Question Bank

Mechanical
System Design
 Unit 1 Design of Machine Tool Gear Box

Theory Question Bank

Q. No Description Marks

1 Explain the following terms with reference to machine tool gear box. 06
How these parameters are decided while designing machine tool
drives
i) Range ratio ii) Number of transmission groups or stages iii)
Transmission Range.

2 Draw the structure and gear box diagrams for the following 08
equations of twelve speed gear box and determine the maximum
transmission range for each equation:
i) Z= 2(6) 2(1) 3(2)
ii) Z = 2(3) 2(6) 3(1)
iii) Z = 2(6) 2(3) 3(1)

3 How are preferred number series used in the design of a multispeed 04

gear box

4 A three stage, twelve speed gear box is to be designed for spindle 10

speed varying between 60 r.p.m and 2880 r.p.m The second stage
consists of three speed steps.
If the gear box is driven by 5 kW, 1440 r.p.m. electric motor: (i) draw
the ray
diagram; (ii) draw the gearing diagram; and (iii) determine the
number of teeth on gears. Assume same module for all gears.

5 What are the various laws for stepped regulation of speeds in multi- 04
speed gear
 boxes? State their relative advantages and limitations.

6 Design a 9 speed gear box to give output speeds between 280 and 10
1800 rpm. The Input power is 5.5 KW at 1400 rpm. Draw the
kinematic layout diagram and the speed diagram. Determine the
number of teeth on all gears.

7 Design the layout of a 12 speed gear box for a lathe. The minimum 10
and maximum speeds are 100 and 1200 rpm. Power is 5 KW from
1440 rpm. Draw the speed and kinematic diagram. Also calculate the
number of teeth on all gears.

8 For a load lifting arrangement transmitting 10 KW with electric 10

motor running at 1400 rpm, constant mesh type speed reducer is
required with reduction ratio 12.
Design a suitable arrangement and make a neat sketch.

9 Select speeds for a 12 speed gear box for a minimum speed of 16 10

rpm and Maximum speed of 900 rpm. Drive speed is 900 rpm. Draw
speed diagram and draw kinematic arrangement of the gear box
showing the number of teeth in all the gears.

10 Design a sliding mesh nine speed gear box for a machine tool with 10
speed ranging from 36 rpm to 550 rpm. Draw the speed diagram and
kinematic arrangement showing number of teeth in all gears.

11 An all geared headstock of a lathe requires a 12 speed gear box with 10

minimum and maximum of 110 rpm and 1440 respectively. Draw
speed diagram and show the details of number of teeth in all the gears
in a kinematic layout.

12 A gear box is to be designed with the following specifications: 10

 Power=14.72 KW, number of speeds =18 Minimum speed = 16 rpm,
step ratio =1.25
Motor speed = 1400 rpm. The 18 speeds are obtained as 2*3*3
1. Sketch the layout of the gear box.
2. Draw the speed diagram.

13 The minimum and maximum speed of a six speed gear box is to be 10

160 and 500 rpm. Construct the kinematic arrangement and the ray
diagram of the gear box. Also find the number of teeth of all gears.

14 Design a 12 speed gear box for an all geared headstock of a lathe. 10

Maximum and minimum speeds are 600 rpm and 25 rpm
respectively. The drive is from an electric motor giving 2.25 KW at
1440 rpm.

15 What are preferred numbers? 04

16 What are the possible arrangements to achieve 12 speeds from a gear 08
box?

17 Calculate standard step ratio for six speed gear box with speed 08
ranging between
100 and 560 rpm

18 Select 3 pairs of gears with total teeth for each pair 60 and speed 06
ratio 1, 1.41and 2

19 What is step ratio in gear box? 04

20 What is meant by ray diagram? 04
21 Distinguish between structural diagram and speed diagram. 04
22 What are the methods of lubrication in speed reducers? 04
23 What are the possible arrangements to achieve 12 speeds from a gear 06
box?
24 What are the points to be considered while designing a sliding-mesh 04
type of Multi speed gear box?

