the design problem -- treadle pump

one of the MSU teams (Ann, Filipe, Jon, Peter) are working on optimizing an existing ATC design for a treadle pump, a device which allows farmers to irrigate their land using human power.

(taken from a document produced by John Barrie)



the existing ATC treadle pump design, built by the MSU student team



Problem:

Rural farmers in many parts of the world have two seasons – one growing season and one dry season.  During dry season which is about half the year, they can’t grow crops.  Moreover during the growing season they are at the mercy of the weather.  A drought of a few weeks can ruin their crops and wipe out family finances.  If rural farmers could have greater control over the amount of water that reaches their crops they could triple their income and afford to send their children to school.

Solution:

Design an easy to build and maintain human powered pump, such as a treadle pump.

The treadle pump is a human-powered irrigation device that pumps water up from a well (or river). The pumping action comes from stepping up and down on treadles which drive pistons. Treadle pumps look a lot like a stair-step machine you might see at the gym.  They pump groundwater to the surface powered by the large muscles in your legs. Treadle pumps allow farmers to supplement rain-fed irrigation.  Farmers can raise crops in two growing seasons per year, and they can grow higher value and more diverse crops on their small plots of land, increasing their income as well as providing their family with more nutritious food. There is also the possibility of irrigating previously unusable land, increasing resources available.

Current Status:

ATC has a Treadle Pump design.  It has been downloaded over 3,500 times and is in use around the world.  Our problem is that the design is not ergonomically correct and critical parts of the mechanism are not sufficiently durable.  We would like to manufacture critical parts of the Treadle Pump while having most of the pump manufactured in less economically developed countries.

Design Challenge:

Take our current design and make it better.  Research existing treadle pump designs.  Create a new pump that can be knocked down for shipping and put into service with minimum hassle.  An ideal design would be buildable in less economically developed countries. 

in future posts, i'll talk about what the team's approach has been, their findings, and their solution.