UNIVERSITY OF ZIMBABWE

FACULTY OF ENGINEERING
DEPARTMENT OF AUTOMOTIVE
AND AERONAUTICAL

PROJECT TITLE

Design and Fabrication of a multi-nut tightener and

remover for light aircraft wheel hubs in Zimbabwe

STUDENT NAME: Anesu J Makura

REGISTRATION NUMBER: R193473A
SUPERVISOR: Mr. Makavanga
YEAR OF STUDY: Third Year
PROGRAM: HENAEM
Project report submitted for partial fulfilment of B Eng. Honours in
Aeronautical Engineering

i
Dedication

This project is dedicated to my family and friends, who through their encouragements
made this prototype a reality.

ii
Abstract
Hand tools have been developed and automated over time to increase labor productivity
while reducing labor costs and the effort involved in manufacturing operations. In the
aviation industry to be able to make a profit requires high aircraft utilization which means
a decrease in the time the aircraft is on the ground being maintained or inspected. In this
project, a multi-nut remover and tightener were designed and fabricated. The tool
removed all the nuts on a prototype wheel at the same time using a wiper motor as the
DC (Direct Current) servo motor to provide the needed torque. Removing and tightening
nuts on aircraft wheels using nut drivers and/or spanner is time-consuming and requires
a lot of effort especially when working with several wheels. The design of the multi-nut
remover and tightener tool was done using AutoCAD 2007. The multi-nut remover and
tightener were fabricated using four spur gears, steel plates, bearing, shafts and a DC
servo motor.

iii
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

First and foremost, I would like to express my gratitude to my family and

friends for providing me with the support and finance in carrying out this
project. I would also like to thank My supervisors Mr. Makavanga and Mr.
Musingwini who helped me in the design process of the project.

Above all, I would like to thank God for the continuous guidance and direction
during the whole course of the project.

iv
 Table
Contents
Dedication .................................................................................................................................................... ii
Abstract ....................................................................................................................................................... iii
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ............................................................................................................................. iv
Table.............................................................................................................................................................. v
List of Figures ............................................................................................................................................ vii
List of tables .............................................................................................................................................. vii
Abbreviations ............................................................................................................................................. viii
Chapter 1: Introduction ............................................................................................................................. 1
1.1 Introduction .................................................................................................................................. 1
1.2 Background ................................................................................................................................... 1
1.3 Justification................................................................................................................................... 3
1.4 Problem Statement ...................................................................................................................... 3
1.5 Aim ................................................................................................................................................ 4
1.6 Objectives ..................................................................................................................................... 4
Chapter 2: Literature Review .................................................................................................................... 5
2.1 Introduction .............................................................................................................................. 5
2.2 Previous Designs and Models ................................................................................................... 5
Chapter 3: Methodology .......................................................................................................................... 19
3.1 Introduction ................................................................................................................................ 19
3.2 Design ......................................................................................................................................... 19
3.2 Conceptual Design ............................................................................................................................ 20
3.2.1 Drawing ............................................................................................................................... 20
3.3 Gear selections ........................................................................................................................... 21
3.3.1 Gear Materials ........................................................................................................................... 21
3.3.2 Types of Gears..................................................................................................................... 25
3.4 Detailed Design .......................................................................................................................... 29
3.5 Bill of Materials .......................................................................................................................... 30
3.6 Fabrication processes ................................................................................................................. 31
3.5.1 Manufacture of components .............................................................................................. 32
3.5.2 Motor Selection ......................................................................................................................... 34

v
......................................................................................................................................... Chapter 4 Results
.................................................................................................................................................................... 37
4.1 The Final Prototype .......................................................................................................................... 37
4.2 Testing......................................................................................................................................... 38
4.2.1 Prototype objectives .................................................................................................................. 38
4.3 Method of Experiment ............................................................................................................ 39
5.4 Test Results ................................................................................................................................... 40
......................................................................................... Chapter 5 Conclusion and Recommendations
.................................................................................................................................................................... 41
5.1 Challenges......................................................................................................................................... 41
5.1.1Fabrication challenges ................................................................................................................ 41
5.2 Conclusion ........................................................................................................................................ 41
5.3 Recommendations ........................................................................................................................... 42
References .................................................................................................................................................. 43
4 Appendix A: Lathe Machine ................................................................................................................ 45
5 Appendix B: Gantt Chart ..................................................................................................................... 46
6 APPENDIX C: Switch Circuit ................................................................................................................. 47

vi
List of Figures

Figure 1 Jemms Cascade multi spindle runner.............................................................6

Figure 2 Spindle runner .............................................................................................6

Figure 3 Stanely Multi nut runner ...............................................................................7

Figure 4 Multi nut remover and tighter .......................................................................8

Figure 5 multi nut remover ........................................................................................9

Figure 6 hollow shaft wrench ................................................................................... 10

Figure 7 impact wrench ........................................................................................... 11

Figure 8 torque wrench ........................................................................................... 11

Figure 9 Cessna aircraft wheel ................................................................................. 19

Figure 10 3D drawing .............................................................................................. 20

List of tables

Table 1 Relevance Scale .......................................................................................... 23

Table 2 Material properties ...................................................................................... 23

Table 3 Rating Table ............................................................................................... 24

Table 4 Comparisons Table ...................................................................................... 25

Table 5 Gear Specifications ...................................................................................... 27

Table 6 Materials .................................................................................................... 30

Table 7 Experiment Results ..................................................................................... 40

vii
 Abbreviations

pcd Pitch circle diameter

mm millimeters

m module

W Watts

N/m Newton Meter

DC Direct Current

z number of teeth

rpm revolutions per minute

viii
Chapter 1: Introduction

1.1 Introduction

This project is about the design and fabrication of a multi-nut tightener and remover for
light aircraft wheels. The tool removes the nuts on a wheel at the same time and with
little effort by using a DC servo motor to provide the torque. The project aims to minimize
human effort and time taken when removing and tightening nuts on aircraft wheel hubs.
This is done by developing a planetary gear mechanism with an electric motor driving the
sun gear which then drives the satellite gears.

