FABRICATION OF AUTO TANK CLEANING MACHINE

ABSTRACT –

Aim of this project is to develop a mechanical system for cleaning domestic cylindrical water
tank. The mechanical system includes motor, shaft, battery and Arms with brushes. The arms
are adjusted according to the dimensions of the tank, once adjusted the machine is switched ON ,
the motor draws power from the battery and rotates the shaft with low RPM and high torque ,the
brushes mounted on the arms starts scrubbing the inner walls of the tank.

INTRODUCTION :

In recent studies it has been found that no automation based machine used in cleaning of
overhead tank. This is because of the irregular shape and various heights of the tank locations.
With previous survey made an attempt to make a machine by automation process for cleaning
tank. An alternate solution has made a plan to solve this problem. In India, the usage of sintex
tanks by the people is approximately 71% After studies made the information that have faced a
lot of difficulties like continuous work in the dirty places, irregular payment and other various
reasons. Continuous work and irregular payment may also be the major reason for this attempt.
So came to a conclusion that cleaning the overhead tank using automation process can be useful
to solve all these problems. In this case, machine has the capability to clean the tank easily and
quickly. Designing of our machine is based on the survey report conducted.
In this modern world, cleaning of overhead tanks manually is a tedious job. To overcome this we
have aimed at tackling the disadvantages of cleaning overhead tanks, so an automatic system
overhead tank cleaning is designed to provide high safety, high efficiency, less time for cleaning
and to avoid environmental pollution problems. Purpose of this project is to clean domestic
cylindrical water tank with the help of mechatronics system. The mechatronics system consists
of a grooved gear rod attached to two arms with brushes at ends. The two arms are connected to
the gear rod by nut. By rotating the gear rod, the up and down motion of the two arms is
achieved. The gear rod is rotated with the help of a D.C gear motor. The main grooved shaft is
powered by an A.C motor. The motor and the shaft are connected by a rubber belt. The
clockwise rotation of the main shaft will make the arms move and vice versa. The whole
operation is controlled by a circuit consisting of relay switches, buttons, and PIC microcontroller.
The number of times for the operation to repeat can be fed into the circuit. The achievement of
this project is reduction of cost and manual labour because there will be harmful diseases for the
person who will go inside and it will affect the health as well as the other human being who
consumes water from the tank

OBJECTIVE OF CLEANING WATER TANK

Every day we use the tank water for brushing and bathing, for cleaning and moping, for
washing clothes and in other household chores. With the passage of time, sediments, scale and
algae get deposited on the walls, ceiling and floor of the water tank. This deposition
contaminates the water and makes is unfit for use. With time algae and bacteria grow and breed
in this water infect it and could make us fall sick eventually. Hence water tank cleaning is very
important.

METHODS OF WATER TANK CLEANING

Manual scrubbing in which wall and floor of tank are scrubbed to remove dirt, sediments,
fungus and stains, but this method is more tedious and time consuming.
 The water tank can also be cleaned by using chemicals to remove the dirt and sediments.
The chemicals used may affect the human health. Pressurized water can be sprayed on the walls
of the tank which will remove the dirt from the tank surface. These methods are time consuming
and require more efforts for cleaning.

ALTERNATE METHOD

All methods of cleaning water tank as discussed above are time consuming and require
more human efforts. So, alternate method is required for cleaning purpose, which will overcome
the drawbacks of other methods. Therefore we are developing water tank cleaning equipment
which requires less time and human efforts for cleaning.

