Proposal for CE : Hand powered winch for use by people in developing areas.

Lock-Os · 04:06 AM

Hey CE, I was thinking of something to build over Christmas break that would be simple yet useful. Being the eldest male in the home most of the day, (In other words: The oldest brother.) I am used to moving all sorts of things up and down stairs and around the house. It got me to thinking about building a portable hand winch to help me move large, bulky, but not necessarily heavy objects around.

Of course, I then though about other people, especially in remote or developing areas where smiler conditions of bulky large, and somewhat heavy loads are encountered on a daily basis in less than ideal terrain. It goes without saying that powered equipment out in these areas might be rare and costly. Even solar power might be unreasonable due to cloud cover or their less than durable nature.

Hence, I thought about developing a personal winch of sorts that could be built out of mostly local materials and thus keep costs down and expedite repairs. It would be mostly used to reduce the need for heavier machines in most light jobs, so that a worker could help move loads up to the top of a short cliff faster or maybe a woman could use it to haul up a larger bucket of water from the local well.

Overall, these are the general rough draft of specs that I came up with to get started with:

Weight: Under 30 pounds

Power source: Hand crank, but any human power could be considered. Electric is optional

Made mostly from local materials: Wood and Bamboo come to mind first. Plastics are a no-no for lack of ability to repair on the field. Also not available locally.

Easy to manufacture: Drill and saw to make parts, screws / bolts to hold them together. Also able to be easily repaired in the field.

Pull power: Be able to pull at least 100 pounds.

Mounted: The unit will be mountable to anything that can support it. Trees, carts, sides of buildings.

Reach: 30 meters at most.

Rope design: 30 Meters straight, attached to a metal ring at the end, then two smaller ropes attached to the ring with hooks on the ends to rap around the object to be moved and then attached to the ring. This creates a 'sling' to move the object.

Rope material: Twine / Burlap / whatever local rope is available. Thin steel cable possible if available. Wooden hooks and rings to secure load possible, but metal seems to be a better choice right now.

Ratcheting option: If possible, I'd like to add a simple ratcheting option to help ease the load down cliffs, walls, ect. It should be able to stop the load from suddenly falling down if the operator is having a hard time pulling the load up or is something should happen to otherwise make the load drop to fast, creating a risk for injury to anyone.

Well, here is where I need some help. Before I go on and start drawing up plans and what not for this device and getting all idealistic, I'm like some more level headed experienced people to add some realism to this project.

Some things to keep in mind:
1: I plan on not making these and shipping them en mass, rather, I want people to be able to get the blue prints and make it for themselves. I might make one or two examples so that people could see an actual model of it and see if it is something they would like to make on their own, but they will have to make any more on their own.

2: I have yet to take any courses in mechanics, so try to keep any math in relatively simple terms. Basically, if you don't think I will understand it, a link to a wiki or a simple explanation will do just fine, I can handle myself from there. Also keep in mind that people will be making this out of local materials, so any specs are general target areas, not precise standards that must be met.

3. Lastly, I plan on making this a more or less world wide-wide-available. I don't think it would be fair to help just one group of people like most projects do now. I want people down the street, as well people living oceans away, to be able to make and use this device. If it becomes successful enough, I'll put a patent (Under all of us.) to protect it from someone coping it and thus controlling it.

With that in mind, I need some help with the following things.

1) Would the people of CE be interested in helping out with this project? IE: can we transform this into a CE project that can help people as well as hopefully spread the word about us. I know people are busy, so I don't mind if only a few join up.

2) Are similar devices already in use in developing areas? If so, then their wouldn't need to be make something like this. Like I said, this is supposed to be a small, cheaper version of an electric or gas powered winch, but if people are just dandy with basic ropes and have a bunch of pulleys and cranes for cheep, then this kinda becomes useless.

3) If the above answer is no, and assuming this would be used, are the specs realistic and would the resulting device be useful? If not, how much would the specs have to change in order to achieve a more realistic design?

4) Would people use it? Or would people ignore it?

Thanks for any advice in advance and for reading this. I hope that this project can be something that we all can work on to improve the lives of people in developing nations in their lives as well as to spread the word about Crazy Engineers.