1.2 Background

“The airline industry is highly capital intensive, and consequently its profitability is
greatly affected by fuel efficiency, aircraft utilization and labour cost,”(Vasigh Bijan,
Fleming Ken, and Tacker Thomas, 2013) therefore an aircraft has to spend most of its
time in the skies, not on the ground. This can be achieved by reducing the overhaul
times, maintenance checks and actions done on the aircraft. Any airline for it to survive
has to increase its profitability and just like in any industry profits can be increased by
increasing revenues and reducing costs. Increasing revenues can be difficult for a small
airline, but reducing costs can be possible by reducing labour cost and introducing
automation. According to (Vasigh Bijan, Fleming Ken and Tacker Thomas, 2013). The
Legacy carriers have managed to lower their costs through labour outsourcing and
automation. High utilization of an aircraft has managed to help low-cost carriers to
achieve high revenues while reducing costs. According to (Introduction to Air Transport
Economics, no date) any airline can be able to increase their “daily average utilization of

aircraft” by turning the aircraft around quicker and/or flying longer routes. To be able to

1
reduce the turnaround time of an aircraft faster ways of maintenance and inspections
have to be done.

Maintenance, repair and overhaul services are essential requirements to ensure an

aircraft is kept in conditions of airworthiness. “Aircraft wheels take a lot of punishment,
from environmental factors like rain, snow and ice, temperature changes and the high-
speed impact of landing.” (Aviation Business News, 2021). The wheel assembly therefore
requires regular maintenance. Executive air which operates as an Aircraft Maintenance
and Air Charter company, from hanger 17 at Charles Prince has a wide variety of light
aircraft from the Cessna 206 to the Beechcraft King Air B200. “Executive air has only
forty-three personnel inclusive of senior management, flight crews, maintenance
engineers and others” (About Us - Executive Air, 2022). It also carries out maintenance
repair of private and commercially operated aircraft registered in South Africa and
Zambia. The whole wheel assembly can be inspected while on the aircraft as often as
possible but a more detailed inspection and any testing or repairs are accomplished with
the wheel assembly removed from the aircraft. (Flight Mechanic, 2021). According to
Flight Mechanics, (2021) a complete inspection of the wheel requires that the tire be
removed from the wheel rim. To do this the nuts must first be removed, a wrench or a
spanner and sometimes nut drives for five-inch wheels are used to remove the nuts and
these tools only remove one nut at a time. The multi-nut remover will be able to remove
all nuts at once. Airlines are constantly working on ways to reduce the turnaround time
(this is the time required to unload a plane after it arrives at the gate and prepare it for
departure) without comprising quality (NEWSROOM, 2017). Using the multi-nut tightener
and remover the disassembly and assembling of the wheel flange from the tyre becomes
faster thereby reducing the turnaround time. According to Cirium, (2017) over the past
years on-time performance has become a major selling point and they stated that
upgrading tech (which includes process improvements) is one of the ways to improve on-
time performance. Although air travel is considered the “safest form of travel when an
accident occurs it can be very catastrophic”(Aviation Accidents Caused bywed Human

2
Error | WKW, no date). A very major cause of accidents or incidents is human error and
according to(Wang and Chuang, 2014) “21% of all reported incidents in the aviation safety
reporting system are fatigue-related and 18% have maintenance factors involved.”
Fatigue in workplaces can be caused by repetitive or prolonged manually handling of
equipment or tools (Factors that contribute to work-related fatigue - WorkSafe, no date). Therefore,
this project aims to improve on-time performance and reduce the level of fatigue in
aircraft maintenance technicians by upgrading the tool used to remove nuts by making a
tool that removes all nuts at once thereby reducing the time of disassembling the wheel.
Also, a very mutual cause of wrist pain is repetitive motion(5 causes of wrist pain | The
Hand Society, 2022), the multi-nut runner eliminated the repetitive motion the hand is
subjected to when removing wheel nuts using nut drives.

1.3 Justification

The main reason for the development of multi-nut tightener and remover is to reduce the
time consumed and effort used when changing tyres and carrying out wheel hub
inspections for airlines and aircraft maintenance organizations in Zimbabwe. Also
reducing repetitive motions when carrying out wheel hub removal improves the working
conditions of workers.

1.4 Problem Statement

For the current use of a nut driver, wrench and L-spanner when disassembling the wheel,
each nut has to be individually removed and also manpower is required to produce the
needed torque. More time is therefore spent on disassembling the wheel when
inspections or repairs are being carried out. Nut drives used to remove nuts on wheels
also cause wrist pains when they are used continuously.

3
1.5 Aim

To design and fabricate a multi-nut tightener and remover which removes and tightens
three nuts collectively.

1.6 Objectives

a. Design the multi-nut remover and tightener

b. Fabricate a multi-nut remover and tightener capable of removing and tightening
three nuts at the same time
c. Reduce the cumulative time required when removing and/or tightening wheel nuts
on several aircraft compared to using a nut driver or spanner.

4
 Chapter 2: Literature Review

2.1 Introduction

Aircraft wheel hubs and car wheels are removed during inspection, manufacturing and
assembly of aircraft tyres or car tyres. For light aircraft wheels a nut driver, or spanner is
usually used to remove the nuts securing the wheel hub to the tyres. While for cars a
wheel spanner is used. The nut driver and the wheel spanner only remove one nut at a
time. Many projects have been done to solve this problem by designing a multi-nut runner
to remove all the nuts on the wheel rim at once. However, most of the projects have only
created the tool for cars only.