METHODOLOGY:

Firstly whole water is removed from the tank. Detergent is then sprayed on the inner wall of the
tank for easy removal of dirt. The whole system is inserted in retracted position into the tank.
The arms are then adjusted according to the tank diameter in such a way that brush at end of the
shaft touches the bottom of tank. Now the motor is switched ON. The arms starts rotating along
with the shaft. This causes scrubbing of inner wall of tank by the brush attached to the ends of
linkage. In this way the tank gets cleaned within minimum time.
MAIN COMPONENTS:

Low-speed/high-torque (LSHT) motors:

Low-speed/high-torque (LSHT) motors are one of the more cost-effective and dependable parts
of a mechanical system. They offer a designer many advantages over a system comprised of a
high-speed motor and a gearbox speed reducer. Foremost is the fact that LSHT motors transmit a
large amount of power from a comparatively small drive envelope. Low noise and vibration and
high energy efficiency can be additional benefits. Rapid reversal of direction may be achieved
simply by reversing the direction of hydraulic fluid flow. LSHT motors also exhibit smooth
starting torque.
Maximum shaft speed for LSHT motors can range up to 1,000 rpm, and some motors operate
smoothly at speeds as low as 0.1 rpm with suitable closed-loop electronic control. These motors
generally exhibit good starting efficiencies and fairly constant torque over their entire speed
range.

Battery:
An electric battery is a device consisting of one or more electrochemical cells with external
connections provided to power electrical devices, here we are using 12 volts, 7.5 ah battery.
12v 7Ah
The rechargeable batteries are lead-lead dioxide systems. The dilute sulfuric acid
electrolyte is absorbed by separators and plates and thus immobilized. Should the
battery be accidentally overcharged producing hydrogen and oxygen, special one-
way valves allow the gases to escape thus avoiding excessive pressure build-up.
Otherwise, the battery is completely sealed and is, therefore, maintenance-free,
leak proof and usable in any position.
Performance Characteristics
Nominal Voltage 12V
Number of cell 6
Design Life 5 years
Nominal Capacity 77 o F(25 o C)
20 hour rate (0.35A, 10.5V) 7Ah
10 hour rate (0.68A, 10.5V) 6.8Ah
5 hour rate (1.13A, 10.5V) 5.65Ah
1 hour rate (4.56A, 9.6V) 4.56Ah
Internal Resistance
Fully Charged battery 77 o F(25 o C) 28mOhms
Self-Discharge
3% of capacity declined per month at 20 o C(average)
Operating Temperature Range
Discharge -20~60 o C
Charge -10~60 o C
Storage -20~60 o C
Max. Discharge Current 77 o F(25 o C) 105A(5s)
Short Circuit Current 350A
Charge Methods: Constant Voltage Charge 77 o F(25 o C)
Cycle use 14.5-14.9V
Maximum charging current 2.8A
Temperature compensation -30mV/ o C
Standby use 13.6-13.8V
Temperature compensation -20mV/ o C
Shaft
Shaft is a rotating machine element, usually circular in cross section, which is used to transmit power
from one part to another, or from a machine which produces power to a machine which absorbs power. The
various members such as arms, pulleys and gears are mounted on it.
Brush
The brushes are made up of Poly Vinyl Chloride (PVC) polymer. Brushes attached to the ends
of four bar linkage revolve due to rotation of motor shaft to clean the inner surface of the tank.

METHODOLOGY USED
The tank cleaning machine works with the help of motor through which shaft is coupled to it
vertically, the shaft is welded with the ms

WORKING PRINCIPLE:

Motor draws power from the 12 volts, 7.5 ah battery and drives the shaft. Here the rotating
motion of the motor is transmitted to shaft and then to the arms and brushes . the induced
rotating motion cleans the inner walls of the tank. The links are included in order to make a
lesser area during removal and to make the model induce inside the tank.
The brushes help in removal of the salt and other waste materials inside the tank.
BLOCK DIAGRAM

battery
motor

Shaft
brushes

15 inches

40 inches links
Pivot point

11 inches

33 inches
FABRICATION PROCESS INVOLVED

1) SELECTION OF MATERIALS
2) MILD STEEL MATERIAL PROCESSING
The processes include marking cutting drilling and joining process such as welding which is
a permanent joint and also we include temporary joint such as nut and bolt arrangement
.these are called as fasteners
3) The process includes machines which are used in order to fabricate the model. The
machines included are cutting grinding and drilling machines .
CONCLUSION:
The water tank cleaner was used to clean the water tanks by using rotating brushes. This method
was more effective and safe than the conventional methods. This method is capable to clean
water tanks within less time and human efforts. Automated control can be implemented by using
remote .