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Since hand-pulled noodles are made using techniques that have very human movementa combination of complex motions, we are considering a handful of mechanisms that either solve the full motion or parts of it.
Slider Crank
The first concept is a slider crank mechanism along with a servo motor to create the motion necessary to replicate hand-pulling noodles. We will be splitting up the motion into three parts, : an up-and-down motion, a twisting motion, and a forward and backward motion. One of the hooks will stay stationary while the other will perform the pulling movements. The moving hook will utilize a slider crank mechanism to advance forward and backward towards the standing hook, and a servo motor to twist back and forth to grab, twist, and drop the noodles. Between the hooks, there will be a noodle stand that will move up and down to push the noodles into the hooks which will also use a slider crank mechanism.
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Our second idea for the noodle-pulling mechanism was a system of crossed levers, termed “Lazy Tongs.” This mechanism is shown below in Figure 1. While this mechanism does not imitate the traditional method, it would still have that efficiency and accessibilityachieve something close to the desired effect while being efficient and accessible. This design was researched over others because the horizontal movement also resulted in a change in the vertical height. This is a feature that would help pull the noodles as a concern with mechanizing noodle-pulling is that an inconsistent pull of the dough could result in a tear. For our purposes, there would only be one side moving, with a stationary hook on the other side to hold the noodle in place to be pulled.
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Our third proposed mechanism is depicted below in Figure 2. This mechanism has the potential to be the closest to the technique used to pull noodles, ; however, it will not be able to twist and pull the increasing number of strands of noodles without human assistance. In general, the twisting of the noodles would have to be done by with out-of-planar plane motion. This mechanism stays planar and the intermittent aspect allows for the easy initial pull and the quick pull around. The movement we can get from this mechanism is unique and the path can be manipulated to mimic the human movement.
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delta X/L2 = 3.456
L3/L2 = 1.863
L1/L2 = 1.045575
Our Values:
Delta X = 12in (this value is based on a rough estimate from watching traditional hand-pulling videos)
L1 = 35.63in47in
L2 = 3.47in
L3 = 6.47in * 2 = 12.94in (the full length)
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Grashof's
3.47 + 6.47 < 6.47 + 35.63 47
Therefore, the shortest link can fully rotate concerning the neighboring link, which we saw in the video, but the law further proves it.