25 List the ways by which the number of intermediate steps may be 06

arranged in a Gear box

26 Which type of gear is used in constant mesh gear box? Justify 04

27 Compare sliding mesh and synchronous gear box. 04
28 Where is multi speed gear boxes employed? 04
29 Name the series in which speeds arranged in multi-speed gear boxes. 04
30 Sketch the kinematic layout of gears for 3 speeds between two shafts 06
31 List six standard speeds starting from 18 rpm with a step ratio 1:4. 06
32 List out the basic rules to be followed for optimum gear box design 04
33 What is step ratio? Name the series in which speeds of multi- speed 04
box are arranged.

34 Give some applications of constant mesh gear box. 04

35 Draw the ray diagram for a six speed gear box. 06
36 What is need of multispeed gearbox in a machine tool or automobile? 04
37 A multispeed gearbox is to be designed for speed varying from 200 10
rpm to 2000 rpm. Recommended series is R5. It is to be driven by a
motor running at 2880 rpm. Design the optimum gearbox
considering ‘Symmetric structure diagrams.’

38 Explain and compare different laws of stepped speed regulation. 06

39 Draw symmetric structure diagrams for following structure formulae 10
and find out optimum formula out of them along with the
justification
2(1) 2(2) 3(4)
2(1) 2(6) 3(2)
 2(2) 2(1) 3(4)

40 Prove that ‘Difference between number of teeth on adjacent gears in 04

a change gear block (compound gear) must be four or more’. Why
this condition is applicable only if the compound gear is a cluster of
three gears and not of two gears.
 Unit 2 Statistical Considerations in Design

Theory Question Bank

Q. No Description Marks

1 A beam of circular cross- section is subjected to pure bending 10

moment M and the bending stresses are given by the following
equations :
𝜎 = 32 𝑀𝑏
𝜋𝑑3
Where d is the diameter of the beam. It has been observed that the
diameter (d) of the beam is a normally distributed random variable
with a mean of 50 mm and a standard deviation of 0.125mm. The
bending moment (Mb) is also a normally distributed random variable
with mean of 1750 N-m and a standard deviation of 150 N-m.
Determine the mean and standard deviation of the corresponding
bending stress variable (𝜎).
Comment on the analysis.
Use the following equations :

2 Explain the factors to be considered while designing the components 06

for castings.
3 A shaft and baring assembly have following dimensions: Shaft – 𝜙 08
40 ± 0.3 mm with standard deviation of 0.1mm.Bearing bore – 𝜙
40.5 ± 0.3 mm with standard deviation of 0.1mm.
Find the percentage of assemblies with i) Clearance less than 0.25
mm and ii) Clearance between 0.25 mm and 0.35mm. Areas under
standardized normal distribution curves from -∞ to Z are as under
 Assume linear interpolation for values in between.

4 Write a short on man-machine closed loop system. Also clearly 08

highlight the factor which influence this cycle.
5 With suitable sketches, explain the ergonomic considerations in 08
Design of Displays and Controls using some practical examples.
6 Define mechanical reliability and find the reliability in operating 08
period of 1000 hrs, for a device having failure rate of 1*10 -6
failures/Hr. If there are 1000 items in the test, how many failures are
expected in 1000 hours.
7 With suitable sketches, explain the DFM principles in the design of 08
casting and forgings.
8 Justify that the Display and Control elements of a music system are 06
designed based on the ergonomic considerations
9 If a device has failure rate of 40-6 failures/Hr, What is its reliability 08
in 250 hours? If there are 1000 items in the test, how many failures
are expected in 250 hours?
10 Write short note on ‘Design for Assembly’. 08
11 Write short note on : a)Probability b)Stochastic Variable 08
c)Frequency distribution d)Class Interval
12 With examples, clearly highlight the differences between arithmetic 06
mean, mode and the median of a sample.
13 Write a note on Gaussian distribution 04
14 What are statistical considerations for factor of safety? 04
15 What are basic types of product forms also, what do you understand 06
by the term “Designing for Appearance”?
16 What are the considerations in the design of controls and in the layout 06
of panels?
17 Discuss advantages and limitations of the different forging 06
processes.
18 Explain briefly the guidelines the designer has to follow to ensure 08
safety in products.
19 Write a short note on the concept of design for manufacture 06
20 With examples, suggest methods to improve design while 08
manufacturing components by the process of powder metallurgy
21 A machine member made of plain carbon steel has mean yield 10
strength of 250 Mpa and a standard deviation of 30Mpa. This
member is subjected to a bending stress with a mean of 160 Mpa and
a standard deviation of 15 Mpa. Determine :
a) Probability of failure and the reliability of the machine member
b) The minimum factor of safety available
c) The average factor of safety available.
22 A straight bar is made of a material having tensile strength of 310 + 08
30 Mpa. Diameter of the bar is 10 + 0.1 mm. load on the bar is
expected to be 23.5 + 5 KN. Estimate the reliability of withstanding
the load by the bar.
23 What is mechanical reliability? Explain the folowing terms: 06
a)Hazard rate
b)MTBF
c)Systm reliability
24 A shaft is subjected to a maximum load of 10KN. The shaft is 10
desined to withsatnd a load of 15 KN. If the maximum load
encounterd is normally distributed with a standard deviation of 2.5
KN, and if the shaft strength is normally distributed with standard
deviation of 2.0 KN, what failure percentage would be expected?
The area under normal curve from zero to Z as follows:

