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org International Engineering Research Journal (IERJ) Special Issue 3 Page 35-39, 2016, ISSN 2395-1621

ISSN 2395-1621 Optimisation in Design of Mechanical

Scissor Lift
#1
Deepak Rote, #2Kaustubh Kolhe, #3Vinit mangaonkar, #4Vinay shinde,
#5
Mr. Syed Zulfequar Ali

1
dipak.rote2710@gmail.com
5
zulfee86@gmail.com

#12345
Mechanical Department, Savitribai Phule Pune University
Pashan, Pune, Maharashtra-412115, India

ABSTRACT ARTICLE INFO

Article History
This paper describes the design as well as analysis of a mechanical scissor lift which
Received: 28th February 2016
works on the principle of screw jack. Conventionally, a scissor lift or jack is used for
lifting a vehicle to change a tire, to gain access to go to the underside of the vehicle for Received in revised form :
changing under body parts and for many material handling operations. The scissor lift
1st March 2016
can be of mechanical, pneumatic or hydraulic type. This type is separated according to
the lifting mechanism used in construction of lift. The lift is selected such that Accepted: 3rd March 2016
calculation regarding the allowable maximum deflection must not be exceeded. To
analyze, solid modeling and computer simulations were involved using CAE software. Published online :
Several linear static FEA analyses have done to get accurate results. Also these results 5th March 2016
can be verified by using manual calculations simultaneously. The result shows that the
designed component of scissor lift is still in the acceptable range. However, some
manufacturers find the allowable maximum deflection is too excessive to improve factor
of safety. Perhaps, advice on critical areas to the application must be given and other
safety precautions must be taken to avoid failure during operating conditions.

Keywords— scissor lift, screw jack, hydraulic, pneumatic, mechanical, deflection.

I. INTRODUCTION
A scissor lift is a type of platform which moves in vertical upward motion is achieved by the application of pressure to
direction. Many tools in the automotive industry are the intersection of two ‗X‘ supports with the help of lead
designed to help technicians access difficult to reach places screw; the function of lift is performed by elongating the
and improve workers comfort. When a technician is crossing pattern, and propelling the work platform
working on a vehicle at ground level they must lean over vertically upwards. The platform may also have an
the vehicle or lie under the vehicle to complete the job or to extending 'bridge' patterns to allow closer access to the
service the vehicle. These positions can be awkward and work area because of inability of scissor lift to move in the
strain the technician‘s muscles or joints, which decreases direction other than vertical. [1]The operation of the scissor
technician‘s efficiency. [5]A solution to this problem is action can be obtained by hydraulic, pneumatic or
lifting the vehicle to a comfortable working height allowing mechanical means (via a lead screw or rack and pinion
the technician to work in the fully upright position. There system). Depending on the power system implemented on
are two kinds of lifts that can accomplish this; the first type the lift it is categorized. it may require no electric power to
of lift doesn‘t lift the vehicle completely which is only raise the height, but hydraulic or pneumatic units can also
provided for tire change or for some low duty applications. be used for such applications of lifting with reduction in
The second style of lift where the vehicle weight is human efforts. There are different types of hydraulic or
supported by its tires while the vehicle is on the lift. [5]The pneumatic cylinders are available in market which can be
mechanism incorporated to achieve this function is the use used according to application. [1]Nowadays these kinds of
of linked, folding supports in two criss-cross 'X' patterns scissor lifts are used in commercial airline and airport
mounted over each other, known as a pantograph. The industry, ground support equipments. During the hectic

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 www.ierjournal.org International Engineering Research Journal (IERJ) Special Issue 3 Page 35-39, 2016, ISSN 2395-1621

