NADP Precipitation Sampling Station
Problem statement
Imagine the frustration of continuously replacing a part due to wear and tear on a machine, and then having hundreds of machines scattered across the continent. The National Atmospheric Deposition Program has 300 precipitation collectors across the United States and Canada which collect rain and snow to gather atmospheric contamination data. Every year, nearly 80 collector gearboxes fail requiring costly and time-consuming repairs. The previous senior design team prepared a linear motion actuator to replace the existing gearbox and rotary motor to increase reliability, but they were not able to fully implement the solution. We aim not only to complete the actuator design from the previous year, but also to design an installation kit that can be used by operators in the field to upgrade the outdated equipment. Our solution will reduce the workload of NADP field operators by improving equipment reliability and revitalizing the NADP precipitation collector network.
Team members
Malachi Alvarez – leader
Brandon Sielski – communicator
Edwin Yockey – accountant
Evan Grau – admin
Client
Richard Tanabe, Wisconsin State Lab Hygiene