Z 1 1.2 1.4 1.6 1.8

Are 0.341 0.384 0.419 0.445 0.464

a 3 9 2 2 1
Z 2.0 2.2 2.4 2.6 2.8

Are 0.477 0.486 0.491 0.495 0.497

a 1 1 8 3 4
25 It has been observed from a sample of 200 bearing bushes that the 08
internal diameters are normally distributed with a mean of 30.010
mm and a standard deviation of 0.008 mm. the upper and lower limits
for the internal diameter, as specified by the deisgner are 30.02 and
30.00 mm repectively. Calculate the percntage of rejected bushes
 Unit 3 Design of Belt Conveyor system for Material Handling

Theory Question Bank

Q. No Description Marks

1. What is the use of following in flat belt conveyor? 04

1. Scraper
2. Bend Pulleys
3. Tension take up device
4. Snub Pulley
2. Inclined belt conveyor with 200 inclinations is to be used for 06
transporting bulk material with specific weight 10000 N/m3. Belt
width is 1000 mm and belt speed is 2 m/s .If flow factor is 2.5x10 -
4
, find out capacity of conveyor.
3. Explain the capacity of conveyor in Tons/hr. 06
4. What are the design considerations in selecting the belt speed of 08
conveyor?
5. What are different ergonomic considerations involved in the 04
design of controls.
6. Explain concept of containerization and design considerations. 04
7. Explain the procedure to estimate the power requirement for belt 06
conveyors.
8. A triple ply belt conveyor is required to transport 2 ton of iron 10
ore per hour through a distance of 1000m and a height of 300 m.
The permissible belt speed is 90m/min. if the mass density of iron
ore is 2.5 ton per cubic meter, determine :
(i) the belt width; (ii) the diameter of drive pulley; and (iii) the
reduction ratio of gear reducer, if electric motor speed is 1440
r.p.m. Use following data:
Flow ability factor ‘k’:
 Standard belt widths :
400,450,500,600,650,750,800,900,100,1200,1400,1600,1800,20
00 mm material factor for plies for Capron belt : K1 = 2.0; belt
tension and arc of contact factor : K2 =80.
9. A belt conveyor is to be designed to carry bulk material at the 10
rate 300×103 kg/hour with the following details:
Bulk density of the material = 800 kg/m3; Angle of surcharge of
bulk material = 15o; Belt speed = 10 km/hour; Material factor for
plies, k1= 2.0; Belt tension and arc of contact factor, k2 = 63;
Number of plies for the belt = 4 suggest :
i) Suitable width for the belt.
ii) Diameter and length of the drive pulley.
10. What are the design considerations in selecting the belt speed of 06
a conveyor?
11. Determine the belt capacity of a flat horizontal belt, if the 03
effective width of the material on the belt is ‘b’, belt velocity is
‘v’ and the surcharge angle is 15o.
12. A flat horizontal belt conveyer is used for transporting crushed 04
rock having a mass density of 2 t/m3. The belt is 800 mm wide
and has a speed of 1.75 m/s. Determine the capacity of the
conveyer. The surcharge angle may be taken as 25o. The effective
width b (in meters), of the material carried by the belt safely is
given by the following equation:
13. What are the advantages of belt conveyer over others conveyers? 04
14. Write a note on the following: 10
a. Hopper based loading
b. Processing unit based loading
c. Head end discharge
d. Both end discharge
15. What are the factors important for conveyer design? 06
16. Derive the expression for power requirements of belt conveyers. 08
17. Write a short note on conveyer pulleys. 06
18. Enlist the basic principles of material handling equipment while 04
selecting of materials? Write any one in brief.
19. A belt conveyer has a pitch of 0.5 m. If the mass of the belt is 08
16kg/m and the mass of the material conveyed is 40kg/m,
determine the minimum tension required in the belt, if the sag is
not exceed 2 percent of the pitch.
20. A belt conveyer is to be designed to carry bulk material at the rate 06
300x103 kg/hour with the following details:
Bulk density of the material = 800 kg/m3
Angle of surcharge of bulk material = 15o
Belt speed= 10km/hour
Material factor for plies, k1= 2.0
Belt tension and arc of contact factor, k2 = 63
No of plies for the belt = 4
21. How are cranes classified? 04
22. What are the classes of cranes? On what basis is the class of a 06
particular crane decided?
 Unit 4 Design of Cylinders and Pressure Vessels