2.2 Previous Designs and Models

To counter the negative effects of the wheel spanner a company called Jemms cascade
developed a multi-spindle runner attachment that can remove all lug nuts at once. Jemms
cascade’s tool has one motor which attaches to a drill. The multi-spindle runner runs all
fasteners simultaneously at a single revolution per minute.

5
Figure 1 Jemms Cascade multi spindle runner

Figure 2 Spindle runner

Multi nut runners are mostly found in car and aircraft maintenance workshops and in
assembly lines in many industries where high levels of torque are required. An example
is a multi-spindle system designed and built by STANLEY Assembly Technologies. The
multi and single-spindle runners they develop are capable of securing lug nuts, and
engine mounts. The purpose of these systems as described by the company is to reduce

6
labour while increasing productivity, and reducing worker fatigue and strain. (Engineered
Assembly Single & Multi-Spindle Systems | STANLEY® Assembly Technologies | STANLEY® Engineered
Fastening, no date)

Figure 3 Stanely Multi nut runner

(Deshpande, et al., 2018) wrote that removing individual nuts to remove a tire has a very
high fatigue level. So (Deshpande, et al., 2018) developed a multi-nut remover for
loosening or tightening wheel hubs for Tata Indigo cars in India. They developed a special
hand-operated tool with a planetary gear system used to drive the shafts. One of the
objectives of developing a multi-nut remover is to reduce the human effort when
removing wheel nuts but (Deshpande, et al., 2018)’s project, human effort is reduced
slightly since the user has to rotate the sun gear which in turn drives the satellite gears
using his/her hands. (Multi nut remover and tighter | Design and fabrication projects | Lemurian
Designs - YouTube, no date) also designed a multi-nut nut remover and tightener using

AutoCAD. The tool uses a handle to tighten and remove the nuts on a car wheel. The
objective of the project was also to the time consumption when removing and tightening
wheel nuts.

7
Figure 4 Multi nut remover and tighter

Car wheels as well as aircraft wheels sometimes have different heights but the same pitch
circle diameter, because of this reason (Ojo and Olugbade, 2018) designed and developed
an adjustable multi-nut remover for car tyres with a pitch circle diameter of 114.3mm.
the project was able to “reduce the tightening and loosening of four nuts by 41% and
38%” (Ojo and Olugbade, 2018) as compared to an L-shaped spanner.

8
Figure 5 multi nut remover

(Ojo and Olugbade, 2018)

However, the tool has one disadvantage it uses a special hand tool to provide the needed
torque to undo and do the nuts unlike the impact wrench or multi-spindle runner which
uses electric motors and pneumatics

(Mohankumar et al., no date) did a project also on the multi nut remover and tightener the

objective of the project was to reduce the time taken when removing wheel nuts on car
wheels. The project had a fixed pitch circle diameter of 100mm, four spur gears each of
63mm diameter, and one pinion gear with 58mm diameter. The pinion gear which was
connected to the motor was connected to a DC motor which then provides the torque
required to move all the gears. (Mohankumar et al., no date) used a hollow shaft to transfer
torque from the gears to the nuts which should be tightened or removed. A hollow shaft
has several advantages over a solid shaft. One of the advantages is that for the same
weight per unit length of the two shafts the hollow shaft has less weight than a solid
shaft but for the same weight per unit length also the solid shafts have their radius of

9
gyration is closer to the centre. (Mohankumar et al., no date) hollow shaft however could
only be used for one type of nut it had fixed sockets.

Figure 6 hollow shaft wrench

However, (Kumar, et al., 2018) who did a project about the design and fabrication of a
multi-nut remover and tightening tool for car wheels, pointed out that the use of nut
removing tools that are driven by electric motors or pneumatics that causes rapid wear
on the striking surfaces due to the high speeds used. Other nut removers and tighteners
used which use electric motors and air to produce the torque needed to remove and/or
tighten the nuts on cars are impact wrenches. “Impact wrenches provide a very high
rotational torque that regular drills are simply not capable of and deliver high torque with
minimal exertion by the user”(A Guide to Impact Wrenches - Toolstop, 2022). An impact
wrench uses electric and/or air motors that apply abrupt twisting motion in small bursts.
Impact wrenches can provide a very high rotational torque because of an internal
hammering mechanism that transfers kinetic energy to the output shaft (Impact Wrench
Uses. Electric vs Air Impact Wrenches Comparison, 2022). When there is no resistance
to the output shaft during the operation of an impact wrench the driving motor power is
conveyed to the output shaft but when it faces resistance the hammer is made to
suddenly rotate and transfer its kinetic energy to the output shaft thereby creating a very
high torque.

10
Figure 7 impact wrench

(SIW 22T-A 1/2\, no date)

The high torque of an impact wrench makes it suitable to remove car lug nuts, frozen
bolts and even rusted bolts. Most 12 volts impact drivers have a fastening torque that
ranges from 301inch-pounds to 1026inch-pounds with speeds from 171 revolutions per
minute to 397 revolutions per minute (Best 12V Cordless Impact Driver Head-to-Head
Review for 2021, n.d.) however for light aircraft for example the Cessna and Beechcraft,
their wheel nuts are torqued to 150inch-pounds. Therefore, although the impact wrench
or driver would be suitable for fastening car wheel nuts, they cannot be used to fasten
aircraft wheel nuts. According to (Impact Driver for Lug Nuts Removal. Can I Change Car
Tire? 2022) over-torquing nuts or bolts to crack, shear, lessen and break off.

Torque is a force, a twisting force, when one uses a wrench to tighten or loosen a bolt,
nut, screw or stud torque is being applied. Many types of fasteners which are found on
automobiles and various aircraft demand being tightened to a specific torque amount.
This is so that the bolts or nuts are not damaged during the tightening process. A torque
wrench is the best tool for these types of fasteners.

