Design and Optimization of Mechanical Screw JackUsing Matlab Program
Keywords:
Screw Jack, Components, Design procedure, Matlab script/codeAbstract
A screw jack serves to give mechanical advantage by changing rotational force to linear force thus allowing one
to lift a load and support it at a given height. The aim of the paper is to come up with a design procedure for a simple screw
jack and coding in Matlab to form a program that would require one to enter the mechanical properties of the materials to be
used, lift and the desired load to be supported. This case study is divided into various sections that describes classification of
screw threads, parts of the screw jack and selection of materials used for construction that are in agreement with current
industry practice of screw jack design. The codingof the design procedures using Matlab was developed to serve the same
function fast and efficient. This is realized as we obtained the similar theoretical and Matlab solutions as coded. Application
of the procedure manually is tedious and extraneous since its lengthy and time consuming. Using Matlab for the same makes
work easier, efficient and fast for designers since only material properties and specific design requirements such as lift and
load are the only required input. The significance and purpose of this work is to modify the design methodology of screw jack
in order to make the operation easier, safer and more reliable in order to reduce health risks.The designingof screw jack will
also save time and requires less human energy to operate. The design when adopted will effectively curb the problems
associated with Ergonomics - which is a fundamental concept of design process.