Printable View
for a design class, we came up with an inflatable object and need some help with our ideas. the object must maintain pressure. what are all the practical options out there? it needs to be compact and lightweight, pressure must be maintained around 3.5~4.5psi, and be able to relieve pressure if it gets above 4.5psi (due to elevation, temperature, etc). we came up with air compressor, pump, manual inflation (by mouth) and was hoping to see if anyone has any other ideas. any help is appreciated.
I'm new here so don't jump on me if I'm wrong!
But I'm sure a quick search on Google will reveal some chemical mixtures that release an abundance of gasses, perhaps this could be of help?
You need a pressure source (pump) and a pressure relief (valve). Search for pressure relief valves that will operate in that range. You will find lots.
Of course if the material is flexibile enough (think automotive tire)... You may not need a pressure relief valve.
To elica85: Here is the most common initial response to postings on this forum - more detail information please?
[QUOTE=JohnRUFC;4269]I'm new here so don't jump on me if I'm wrong!
But I'm sure a quick search on Google will reveal some chemical mixtures that release an abundance of gasses, perhaps this could be of help?[/QUOTE]
Thinking outside the box... I like that. And welcome to the forum by the way. W:C
And W:C elica85 also...
Some things that grab my attention are the words ... maintain... compact... lightweight... and class. Maintain is pretty solid word but are we talking maintain for a minute or a day or a year or a lifetime? To generate pressure something is going to need fuel of some sort whether it's food or gas or chemicals as was suggested. (I like that one by the way... cool way to inflate things.) So knowing how long this pressure needs to be "maintained" is a key factor.
Then there's compact. Compact like a pea or compact like a compact car or small house? Lightweight is also vague.
And last but not least... class. Some guidance is O.K. but we can't design this unit for you. That would defeat the purpose of the class. To get you thinking about different options or different ways to skin the cat and the advantages and disadvantages of each aspect of all the different ideas you investigate.
Good luck...!
Bob
Always thinking outside the box, plus the more you have to write about whether it be benificial to the project or not it usually helps get you better marks as it shows you have researched things in depth!
thank you all for the reply, i haven't checked here in a while. i love JohnRUFC's idea, and i am actually doing that for another project (still researching what material contracts, instead of expand, from heat) but anyways back to this project. my bad RWOLFEJR for the vague descriptions. you're right, it is for class so we are suppose to come up with ideas but there comes a point where i need to ask others for the most practical option. we are coming up with a concept only, and here it is: inflatable car seat for infants (don't bring this idea up to a mom, they will freak out). we have decided to use a pressure relief valve (something simple, plastic valve stays closed until there's enough pressure to open up and let some air out) and now to maintain the pressure..the idea for an inflatable car seat is for portability so are there really small pressure regulators or air compressors? oh, and no chemical mixtures here, just wanna stick with air. the device isn't for initial inflation of the seat, we will use one of those air mattress air pump things that can be plugged into the cig lighter port. it shouldn't have to operate 24/7 (as long as car seat has no holes), but it may need more air after letting some out due to altitude and then a new altitude causes the seat to need the air it lost. thanks again for the replies everyone~
ok, my knowledge was very limited when it comes to pressure valves and such. trashing the idea of the device to keep air pressure maintained since it would need some source of power which i was trying to avoid so it would just have the main port to inflate, if pressure is low, a battery powered alarm will beep, and a pressure relieve valve. saw the one on an air compressor we have in the garage and seems simple enough and much more reliable than plastic. but if there ARE things out there, maybe with rechargeable battery mini (very mini) air pump that can get the job done, let me know!