This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY

Figure 8 torque wrench

11
Torque wrenches are calibrated to a certain amount of torque as required by the fastener.
“The amount of torque that is applied depends on the amount of force on the tool’s
handle and the length of the wrench.” (What Is a Torque Wrench and How Do You Use
It? | RS Components, 2022). The torque can be calculated using the formula, 𝑡𝑜𝑟𝑞𝑢𝑒 =
𝑓𝑜𝑟𝑐𝑒 × 𝑙𝑒𝑛𝑔𝑡ℎ. The torque wrench’s handle has an internal mechanical indicator which
joins the torque wrench to a scale that is calibrated. Once the mechanical indicator
determines the desired torque has been reached the torque wrench makes a clicking
sound. However, one disadvantage with torque wrenches is that most of them are
designed for only tightening purposes thereby forcing them to remove tight nuts might
break their mechanism for torque detection or cause them to lose their accuracy. (Things
You Should Know About Your Torque Wrench, no date)

Materials

Mild steel

Most of the handling tools used in industry are manufactured using mild steel. This is
mainly because of its excellent properties. Mild steel is low carbon steel, this means that
they contain a small percentage of carbon which act to enhance the properties of pure
iron. Low carbon steel like mild steel has carbon in the range of 0,05 to 0.25. As a result
of low carbon content mild steel is highly machinable. It can be cut and formed into
intricate shapes.

Advantages of mild steel

• High tensile strength

• High impact strength
• Good ductility and weldability
• Not suitable for heat treatment

Disadvantages

Low corrosion resistance

12
They are so many grades of mild steel that can be used in the manufacturing of tools and
in this section a few of these are going to be listed

Grades of Mild Steel

Corten Steel (Grade A)

Is also known as weathering steel because of its atmospheric resistance to corrosion

ability. It is a cost-effective grade of mild steel. It is stiff, and has high strength and low
maintenance qualities. Corten is used in the construction of:

• Bridges
• Steel frame structures
• Structural components
• Sculpture

Physical Properties

Machinability

Corten can be machined and drilled. But it may wear or damage tools if the fabrication
speeds are not reduced

Cutting

Gas and flame cutting techniques can be used to cut Corten

Welding

Corten is suitable for both manual and mechanical welding but its weathering resistance
can be reduced if the welding consumables used do not have similar corrosion resistance.

EN24T

13
EN24T is high-strength steel that has been alloyed with nickel, chrome and molybdenum.
Nickel gives EN24T steel toughness, chrome gives it a better depth of hardness and
molybdenum reduces the brittleness of the steel when it is tempered.

This Physical properties of EN24T make it suitable for use in high strength machine parts
and extremely high temperature conditions for example power stations, oil refineries and
in the manufacturing of gears and shafts. This type of steel can be tempered and
hardened.

Physical Properties

Machinability

“EN24 T has excellent results when machined.” For it to produce the best results when
machining, using carbide tipped tools are recommended. Also, it requires lower speeds
but a higher feed and the beginning of the process and then during finishing high speed
to moderate feed to produce an excellent finish.

Workability

EN24 T is not applicable for use in cold working processes.

Ductility

It has effective ductility

Cutting

It can be sawn and/or use plasma and flame cutting techniques

Welding

ENT24 has chrome, molybdenum and nickel alloys thereby it is not suited to welding
applications

Forging

It is appropriate for forging

14
GMS Mild Steel

GMS steel stands for galvanized mild steel. It has a protective layer of zinc which prevents
it from rusting.

Physical Properties

Machinability

GMS can be machined and drilled but the zinc coating can be removed. Therefore, it
needs to be reapplied again.

Cutting

A disk cut or also a flame can be used to cut this type of steel.

Welding

All welding methods can be used for GMS. Because of the zinc coating, one has to wear
a protective mask because heating will burn off the coating which will produce irritant
fumes. Lengthy direct exposure to galvanized products may cause localized skin irritation.

Grade S275JR

This type of mild steel is an “un-alloyed, hot rolled, low carbon steel.

Physical Properties

It is easier to cut, weld, machine and drill

Corrosion resistance

It is susceptible to rusting easily. It has to be treated on the surface after fabrication with
paint to make it corrosion resistant.

Grade EN8

“EN8 mild steel is an unalloyed medium carbon bright steel.” It is usually used in
manufacturing

15
 • Shafts
• Studs
• Bolts
• Connecting rods
• Axles
• Screws
• Automotive Parts

Properties

Machinability

EN8 can be machined or drilled

Welding

This type of steel can be welded using MIG wire or 7018 electrodes

Corrosion resistance

It is more resistant to corrosion than standard steel

Gears

“A gear is a toothed wheel that engages another toothed mechanism to change speed or
the direction of transmitted motion.”(Budynas, Nisbett and Shigley, 2011) One of the
uses of gears is to transfer rotational motion to a different axis either in parallel or at
right angles.

Types of Gears

Spur gears

Spur gears have teeth that are parallel to the axis of rotation. They are the simplest form
of gears.

16
However, spur gears also in comparison to bevel gears produce more noise because of
the larger area of contact between mating teeth.

Advantages:

• They are simple and cheaper than most gears

• “Speed ratios of up to 8(in extreme cases up to 20) for one step (single reduction)
designs; up to 45 for two-step design; and up to 200 for three-step design. (Bhatia,
no date)
Disadvantages
They are not suitable when a direction change between two shafts is required.
They produce noise because of a large contact area. (Bhatia, no date)

Helical gears

Helical gears are similar to spur gears, but their teeth are cut at an angle. This angle is
often referred to as the helix angle. This angle is determined by the design of the shaft.

Advantages

• Their tooth strength is greater than that of spur gears

• Ability to carry heavy loads than spur gears
• They produce less noise when compared to other gears when they are running

Disadvantages

• They are more expensive than spur gears

• The gears when in mesh produce thrust forces axially

Bevel Gears

17
A bevel gear has a shape like a cone. Its primary purpose is the transmission of power
between intersecting shafts that are at right angles. They can be both straight or spiral.