The_Big_K

I'm contacting our own CEan Gohm who I'm sure will be a great help in this project. Everyone - don't just be dumb readers. Roll up your sleeves and jump in!

Lock-Os

Thanks Big K. Before we get in too deep though, what's your take on the last three questions I asked? I'm right now primarily concerned with feasibility and weather or not something like this is already in use, or if I actually created something sorta new?

gohm

oom man, I'm drooling over this one, laugh. very cool idea. Sorry I've been mia for a week or so, new job has been keeping me burning themidnight oil to get settled in. I'll be able to catch up with posts and everyone this weekend..

Anyways, since wood construction seems to be your primary stipulation, I think the best approach would be a wooden, hand crank "come-along" wench as we call the here in the US. Basically a spool with a cable attached turned by a gear on a crank. A safety lever would engage between each gear tooth to allow one way travel unless it is released, thus preventing the weight from pulling out the cable. (your ratcheting idea) I would not go with anything more than small electric powered with wood as only metal could take the higher stress forces. These have been around for many years in steel, aluminium, plastic etc. and fairly cheap so yours would be a novelty idea only however it would be great fun to do and showcase engineering from pre-industrial and I would very much like to see photos and read your write up of the process and of course test! Selectingthe right type of rope and thickness will be key. You will need to ensure your spool is big enough to hold all the rope and clear during revolution. You will want to use hard woods for most of the parts. Do a quick search on come along winches and maybe a quick look at ancient engineering devices to get an idea. This idea would be awesome combined with a very large steel one steam powered... =) though that would be really unpractical. let me know your thoughts and how I can help more!

raj87verma88

Thanks for sending me the link to this post Biggie or else I could have missed. Quite good concept. Wish I had thought about it. My compliments to Lock-Os.
Will talk to my professors when college re-opens(exams going on so there isn't much staff around). Till then, will look into it and get help from other sources.

xheavenlyx

First off, Lock-Os, its a reeallly commendable Idea. Keep this up

and you can have a hand at changing the world for the good.

Here are my answers:

1. Yes, very much, we would love to help you out! But yea, sometimes, some of us are very busy. Still, we try our best to come online and answer really interesting posts (like yours here).

2. Ok, here is the tricky part. You came up with this Idea while you were hauling your stuff up/down your staircase. The point is, whatever Idea you got was wonderful for you at that moment. This may not be so true for rural areas. Hence, lets look at several things:

1. What stuff do they move? (example: Water filled pots, drums of sugar cane or hey for local cows)

2. How often do they move it? (example: Everyday, once in a while, when needed)

3. Whats the average distance per day? (example: 10m, 50m, 1km?)

4. Where do they move the stuff? (example: Terrain conditions, grassy-which would increase slip, rocky-that can damage a normal bamboo made hand-crank, water?)

Why these questions? Because when we imagine ourselves in the field, how often are you going to set up a crank to move an object x distance(?) and all the above questions too.

Ok, so I am gonna brainstorm, so you can have much clearer vision of the design and use.

What if it's stationary near a well? Thats good!
What about placing them near homes? a crank in every house, with a wheeled cart!
Portable crank that can firmly attach on the ground anywhere (difficult to build, how to attach it to the ground)
A wench that can be carried as a back pack, handle on the persons right side...hips as support, legs as the base! So, he is pulling AND cranking at the same time! (best so far, IMHO)

Materials:

You are right that we must use locally available materials and locally possible building methods.

For that, I think, we must first have a fairly stable Idea on what the crank will be like exactly (based on the above discussion).

Waiting to hear yours and other CEians' Inputs. This is a really exciting project though!

Lock-Os

Thanks for all the input everyone. I really appreciate all the complements as well.

It seems from the input that overall it sounds like a good concept, so I feel a bit more confident on elaborating on the details of exactly what I want this to be.

First off, the main reason I wanted to build a crank is so that people can move loads vertically, not so much horizontally. A cart / wagon / wheelbarrow or similar device can move loads easily Forwards / backwards and left / right. But their are not many devices that are cheep or around in developing, pre-industrial areas to help lift or lower loads. Still, I could see it being used to help pull stuff out of the mud or what not.

