Iron Ring Clock
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The Iron Ring Clock is a clock of unusual design created by four Mechanical Engineering students at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. The clock was designed and built as a thesis project during their final year, and took a year to complete. The clock won the 2nd prize for Manufacturing at the 2003 Canadian Society for Mechanical Engineering Student Design Competition. The clock was simultaneously put into commission and donated to McMaster University in September 2003. It should be noted that the term iron ring as used here refers to a ceremonial ring worn by many Canadian and American engineers, and does not specifically refer to a ring made of iron.
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[edit] Design and Manufacture
The clock was designed in large part in a four month period at the end of 2002, with some features which were originally intended for an outdoor installation. The clock keeps time through the use of a synchronous AC motor, which regulates its speed based on the frequency of the electricity it is fed. The top and bottom halves of the ring can rotate independently, with the top half of the ring displaying the hours, and the bottom half the minutes. The minute ring moves constantly, while the hour ring increments once an hour through the use of a Geneva drive mechanism. The rings are driven through a gearbox which was designed and in large part manufactured by the group. The two ring sections are made of forged stainless steel, with machined surfaces, and facets cut using a robotic six-axis Water jet cutter owned by the McMaster Manufacturing Research Institute. The central shield, the centrepiece of the clock, is made of hand-crafted stained glass. The design of the clock was carried out entirely with computer-aided design software, and CNC tools were used for components where the most precision was required. To help keep costs low, the team manufactured as many components as possible in an on-campus machine shop, with much indispensable help from various technicians.
The Iron Ring Clock team believes that the iron ring made for this project, at just over 1m inside diameter, is the largest in the world.
[edit] Fundraising
The total cost of the clock was approximately $20,000 CAD, which was raised either through cash donations or donations of services. McMaster University, various local industries, and numerous private donors are all commerated on a plaque installed adjacent to the entrance on which the clock stands. The clock team members manufactured any parts possible in an on-campus machine shop, in order to save costs and gain experience. Although the clock was donated to McMaster University on completion, team members make yearly maintenance trips to ensure that the clock continues to operate smoothly.
[edit] Criticisms
While it is quite well known on campus,[1] the Iron Ring Clock is not always recognized as a clock. The most common criticism of the clock is that it is counterintuitive to read, while others mistake it for a static display (the rings move quite slowly). It has shown the wrong time in the past, due to events such as power outages or break downs, however, in the absence of such events the motor and mechanism have shown themselves to be quite accurate.
The clock has also had issues with mechanical wear; the use of steel bearings to support and position the rings has led to grooves being worn into the rings themselves, as the bearings are all hardened steel and the rings are not. Some these bearings have been replaced, as it becomes necessary; the group is considering future solutions to this problem.
The Geneva wheel, made of aluminum for ease of manufacture, has also experienced some wear and will eventually need to be remade.
[edit] To read the clock…
To read the clock, look at it straight on from the front. The number on the top ring which most directly faces you denotes the hours, while the number directly below it denotes the minutes. If there is a space below the hour indicator, then the minutes must be estimated by gauging the distance to the previous and next minute numbers. See the picture at right for an example.
[edit] Future Plans
- Possible installation of panels matching the doorframe to cover the black structural steel base frame, for aesthetic reasons.
- Use of PLC control for time changes; possible use of remote controls via the internet (the clock is in a WiFi hotspot) to change the time. Currently the displayed time is changed through manual manipulation of switches in the clock's electrical system, located with the clock.
- Machining of a beveled base in the bottom ring to help bearings that support the bottom ring track properly. This would be a major retrofit as the rings each weigh over 100kg and are difficult to move.
- Separate the top and bottom rings to inspect the internal bearings for wear; this would require the manufacture of special tools to lift the top ring.
[edit] The Team
The Iron Ring Clock was designed and built by Patrick Burton, Braden Kurczak, Michael Paddags, and Peter Whitred, under the supervision of Dr. Tim Nye, at McMaster University.
[edit] References
- Peter Van Harten. "Engineering prank earns passing grade", The Hamilton Spectator, 2003-09-06.
- Torstar News Service. "Time piece becomes legacy", Toronto Metro, September 8, 2003.
- (Spring 2003) "Students give gift of time" (PDF). MacEngineer 28 (1): 15.
- (Winter 2004) "Engineering Graduates Leave Distinctive Legacy" (PDF). MacEngineer 29 (1): 19.
- ^ Julia Thomson. "75 people, places and things", McMaster Daily News, McMaster University Office of Public Relations, 2005-10-28.