Advantages

• They are efficient during transmission of motion and power between shafts that
are intersecting.
• Unlike other gears they permit adjustments during assembly and they allow some
displacement.

Disadvantages

When they have straight gears, they make noise for speeds up to 1000 feet per minute.
(Bhatia, no date)

18
 Chapter 3: Methodology

3.1 Introduction

This chapter discusses the methods used to produce a multi-nut tightener and remover
which removes and tightens three nuts collectively. The chapter starts with the material
selection and material measurements process and calculations then the conceptual and
detailed design

3.2 Design

The prototype wheel to be used for testing will have a design similar to that of a Cessna
aircraft which has three nuts around its wheel with a removable flange wheel hub. The
imaginary circle passing through the nut centres of the wheel below is called the pitch
circle diameter

Figure 9 Cessna aircraft wheel

19
The multi-nut remover and tightener use a system of satellite gears and a sun gear to be
able to transfer torque from a single shaft (the one connected to the sun gear) and
transfer to the satellite gears which are connected to the shafts and sockets.

3.2 Conceptual Design

A conceptual design of the prototype design was drawn using 3D AutoCAD. The
Conceptual design was then used to produce the details of the multi-nut remover and
tightener and how it was going to transmit motion and power from a single gear (sun
gear). The Pitch circle diameter to be used is 132mm. The pitch circle diameter for the
gears needed to satisfy the 132mm pitch circle diameter of the wheel was calculated by
first dividing the pitch circle diameter of the wheel.

3.2.1 Drawing

Figure 10 3D drawing

20
3.3 Gear selections

3.3.1 Gear Materials

They are many different kinds of materials commonly used to construct gears. The main
categories that were discussed below are copper alloys, iron alloys, aluminium alloys and
thermoplastics.

Copper Alloys

Copper alloys are corrosion resistant. Therefore, these are used when designing gears
that are exposed to a corrosive environment. The most common alloys used in gearing is
brass, which has alloys of zinc and copper thereby making the brass ductile. The gears
made from brass are used in low-load environments.

Aluminium Bronze is another copper alloy used in gearing. It has high wear resistance
and superior corrosion resistance. They are typically used in making helical gears. (Finding
the ideal materials for gears | Gear Solutions Magazine Your Resource to the Gear Industry, no date)

Iron Alloys

Iron alloys are used in gear design when the gear requires superior material strength.
“Steel is an alloy of iron, carbon and some other trace elements” (Finding the ideal materials
for gears | Gear Solutions Magazine Your Resource to the Gear Industry, no date) Carbon steel irons

are commonly used to make all gears (Spur gears, bevel gears and Helical gears). They
are easier to manufacture therefore relatively inexpensive. They are also corrosion
resistant. Cast iron has better compressive strength than Carbon steel and therefore is
suitable for axial loads.

Tool steel alloys

Tool steel alloys are steel alloys with cobalt, vanadium, tungsten and molybdenum
traces.(Finding the ideal materials for gears | Gear Solutions Magazine Your Resource to the Gear

21
Industry, no date) tool steel alloys have added heat resistance and durability because of

their elements.

Aluminium Alloys

Aluminium is lighter in weight than iron. Its weight is just one-third the weight of steel of
the same size. This property makes aluminium alloys a great alternative for iron alloys
particularly for applications that require a high strength-to-weight ratio.(Finding the Ideal
Materials for Gears | Gear Solutions Magazine Your Resource to the Gear Industry, n.d.).
However, aluminium is expensive therefore the gears manufactured from aluminium are
more expensive than those from carbon steel.

Thermoplastics

Gears made from thermoplastics are the best choice when weight is the most important
criterion although they are not as strong as iron alloys and aluminium alloys gears. Nylon
is the common plastic used to make plastic gears. It is excellent at absorbing vibration
but if it comes in contact with moisture it tends to be dimensionally stable. Nylon
thermoplastics undergo injection moulding to produce spur gears, helical gears and bevel
gears.

Unobtanium

There is still one material that is yet to be developed to make the ideal gear. This material
is known as Unobtanium. Unobtanium is a term used to refer to a material that cannot
be accessed. (What Is Unobtanium? - Definition from WhatIs.Com, n.d.) The material is
lightweight and has a hardness greater than that of diamond with also a coefficient of
friction of 0.001

Material selection process

22
Table 1 Relevance Scale

Availability 4
Affordability 3
Strength 2
Weight 1

Key: 1-4 (4 has the highest relevance)

Availability had the highest rating because our tool should be locally made. It is followed
by affordability because of the current economic conditions in Zimbabwe(inflation).
Strength also has the same rating as affordability because the multi-nut tightener and
remover cannot be able to remove a nut if the gears have low strength

Table 2 Material properties

Material Density(𝑘𝑔/𝑚3 Strength (Ultimate

Tensile Strength)
Copper 8960 210MPa
Iron 7300 540MPa
Aluminium 2710 90MPa
Thermoplastics 1150 85.49MPa
(Nylon)

23
Key: the ratings are from 1-5

Table 3 Rating Table

Rating Score
5 Best (in terms of availability, affordability,
strength, weight relative to the others)
4 Better (in terms of availability affordability,
strength, weight relative to the others)
3 Good (in terms of availability, affordability,
strength, weight relative to the others)
2 Moderate (in terms of availability,
affordability, strength, weight relative to
the others)
1 Worse (in terms of availability,
affordability, strength, weight relative to
the others)

The material with the highest rating (5) is the cheapest, the most available, the strongest,
the lightest.

The other material is then measured relative to the one with the 5 ratings.

