bachelor of mechanical engineering (design and...

‘I declare that had read this thesis and at our opinion this thesis was brilliant from the

aspect of scope and quality for the purpose to be awarded

Bachelor of Mechanical Engineering (Design and Innovation)’

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Name of Coordinator I : ........................................

Date : ........................................

i

THE DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT

OF INFLATOR SYSTEM OF LIFE JACKET FOR

EMERGENCY SITUATION IN THE WATER

HAMDI ALIF BIN AHMAD RADZI

This report is submitted in accordance with requirement for the

Bachelor Degree of Mechanical Engineering

(Design & Innovation)

Faculty of Mechanical Engineering

Universiti Teknikal Malaysia Melaka

APRIL 2010

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DECLARATION

“I hereby declared that this thesis titled

‘The Design and Development of Inflator System of Life Jacket for Emergency

Situation in the Water’ is the result of my own effort except as cited in references”.

Signature : …………………………………

Name : Hamdi Alif Bin Ahmad Radzi

I/C No. : 871101-02-6247

Matric No. : B040610111

Date : 5 May 2010

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“This is dedicated for mum and dad”

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ACKNOWLEDGMENT

Here I would like to give appreciation to all the persons which help and support

me in this project.

Million thanks to my supervisor, PM. Ir. Abdul Talib Bin Din because give a lot

of idea, suggestion and advice in this project during the process of this project. All of

them were really helpful in order to accomplish this project successfully.

My appreciation also goes to all my friends which helping me directly or

indirectly during project period.

Finally, I would like to thank my family for their life-long love and support. I

especially owe much to my parents for offering their invaluable practical experience to

help me debug the difficulties during the project and support me in financial to complete

the project. Without them, this work could not have been completed.

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ABTRACT

In this project I will develop and design an inflator system for life jacket to save

a life in an emergency situation. This inflator system of life jacket is using compress gas

as an agent to inflate the life jacket when in emergency situation. The method used in

preparing this project include the preparing of the objective, preparing of the scope,

research, identifying customer needs, set product design specification (PDS), make

functional model analysis, generate the concept, and choose the best concept. At the

beginning stage, a research will be conducted to get all the information and data through

internet research and survey approaches. Next, all the information and data will be study

to generate several concept design of quick life jacket. Finally, the best design will be

choosing to be fabricated. At the second phase of this project, the final design of the

product will be drawn in CAD software. After that the fabrication of the product is being

done. When the part of product had been fabricated and assembled, experimental testing

will be conducted before project realisation and verification started. This project will end

by verification of supervisor and panel of seminal. At the end of this project, the inflator

system for life jacket has been successfully designed. It is able to inflate the life jacket in

emergency situation. Lastly, I hope this design can be successful in the market if

someone makes the improvements to this product.

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ABSTRAK

Dalam projek ini, saya akan membina dan merekabentuk sejenis alat untuk

mengembungkan jaket keselamatan bagi kegunaan semasa keadaan kecemasan di dalam

air. Jaket keselamatan ini akan menggunakan sejenis gas bertekanan untuk

mengembungkannya dengan kadar segera jika berlaku sebarang situasi yang

mencemaskan di dalam air. Kaedah yang digunakan bagi persediaan projek ini

termasuklah meyediakan objektif, mennyediakan skop, menjalankan penyelidikan,

mengenalpasti keperluan pengguna, membuat spesifikasi rekabentuk produk, membuat

fungsi model analisis, penjanaan konsep, dan pemilihan rekabentuk terbaik. Pada

peringkat permulaan, penyelidikan telah dijalankan untuk mendapatkan segala informasi

dan data yang berkaitan melalui penyelidikan internet dan juga tinjauan. Seterusnya,

segala informasi dan data yang diperolehi akan dikaji bagi menjana beberapa konsep

rekabentuk jaket keselamatan segera. Akhir sekali, reka bentuk yang terbaik akan dipilih

untuk tujuan fabrikasi. Seterusnya proses fabrikasi projek ini terus dijalankan. Setelah

produk ini telah siap difabrikasi dan dipasang, satu ujikaji telah dijalankan sebelum

pengesahan projek dimulakan. Projek ini berakhir dengan pengesahan dari penyelia dan

juga panel yang terlibat. Akhirnya, alat pengembung jaket keselamatan telah berjaya

direka. Ianya dapat berfungsi dengan mengembungkan jaket keselamatan semasa

keadaan kecemasan. Akhir sekali, saya berharap agar alat ini dapat dijual di pasaran jika

seseorang melakukan sedikit pengubahsuaian dan penambahbaikan kepadanya.