hours of an airplane arrival, ground crews are then busy there are some mechanical alternatives are also available
with the loading and unloading of baggage, catering which can improve portability, simplicity and by providing
supplies, water and also refueling the aircraft fuel tank in proper gearing, input energy is reduced along with the cost.
order to be prepared for the next flight departure. These Therefore, advantages of mechanical system over other
routine activities must be carefully handled according to mechanism are explained below:-
standard procedures and protocols of airport system using Simple in construction.
specific equipments and vehicles. Apart from this, safety Portable over other mechanism.
concern is given first priority to the equipments and Cost of manufacturing is low.
vehicles used and every design must follow certain Lift heavy loads with help of proper gearings.
standards. [6] Easy to find faults. (Diagnose)
According to the different applications there are several Don‘t consume electric sources for operation. (Operate
types of scissor lifts:- manually)
The scissor lifts can be classified as follows:- No external storage required. (Hydraulic and pneumatic
1. Classification based on the type of energy used: requires tank for fluid and air)
(a) Hydraulic lifts
(b) Pneumatic lifts Mechanical lift is another type of scissor lift which
(c) Mechanical lifts works on the principle of screw jack. Because of simple
design aspects and simplicity in construction, mechanical
2. Classification based on their usage: lift has wider range of applications over other types of lift
(a) Scissor lifts mechanisms.
(b) Boom lifts
(c) Vehicle lifts Screw jack is an example of mechanical lift. Screw jack
is made by using lead screw of square thread. as per the
Moreover sometimes as per the requirement these types today‘s scenario of cost reduction, we need to find the cost
of lifts may be observed in combination. e.g. mechanical effective solution for long term benefits. So, in the
scissor lift can be successively operated manually as well production system it is necessary to redesign the various
as with the help of pneumatic gun, further it is powered by products for reducing the cost of the product over the same
the resources available at work station. product. For that purpose we have chosen such exercise
with the scissor lift. By implementing same principle with
Pneumatics is a section of technology that deals with the using two ‗X‘ patterns, even better results can be achieved.
study and application of pressurized gas to produce The figure shown below shows same mechanism as
mechanical motion. Pneumatic systems that are used explained above. [4]
extensively in industry and factories are commonly
plumbed with compressed air or compressed inert gases. The figures given below are taken from already designed
This is because a centrally located and electrically powered CAD modeling in CREO 2.0.:-
compressor, that powers cylinders and other pneumatic
devices through solenoid valves. Again these types of lifts
has a problem of leakage and high cost of storage cylinders
[3]

The only difference in hydraulic and pneumatic lift is

that, hydraulic cylinder operates on fluid as a compressing
medium where as pneumatic operates on air or gas [3]

So, each lifting mechanism has its own drawbacks and

advantages. But, for making the car lift, portability and
simplicity in design are also very important aspects that
can‘t be neglected. So, for such constraints mechanical
system is most suitable over other systems.

Many of the organizations around the world have been

using all kinds of scissor lifts. But, many of these lifts are Mechanical Scissor lift designed in CAD software
failed with portability constraint. For heavy duty
applications hydraulic and pneumatic is preferred. Also,

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 www.ierjournal.org International Engineering Research Journal (IERJ) Special Issue 3 Page 35-39, 2016, ISSN 2395-1621

II.COMPONENT DETAILS

The lift shown above consists of several components.

Those are as given below:-
Upper Base
Lower Base
Links
Lead Screw
Nut
Roller Support
Connecting pins etc.
Figure of lower base
Hence, to design these components some calculations must
be performed. Dimensions of upper base and lower base is
The lower base plate is of mild steel material and has a
designed in such a way that it should move inside the car
thickness of 7mm. The upper and lower base is connected by
easily. So, that the manufactured model can perform its
links via fixed supports. While the other parameters are same
function for which it is designed.
as upper base.
Design of Upper Base:
Design of Links:
Thickness of link = 1.6 mm.
The upper base is made of mild steel material and its
Cross section of link = 40X40
rectangular cross section is of 20 mm X 40 mm. The length
Load acting on one link = F / 2 = 6000N
of the upper base is 1400mm and the breadth is 400mm.
The link is designed for buckling load, assuming factor of
safety (FOS) = 5
Thus critical buckling load = 6000 x 5 = 30000 N

Figure of upper base

Whereas, the base plate has two rigid supports. These
supports are provided for connecting base plate to links.
Design of link
Design Of Lower Base:
Since for buckling of the link in the vertical plane, the
ends are considered as hinged, therefore equivalent length of
the link is, L = 1100 mm.

Design Of Lead Screw:

While designing the lead screw the EN24T material is

selected. This Material has a yield strength of 650 N/mm2

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 www.ierjournal.org International Engineering Research Journal (IERJ) Special Issue 3 Page 35-39, 2016, ISSN 2395-1621

and the ultimate strength is of 850 N/mm2. For further design Connecting Pins:
of lead screw factor of safety is taken as 5.
Design of lead screw of material EN24T:
Yield strength (Syt) = 650N/mm2
Factor of safety (N) = 5
Permissible tensile stress (σ) = Syt/N = 80N/mm2
Stress is given by force to the cross section area of lead
screw
So, From σ=W/A
We get the core diameter of the screw = 14mm
Diameter of screw,
D = dc + p = 18mm.
Torque required to overcome thread friction is
T = (W*dm/2)*(tan (ø + λ))
But, tan λ = (l/л*dm) = 2.603.
Also, tan ø = μ.
Taking μ=0.15, figure of connecting pin
ø = 8.53.
As ø> λ, there is self locking. Links, base and other components are connected to each
Hence, torque required to overcome thread friction, other by using pin connections where, these pins are made of
T = 33.060 Nm. hard steel material which is having cylindrical cross section
To check whether the design is safe, torsion formula is used: of diameter of 16 mm.
Gθ/L = T/J = τ/r.
Hence, shear stress τ = 21.35 N/mm2 in loading condition. By taking the reference of above shown calculations, CAD
Permissible shear stress = (0.5*Syt)/N = 40 N/mm2. model of the scissors lift is generated using Solid Works/Pro-
Hence, as 40>21.35, the design is safe. e/Creo software. The purpose of doing so is to predict that
how the model will look after complete manufacturing
Roller Support: process. Then the same CAD file is converted to STP/STL
format. This format is then imported in ANSYS for further
The material used for manufacturing of roller is MS. Roller simulation process. Load, stress and deformation test is
support is provided to avoid friction between base and links. carried out and results are obtained by this software. These
results are used for further modification.The design process
explained in the paper is developed keeping in mind that the
lift can be operated by mechanical means so that the overall
cost of the scissor lift is minimized. Also such design makes
the lift more compact and much suitable for medium scale
work as well as heavy load duties. Finally the analysis is also
carried out in order to check the compatibility of the design
values.