The ratings are then multiplied by the values of importance in table 1

24
Table 4 Comparisons Table

Type of Availability Affordability Strength (2) Weight (1) Total

Material (4) (3)
Copper Alloy 4 3 4 2 38
4*4=16 4*3=12 4*2=8 2*1=2
Iron Alloy 5 4 5 3 42
5*4=20 3*3=9 5*2=10 3*1=3
Aluminium 3 4 3 4 34
Alloy 3*4=12 4*3=12 3*2=6 4*1=4
Tool Steel 4 2 5 3 41
Alloy 4*4=16 2*3=12 5*2=10 3*1=3
Thermoplastics 4 5 1 5 38
4*4=16 5*3=15 2*1=2 5*1=5

According to the comparisons made above, Iron alloy has the highest rating of 42
therefore the gears made from cast iron were chosen.

3.3.2 Types of Gears

The types of gears were discussed in chapter 2. Spur gears were chosen although they
produce noise but because they are cheaper and they can transmit motion and loads for
parallel shafts. Therefore, the gears to be used for the prototype are cast iron spur gears.

The size of the gears and type to be used must first be determined to be able to produce
the design of the prototype using AutoCAD

Since the p.c.d for the wheel is 132mm, the distance between the centres of the sun gear
132
and any one of the satellite gears will be = 66𝑚𝑚.
2

25
For the gears to mesh properly first, the gears must be according to national standards.
To be able to find the right gears which have centres that add up to a pitch circle diameter
of 132mm a standard gear size sheet was used.

figure 1 1 standard gear size chart

Gears Number S4016B and S4017B have pitch circle diameters of 64mm and 68mm. (64
+ 68 = 132)

Therefore, these two types of gears were selected for the prototype

26
Table 5 Gear Specifications

Gear Number Teeth number Outside diameter/mm

S4016B 16 72
S4017B 17 76

figure 1 2 Spur gear

Gear calculations

tip diameter = 𝑑𝑡 m = module

pitch circle diameter = d z = number of teeth

27
𝑑𝑡 = 𝑑 + 2𝑚 𝑑 = 𝑧𝑚 𝑑𝑡 = 𝑧𝑚 + 2𝑚

For the sun gear for the satellite Gears

72 = 16𝑚 + 2𝑚 76 = 17𝑚 + 2𝑚

𝑚=4 𝑚=4

𝑑 = 16 × 4 𝑑 = 17 × 4

𝑑 = 64 𝑑 = 68

𝜋𝑑 𝜋×68
𝑃𝐶 (𝑐𝑖𝑟𝑐𝑢𝑙𝑎𝑟 𝑝𝑖𝑡𝑐ℎ) = 4𝜋 =
𝑧 17

𝜋 × 64
4𝜋 =
16

From the calculation we see that the pitch circle diameter of the sun gear is 64mm while
for the satellite it’s 68mm. According (Budynas, Nisbett and Shigley, 2011) to the gears
will mesh properly if the gears in mesh have the same circular pitch and for these gears,
they both have the same circular pitch.

28
 3.4 Detailed Design

figure 1 3 Geometric drawing

29
Minimum parts required

Table 6 Materials

Material Quantity
Steel Plates 600mm by 600mm
Spur gears 4
Shaft (25mm diameter), (length 1
metre)
Sockets 3
DC servo motor 1
Bearings 4
12 Battery 1

3.5 Bill of Materials

Materials Cost/US dollars

Steel Plate 30
Spur Gears 20
Shaft 10
Sockets 5
DC servo Motor 30
Bearings 5
12 V Battery 20
Total 120

The torque required to tie the wheel nuts or bolts of light aircraft wheels is usually
between 90 inch-pounds and 150-inch-pounds. (Installation Guidelines, no date)

30
3.6 Fabrication processes

Measure
Drill 4 holes Weld the
and cut
on the plate side
plates from
with drilling plates
sheet metal
machine onto the
base plate

Milling of Thread the Machine the

the rods shafts using EN8 rods to
faces to a lathe reduce their
make machine original
holding diameter
sockets

Mount the
Mount rods Insert the gears, dc servo
on the spur rods on the base motor to
gear plate the base
keyways plate

Use grinder
to remove
burrs
31
The processes were carried out in the mechanical workshop at the University of
Zimbabwe.

3.5.1 Manufacture of components

Base Plate

A tape measure was used to measure the dimensions of the base and top steel plate
required which is 280mm by 280mm from a sheet of steel metal. The plates were cut
using a grinder. Then using a drilling machine, holes were drilled on the base and top
plate. The drill bit used was 16mm. A 16 mm drill bit was chosen to make sure they is
clearance between the rods and the plate.

figure 1 4 plates with gears and shafts

32
Shafts

The three rods at first had a diameter of 25mm. Using a lathe machine, the diameter was
reduced to 15mm. A lathe machine was also used to thread the rods so that rather than
welding the top plate on top of the gears the top plate would be screwed using nuts onto
the shafts. Milling was done on the other face of the shaft to produce a 12mm-by-12mm
square face for holding the sockets which are called the drive socket. The 12mm drive
socket allows it to fit in many standard sockets.

figure 1 5 EN8 mild steel

A fourth shaft was also machined and fitted onto the pinion gear. This shaft was drilled
in its centre to produce a hole because this shaft was the one joining the motor to the
whole prototype.

