KATHMANDU UNIVERSITY

SCHOOL OF ENGINEERING
DEPARTMENT OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING

FINAL PROJECT REPORT ON

DESIGN AND FABRICATION OF PEDAL POWERED WASHING MACHINE

In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the

Bachelor’s Degree in Mechanical Engineering

Arun Pandey [12108]

Baivhab Regmi [12112]
Bimal Bhandari [12091]
Ramesh Bhandari [12092]
Roman K. Shrestha [12116]

29 July 2018
 AUTHORIZATION

We hereby declare that we are the author of the project.

We authorize the Kathmandu University to lend this thesis to other institutions or

individuals for the purpose of scholarly research. We further authorize the Kathmandu
University to reproduce the thesis by photocopying or by other means, in total or in
part, at the request of other institutions or individuals for the purpose of scholarly
research.

___________________________________________
Arun Pandey
Baivhab Regmi
Bimal Bhandari
Ramesh Bhandari
Roman K. Shrestha

29 July 2018

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 PROJECT EVALUATION

DESIGN AND FABRICATION OF PEDAL POWERED WASHING MACHINE

BY
Arun Pandey [11108]
Baivhab Regmi [11112]
Bimal Bhandari [11091]
Ramesh Bhandari [11092]
Roman K. Shrestha [11116]

This is to certify that I have examined the above and have found that it is complete and
satisfactory in all respects, and that any and all revisions required by the thesis
examination committee have been made.

_________________________________________
Er.Chiranjeevi Mahat
Lecturer
Kathmandu University
(Project coordinator)

Date: July 2018

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 AKNOWLEDGEMENT
We would like to thank everyone who has helped us conducting this project. I would
like to express my special thanks of gratitude to our project supervisor Er.Chiranjeevi
Mahat, who has supervised us throughout the project. His help, suggestions, support
and encouragement, helped us to a lot of background study and fabrication of the
project.
We are also grateful to the Kathmandu University Technical Training Center
(KUTTC) for providing us the materials required and space to work .We would also
like thank Mr.Suman Karki, Er.Gokarna Poudel who gave us the permission to use
required machinery and the necessary material to fabricate our project. A special
thanks to all the teachers and staffs of Technical Training Centre for the guidance on
fabrication process. Last but not the least, many thanks to Department of Mechanical
Engineering for providing us the golden opportunity to do this project. And we would
like to thank those people who gave their helping hands directly or indirectly for this
project.

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 TABLE OF CONTENTS

LIST OF FIGURES ....................................................................................................... vi

LIST OF TABLES ..................................................................................................... vvii
ABSTRACT ..............................................................................................................vviii
LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS ....................................................................................... ix
CHAPTER1 INTRODUCTION ..................................................................................... 1
1.1 Introduction .......................................................................................................... 1
1.2 Objectives ............................................................................................................. 2
1.3 Significance .......................................................................................................... 2
1.4 Limitation ............................................................................................................. 2
CHAPTER 2 METHODOLOGY ................................................................................... 3
2.1 Literature review .................................................................................................. 3
2.2 Study Design ........................................................................................................ 8
2.3 Design and Calculation......................................................................................... 9
2.4 Gantt Chart ....................................................................................................... 122
CHAPTER 3 BUDGET EXPENDITURE ................................................................... 13
CHAPTER 4 PROBLEMS ENCOUNTERED ............................................................ 14
CHAPTER 5 CONCLUSION & RECOMMENDATION........................................... 15
REFERENCES ...................................................................................... 16

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 LIST OF FIGURES

Figure 1 Top load washing machine.............................................................................. 4

Figure 2 Front load washing machine ........................................................................... 4
Figure 3 Twin Tub washing machine ............................................................................ 5
Figure 4 Wooden washing machine .............................................................................. 6
Figure 5 Working model of PPWM .............................................................................. 7
Figure 6 Sprokets and Chain ....................................................................................... 10
Figure 7 Fabricated pedal Powered Washing Machine ............................................... 11

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 LIST OF TABLES

Table 1 Design of sprocket and chain .......................................................................... 10

Table 2 Operation Specification of a Conventional Washing Machine ...................... 11
Table 3 Gantt Chart.................................................................................................... 122
Table 4 Budget Expenditure ........................................................................................ 13

