# Intelligent Pottery Wheel Machine Design: Enhancing Pottery Throwing Quality and Efficiency
## 3 Frame and Structure Design of the Second-Generation Pottery Wheel Machine
### Pottery Wheel Mechanism
#### 3.3.3 Dimension Selection  
In designing the pottery wheel mechanism, ensuring full functionality involves precise alignment and dimensions. The small platform's circular size, 80 mm in diameter, requires connection to the pottery wheel plate via a bearing sleeve, which must maintain this diameter as the central feeding port. The bearing sleeve's height is crucial for stable vertical alignment, designed with an outer radius of 45 mm, an inner radius of 40 mm, and a height of 106 mm. This design also accounts for a 50 mm gap accommodating the fixed and rotational pulley modules, ensuring smooth operation. The rotational pulley, requiring a height greater than the 14 mm belt, has an outer radius of 100 mm and a height of 20 mm. As direct connection to the bearing sleeve is unfeasible, fixing rings are integrated above and below the pulley, secured with screws. The fixing ring's design features an inner radius of 40 mm, an outer radius of 85 mm, and a height of 8 mm, ensuring stability without exceeding the pulley's inner dimensions. A 12 mm pulley retaining ring secures the module's position beneath the bearing sleeve, meeting all dimensional requirements. The specific data calculation process is shown as follows:  
1. Bearing sleeve  
Figure 20: Diagram of the rotational pulley module in the pottery wheel mechanism: (**a**) rotational pulley module structure model diagram and (**b**) rotational pulley module installation model diagram (1. upper fixing ring, 2. rotational pulley, 3. lower fixing ring, 4. pulley retaining ring). Function: Connect the small platform and the plate to maintain the shape and size of the central feed port. Size: inner radius: \(r_{\text{inner}}\) = 40 mm  
outer radius: \(r_{\text{outer}}\) = 45 mm  
altitude: \(h_{\text{fixed}}\) = 106 mm  
2. Rotational pulley  
Function: Transfer the rotational motion. Size  
Outer radius: \(r_{\text{outer}}\) = 100 mm  
Altitude: \(h_{\text{rot}}\) = 20 mm  
3. Fixing ring  
Function: Connect the rotating belt wheel and fix the cylinder. Size:  
Inner ring radius: \(r_{\text{inner}}\) = 40 mm (Connected to the fixed cylinder)  
Outer ring radius: \(r_{\text{outer}}\) = 85 mm  
Altitude: \(h_{\text{fixed-ring}}\) = 8 mm  
4. Pulley retaining ring  
Function: Fixed rotating belt wheel module. Size:  
Altitude: \(h_{\text{ret}}\) = 12 mm  
5. Overall design considerations  
Design and material of the bearing sleeve:  
The wall thickness of the bearing sleeve: 45 mm \(-\) 40 mm = 5 mm  
Area (cross-sectional area):  
\[ \begin{split}\text{A}_{\text{fixed}}&=\pi(r^{2} _{\text{outer}}-\,r^{2}_{\text{inner}})=\pi(45^{2}-40^{2})\text{ mm}^{2}\\ \text{A}_{\text{fixed}}&=\pi(2025-1600)=\pi\times 4 25\approx 1334\,\text{mm}^{2}\end{split}  \tag{8}\]  
Rotational pulley design and material:  
Area (cross-sectional area):  
\[\text{A}_{\text{rot}}=\pi(r^{2}_{\text{rot-outer}})\approx\pi\times(100\, \text{mm})\,^{2}=\pi\times 10^{4}=31416\,\text{mm}^{2} \tag{9}\]  
Fixing ring design and connection:  
Inner-ring cross-sectional area of the fixing ring:  
\[\text{A}_{\text{fixed-ring-inner}}=\pi(r^{2}_{\text{inner}})\approx\pi\times (40\,\text{mm})\,^{2}=\pi\times 1600=5026\text{ mm}^{2} \tag{10}\]  
The cross-sectional area of the fixing ring:  
\[\text{A}_{\text{fixed-ring-outer}}=\pi(r^{2}_{\text{outer}})-\pi(r^{2}_{ \text{inner}})\approx\pi(85^{2}-40^{2})=\pi(7225-1600)=\pi\times 5625 \approx 17671\text{ mm}^{2} \tag{11}\]  
6. Engineering calculation demonstration: consider the force analysis of the rotating belt wheel connection module  
Set force for F = 1000 N:  
Bearing sleeve strength calculation:  
Stress \(\sigma\) calculation:  
\[\sigma_{\text{fixed}}=\frac{\text{F}}{\text{A}_{\text{fixed}}}=\frac{1000\text { N}}{1334\text{ mm}^{2}}=0.75\text{ N}/\text{mm}^{2}=0.75\text{ MPa} \tag{12}\]  
This stress is much lower than the permissible stress of Q235 (235 MPa), so the design is safe.