33
The shafts were drilled across to make a small hole(4mm) to fit a key. This is done so
that the shaft is joined to the gears which have a keyway diameter of 5mm. When the
shaft and key fit into the gear the key rests inside the gear keyway thereby joining the
gear and shaft together. After the fitting of the gears and shaft on the base plate the side
plates and handles were welded to the base plate using an electric arc welder.

figure 1 6 mesihing arrangement

3.5.2 Motor Selection

𝑁𝑢𝑚𝑏𝑒𝑟 𝑜𝑓 𝑡𝑒𝑒𝑡ℎ 𝑜𝑓 𝑑𝑟𝑖𝑣𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑔𝑒𝑎𝑟 16

Gear ratio of gears is: = 17
𝑁𝑢𝑚𝑏𝑒𝑟 𝑜𝑓 𝑡𝑒𝑒𝑡ℎ 𝑜𝑓 𝑑𝑟𝑖𝑣𝑒𝑛 𝑔𝑒𝑎𝑟

An electric motor is a machine that changes electrical energy into mechanical energy
through the interaction between the magnetic field and electric current in a coil winding.

34
The torque for removing a Cessna wheel nut is between 90inch-pounds to 150 inch-
pounds. To convert to Newton metre squared you divide by 8.85. Therefore:

90
= 10.16𝑁𝑚
8.85

150
= 16.95𝑁𝑚
8.85

2𝜋𝑁(𝑟𝑝𝑚)𝑇(𝑡𝑜𝑟𝑞𝑢𝑒)
𝑝𝑜𝑤𝑒𝑟 =
60

2𝜋 × 30 × 10.16
𝑚𝑖𝑛𝑖𝑚𝑢𝑚 𝑝𝑜𝑤𝑒𝑟 =
60

2𝜋 × 60 × 16.95
𝑚𝑎𝑥𝑖𝑚𝑢𝑚 𝑝𝑜𝑤𝑒𝑟 =
60

Minimum Power of Motor required = 31.91 W

Maximum Power of Motor required = 106.49 W

The most common types of electric motors are the DC motor and the AC motor. A wiper
motor which is a DC motor was selected for the prototype because they are much cheaper
and they were readily available. A DC wiper motor has an inbuilt wiper motor which can
reduce the speed of the motor to 35 revolutions per minute.

To mount the DC servo motor and the sun gear shaft another shaft was drilled thereby
making it a hollow shaft (It is called an adapter). The lathe machine was then used to
make the ends of the adapter fit the drive shaft of the motor and the sun gear shaft. This
was done by enlarging the opening on both ends of the adapter until it could fit in both
shafts.

𝑆𝑝𝑒𝑒𝑑 𝑜𝑓 𝑑𝑟𝑖𝑣𝑒𝑟 𝑁𝑢𝑚𝑏𝑒𝑟 𝑜𝑓 𝑡𝑒𝑒𝑡ℎ 𝑜𝑛 𝑑𝑟𝑖𝑣𝑒𝑛

Speed ratio =𝑆𝑝𝑒𝑒𝑑 𝑜𝑓 𝑑𝑟𝑖𝑣𝑒𝑛 = 𝑁𝑢𝑚𝑏𝑒𝑟 𝑜𝑓 𝑡𝑒𝑒𝑡ℎ 𝑜𝑛 𝑑𝑟𝑖𝑣𝑒𝑟

𝑛𝑢𝑚𝑏𝑒𝑟 𝑜𝑓 𝑡𝑒𝑒𝑡ℎ 𝑜𝑓 𝑑𝑟𝑖𝑣𝑒𝑟

𝑠𝑝𝑒𝑒𝑑 𝑜𝑓 𝑑𝑟𝑖𝑣𝑒𝑛 = 𝑠𝑝𝑒𝑒𝑑 𝑜𝑓 𝑑𝑟𝑖𝑣𝑒𝑟 ×
𝑛𝑢𝑚𝑏𝑒𝑟 𝑜𝑓 𝑡𝑒𝑒𝑡ℎ 𝑜𝑓 𝑑𝑟𝑖𝑣𝑒𝑛

35
 16
𝑆𝑝𝑒𝑒𝑑 𝑜𝑓 𝑑𝑟𝑖𝑣𝑒𝑛( 𝑆ℎ𝑎𝑓𝑡), 35 × = 𝟑𝟐. 𝟗𝟒 𝒓𝒑𝒎𝒔
17
50×60
Torque on the pinion gear: = 13.64𝑁. 𝑚
2𝜋×35

16
Torque supplied at the shafts (Sockets) : × 13.64 = 12.84𝑁. 𝑚
17

figure 1 7 Adapter

The parts were then disassembled again and the shafts and plates underwent deburring
(which is a process of removing the burrs) by using a grinder. After deburring the parts
were reassembled again.

36
Chapter 4 Results

This chapter reviews the results obtained from the test carried out by the
prototype made in the workshop. It also describes how the test was conducted
and how the results were measured.

4.1 The Final Prototype

figure 1 8 final prototype

37
figure 1 9 final prototype

4.2 Testing

4.2.1 Prototype objectives

• Fabricate a multi-nut remover and tightener capable of removing and

tightening three nuts at the same time
• Reduce the cumulative time required when removing and/or tightening
wheel nuts on several aircraft compared to using a nut driver or spanner.

38
 A piece of steel metal was used as the test piece. A protract was used to
measure from the center of the test piece a circle with a radius of 66mm and
a diameter of 132mm. The test piece represents the wheel of the aircraft. Three
M8 bolts with a height of 15mm were welded using an electric arc welder on
the sheet metal. These bolts represent the studs on an aircraft wheel. Three
M8 nuts were then placed onto the bolts but without tightening them.

Figure 20

4.3 Method of Experiment

• A stopwatch was used to measure the time it takes to tighten the nuts.
• The stopwatch is started when the motor starts to rotate and it is
stopped when it stops rotating (it stops rotating because the nuts have
been fully tightened).
• Repeat the experiment but the time using a nut driver.