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 ABSTRACT

Pedal Powered Washing Machine (PPWM) is a low cost washing machine made up of
easily and readily available scrap parts in daily life. It is a machine which generates
power through human pedaling and with the drive mechanism, converts the pedaling
motion into required rotary motion of the drum. Its innovation lies in its simple design,
use of inexpensive parts, very low repairing and maintenance cost, affordability to
each member of the society and it does not affect the environment. Our team intends
to directly address the problems faced in washing clothes, and thus have developed a
new design for easy effort in washing and rinsing clothes. PPWM is a completely new
concept, which in its one laundry cycle does washing and rinsing of clothes similar to
that of an automatic washing machine available in the market.

viii
 LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS

PPWM Pedal Powered Washing Machine

ix
 CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION

1.1 Introduction
Washing laundry is one of activities that many households do daily. Basically this is
done either by our hands or by electrically powered machines. Washing by hands
involves scrubbing, beating, soaking and rinsing the dirty clothes. This is a laborious
and time consuming task. Electric Powered washing machines were developed to
eliminate the labor and time involved in washing clothes manually. In rural areas
electric powered machines are not viable mainly because there is no electricity or
because the machine itself is expensive. Women are mainly the ones burdened by the
washing of clothes and can spend an entire day washing clothes. The project intends to
solve the problem faced by so many people in their day-to-day life.

In rural areas washing laundry is a laborious and time-consuming task. Electric

powered washing machines do not work because of lack of electricity and also due to
their high cost. The detergents used in washing clothes are chemically harmful to
hands. The scrubbing process also strains muscles.

Pedal powered washing is a machine which does not require electricity for several
operations like washing, drying, rinsing etc. This is a human powered machine runs on
gear drives mainly with human efforts. It has some special attachment so use both
human power as well as electric power. The design is ideal for use in the developing
world because it doesn’t require electricity and can be built using metal base, chain,
bearing, foot pedal.

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1.2 Objectives
 To fabricate a washing machine which is efficient, affordable and easy to build
and maintain.
 To learn fabrication skills.

1.3 Significance
 The PPWM would help women and every other family member to wash cloth
in easy, cost effective and efficient way..
 This machine can be developed in commercial value which not only allow one
to wash clothes efficiently but also promotes good health with exercises..

1.4 Limitation
 Not as efficient as electric washing machines found in market.
 Can hold only a certain amount of load.

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CHAPTER 2 METHODOLOGY

2.1 Literature review

Washing machine is the machine used to wash the various types of clothes without
applying any physical efforts. With washing machine one doesn’t have to rub the
clothes with hands or squeeze them to remove the water from them. The washing
machine is also called as clothes washer or simply the washer. The washing machine
enables to wash clothes automatically without having to supervise its operation. All
we have to do is put the clothes in the machine and select the wash mode. The
washing machine automatically takes in the amount of water and detergent required
and it also automatically sets the timer for washing, rinsing and drying as per the
selected mode and the amount of clothes.

Types of Washing Machine

Depending on the position of loading the clothes in washing machine, there are three
types of washing machines: top loading, front loading and twin tub .These have been
described below:

1) Top loading washing machine:

In this washing machine the clothes are loaded from the top of the washing
machine. There is a cover at the top that helps loading and unloading of clothes
in the round vessel that perform the function of the washer as well as the rinser
and drier in the fully automatic washing machine. The top loading washing
machine is preferred by the people who don’t want to bend the body while
loading the clothes in the machine. This washing machine is more widely used
than the front loading washing machine in many parts of the world.

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 Figure 1: Top load washing machine(Hotpoint SMART Washing Machine)
2) Front loading washing machine:
In this machine the clothes are loaded from the front side. The studies have
shown that the front loading washing machines consume less electric energy,
water and detergent and also give better washing results compared to the top
loading washing machine.

Figure 2: Front load washing machine (Hotpoint SMART Washing Machine)

Depending on the total automatic features available in the washing machine, the
top loading washing machines are also classified as: semi-automatic washing
machine and fully automatic washing machine. Let us see the details of the two:

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 I. Semi-automatic washing machine: This has separate tubs or vessels for the
washer and the drier. There are two separate timers that enable setting washing
and drying times. To wash the clothes you have to put the clothes in the wash
vessel, put sufficient quantity of the water and detergent and then set the timer.
After the specified time, the washing machine will stop. You can remove the
clothes and dry them in the sun or you can dry them partially in the drier vessel
by setting suitable time.
II. Fully automatic machine: In fully automatic washing machine there is only
one tub that serves as the washer, rinser as well as the drier. Depending on the
number of clothes or the weight of the clothes, the machine takes in the
sufficient amount of water and detergent automatically and sets the timer for
wash and drying automatically. All you have to do is just provide the water
connection, put the detergent from time-to-time in its storage space and put the
clothes, the fully automatic washing machine does the rest of things
automatically.
3) Twin Tub: This washing machine washes clothes in two different parts. One
part is for washing and other is for rinsing. The machine also functions like the
front and top loading machine. However, in this machine clothes should be
shifted from one tub to another for rinsing process.

