
knobs.
ii. When washing several pots or utensils sequentially in kitchen, user cannot take
advantage of water flowing during moments he switches between them and the majority
of users does not or cannot shut off water and it remains to flow to sink without use.
Automatic or electronic taps are expensive and need electrical power and means of
protection to isolate the wiring.
Further, they have another problem, namely the existence of a time lag between
the moment of cutting the beam and the onset of water flow. Also other time lag makes
it continue to stream before it shuts down automatically. Eventually, it is clear the need
to intensify methods of awareness development through various media to get people to
rationalization. The process of water use rationalization relies on two main parts,
namely:
1. Users awareness, readiness and seriousness for realization and,
2. Providing means with suitable costs and easy to use
4
 The method proposed here is categorized under the second part and it can be
applied, for further rationalization, simultaneously with other rationalizing means. In
this review, the researcher tries to find a suitable cost mechanical way with easy
implementation. Ideas include modifying the tap design to speed opening and closing.
This method depends on controlling the tap water flow by using feet pedals instead of
hands to reduce the cost of components and energy. This review aims to develop the
system in a manner that facilitates its practical application to already installed water
valves without the need to replace them entirely. Furthermore, it has to ease installation
and maintenance in addition to the effectively low cost. An Indian voluntary
organization has been focused on using feet instead of hands to open taps as a solution
to provide water and prevent infection. It is named 'TRUSST' an acronym for the phrase
(Total Restitution Using Simple Technology & Techniques.

COMMERCIAL FOOT OPERATED TAPS

Currently, there is some available commercial foot or knee operated tap valve
systems.. They are expensive and need to change and reinstall water piping systems. In
the limits of researcher experience, there are no practical applications to open the tap by
foot or rooms and some means of transportation.. Over the basin, it is seen the old tap
outlet nozzle and a small pack for stools or urine samples. Installing the rationalizing
mean has solved partially the problem of water wasting but, it is still existing the
problems of spreading diseases through repeated touching of patients to the tap handle.
From this point of view, using foot operated taps decreases water wasting besides
helping in prevention of infectious diseases. There are plethora registered patents in foot
operated tap valves however; each of these inventions has one or more problem in
implementation as follows:

1. The design fits new constructions and cannot be implemented on existing

systems except by changing the tap and/or changing the connections that are often

5
inside the walls
2. Pedal is to be fixed to the ground or close to the ground, thereby hindering the
cleaning of area at bottom of the basin. This place needs a cleaning and drying as it is
constantly exposed to water falling during use
3. Some valves work only with certain kind of taps
4. Some designs require changing the basin or its pillar
5. The high cost of implementation as a result of the need for special
manufacturing. This work is an attempt to avoid previous shortages through an
innovative design.
Therefore, it is proposed to open taps by feet relying on using a spring that makes
the water valve in the closed mode and use an external mechanism operates by feet to
move the valve core and opens it against the spring resistance. Besides decreasing water
waste by opening taps at moments of need only and quick opening and closing, this way
has the advantage to prevent the possibility of infection by repeated touching of many
hands to the tap handle in public bathrooms. This method is an alternative to the
expensive electrical ways. This ways use cutting of rays by hand movement in in front
of the tap to open and close it

6
 CHAPTER II
LITERATURE REVIEW

7
 CHAPTER II

LITERATURE REVIEW

Ablution is considered as a typical activity performed numerous times daily and

consumes huge amount of fresh water. Five different tap types are investigated for
water consumption fashions in ablution from five different tap types and more than 100
experiments are analyzed in [1].Sixty experiments are performed to obtain primary data
about the water consumption patterns in ablution from a traditional mechanical knobs-
mixer tap to measure the percentage of actual water use to the total amount of
waterflows from the tap during ablution time. Experiments have been conducted on 60
different persons having different sizes, cultures and backgrounds in order to identify
real consumption of water in ablution. Experiments were carried out in the spring and
fall times where one source of water is used because the water temperature is moderate.
Slow opening mixing traditional taps are used and a 0.001 liters accuracy flow meter
has been installed at the water source under the basin. Each ablution case is video
recorded at 30 frames/second. Through analysis of video using Winnows Movie Maker,
at playback resolution of 0.03 seconds, each video is dissected into two groups; water
contact clips and water free running clips. The total time of each group is computed.