39
 5.4 Test Results

Table 7 Experiment Results

Tool Time taken to Time taken to Total Time taken

tighten 3 nuts on a remove 3 nuts on
15mm bolt the 15mm bolts
Multi Nut remover 5s 6s 11s
and tightener
Nut driver 10s 13s 23s

Difference in time taken = 23seconds

Percentage decrease achieved by using multi nut remover and tightener:

12
× 100 = 52%
23

Observations made:

Time taken to remove the nuts was greater than the time taken to tighten the
nuts. The extra time taken when removing the nuts is because the nuts were
tightened on the bolt therefore the motor required more power to remove the
nuts than when tightening nuts that are secure.

40
 Chapter 5 Conclusion and Recommendations

5.1 Challenges

Power cuts slowed down the fabrication process. The lathe machine, milling
machine, grinder and electric arc welder all need electricity for them to function.

Availability and Cost of the Materials

One new gear cost ninety united states dollars and the project needed 4 spur
gears.

5.1.1Fabrication challenges

The socket faces which were machined on the shafts required a very high degree
of accuracy for the them to fit on a standard socket. More time was spent
machining the shafts to produce a 13mm-by-13mm square socket holder.

5.2 Conclusion

Despite the challenges experienced the prototype was implemented successfully

and was able to meet its objectives. The multi nut tightener and remover can be
used in aircraft maintenance and manufacturing industry and airlines. It can help
in reducing aircraft turnaround time for many airlines in Zimbabwe and also help
reduce time taken when removing and tightening nuts on wheels.

41
5.3 Recommendations

Although cast iron is a very strong metal with a higher ultimate tensile strength
than Aluminum it caused the prototype to be heavy. Alloys of Aluminum for
example zinc can cause the aluminum to have a higher strength to ratio than cast
iron. The prototype developed was for wheels with a pitch circle diameter of
132mm. In the future a multi nut remover and tightener which has a variable pitch
circle diameter will be able to break these limitations.

42
 References

A Guide to Impact Wrenches - Toolstop (2022). Available at:

https://www.toolstop.co.uk/blog/knowledge-base/a-guide-to-impact-wrenches
(Accessed: June 17, 2022).
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(Accessed: March 23, 2022).
Aviation Accidents Caused by Human Error | WKW (no date). Available at:
https://www.wkw.com/aviation-accidents/blog/aviation-accidents-human-error/
(Accessed: March 12, 2022).
Best 12V Cordless Impact Driver Head-to-Head Review for 2021 (no date). Available at:
https://www.protoolreviews.com/best-12v-cordless-impact-driver-reviews/ (Accessed:
June 24, 2022).
Bhatia, A. (no date) Basic Fundamentals of Gear Drives Credit: 6 PDH.
Budynas, R.G. (Richard G., Nisbett, Keith. and Shigley, Edward. (2011) Shigley’s
mechanical engineering design. McGraw-Hill.
Engineered Assembly Single & Multi-Spindle Systems | STANLEY® Assembly
Technologies | STANLEY® Engineered Fastening (no date). Available at:
https://www.stanleyengineeredfastening.com/en/tools/Engineered-Assembly-
Tools/Single-Multi-Spindle-Systems (Accessed: July 22, 2022).
Factors that contribute to work-related fatigue - WorkSafe (no date). Available at:
https://www.worksafe.vic.gov.au/factors-contribute-work-related-fatigue (Accessed:
March 12, 2022).
Finding the ideal materials for gears | Gear Solutions Magazine Your Resource to the Gear
Industry (no date). Available at: https://gearsolutions.com/features/finding-the-ideal-
materials-for-gears/ (Accessed: July 24, 2022).
Impact Driver for Lug Nuts Removal. Can I Change Car Tire? (No date). Available at:
https://www.finepowertools.com/drills/impact-driver-for-lug-nuts/ (Accessed: June 24,
2022).

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Impact Wrench Uses. Electric vs Air Impact Wrenches Comparison (no date). Available
at: https://www.finepowertools.com/drills/impact-wrench/#how-do-impact-wrenches-
work (Accessed: June 19, 2022).
Installation Guidelines (no date). Available at:
https://www.groveaircraft.com/brakeinstall.html (Accessed: March 11, 2022).
Introduction to Air Transport Economics (no date).
Mohankumar, G. et al. (no date) Design and Fabrication of Vehicles Multi Wheel Nuts
Tightener and Remover.
Multi nut remover and tighter | Design and fabrication projects | Lemurian Designs -
YouTube (no date). Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sMR85xpkLZg
(Accessed: July 22, 2022).
Ojo, O. and Olugbade, T. (2018) Development of an adjustable multi nut tighter or
remover for car tire Electrochemical Properties of Heat Treated Al Alloy A6061-T6 View
project Twinning-induced plasticity (TWIP) Steels View project. Available at:
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/332901525.
SIW 22T-A 1/2\ (no date). Available at:
https://www.tthme.com/?product_id=203612658_60 (Accessed: July 22, 2022).
Things You Should Know About Your Torque Wrench (no date). Available at:
https://blog.maxprocorp.com/nine-things-you-should-know-about-your-torque-wrench
(Accessed: July 22, 2022).
Vasigh Bijan, Fleming Ken and Tacker Thomas (2013) Introduction to Air Transport
Economics. 2nd Edition.
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and fatigue factors in aircraft line maintenance crews,” International Journal of Industrial
Ergonomics, 44(1), pp. 107–113. Available at:
https://doi.org/10.1016/J.ERGON.2013.11.003.
What Is a Torque Wrench and How Do You Use It? | RS Components (no date). Available
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https://www.techtarget.com/whatis/definition/unobtainium (Accessed: July 24, 2022).

44
4 Appendix A: Lathe Machine

45
 5 Appendix B: Gantt Chart
Gantt Chart
21-Mar-22 31-Mar-22 10-Apr-22 20-Apr-22 30-Apr-22 10-May-22 20-May-22 30-May-22

Design tool

Buy gears

Gear calculations

design final prototype

vist mechanical workshop

fabrication

Methodolgy

testing

46
6 APPENDIX C: Switch Circuit

47