Senior Design 2020 – Mechanical Engineering Team 20
Figure 1
Mechanical Engineering Team 20
Team Members
Advisor
Jordan Amella Katherine Defazio Ryan Girardini
Thomas Mealy
sponsored by
Guillotine Maul
This project is the design and fabrication of a manually operated guillotine maul wood splitter, which splits logs into 4 pieces in one drop, making firewood significantly faster than the hydraulic drive splitters in the marketplace. Adjustable weight falls from sufficient height using impact force to split the wood. It operates within an entirely mechanical system, eliminates a great deal of manual work, and uses no motor, electricity or fuel. The splitting head falls on a track system consisting of an I-Beam and rollers. The splitting head and weight are cranked by reduction gears to maximum height, held by a stop, and released by the pull of a trigger system. The impact splits the wood with 4 cuts-in-one without the need for an engine. Thus reducing the bothersome noise and exhaust, refills and leaks of gas, oil, and hydraulic fluid, and the constant back-bending work to reseat half-logs on the splitter. As long as gravity remains in supply, the guillotine maul is ready to process firewood wood.