The most important result derived is that the average actual time of using water is
only 47.2% of the average continuous time of opening the tap during ablution. This
means simply that about half the amount of water consumed in ablution from a still

8
opening tap can be saved if tap releases water only at moments of need. Using
electronic automatic taps can significantly solve the problem but they are costly This is
the core of this work. The idea of the design is based on the use of foot in opening and
closing of water valves by using an external or internal spring that makes the valve in
the closed mode. An external mechanism depressed by feet will move the valve core to
open against the spring resistance. This way can prevent the waste of water by using
foot to release water at need only because the use of the hand in controlling the flow of
tap water is not possible while using hands in washing. This method accelerates valve
opening and closing and prevents infection. Some designs are developed to fit the
existing basin systems without need to change the faucets or piping systems.

Installing Twin ½-Inch Lever Type Ball Valve

This design suits basins having water source valves installed in the wall under
them. In this design, two of lever type-ball valves are installed at the water sources
under the basin. Two linked pedal pieces moves down the valves levers to open them
and the external spring(s) retain them to the closing position when pedals are released
Dimensions are flexible for different basin types. The pedals are joined to the valve
levers through flexible wires thus; pedals can be folded up to ease cleaning of ground
under the basin. The pedal function can be stopped by moving the valve lever to its
extreme opening position. The same mixing faucet is still used to adjust the water
temperature and flow rate while the pedals are used for on/off control and still have
some maneuver for flow rate control. All parts must be manufactured from water
resistant materials to avoid corrosion. Torque required to open the valve is in the range
of 30 kg.cm and the suitable force to be exerted down by foot pressure is 3 kg on any
side of the pedal.

Controlling Free Cores Angle Valves

9
 In this case, the snap ring which snaps the valve core is removed. This ring is
mounted on the valve core shaft and its function is preventing the core from slipping
inside when it is in the opening position. With opening the valve a little bit, the core can
be moved inside and outside to enable the process of closing and opening from an
external source. An internal or external spring is used to keep the valve core in the
closing position and a pedal similar to that in the first design or other pedal is used to
open the two valves together.

A compact and flexible ablution system design

A more advanced flexible foot operated-tap control mechanism design is shown

in Fig.9.This system is currently under development by the author to optimize its design
regarding human factors engineering. The system includes the use of two pedals; one is
foot controlled and the other is knee-controlled. One or both pedals can be used and
both of them can be folded

10
CHAPTER IV
SELECTION OF
MATERIALS

11
 CHAPTER IV
FACTORS DETERMINING THE CHOICE OF MATERIALS

1. Properties:

The material selected must possess the necessary properties for the proposed
application. The various requirements to be satisfied can be weight, surface
finish, rigidity, ability to withstand environmental attack from chemicals,
service life, reliability etc. The following four types of principle properties of
materials decisively affect their selection

 Physical

 Mechanical

 From manufacturing point of view

 Chemical

The various physical properties concerned are melting point, thermal

Conductivity, specific heat, coefficient of thermal expansion, specific gravity,
electrical conductivity, magnetic purposes etc. The various Mechanical
Properties Concerned are strength in tensile, Compressive shear, bending,
torsional and buckling load, fatigue resistance, impact resistance, elastic limit,
endurance limit, and modulus of elasticity, hardness, wear resistance and sliding
properties. The various properties concerned from the manufacturing point of
view are,

 Castability

 Weldability

 Surface properties

 Shrinkage

12
2. Manufacturing Case

Sometimes the demand for lowest possible manufacturing cost or surface

qualities obtainable by the application of suitable coating substances may
demand the use of special materials.

3. Quality Required

This generally affects the manufacturing process and ultimately the

material. For example, it would never be desirable to go casting of a less
number of components which can be fabricated much more economically by
welding or hand forging the steel.

4. Availability of Material

Some materials may be scarce or in short supply, it then becomes

obligatory for the designer to use some other material which though may not be
a perfect substitute for the material designed. The delivery of materials and the
delivery date of product should also be kept in mind.

