Kick-Off Project: Doorknob

By: Annika Young

Written for Mr. Hendricks Foundations of Engineering Class
2016 January 28
 Invented in 1878 by Osbourn Dorsey, doorknobs replaced thumb latch door handles
(shown to the right) as a simpler way to open and close door. Doorknobs tend to be round but
can be more similar to a lever in the handle or more decorative depending on preference. The
USA tends to have more round doorknobs, especially in households, than lever type handles.
Twisting thedoorknob brings a latch in and allows the door to be moved so that someone may
move through the doorway. When the doorknob is not being twisted, the latch protrudes from
the side of the door and rests in a strike plate on the doorframe keeping the door shut (shown
to the left).

The doorknob consists of two handles and a cylindrical piece containing the latch that
rests between the two handles. The cylindrical piece consists of a latch attached to a moving
plastic piece that pulls the latch into the cylinder when twisted. In order to turn the plastic piece,
one of the two handles has a spindle that fits inside of the plastic piece. As the doorknob is
turned, the spindle twists the plastic piece and pulls the latch in.

The second handle has a slot for the spindle from the other handle to slide in so that
either of the handles can twist and the doorknob will still work. On the second handle there is a
spring wrapped around the area where the spindle fits.
 When turned either way, tension is built up in the spring, and when tension is lost, the
handle returns to the original position. Without the spring, the doorknob could still release, but it
would not go back to the original position, so distance when twisting the knob to the left would
be different than distance when turning the knob to the right.
This doorknob is made of brass which has many advantages. Brass tends to be used in
situations when friction is to be avoided, so in things such as doorknobs. This is because it has
a lower tensile strength, so it is bent easier and is more malleable than other metals with high
tensile strength. It is very hard to create much friction with brass because it is very easy to strip
a layer off of the metal, but despite this fact it can still conduct electricity. Another reason brass
is used is because of the oligodynamic effect. The oligodynamic effect is the effect of metal ions
on bacteria, viruses, fungi, and many other microorganisms. The toxic effect of the metal ions
on microorganisms are still fatal to the organism even at very low concentrations. Brass is one
of the metals that causes this effect which is why it is very popular as a door handle. The metal
ions off of brass will kill microorganisms so they are essentially self-disinfecting. It does have
downsides in appearance because of its low tensile strength. Although brass is a metal with a
beautiful luster making it popular as a door handle, the low tensile strength means the doorknob
can be scratched easily making it less aesthetically pleasing.
The pieces of the doorknob fit together like puzzle pieces. The cylindrical piece slides
into the door, the two handles slide through the cylindrical piece, and one of the doorknobs has
a spindle that rests inside the other doorknob.

The design works well because each piece builds off of the other two pieces and all
together the pieces move the latch in and out of the cylindrical piece. As one piece moves, the
design of nestling the pieces within each other causes all the pieces to move creating a working,
efficient doorknob. The design also makes installing and uninstalling the doorknob easier. All
the pieces are placed into the door one by one, fitting within each other, and screws are added
to hold the non-moving pieces in place. To disassemble, the screws simply need to be removed,
and the rest of the disassembly is easy due to the design. Some of the metal parts within the
three main pieces seem to be bent around each other to hold everything in place. Some of the
parts such as the spindle and the two rods from the other handle may be welded to the handle
because they cannot be taken off by hand. A disadvantage of the doorknob assembly is the
location of the screws. They are located right beneath the handle when it curves. To screw
together, or unscrew the doorknob, the screwdriver is placed at a strange angle, and is not able
to fit well within the screw head. Because of this, stripping the screw is very possible which will
make taking the doorknob out and replacing it very difficult.
The spring on the handle without the spindle has a crucial size, but not as crucial as the
other parts of the doorknob. The spring rests against two poles that stick out of the doorknobs
base. The springs could lose approximately 1 cm of length before the spring would not do its job
anymore, but it it was too long, it wouldnt matter very much as long as the error is not so great
that the spring cannot fit in the base of the doorknob. The rotating plastic piece could be
shortened by 1-2 mm before it could no longer push the metal arm and cause the latch to go in.
Making it larger should not affect the operation too much as long as the error isnt giant. The
spindles size is important because if it is too small for the cylindrical piece, it wont turn the
moving plastic piece well. If the spindle is too large, it wont fit in the cylindrical piece so the
doorknob will not work. The error on this piece is approximately 0.5-1mm larger or smaller
before issues are encountered. The latch must also fall within a range of error for it to work. If
the latch is too large, it will not be able to move in and out of the cylindrical piece. If the latch is
too small, it may not fit in the strike plate well, and may not hold the door closed effectively. If
the error is much greater than 1-2 mm then the piece will not work.
Because of the design of the doorknob, the only tools needed were a screwdriver. The
screws had to be taken out in order to take the doorknob off of the door. Once the screws were
out, the disassembly was as simple as taking each piece off of the door and it was
disassembled. The type of screws in the door were phillips, so a screwdriver with the same
head was needed to take the screws out effectively.