vii

CONTENT

CHAPTER TITLE PAGE NO

CONFESSION ii

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT iv

ABSTRACT v

ABSTRAK vi

CONTENT vii

LIST OF TABLE xi

LIST OF FIGURE xii

LIST OF SYMBOL xv

LIST OF APPENDIX xii

I INTRODUCTION

1.1 Project Background 1

1.2 Objectives 1

1.3 Scope 2

1.4 Project Essential 2

II LITERATURE REVIEW

2.1 Introduction of Life Jacket 3

2.2 History of Life Jacket 4

2.3 Essential of Life Jacket 5

2.4 Types of Life Jackets 6

2.5 Buoyancy of Life Jacket 9

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2.6 How Life Jackets Work 12

2.7 Manufacturing Process to Make Life Jacket 13

2.8 The Gas Role 17

2.9 Helium 17

2.9.1 Application of Helium to Inflate 18

2.9.2 Safety of Helium 19

2.10 Carbon Dioxide 19

2.10.1 Carbon Dioxide Properties 20

2.10.2 Carbon Dioxide Carbon Cartridge 22

Cylinder

2.10.3 Working Principle of CO2 Cartridge 24

2.10.4 CO2 and Pressure (For Paintball Gun) 26

2.11 Vapor Pressure Change 27

2.12 Volumetric Flow Rate 28

2.13 Shear stress 29

2.14 The Equation of Continuity – Conservation of 30

Mass

III METHODOLOGY

3.1 Objective Review & Expected Problems 33

3.2 Project Outline 34

3.3 Research Methodology 36

3.3.1 Internet Research 36

3.4 Product Development Methodology 37

3.4.1 Target Product Specification 37

3.4.2 Survey Approaches 38

3.4.3 Identifying Customer Need 38

3.4.3.1 Customer Statements and 39

Interpreted Needs

ix


3.5 Product Design Specification (PDS) 41

3.5.1 Product Characteristic 41

3.5.2 Functional Requirement 42

3.5.3 Constraints 42

3.6 Functional Model Analysis 44

3.7 Concepts 47

3.7.1 Generate Concepts 47

3.7.1.1 Concept 1 48

3.7.1.2 Concept 2 50

3.7.1.3 Concept 3 52

3.7.2 Concept Selection 53

IV FABRICATION

4.1 Material list 54

4.1.1 Material Cost List 55

4.2 Specification of Cartridge (Carbon Dioxide / CO2) 56

4.3 Tool List 57

4.4 Fabrication 57

4.4.1 Make the Nozzle 57

4.4.2 Make the Trigger Button 59

4.4.3 Make the Housing 60

4.4.4 Fabrication of the Inflator System 62

4.4.5 Installation of Inflator System with Life 64

Jacket

4.4.6 Completed Low Cost Prototype 65

V RESULT

5.1 Solid Work Drawing 66

5.2 Output Data of Inflator System Testing 70

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5.3 Calculation 71

5.3.1 Fluid Mechanics 71

5.3.2 Mechanic Machine 77

VI DISCUSSION

6.1 Product Calculation 78

6.2 Problem Faced During Project Testing 78

6.3 Product Final Design 80

6.4 Working Mechanism of Inflator System for 81

Inflating Life Jacket

6.5 Summary of Final Product Design Specification 82

(PDS)

VII CONCLUSION

7.1 Conclusion 83

7.2 Recommendation 84

REFERENCES 85

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LIST OF TABLE

NO. TITLE PAGE NO

3.1 Customer statements and interpreted needs 40

3.2 Functional model analysis 44

3.3 Matrix evaluation method 53

4.1 List of material cost 55

4.2 General Cartridge Information 56

4.3 Gas Data of Cartridge 56

xii

LIST OF FIGURE

NO. TITLE PAGE NO

2.1 Example of life jacket 4

(Source: www.doityourself.com)

2.2 Example of Type I life jacket 6

(Source: www.marinesafetytt.com)

2.3 Example of Type II Life Jacket 7

(Source: www.pfdma.org)

2.4 Example of Flotation Aid 7

(Source: www.wakeboard.com)

2.5 Example of Throw Able Device 8

(Source: www.livesavingsystems.com)

2.6 Example of Special Use Device 9

(Source: safelifejackets.com)

