Design and Development of Hydraulic Jack Project

CE 1.1 Project Information
Name of the project: Design and Development of Hydraulic Jack
Location of the project: [Please fill]
Project Duration: [Please fill]
Organization: [Please fill]
Role and Designation during the time: Project Team Member
CE 1.2 Project Background
CE 1.2.1 Characteristics of the project
The Design and Development of Hydraulic Jack project was undertaken to develop a
hydraulic jack that can be used for lifting light weighted vehicles. Depending on the specific
category of jack, the mechanism of application of force varies. Jacks can either be hydraulic or
mechanical. Hydraulic jacks are considered to be stronger as they are dependent on the force that
is generated by pressure. Two cylinders were connected and the force was applied to a single
cylinder that created pressure in both the cylinders. One of the cylinders had larger area and the
force produced in that cylinder was higher. The basic principle that was followed to successfully
carry out this project was the principle of lifting heavy loads. Pascal’s law was followed in order
to design the hydraulic jack. This project applied the Pascal’s law which says that if pressure
increases on the surface of a liquid then the liquid is said to get transmitted in an undiminished
manner throughout the confined system or vessel.

CE 1.2.2 Objectives developed for the project
The Design and Development of Hydraulic Jack project was undertaken for developing
bottle jacks that can be used for lifting vehicles for service purpose or road inspection purpose.
Bottle jacks are mostly used in automobile industries. Following were the main objectives of this
project:
 To design and develop a hydraulic jack based on Pascal’s law
 To design and develop a hydraulic jack that will facilitate to lift light weight
automobiles in an easy and effective manner
 To identify a design of the jack that will reduce the point load that is acting on a
tyre of a loaded vehicle
 To design a jack that will help in reducing the wear and tear of a tyre
 To design and develop a hydraulic jack that will help the drivers to change and
replace the tyre of vehicles whenever the tyres are punctured or busted
CE 1.2.3 My area of work
I was the member of the project team. My area of work was divided into two distinct
parts. The first part was to carry out a thorough research of the concept of hydraulic jacks and
their importance. I had carried out a thorough research on the working principle and mechanism
of hydraulic jacks. The second part was to carry out the technical design of the jack. I had
coordinated with the project team leader to carry out the design and development of hydraulic
jacks. My team leader had equally distributed the area of work for all the team members. All my
doubts were clarified by my team leader. I had utilized my mechanical engineering skills in a
correct manner for ensuring safe, well-resourced and timely completion of the project.

CE 1.2.4 Project Group
Figure 1: People involved in the project
CE 1.2.5 My responsibilities throughout the project
I had various responsibilities in the Design and Development of Hydraulic Jack project.
Being a member of the team, my main responsibility was to assist my team leader in the
appropriate designing of the hydraulic jack. I had carried out significant research on the design of
hydraulic jacks and its working principle. I was also responsible for managing the entire team
and resolving any conflict that took place among the team members. One of my major
responsibilities was to carry out the documentation process. My responsibilities were distributed
among all the phases of the project. I had started with research followed by designing and
documentation. It was my responsibility to review the plans and specifications of the project. My
team leader had given me the responsibility to monitor the progress of the design and
development of the hydraulic jack.

CE 1.3 Distinctive Activity
CE 1.3.1 Comprehending the theory of the project
Hydraulic jack is considered to be the simplest form of fluid power system. The operation
and working of the hydraulic jacks are based on the Pascal’s law. This project has designed a
hydraulic jack that is based on the principle that, whenever pressure is applied on the surface of a
liquid then the pressure will be transmitted equally in all the direction. This project has been able
to obtain mechanical advantage by applying Pascal’s law. Two pistons of varying sizes were
operated inside two cylinders. These two cylinders were connected by a pipe for equalizing the
pressure on both the sides.
Figure 2: Working of Hydraulic Jack
The above diagram shows the working mechanism of hydraulic jack. ‘P’ is the pressure
that is acting on the RAM cylinder, ‘W’ is the load and ‘F’ is the force that is acting on the
plunger. We had considered 60kN of load in this project. The design of the hydraulic jack had a
plunger cylinder on one side and a RAM cylinder on the other side. The RAM cylinder had a
RAM for the purpose of lifting loads. The plunger cylinder had a plunger for building pressure.
The plunger cylinder also had two valves. The suction valve of the plunger sucked the oil from

the reservoir during the upward stroke of plunger. The downward stroke of plunger was
responsible for delivering the oil from the plunger to the RAM cylinder via delivery valve. After
the completion of work the pressure that was in the cylinder was released and the RAM was
lowered.
CE 1.3.2 Engineering knowledge and skills applied in the project
I have applied my mechanical engineering skills and knowledge for designing the
hydraulic jack. I have utilized my problem solving skills to solve several complex issues and
problems. I have also applied specific designing skills and knowledge that I have gained from
University. My critical thinking skills have helped me to ensure smooth and systematic progress
of the project work. I have exceptional decision making skills that helped me to prioritize plans
according its level of importance. I have also utilized my interpersonal for maintaining harmony
in the team. I have applied my excellent written communication skills for carrying out the
documentation process.
CE 1.3.3 Accomplishment and task performed
The project was accomplished with the help of proper planning and designing. Proper
project scheduling was carried out. Regular meetings were conducted for discussing and making
new plans for accomplishing the project. I had the responsibility to monitor the progress of the
work. Regular follow up and progress monitoring had led to the success of the project. A
hydraulic jack was designed that was based on Pascal’s law. The team members were
cooperative and carried out their work as per schedule. I had designed an excel sheet for
monitoring the progress of the work. I had learned to use several techniques for avoiding any
kind of delay. A hydraulic jack was designed to facilitate lifting of light weight automobiles in
an easy and effective manner.

CE 1.3.4 Identified issues and their solutions
1.3.4.1 Issues
There were faults in the project plan and project schedule. Due to wrong planning, the
time taken to carry out each phase of the project was too long. There were faults in the design of
the hydraulic jack that could lead to malfunctioning in the future. Another serious issue that was
faced while working on this project was conflict among the team members. Lack of availability
of oil in reservoir was responsible for accumulating air through the jack and preventing RAM to
get lifted up.
1.3.4.2 Solutions
I had formulated a new plan and strategy for overcoming the faults that were present in
the current project schedule. The reservoir was completely filled with oil in order to carry out
proper working mechanism of the hydraulic jack. Being a mechanical engineer, I had proper
knowledge about fluid mechanics. I had applied my designing skills to assist my team leader for
rectifying the faults in the design of the hydraulic jack. Regular meetings were conducted for
sorting out the differences among the team members. Innovative and creative approach was
undertaken to overcome many challenges that were faced while completing the project.
CE 1.4 Project Review
CE 1.4.1 Project Overview
The objective of this project was to design and develop a hydraulic jack for lifting light
weighted vehicles. The concept and knowledge of fluid mechanics were applied to complete this

project work. The design and working mechanism of this hydraulic jack was based on Pascal’s
law.
CE 1.4.2 My contribution to work
I was the team member of this project of designing a hydraulic jack. I had various roles as
well as responsibilities throughout this project. I had undertaken relevant and significant research
work before the start of the project. I had done the documentation of this project work. I had also
assisted my team leader in designing the hydraulic jack. I had kept track of the activities and also
developed communication plan for resolving conflicts among the team members. My hard work
and capability had surprised the team leader. My skills and knowledge played a significant role
in the success of this project.