Figure 3: Twin tub washing machine

(Hotpoint SMART Washing Machine)

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History of washing machine:

Clothes washer technology developed as a way to reduce the manual labor spent,
providing an open basin or sealed container with paddles or fingers to automatically
agitate the clothing. The earliest machines were hand-operated and constructed from
wood, while later machines made of metal permitted a fire to burn below the washtub,
keeping the water warm throughout the day's washing. The earliest special-purpose
washing device was the washboard, invented in 1797.[1]
By the mid-1850s, steam-driven commercial laundry machinery were on sale in the
UK and US. Technological advances in machinery for commercial and institutional
washers proceeded faster than domestic washer design for several decades, especially
in the UK. In the United States there was more emphasis on developing machines for
washing at home, thought machines for commercial laundry services were widely used
in the late 19th centuries. The rotary washing machine was patented by Hamilton
Smith 1n 1885. As electricity was not commonly available until the least 1930, some
early washing machines were operated by a low-speed, single-cylinder hit-and-miss
gasoline.

Figure 3: Wooden washing machine of 1890

(Antiques image archive)

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The Pedal Powered washing machine is working on compound gear system. The
PPWM is used to washing and rinsing. PPWM helps to obtain a less effort uniform
sinning and washing. It can be used in places where electricity is not available. It is
designed as portable one which can be used for rising and washing in various Places.
By pedaling the bicycle the pedaling motion rotates the drum, the washing machine
will be moving with the crank & rotate the multi utility drum for the washing. Thus
the light material can be also washing the clothes without any external energy like fuel
or current. Since this uses no electric power and fuel, this is very cheap and best.

Figure 4: Working model of PPWM

(IJIRSET, 2014)
The survey of the literature regarding the PPWM:
1. Linxu, Weinan bai, Jingyu rue, and Qiang li[3] designed and developed an pedal
driven washing machine, The main objective is to provide a product with an
alternative way to wash clothes when there is no electricity. It has to be understood
that in rural areas, it is a very stressful and laborious task. So the machine which is a
pedal driven machine, it satisfies the need of rural people by giving them an
alternative way of washing clothes which is quick, cost-effective and eco-friendly. The
product designed has zero operating cost, cost-effective, and it can be used with
minimal. This study aims to design and fabricate a pedal driven washing machine to
obtain a less effort uniform washing and sinning and to have a comparison between
hand driven and pedal driven washing machine.

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2.2 Study Design

Need assessment

Literature Review

Design and Calculation

Materials Collection

Fabrication

Testing

The study design of the Pedal Powered Washing Machine:

 Design the prototype in correct manner.

 Consult with supervisor and coordinator for the budget estimation and
materials.
 Identify and finalize the required tools.
 Collect the required tools.
 Manage the materials in correct shape and size.
 Fitting of frame smoothly and creatively.
 Test the sample at the University
 If any defect on product, correction of design and product.

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2.3 Design and Calculation of PPWM
The design of pedal powered washing machine was done by using the Computer
Aided Design and free sketch. The design was done with references to the buckets and
drums available in the market.
MATERIAL SELECTION
Various materials were selected each with the specific purpose. The material to be
used were found in the local market.
FABRICATION
Fabrication of the various part such as metal frames, handle, etc. were done by
Machining and by using Mechanical devices.
ASSEMBLY
In this part, different component of pedal powered washing machine were assembled
from fabricated component (cycle frame, bucket chambers, metal frames) by wielding,
riveting, etc.
TESTING
Testing of the project was done by washing some light clothes with water and
detergent and performance was noted.
Cleaning: Machine-washed clothes must be as clean as those hand-washed for 5
minutes
Gentleness: Must wear clothes at slower rate than hand-washing [hole/tear growth]
Capacity: Maximum 2 kg
Water: Effective washing must occur in soft and hard water
Water usage: Maximum 15L water / 1kg clothes
Active pedaling time for effective washing: Maximum 25 minutes each for wash
and rinse cycles
Total operation time: Maximum 1.5 hours, including filling, washing, draining, and
cleaning machine
Lifetime of structure: 1.5/2 years, assuming daily use.