5. Space Consideration

Sometimes high strength materials have to be selected because the forces

involved are high and space limitations are there.

6. Cost

As in any other problem, in selection of material the cost of material

plays an important part and should not be ignored. Sometimes factors like scrap
utilization, appearance, and non-maintenance of the designed part are involved
in the selection of proper materials.

13
CHAPTER V

COMPONENT

DESCRIPTION

14
 CHAPTER IV
COMPONENT DESCRIPTION

RACK AND PINION

Rack and pinion, mechanical device consisting of a bar of rectangular cross
section (the rack), having teeth on one side that mesh with teeth on a
small gear (the pinion). The pinion may have straight teeth, as in the figure, or helical
(twisted) teeth that mesh with teeth on the rack that are inclined to the pinion-shaft axis.
If the pinion rotates about a fixed axis, the rack will translate; i.e., move on a
straight path, as shown by the arrow AB in the Figure. Some automobiles have rack-
and-pinion drives on their steering mechanisms that operate in this way.
If the rack is fixed and the pinion is carried in bearings on a table guided on
tracks parallel to the rack, rotation of the pinion shaft will move the table parallel to the
rack as shown by the arrow CD in the Figure. On machine tools, rack-and-pinion
mechanisms are used in this way to obtain rapid movements of worktables; the
pinion shaft is usually rotated with a hand crank.
With rack and pinion steering, the rotation of the pinion causes linear motion of
the rack, which turns the vehicle's wheels left or right. Rack and pinion systems are a
common component in railways. In between train rails are racks that interact with
pinions attached to locomotives and train cars to assist trains with moving up steep
inclines.
While a rack and pinion system might seem complicated, according to Advance
Autoparts, it is simply a gear attached to a toothed bar. The bar attaches to a set of tie
rods. A generating rack is a rack outline used in the design of a generating tool, such as
a hob or a gear shaper cutter, to indicate the details and dimensions of the teeth. Simple
linear actuators often consist of some combination of rack and pinion. The shaft rotation
of the pinion is powered by hand or by a motor to create linear movement.
While the rack and pinion steering system has been used by U.S. automotive
manufacturers for less than 50 years, the concept is nearly a century old in other
15
countries. Hemmings Motor News reports that in the 1930s, BMW produced the first
rack and pinion gearbox. The first American automotive manufacturer to use rack and
pinion steering in production was Ford, which used it for the 1974 Mustang II and the
1974 Pinto. While AMC adopted the system soon after for the 1975 Pacer, GM and
Chrysler would not manufacture cars with rack and pinion steering until the 1980s.
Although it took some time for U.S. manufacturers to start producing rack and
pinion steering systems, they soon realized what European and Asian automotive
companies had known for decades. Rack and pinion steering is a more straightforward
design compared to the recirculating ball steering system that came before it. That more
straightforward design makes rack and pinion steering systems more cost-effective to
build.
Hemmings also notes that the rack and pinion steering system weighs less than a
recirculating ball gearbox, which helps improve gas mileage. Rack and pinion systems
are lighter because they don't require the idler arms, Pitman arms, center links, and tie
rod sleeves found in conventional steering systems. The size and weight of a rack and
pinion system make it a better fit for front-wheel-drive applications because
manufacturers can install it right next to the transverse drivetrain. It is easier for
manufacturers to tailor rack and pinion gearboxes to fit specific wheelbases and
handling packages.
Rack and Pinion: Applications
While most consumers are familiar with rack and pinion systems for steering cars
and small trucks, rack and pinion combinations have several other applications. Not
only are rack and pinion systems used to help trains climb steep gradients, but they also
provide better brake control, especially in snowy and icy conditions. The Stairlift.com
states that rack and pinion systems are standard components in most stair lifts. The
rack and pinion mechanism often operates using hydraulic or electrical energy.
In the 1970s, Arthur Ernest Bishop invented the variable rack. Combined with a
standard pinion, his variable rack was used to improve vehicle handling.

