Prototype Development For A Leak Preventive Toilet Flush System An Met Senior Design (Capstone) Project

A senior design (Capstone) project for three mechanical engineering technology students at Old Dominion University is described. A prototype design is presented to perform the functional test of a leak-preventive toilet system. There are two major leaks in the toilet water tank. In the first case, leaking occurs when the seal in the water tank becomes aged. The leak is very easy to detect visually, since the outside of the tank and the floor becomes wet. In the second case, leak occurs when the flapper valve can’t complete shut off the water, due to corrosion or damage of the rubber components. Water will flow down to the toilet through stand-up tube. The leaking may be very difficult to detect, since it may not be noisy and can’t be detected visually. Although there have been several ideas proposed to solve the leaking problem, they are either impractical or need critical adjustments during the installation. Also, the operation is usually different from regular flush systems. In this project, students are asked to develop a leak-preventive prototype by modifying the concept of a dual-valve system. In addition to functional analysis, students also consider the factors of manufacturing, installation, operation, design reliability, and adaptability to typical flush systems. Results show that the prototype can prevent the leak very effectively and can be applied to two major toilet flush systems. By using a magnetic activating mechanism in this design, the user won’t feel any difference when compared to the operation of either of the flush systems. . . Proceedings of the 2001 American Society for Engineering Education Annual Conference & Exposition Copyright 2001, American Society for Engineering Education P ge 621.1