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MATERIALS: Locally available materials.
I. Drum and Buckets for outer and inner chambers.
II. Cycle frames with pedal for powering.
III. Chains and Sprockets for link and rotation of buckets.
IV. Metal frames and rods for support.
V. Bearings for free rotation of rod along with inner chamber.
VI. Hinges and Locks for doors of inner and outer chamber.

Table 1: Design of sprocket and chain

Specifications Details
Chain pitch(p) 1.5cm
Number of Countershaft Sprocket Teeth(N) 42
Number of Rear Sprocket Teeth(n) 18
Center to Center of both sprockets(c) 70cm
Number of Links 140
Chain Length [210 cm
Sprocket Reduction Ratio 0.43
1 rotation of counter shaft sprocket (N) 2 rotation of rear sprocket(n)

Figure 6: Sprockets and chain

(International Journal on ppwm,2014)

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Table 2: Operating Specifications of a Conventional Washing Machine
Process Time taken Rpm required
Washing 25min 40
Rinsing 20min 60

Figure 7 Fabricated Pedal Powered Washing Machine

Drum and Buckets Specification:
1. Outer drum: capacity: 60Lt Note: Lt= liter
Dimensions: Diameter=34 cm
Length=55 cm
2. Inner drum: capacity: 20Lt
Dimensions: Diameter=28 cm
Length=45 cm

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2.4 Gantt Chart
Table 3: Gantt chart

Months
SN. Work Progress April May June July

1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4

1 Preliminary Research
Discuss

2 Literature review

3 Submission and
presentation of proposal

4 Materials collection and

Fabrication

5 Mid-term Presentation

6 Finishing of the project

and Testing

7 Final Report
Presentation

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 CHAPTER 3 BUDGET EXPENDITURE

Table 4: Budget Expenditure

SN. Materials Quantity Cost [Rs.]

1 Door hinges 3pcs 30

2 Chain 1 250
3 Tower Bolt 2pcs 55
4 Inner drum 1 500
1

11

5 Outer drum 800

1
6 Paddle set 1 550
7 Bearing 2pcs 200
8 Paint and brushes 1 250
p Miscellaneous 500

TOTAL 3135

In Words: Three Thousand One Hundred and Thirty Five.

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 CHAPTER 4 PROBLEMS ENCOUNTERED

1. The buckets were difficult cut on accurate measurement.

2. It was difficult to adjust the hinges and locks on the bucket doors.
3. Fabrication activities such as wielding, grinding, threading were
difficult to conduct.
4. Adjustment of lock of inner chamber was tedious due to curve nature of
bucket.
5. Alignment of chain-sprockets was difficult.

Although these problems occurred, we completed our project and ran a

successful testing. We took help and supports from our seniors and
TTC staffs to cope with these problems.

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CHAPTER 5 CONCLUSION & RECOMMENDATION
Conclusion
The project “Design and fabrication of Pedal Powered Washing Machine” was
designed and fabricated on the basis of literature review done on this topic. The
primary objective ‘Design and Fabrication of Pedal Powered Washing Machine’ was
met during the making of these reports. The pedal-powered washing machine is quite
different from the community’s current method of washing clothes; the community
may be reluctant to try the new machine. This pedal power washing machine has the
uniqueness of ease of construction, assembly, transport and made from recycled
components. This washing machine can be used in rural areas, where electricity is not
available. This economical and efficient washing machine can be used to wash clothes
without electric supply and can be used for workout.

Recommendation
 Hinges and locks should be carefully fixed so as to avoid problem in locking.
 Welding should be done as fine and hardness test should be done after each
welding.

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 REFERENCES

[1]"History of Washing Machines"; About.com Inventors. Retrieved 2012-05-24

[2]By Human Power Flywheel Motor.”-A past review, Proceedings of the 1st
International and 16th National
[3]Bicilavadora: The Pedal-Powered Washing Machine - IDEAS 2005 Proposal
[4]Darrow, Ken, and Pam, Rick. "Energy: Pedal Power," from Appropriate
Technology Sourcebook pp.189-196. Stanford, California: Volunteers in Asia, Inc.,
1977.
[5] Pal Pandian , Salinpaul Valooran: International Journal of Innovative Research in
Science, Engineering and Technology, Vol. 4, Issue 8, August 2015
[6]Aniket Anand, Riya Gupta, National Institute of Technology:Introduction to
Washing Machine

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