Coupling Guard Bracket
Project Summary
This project was completed as part of my internship with Xylem Inc. in Morton Grove, IL during the Summer of 2019. The goal was to develop an innovative method for securing coupling guards to a range of pump/motor assemblies in the appropriate location. I was also aiming to reduce the number of different coupling guard kits as much as possible in order to reduce cost and confusion and accommodate all imperial and metric pump and guard sizes.
Existing Design
The existing design for mounting the e-XC coupling guard was large, heavy, and complex. The full assembly included eight separate sheet metal components. In addition, in order to withstand the vibrational force on the assembly, two stiffener clips were also necessary and attached to the bearing gland of the pump. Due to various sizes of guards and base frames, the existing design for the e-XC coupling guard had 102 unique kits and weighed 68.3 lbs.
Solution
As a result of this project, assuming the prototype is found to work appropriately, we will have reduced the number of unique coupling guard kits from 102 to 13, covering all pairings of guards and bearing glands for e-HSC and e-XC models. Additionally, we will have cut the weight of the coupling guard structure by over 50%, from 68.3 lbs. to 33.8 lbs. in the worst case. Finally, as mentioned above, we will have increased the factor of safety 6.5x with regard to the coupling guard deformation at all critical frequencies.
Internship Report
For a full report on the projects I worked on at Xylem Inc., please see the included PDF below.
More information on the coupling guard mounting bracket, including brainstorming, sketches, and feedback from the initial design review, can be found starting on page 1 (following the cover page and table of contents).
Other projects I worked on throughout my internship at Xylem Inc. can also be found in this report.
Final Presentation Writeup.pdf