2.7 Someone that wearing buoyancy aid 50 Newton 10

(Source: www.solesupfront.com)

2.8 Example of Life jacket of 100 Newton and its symbol 10


2.9 Someone that wearing life jacket 150 Newton 11

and the symbol of this life jacket


2.10 People that wearing Life Jacket 275 Newton and 12

the symbol of this life jacket


xiii

NO. TITLE PAGE NO

2.11 A life jacket can hold both an anchor and a person afloat 13

(Source: adventure.howstuffworks.com)

2.12 The cutting process of the foam using automated 15

cutting machine

(Source: www.madehow.com)

2.13 A complete life jacket after being through all 16

the manufacturing process

(Source: www.madehow.com)

2.14 Helium is the gas of choice to fill airships such 18

as the Goodyear Blimp

(Source: www.wikipedia.org)

2.15 Example of carbon dioxide cartridge cylinder 22

(Source: www.armausa.com)

2.16 Diagram of CO2 pressure VS % Fill and Temperature 24

(www.hobartwelders.com)

2.17 Phase diagram of CO2 25

(Source: physics.uwyo.edu)

2.18 Example of paintball gun that powered by co2 cartridge 27

(Source: www.choicepaintballgunsblog.com)

3.1 Flow chart of project outline 35

3.2 Position of the inflator at the life jacket 48

3.3 The general view of Concept 1 48

3.4 The entrance of Concept 1 49

3.5 The working system of Concept 1 49

3.6 The position of inflator at the life jacket 50

3.7 The locking mechanism of concept 2 50

3.8 Front view of inflator system of Concept 2 51

3.9 Inside view of the inflator system of the Concept 2 51

3.10 Concept 3 use 2 unit of inflator system 52

xiv

NO. TITLE PAGE NO

4.1(a) to (s) Steps for inflator system fabrication 57-65

4.2 The complete low cost prototype size compares to hand 65

5.1 Explode drawing of the inflator system 66

5.2 The nozzle of the prototype 67

5.3 The trigger button for the prototype 67

5.4 The housing for the prototype of inflator system 68

5.5 The complete assembly drawing of the prototype 68

5.6 The prototype drawing from front plane view 69

5.7 The prototype drawing from front plane view in 69

wireframe display mode

5.8 Life ring is flat before testing 70

5.9 Life ring just after being inflated by inflator system 71

5.10 The shape of life ring is called torus 72

6.1 Overall functional diagram of inflator system for life 81

Jacket

xv

LIST OF SYMBOL

PFD = personal flotation device

N = Newton

kg = kilogram

cm = centimetre

m = meter

He = helium

K = Kelvin

CO2 = carbon dioxide

g = gram

s = second

mm = millimetre

°C = degree Celsius

°F = degree Fahrenheit

Cp = constant pressure

Cv = constant volume

Ci = cubic inches

PSI = pounds per square inch

STP = standard temperature and pressure

Q = volume flow rate

A = area

v = velocity

τ = shear stress

PDS = product design specification

RM = Ringgit Malaysia

xvi

Oz = ounce

g/l = gram per litre

V = volume

r = radius

D = diameter

xvii

LIST OF APPENDIX

NO. TITLE PAGE NO

A PSM I Gantt Chart 88

B PSMII Gantt Chart 89

C Carry Out PSM Flow Chart 90

D Assembly Drawing 91

E Bill of Material 92

F Material Properties Table 93

1

CHAPTER 1

INTRODUCTION

1.1 Project Background

Life jacket is an important device when someone wants to do activities that

involve water. Basically life jacket can avoid someone from drown in the water. There is

several type of life jacket in the market nowadays. In this project I need to make

research and develop an inflator system for life jacket. Hence this life jacket can expand

in very fast for emergency situation in the water. This type of jacket will expand

instantly when one button is pushing by the wearer. The working mechanism of this

jacket is it will use compress carbon dioxide that will be kept in a small cartridge and

this gas can be release into floating body of life jacket to expend the life jacket when the

wearer press a button in emergency situation. Expanding process must be happen in very

short time in order to save the wearer life.

1.1 Objective

The objectives that needed to be achieved in this project are:

a. To develop and design the inflation system for inflating the life jacket.

b. The life jacket should be able to inflate quickly in emergency situation.

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c. It is using compress gas of carbon dioxide as an agent to inflate the life

jacket.