16
 CHAPTER V
WORKING PRINCIPLE

17
 CHAPTER V
WORKING PRINCIPLE

The water tank is fixed on the top of this equipment which is used to store the
water, the pdeal is connected to a small moving shaft which is connected to rack bar
when pedal moves down the moving shaft presses the rack bar to up side as shown in
image, when the rack bar goes to upside also the pinion moves 90 degree and it opens
the Tap, and allows to flow the water in wash basin, when we left the pedal, the pedal
attached to spring compresses and again rack bar comes to its original position i.e. down
side and the tap closes.

18
CHAPTER VI
DIAGRAM

19
 CHAPTER VI
BLOCK DIAGRAM

20
 CHAPTER VII
COST ESTIMATION

21
 CHAPTER VII
COST ESTIMATION

S.No Part Description Quantity Price

1 Rack and pinion 1 Rs.1500

2 Frame - Rs.800

3 Spring 4 Rs.800

4 Tap 1 Rs.250

Total Rs.3350

LABOUR COST:
Welding,
 Grinding,
 Power hacksaw,

22
Overhead Charges :

The overhead charges are arrived by ”manufacturing cost”

Manufacturing Cost =Material Cost +Labour Cost

= 3350 + 1500

= RS.4850

Overhead Charges = 20%of the manufacturing cost

= Rs.970
TOTAL COST:

Total cost = Material Cost +Labour Cost +Overhead

Charges Total cost = 3350 + 1500 + 970

= 5820/-

23
CHAPTER VIII
FEATURES

24
 CHAPTER VIII
FEATURES

ADVANTAGES

 No extra electricity needed

 Reduces the water wastage
 Easy to handle
 Low maintenance
 Highly reliable
 Low cost

APPLICATIONS
 Used in hotels
 Used in restaurants
 Used in homes, etc,..

25
CHAPTER IX
CONCLUSION

26
 CHAPTER IX
CONCLUSION

In this work, a mechanical system is proposed to prevent infection and decrease water
consumption in washing, ablution and similar operations. The proposed method depends
on controlling the water flow valve using a pedal instead of hands. The major
conclusions are as follows:
 Experiments revealed that around half the amount of water consumed in ablution from
tap can be saved if tap releases water only at moments of need.
 Two system designs have been developed and practical trial of both designs showed
that they are superb in washing of hands, faces, utensils and in ablution except for
washing of feet
 People of relevant disciplines have the duty to participate in the development of cheap
means that help in quick close and open of taps. This reduces the amount of water waste
in a way that comforts the user.
 This is not the end of the research work. The idea can be developed and an easier
design can be established for new constructions that integrates the pedal and valves in
the ceramic pillar.

27
 CHAPTER X
REFERENCES

28
 CHAPTER X
REFERENCES

[1] Roubi A. Zaied “Water use and time analysis in ablution from taps”, Applied
Water Science, doi: 10.1007/s13201- 016-0407-2, 2016.
[2] Shaaban M. Shaaban and Roubi A. Zaied, 2014, Evaluating the Parameters
Affecting Rationalization of Water Consumption in Ablution, Scholars Journal
of Engineering and Technology (SJET) , 2(3A):326-334.
[3] Total Restitution Using Simple Technology & Techniques, retrieved in July
2016 from: http://watermiser.hpage.com
[4] Johari NH, Hassan OH, Anwar R,Kamaruzaman MF (2013), A Behaviour
Study on Ablution Ritual among Muslim in Malaysia, Procedia-Social and
Behavioral Sciences.doi:10.1016/j.sbspro.2013.12.002.
[5] Besari ARM, Zamri R, Yusaeri A, Palil MDM, Prabuwono AS (2009)
Automatic Ablution Machine Using Vision Sensor. IEEE Symposium on
Industrial Electronics and Applications (ISEA 2009). Kula Lumpur. pp: 506-
509. [6] Al-Mughalles M H, Abdul Rahman R, Suja F B, Abdullah S M S (2012)
Mosque Greywater Quantity in Sana'a, Yemen. Electronic Journal of
Geotechnical Engineering. 17(Bund k):1593-1603. Available at:
ww.ejge.com/2012/Ppr12.130e.pdf

29