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== Treadle Pump Optimization Project == | |||
Revision as of 10:38, 14 April 2010
Treadle Pump Optimization Project
Background
The treadle is a very simple design that is used to produce rotary or reciprocating motion in a machine, which dates back to Thomas Saint’s original sewing machine design he had patented in 1790 and earlier. This basic component has been used in grinders and now pumps as well. A treadle pump defined as a foot operated single acting double cylinder piston pump for low lift irrigation (New Dawn Engineering, 2009). Pumping is activated by stepping up and down on the treadles to drive the attached pistons, creating suction in the cylinder that draws groundwater to the surface (International Development Enterprises, 2010). This water can be sourced from a river, well, or water table and is used for irrigating farmers’ fields or to store water in a container for later use. They have been used in many countries worldwide such as Ghana, Zambia (Engineers Without Borders Canada), Swaziland, Kenya (New Dawn Engineering, 2009), Bangladesh, Nepal, India, Cambodia and Myanmar (Cooper Hewitt , 2006). Presently, 84 manufacturers now produce treadle pumps and 1.4 million have been sold to small plot Bangladeshi farmers since 1985 (International Development Enterprises, 2010).
Bibliography
Cooper Hewitt . (2006). Bamboo Treadle Pump. Retrieved April 4, 2010, from Design for the Other 90%: http://other90.cooperhewitt.org/Design/bamboo-treadle-pump
Engineers Without Borders Canada. (n.d.). The Treadle Pump. Retrieved April 4, 2010, from Engineers Without Borders Canada: http://www.ewb.ca/en/whatwedo/overseas/projects/treadle.html
International Development Enterprises. (2010). Treadle Pump. Retrieved April 14, 2010, from International Development Enterprises: http://www.ideorg.org/OurTechnologies/TreadlePump.aspx
New Dawn Engineering. (2009). Treadle Pump for Low Lift Irrigation. Retrieved April 4, 2010, from New Dawn Engineering: http://www.newdawnengineering.com/website/pumps/treadle/