Figure of roller

The material used for manufacturing of roller is mild steel.

This solid cylinder like shaped roller has diameter of 44 mm
and the width is 25mm. also one well centered hole of 16 mm
is provided for other assembly.
Figure of analyzed model

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 www.ierjournal.org International Engineering Research Journal (IERJ) Special Issue 3 Page 35-39, 2016, ISSN 2395-1621

It can be seen that the weight of the complete system is III.CONCLUSION AND FUTURE SCOPE
restricted to 40 kg by using mild steel material. From the
above results can be observed that, the upper base is With such a design of a scissor lift, the complexities in the
displaced downward after applying load. The distribution of design can be reduced. With design process explained above,
weight for complete manufactured model in mild steel is as the manufacturing time of a scissor lift can be reduced.
shown in table given below: Mechanical scissor lift operates o very simple principle of
Sr. Component Approximate Weight Total screw jack. This consumes less energy as compare to other
No. Name (kg) types of scissor lifts. Also, it makes the lift portable. Height
1 Upper base 3.4 3.4 of five feet can easily be achieved. Also, the analysis on
ANSYS shows that this design is safe for high loads. i.e. this
2 Lower base 7.6 7.6 lift is capable of lifting the weight up to 1000 kg with
minimum efforts. Such a design can be widely used in
3 Link 2.1*8 16.8 automobile industries and for production in other industries.
4 Roller 0.2*4 0.8 Also further modifications can be implemented for
optimizing the design and further analysis can also be carried
5 Lead screw 6.75+1.56 8.31 out for better optimization related to scissor lifts.
and nut
assembly Secondly, same system if designed in aluminum
alloy then, the weight can be reduced by nearly 15 kg
6 Connecting 0.1*20 2 because this alloy has very low density as compare to mild
pins steel.
7 Total 38.91
REFERENCES

The results shown in the above table come us to a [1] Jaydeep M. Bhatt, Milan J. Pandya,‖ Design And
conclusion that the complete manufactured model has a analysis of an aerial scissor lift‖ journal of information,
approximate weight of 38-39 kg. So, that can be observed knowledge and research in Mechanical Engineering, Volume
that, this much weight cannot be lifted by a single person. For – 02, Issue – 02, P.N.452-455, Nov 12 To Oct 13.
the solution if the same designed model if manufactured in
aluminum alloy of scale 7050 then the weight can be reduced [2] Gaffar G Momin, Rohan Hatti, Karan Dalvi, Faisal Bargi,
drastically. Because, this alloy has nearly same properties Rohit Devare, ―design, manufacturing & analysis of
like mild steel and having very low density.So, the table hydraulic scissor lift‖. International Journal Of Engineering
given below describes the weight distribution for the design Research And General Science Volume 3, Issue 2, Part 2,
with Al7050 alloy.Aluminum Estimate of weight comparison March-April, 2015
with mild steel even having nearly double thickness:-
[3] Bharath Kumar K, Bibin George Thomas, Gowtham S.
Kiron Antony Rebeiro, Paul James Thadhani, Deepak Kumar
Sr. Component name Weight (MS Weight (Al) R, ―Fabrication Of Zig Zag Pneumatic Lift‖. Volume:3,
No. 1.6 mm (4mm Issue:11, Nonember 2014. 2014
thickness) thickness)
1 Upper base 3.4 2 [4] Manoj R Patil and S D Kachave, ―Time DESIGN AND
ANALYSIS OF SCISSOR JACK―.Int. J. Mech. Eng. & Rob.
2 Lower base 7.6 2.6 Res. Vol. 4, No. 1, January 2015
3 Link 16.8 9.23
[5] Thomas Gomes Jr, ―Design, Construction, and Evaluation
4 Roller 0.8 0.5 of an Automotive Bridge Jack‖ 2011.

5 Lead screw and nut 8.31 8.31 [6] Helmi Rashid and et.al, ―Design Review of Scissors Lifts
assembly Structure for Commercial Aircraft Ground Support
6 Connecting pins 2 1.5 Equipment using Finite Element Analysis‖. International
Symposium on Robotics and Intelligent Sensors 2012 (IRIS
7 Total 38.91 24.14 2012).

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