DEVELOPMENT OF AN IMPROVED PEDAL POWERED WASHING MACHINE

This research work deals with the design and fabrication of an improved cloth washing machine capable of small-scale industrial applications as well as household use. The project is aimed at developing a washing machine that is efficient, affordable, durable and compatible for rural areas with little or no supply of electricity; by working on the efficiencies of pre-developed machines and providing solutions to their deficiencies; a dynapod with gear-sprocket system combined with the belt-pulley system is used to transmit torque via leg cranking to the shaft of the washing drum (agitator in an electric washing machine); the dynapod is also used to vary (increase or decrease) the speed of the machine to facilitate different speeds for the three main operations in laundry process washing, rinsing, and spinning which are the three main operations of the washing machine, speed is further increased with the aid of the belt-pulley system. With an overall efficiency of 84.98%, the cost of fabricating the machine is 45,000NGN (123.80USD) and this can be significantly reduced if produced in a large scale. The machine is easy to use and maintain as the system of operation is simple, it is eco-friendly and safe for the user. The machine is capable of community application therefore can be used by the entire populace of a rural area or settlement

Travel Behaviour Of University Enviroment: Inter-Relationship Between Trip Distance And Travel Mode Choice In South-Western Nigeria

Universities’ trip pattern is an important component of overall transportation demand of a province but it is often not well represented in travel demand models. This research assessed the spatial commuting patterns of the three categories of universities in Southwestern Nigeria. This was achieved with the uniform distribution of 3000 questionnaires with 80% return rate using face to face approach. Statistical software was employed in the analysis of the data. Distance was found to be a function of commuting pattern as it has a coefficient of determination (R2) value of o.64. Moreover, 81% and 65% of staff in private and government owned universities respectively adopted the use of private cars, while walking and the use of shuttle buses were predominantly used by students for both long and short trip distances. The study showed that the use of shuttle is not affected by trip distance as compared to the other modes. However, cycling and walking should be encouraged to minimize the overdependence on the use of shuttle for both short and long distance trips. In addition, emission of greenhouse gases in universities’ environments in Nigeria could be reduced if adopte