Theory Question Bank

Q. No Description Marks

1. What is meant by pre-stressing of a cylinder? What is its necessity? 08

Explain any one method of prestressing cylinder
2. A hydraulic cylinder with closed ends is subjected to an internal 10
pressure of 15 Mpa. The inner and outer diameters of the cylinder
are 200mm and 240 mm respectively. The cylinder material is cast
iron FG300. Determine the factor of safety used in design. If the
cylinder pressure is further increased by 50%, What will be the
factor of safety?
3. A hydraulic cylinder made of Grey C.I. with 220 mm inside 06
diameter is subjected to internal pressure of 18MPa.Using
appropriate theory of failure find the required thickness of cylinder
with factor of safety 2.0.
4. Explain the various failure modes of pressure vessel. 06
5. Derive Clavarino’s equation. State its applications. 06
6. Explain with the help of neat sketches, the different types of formed 06
heads used as end closures in cylindrical pressure vessels. State
their advantages, disadvantages and applications.
7. The cover of a cylindrical pressure vessel made of cast iron is 10
shown in fig.1 The inner diameter of the cylinder is 500 mm and
the internal pressure is limited to 2MPa. The cover is fixed to the
cylinder by means of 16 bolts with a nominal diameter of 20 mm.
Each bolt is initially tightened with a preload of 20 KN. The bolts
are made of steel FeE250 (Syt = 250 N/mm2).
 Assume E for steel = 207 KN/mm2, cast iron = 100 KN/mm2 and E
for Zinc = 90KN/mm2. Determine the factor of safety for bolts
considering the effect of the gasket.

8. Explain the design of openings in pressure vessels by’ area for 06

method of compensation’
9. A 103 capacity cylindrical pressure vessel with torispherical heads 10
is to be used to store water at a temperature of 160o C (Water vapour
pressure 6.4 bar absolute). The crown and knuckle radii for the
torispherical heads are taken as 0.75 di and 0.125 di respectively.
The shell as well as heads is made of plain carbon steel with
allowable tensile stress of 85 N/mm2. The single welded butt joints
with backing strips are used to fabricate the vessel. The total length
of the vessel is limited to 5m.
i) Which class vessel is to be used for this purpose?
ii) Determine minimum vessel diameter and the corresponding
thickness of the vessel shell.
iii) Determine dimensions of the torispherical head. Assume weld
joint efficiency or shell & head = 0.9
10. An air receiver consists of a cylindrical portion of 2 m length and 1 08
m diameter. It is closed by hemispherical ends. The pressure is not
to exceed 2 N/mm2. If the material is steel having yield point
250N/mm2 and if a factor of safety 3.5 is used, calculate the required
wall thickness of the cylinder and the thickness of hemispherical
ends. Assume joint efficiency as 0.8 for the shell and 0.9 for the
end. Also determine the storage capacity of the vessel.
11. An accumulator is required to store 150 liters of water at a pressure 02
20MPa. Assuming the length of the stroke to be 3 m, determine
a. The diameter of the ram
b. The internal diameter of the cylinder, assuming a clearance of
40mm.
c. The thickness of the cylinder, if the permissible stress of the
cylinder (made of CI) is 60N/mm2.
12. A thick cylinder of size ø30 x ø60 is subjected to an internal 08
pressure of 75N/mm2. Plot the stress distribution in the wall
thickness.
13. A high pressure cylinder consists of a steel tube with 20 and 35mm 10
as inner and outer diameters respectively. It is jacketed by outer
steel tube with 50mm outer diameter. The tubes are assembled by
shrinking process in such a way that the maximum principal tensile
stress induced in any tube is resisted to 100MPa. Calculate the
shrinkage pressure and original dimensions of the tube. Sketch the
distribution of principal stresses in compound cylinder.
14. A cylindrical vessel is subjected to an internal pressure of 1MPa. 08
The plate material has yield strength of 200MPa and a corrosion
allowance of 1.5mm. The joints are spot radio graphed double butt
type. The vessel inner diameter is to be 2.3m. Determine the
thickness of the shell. Also find the head thickness if the ends are:
a. Hemispherical
b. Ellipsoidal with k=2
c. Torispherical with knuckle radius= 6% of crown radius
which may be assumed as 1.9m
d. Conical, with semi-cone angle α=20o
15. When do use Lame’s equation, Clavarino’s equation and Birnie’s 04
question for cylinder wall thickness?
16. What is thin cylinder and give practical examples of it? 03
17. Distinguish between thin and thick cylinders. 04
18. What do you understand by the term working pressure and design 03
pressure?
19. What are the Class 1, 2 and 3 types of pressure vessels and their 06
uses?
20. What are the objectives of providing openings in pressure vessel? 03
21. What is joint efficiency?
22. What are the advantages and disadvantages of the following heads 06
of pressure vessels:
a. Hemispherical
b. Semi-ellipsoid
c. torispherical
 Unit 5 Design of I.C .Engine components