1.2 Scope

Here are some scopes of study of the pneumatic impulse rocket for night

parachute search lighting:

a. Make literature review about life jacket.

b. Make research about cost of inflator system for life jacket.

c. Identify the customer need of life jacket.

d. Identify the material that will be using to develop the inflator system of life

jacket.

e. Make research and chose the concept design of inflator system.

f. Make fabrication of inflator system and make the analysis.

1.4 Project Essential

This project is important in order to design and develop one type of inflator

system for life jacket that can inflate life jacket very fast in order to save life when

emergency situation is happen in the water. We hope that the product which is

developing through this project may be commercialized in the market.

3

CHAPTER II

LITERRATURE REVIEW

2.1 Introduction of Life Jacket

Life jacket is a device designed to assist a wearer, either conscious or

unconscious, to keep afloat with his or her mouth and nose (airway) of his or her head’s

face above the water surface when in or on water. Actually life jacket is a personal

flotation device (PFD).

Life jacket that was designed for civilians (recreational boaters, sailors, canoeists,

kayakers) are differ from those design for use by passengers and crew of aircraft

(airplanes, helicopters) and of commercial vessels (tugs, passenger ferries, cargo ships).

Life jacket that being used by military and police and enforcement agencies generally

have features not found on civilian or commercial models, for example compatibility

with other worn kit (e.g. survival vest, bullet proof vest/ body armor, equipment harness)

(Source: www.wikipedia.com)

Personal flotation devices (PFD) are available in different sizes and different

sizes and different designs purposed for various levels of protection.

4

Figure 2.1: Example of life jacket (Source: www.doityourself.com)

2.2 History of Life Jacket

The traditional or ancient example of primitive life jackets can be traced back to

inflated bladders of animal skins or hollow, sealed gourds, for support someone when

crossing deeper streams and rivers.

At the beginning personal flotation devices (PFD) were not part of the equipment

issued to naval sailors until the early of 1800s. For example at the Napoleonic Battle of

Trafalgar, seamen who were press-ganged into naval service might have used such

devices to jump from ship and swim to be free. It wasn’t until lifesaving services were

formed that personal safety of boat crews heading out in pulling boats generally in

terrible sea conditions was addressed.

Purpose designed of buoyant safety devices consisting of simple blocks of wood

or cork were used by Norwegian seamen. Cork is the outer bark of a species of oak The

modern life jacket is generally credited to one Captain Ward, which is a Royal National

Lifeboat Institution inspector in the in the United Kingdom. In 1854, he was created a

5

cork vest to be worn by lifeboat crews for both weather protection and buoyancy.

(Source: www.wikipedia.org)

Cork is nice and can floaters but can be a little hard, so kapok, which is a fibrous

vegetable material minutely honeycombed with air cells and a much softer alternative to

cork, became the standard stuffing around the turn of the century. This was particularly

useful on navy ships, because seamen wore their lifejackets even while sleeping.

Cork and kapok lifejackets were standard for many years. War was brought us

the inflatable lifejacket, as worn by sailors and submariners. This military technology

was then applied to consumer lifejackets and these have developed into the many styles

that we see today.

In the 60's synthetic foams were developed and the foam lifejacket invented. This

new technology brought with it the flexibility to produce all the variations that we

currently see. Each sport could then have its own style of jacket, such as Ski or Angling

vests. (Source: www.lifejackets.co.uk)

2.3 Essential of Life Jacket

More than 90% of deaths in boating are because of drowning, and 80% of those

drowning victims were not wearing a life jacket. Hence, because life jacket can protect

against drowning, it is important to wear a life jacket in order to prevent from drown in

the water. In cold water, there are chances that someone can be infected by hypothermia,

and wearing a life jacket can protect against hypothermia. (Source:

www.narrowboatsale.com)

6

2.4 Types of Life Jackets

a. Type 1: Offshore Life Jacket

This life jacket is designed for extended survival in rough, open water. It usually

will turn an unconscious person face up and has over 22 pounds of buoyancy. This is the

best life jacket to keep you afloat in remote regions where rescue may be slow in coming.

(Source: www.lifejacket.us)

Figure 2.2: Example of Type I life jacket (Source: www.marinesafetytt.com)

b. Type II: Near Shore Buoyant Vest

This classic life jacket comes in several sizes for adults and children and is for

calm inland water where there is chance of fast rescue. It is less bulky and less expensive

than a Type 1, and many will turn an unconscious person face up in the water. (Source:

www.lifejacket.us)

bachelor of mechanical engineering (design and...

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