Team Members & Role:

Jim Mahoney: Team Lead

Sean Keohan: Analysis Lead

Nathan Foster: Controls Design Lead

Kyle Surette: Mechanical Design Lead

Ryan Carroll: Fabrication Lead

Ben Shaker: Evaluation Lead

Abstract: Brushrolls are an integral component in consumer vacuums. A plastic cylinder with an array of different types of surfaces on the outside, they serve the purpose of scrubbing the surface that the vacuum head is placed over trying to clean. SharkNinja is a leading producer of consumer cleaning products and is seeking a new rig to test their brushrolls without the need for a fully assembled vacuum. Current techniques of testing take too long and lack the understanding of torque on the brush roll when in contact with the surface it is cleaning. The proposed rig will use a torque sensor to better understand the load conditions on the brushroll as it spins. The rig will simulate the operating conditions of a SharkNinja vacuum by moving the floor surface below the spinning brushroll and will be modular to allow for testing on different surfaces. Using the torque sensor, the rig will provide accurate and repeatable data on the brushroll torque that will allow SharkNinja to make faster and more accurate decisions about their brushrolls.

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