Theory Question Bank

Q. No Description Marks

1 What is a desirable property of I.C. engine piston material? 4

State the materials used for I.C. engine piston.
2 The following data is given for a four- stroke diesel engine : 10
Cylinder bore = 250 mm
Length of stroke = 300 mm
Speed = 600 rpm
Indicated mean effective pressure = 0.6 Mpa, Mechanical
efficiency = 80 %, Maximum gas pressure = 4 Mpa, Fuel
consumption = 0.25 kg per BP per hr, Higher calorific value of
fuel = 44000 KJ/kg, Assume that 5% of total heat developed in
the cylinder is transmitted by the piston. The piston is made of
gray C.I FG 200 (Sut = 200 N/mm2 and K = 46.6 W/m/oC) and
the factor of safety is 5.The temperature difference between the
center and the edge of the piston head is 220oC.
i) Determine the thickness of piston head by strength
consideration and thermal consideration.
ii) State whether the ribs are required, IF so calculate the
number and thickness of ribs.
iii) State whether a cup is required in the top of piston head, If
so calculate the radius of the cup
3 What is the criterion for design of push rod? 10

4 Why the connecting rod is made of I sections 4

5 What are the cooling systems for engine cylinders? Where do 4
you use them?
6 What are the advantages and disadvantages of aluminum piston 4
over cast iron piston?
7 The cylinder of a four-stroke diesel engine has the following 10
specifications
Brake power=3 kw
 Speed=800rpm
Indicated mean effective pressure=0.3 Mpa
Mechanical efficiency=80%
Determine the bore and length of the cylinder liner
8 Why piston is made lightweight? 4
9 Name two criteria for calculating the thickness of piston head 4
10 Why piston clearance is necessary? What is its usual value? 4
11 Why do inlet and exhaust valves have conical heads and seats? 4
12 The cylinder of a four-stroke diesel engine has the following 10
specifications
Cylinder bore= 150 mm
Maximum gas pressure=3 Mpa
Allowable tensile stress=50 N/mm2
Determine the thickness of cylinder wall. Also; calculate the
apparent and net circumferential and longitudinal stresses in
cylinder wall.
13 The following data is given for the connecting rod of a diesel 4
Engine.
Cylinder bore = 85 mm
Length of connecting rod = 350mm
Maximum gas pressure = 3 Mpa
Factor of safety against buckling failure= 5
(ℓ/𝑑) ratio for piston pin bearing = (1.5)
(ℓ/𝑑) ratio for crank pin bearing =
(1.25)
Allowable bearing pressure for piston pin bearing = 13Mpa
Allowable bearing pressure for crank pin bearing = 11 Mpa.
length of stroke = 140 mm
Mass of reciprocating parts = 1.5 kg Engine speed = 2000 rpm
Thickness of bearing bush = 3 mm Material of cap = 40 C8
(Syt =380 N/mm2)
Material of bolts=Alloy steel (Syt=450N/mm2)
Factor of safety for cap and bolts = 4 and 5 respectively.
Density of connecting rod = 7800 kg/m3
Determine :
 i) Dimensions of the cross-section of connection rod.
ii)Dimensions of small and big and of bearings.
iii) Nominal diameters of bolts for
the cap
iv) Thickness of cap; and
v) Magnitude of whipping stress
14 What are the desirable properties of cylinder materials? 4
15 What is the function of cup on piston head? 4
16 The following data is given for the piston of four-stroke diesel 10
engine
Cylinder bore=100mm
Maximum gas pressure=5MPa
Allowable bearing pressure for skirt=0.45 Mpa
Ratio of side thrust on linear to maximum gas load on
piston=0.1
