How to teach hydraulics in a project based learning method?
Answers
Hydraulics is better understood using examples such as a Hydraulic Robotic Arm
One of the reasons that this project is fun to make, is because the materials needed are very cheap and can be easily found at home!
MATERIALS:
CARDBOARD ( preferably a double corrugated board although you could manage with a single corrugation. Will result to a slightly weaker model.)
10 ml SYRINGES x 8 (these syringes will act like the muscles of the hydraulic arm)
2m long TUBE (the tube needs to fit snugly into the opening of the syringe.)
TOOTHPICKS
SUPERGLUE (you will need a lot!)
X- acto knife
A pair of scissors
Make the body adhering to the normal shape
Take four syringes, these will be the ones attached to the Arm. To attach it in a way that the joint can still pivot you need to adjust the syringes like so.
Clip the extra plastic piece on top as it can cause unnecessary width
Drill a hole around half a cm from the top of dia the size of the toothpick. One out of the four syringes will have two holes at the top, this being the gripper's syringe.
Get two zip ties and close them in this ''figure of eight'' shape. Tighten one loop around the syringe then slip in a toothpick on the other one and tighten it till it bits tightly, finally clip the extra bit of the zip tie.
To make the rotating platform, find an old pen cap, you will use that as the axis on which the arm rotates on. Cut a piece of cardboard with length and width little bigger than the Support pieces.
Make a hole in the center with dia a bit bigger than the pen cap's, to permit easy movement. Stick the piece with superglue to the support pieces. Then grab a much bigger rectangular cardboard piece to form your base. Like before drill a hole in the center this time so that the cap fits snugly. Push the cap in and put dabs of glue for strength. Then slip in the main body...
This is quite a good demonstration
¯\_(ツ)_/¯ do mark as bRaInLiEsT if ya don't mind