Redesign of the platform-side actuation system for the Kendall Band interactive musical sculpture
Name
1035390183-MIT.pdf
Description
Full printable version
Size
4.81 MB
Format
Adobe PDF
Checksum (MD5)
b69fa2b1dd2609d1f2b9ced849bd54b5
Author(s)
Heman-Ackah, Marian
Advisor(s)
Barbara Hughey and Mike Tarkanian.
Date Issued
2017
Publisher
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Abstract
The Kendall Band is an interactive musical sculpture by Paul Matisse located within the MBTA's Kendall/MIT Train Station. The sculpture, installed in 1987, consists of three instruments, Kepler, Galileo, and two sets of bells known as Pythagoras, each operated by its own system of mechanisms and linkages, and "played" by passengers using handles located on each platform. The sculpture as a whole has ceased to function as a result of a series of mechanical failures. Repair needs outpaced the resources available to maintain the sculpture. The primary known failure points are located within the portion of the actuation system on the platform of the station. Several components within this current actuation system are prone to fracture and wear. A new actuation system has been designed with various features that serve to increase overall durability, including a kinematic coupling with a spring-loaded interface that decouples actuation above a torque threshold of 225 in-lbf. Additionally, the newly designed actuation system has been standardized across all three instruments to simplify maintenance of the sculpture by incorporating a modular plate that has connection points for each instrument. Preliminary load testing performed upon a simplified version of the coupling interface proved promising for the design, but further work is required to prepare the design for installation.
Description
Thesis: S.B., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Mechanical Engineering, 2017.
DISCLAIMER NOTICE: The pagination in this thesis reflects how it was delivered to the Institute Archives and Special Collections, Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Cataloged from PDF version of thesis.
Includes bibliographical references (page 24).
Subjects
Mechanical Engineering.
MIT Department
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Mechanical Engineering
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