Secondly, but just as important, I plan on making this a sort of universal unit. It's main mount will actully be a gauntlet of sorts, were the winch system will mount onto a platform that has a strap or two to attach onto the forearm as well as a handle to grip onto for the hand. This is so the unit can be carried and also mounted with ease, it won't be able to pull as much since it is mounted on the arm. However, I plan on it also being used on home made cranes or mounted to the ground. The result should be a multi-purpose unit that can be used where ever it needs to be. Of course, if the unit is too heavy or large, then I might have to scrap the arm mount and make it into a more stationary device.

So, considering the conditions , I think the total length of the line should be 10 meters and be able to carry about 50 pounds (about 23 Kilograms) at least. Overall, I want this to be something that fills the gap between something requiring a heavy powered winch and doing it by hand. Yet, I also don't want this to be too large or heavy, as I also want this to be moved around easily by one person.

Although I have a mental model of this in my head, I don't want to draft it quite yet. Before I do that, I want to go and find some data on the strength and weight of different materials before I start making any drawings. I want to get a better idea of what the strength and weight of the materials I plan on using are. I'll go off and start finding more detailed information about the specifications of different objects (Such as weight for different kinds of loads & strengths of different materials) so that I can start to play with numbers and arrive at more detailed and certain specifications.

I guess my big question right now is if 10 meters of rope length and 23 kilograms of load weight are a reasonable target If I plan on keeping the device mobile and hopefully arm mountable? I'm estimating that in order for the device to be mountable and mobile, the winch's total weight would be 15 pounds (about 7 kilograms) at most and 3in (about 7cm) cubed in size so it can be arm mounted. Also, it is going to be made out of hardwood / bamboo and plain rope. Lastly, it does not have to pull 50 pounds / 23 kilograms when arm mounted, the arm mount is intended to sacrifice pulling power for the ability to have the winch go with the human operator.

If I can estimate at least one thing at least when it comes to forces acting on something, I would say that 50 pounds pulling down on one arm would hurt and might damage a joint. That's not even considering if the person would be thrown off balance.

I know that it all comes down to the details, but right now I'm just trying to see if the device I am trying to create is plausible. Like I said, I'm going to be looking up the details on all kinds of objects to get a better understanding of the size, weight, and other conditions I foresee to get a better idea of how I'm going to build this. Right now though, I just kinda want to bounce the ideas around and get an overall idea of where this prodject is going.

Thanks again for reading my post and in thanks in advance for any help. This is my first undertaking of this kind and any form of help is a big help.

sauravgoswami

well guys,after going through you post,my question is how it will be maintained,if maintennce is too high or tedious,or we can make it a use and thrugh depending upon the life!!

docel

Commendable thought, Lock-Os !!
I like your "free for all" intention.....bravo!!

Let us see:
1. 50kgs (app.100 lbs) is a reasonable weight bearing , in the villages. They have some very strong necks, indeed!!
2. Wood is the easiest, and most times, free. Although bamboo, where available will be the best.
3. Some waste recycling can be easily implemented.
4. Pulling is easier than carrying.

This can result in a Winder-Winch mounted on a tripod with 2 wheels.People can simply pull the winch suspended weight along. A weight of 100Kgs can easily be moved around by an average build female.
Maintenance will be no problem, as the entire thing can be bound with rope, and the rural folks are experts at that.
It can also be Lock-Unlock-Foldable, so that it can be lugged around easily.
The entire thing can be made of wood, without any metal, gears or other mechanical complexities.
Good Luck!!

ash

Whoa. Impressive discussion so far! Great work, Lock Os.

Im a little lost in all this mechanical talk

Are you sure you don't want some electricity involved?

I'm thinking solar power is still feasible in some situations. Like, in countries where it is REALLY sun intensive, it can be useful. Small but high torque electrical DC motors come cheap these days, so it can greatly assist in hybrid along with human power.

Somehow, I'm starting to miss those good old MacGyver shows.