Width of top land=18 mm
Width of ring grooves=2.5 mm
Total number of piston rings=3 mm
Calculate
1. Length of skirt
2. Length of piston
17 What is the force on bolts of big end of connecting rod? 4
18 What is the difference between center and overhung crankshaft? 4
19 What is the purpose of valve spring? 4
20 What is the manufacturing method for crankshaft? 4
21 Why is area of inlet valve port more than that of an exhaust 4
valve?
22 Why is the piston pin located at or above the middle of the skirt 4
length?
23 Name two design criteria for piston pin 4
24 What are the functions of engine cylinder? 4
25 What are the forces acting on the connecting rod 4
26 What is the function of rocker arm? Why is rocker arm made of 4
I section?
 Unit 6 Optimum Design and DFMA

Theory Question Bank

Q. No Description Marks

1 Explain the Johnson’s method of optimum design. 04

2 10
A cantilever beam of the length 250mm & rectangular cross section
is subjected to varying load ± 100N. The width to depth ratio of the
beam is 5:1; If the factor of safety is; design the beam for optimum
material cost and find required dimensions of beam.
Use following materials.
Material Mass Material Endurance
Density cost/ limit
unit ‘Se’N/mm2
weight
‘C’
Rs/N
M1 8450 100 17
M2 8020 100 37.5
M3 7830 60 32

3 Differentiate between optimum design problems with normal 04

specifications and redundant specifications
4 10
A tensile bar of cross- sectional area at least 85mm2 and length of 200
mm is subjected to a constant load of 500 N. Design a bar for
minimum cost, of the following materials. Assume factor of safety as
2.

Material Mass Material Yield

Density cost strength
(kg/m3) (Rs / N) MPa
M1 7500 16 130
M2 3000 32 50
M3 2100 32 20

5 What are the objectives of optimum design? 04

6 What do you understand by adequate design 04
7 Explain the Johnson’s method of optimum design. 06
8 With examples. Explain what are the three major kinds of equations 06
as classified by the Johnson’s method of optimum design?
9 Explain with examples, What are desirable and undesirable effects in 06
a design of a mechanical system.
10 What do you mean by the case of normal, redundant and incompatible 08
specifications?
11 Define optimum design? 04
12 Explain minimizing and maximizing parameters of optimum design 08
with examples

13 Give classification of design parameters. 04

14 What do you mean by functional, Material and geometrical 04

parameter.
15 Enumerate the classification of design parameter based on status in 06
design
16 Describe optimum design procedure for normal specification 06
17 Describe optimum design procedure for redundant specification 06
18 Differentiate between normal and redundant specification 06
19 A simple tension bar having circular cross section is subjected to a 10
tensile force P. Design the bar with objective of minimizing the
material cost using factor of safety N. The following limitations are
specified in the optimum design.
Lmin ≤ L ≤ Lmax.
Assume suitable notation.
20 A thin spherical pressure vessel is subjected to an internal pressure of 10
Material Ultimate Mass 4 N/mm2. The mass of
tensile Density ‘𝝆’ empty vessel should not
Strength Kg/mm3 exceed 125 Kg. If factor
Sut, N/mm2 of safety is 3.0, Design
M1 500 7800 the pressure vessel with
M2 250 2800 objective of minimizing
M3 420 8400 the gas storage capacity,
Out of the following
materials.