Computer-aided-design of ywheels

John A. Akpobi
*
, Imadon A. Lawani
Production Engineering Department, University of Benin, Nigeria
Received 28 April 2004; received in revised form 28 June 2005; accepted 28 June 2005
Available online 13 September 2005
Abstract
We have presented in this work, a computer-aided-design software for ywheels using object-oriented programming approach of Visual
Basic. The various congurations of ywheels (rimmed or solid) formed the basis for the development of the software. The softwares
graphical features were used to give a visual interpretation of the solutions. The softwares effectiveness was tested on a number of numerical
examples, some of which are outlined in this work.
q 2005 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Keywords: Object-oriented programming; Flywheels; Stress; Speed uctuation; Computer-aided-design
1. Introduction
Flywheels are machine elements that are basically used
to regulate variation of speed in an engine, by redistributing
energy within a cycle. Thus ywheels are needed where
there is variation in the input power and the output load is
constant or if the output load varies and the input power is
constant. Flywheels nd applications in a number of
machines like internal combustion engines and punch
presses.
In designing the relevant algorithms, for this software,
we followed standard design methodologies well treated in a
number of machine design texts [24,6]. A number of
variables were considered in this work, some of which
include: the mass, velocity, stress, density, etc.
The implementation of computer based tools in
ywheel design is evident in optimal ywheel designs
and the use of composite materials in the fabrication of
ywheels. For instance, Eby et al. [1] studied the optimal
design of ywheels using an injection island genetic
algorithm scheme which incorporates a nite element
scheme. The purpose of this work is basically to develop
and implement computer software that would greatly
enhance an accurate design of ywheels. Thus the problem
addressed was:
To provide very accurate and efcient solutions for
ywheel computation process.
To reduce the computational complexity and arduous
task usually encountered in the design.
To provide a visual display of the solutions, so as to
easily and speedily interpret these solutions.
To enable all ywheel parameters (variables) to be
easily designed for.
In this work, we present the relevant design equations
used in developing the software in Section 2.0, while in
Section 3.0, the programme testing is presented using a
number of typical engineering design problems. Discus-
sion of the programmes performance is presented in
Section 4.0.
2. Design of software model
In designing the software, the relevant machine design
equations (Eqs. (1)(17)), see refs. [26], considered to
cover a wide range of possible congurations of ywheels
design problems, were assembled and carefully pro-
grammed using object oriented programming techniques
of Visual Basic [7]. These formulae are presented as
follows:
Advances in Engineering Software 37 (2006) 222235
www.elsevier.com/locate/advengsoft
0965-9978/$ - see front matter q 2005 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
doi:10.1016/j.advengsoft.2005.06.003
* Corresponding author.
2.1. Rim ywheel
The required mass of a rimmed ywheel is
m
r
Z
KE
V
2
d
Z
2KE
V
2
1
KV
2
2
Z
2KE
r
2
u
2
1
Ku
2
2

(1)
2.2. Solid disc ywheel
The required mass of a solid disk ywheel is
m Z
2E
V
2
m
d
Z
4E
V
2
1o
KV
2
2o
Z
4E
r
2
o
u
2
1
Ku
2
2

(2)
2.3. Stresses in ywheels
For stresses in a ywheel when it is considered as a free
rotating ring consider half a ring isolated as shown in Fig. 1.
The differential mass dM is
dM Zrdqtbr (3)
The differential inertia load f
f Zrdqtbrru
2
(4)
Nomenclature
A Area of cross section of the rim, m
2
A
1
Area of cross section of a spoke, m
2
b Width of rim, m
C A constant depending on the cross section area
of the rim, area of a spoke, proportions of the
rim, and the angle between spokes
d Mean diameter of rim, m
df
v
Vertical component of differential inertia load
dq Differential angle subtended by the differential
mass
E Energy to be given up by the ywheel or energy
to be stored in the ywheel, Joules
f Differential inertia load
I
0
Moment of inertia of the ywheel and shaft on
which ywheel is mounted, kgm
2
K Empirical number to account for the effect of the
hub, spoke, shaft, e.t.c which unless otherwise
specied can be taken as 0.90.
k
r
Radius of gyration of rim, m
k
s
Radius of gyration of hub, spoke, shaft and other
masses rotating with the shaft, m
M Bending moment
m Mass of disc ywheel, kg
m
r
Mass of rim alone, kg
m
s
Mass of hub, spoke, shaft and other masses
rotating with the shaft, m
n Number of spokes
r Variable radius, m
r
1
Inside radius of plate, m
r
0
Outside radius of plate ywheel, m
s
t
Tensile stress
S
rmax
Maximum radial stress, N/m
2
S
tmax
Maximum tangential stress, N/m
2
t Thickness of rim, m
V Mean speed of a point on mean radius of rim,
m/s
V
m
Mean velocity of a point on the outside of the
disc
V
1
Maximum speed of a point on mean radius r of
rim, m/s
V
2
Minimum speed of a point on mean radius of
rim, m/s
V
1o
Maximum velocity of a point on outside radius
of disc ywheel, m/s
V
2o
Minimum velocity of a point on outside radius
of disc ywheel, m/s
v Velocity at the radius, m/s
v
p
Peripheral velocity, m/s
2F component of the inertia balanced by the tensile
force at the cut sections
2f Angle between spokes
d Coefcient of speed uctuation
f Angle from centerline between spokes to the
section where the stress is being found
m Poissons ratio (0.30 for steel, 0.27 for cast iron)
r Density, kg/m
3
u Mean angular velocity of the ywheel, rad/s
u
1
Maximum angular velocity of the ywheel, rad/s
u
2
Minimum angular velocity of the ywheel, rad/s
d

F
F
Fig. 1. Stresses on a ring ywheel.
J.A. Akpobi, I.A. Lawani / Advances in Engineering Software 37 (2006) 222235 223
Considering the vertical component of the inertia load
results in
2F Z

rdqtbrru
2
sin q Zr
2
tbru
2
Kcos q
a
0
Zr
2
tbru
2
(5)
Assuming that the tensile stress s
t
(Pa) is uniformly
distributed across a section, then
s
t
Zrv
2
(6)
2.4. The maximum tensile stress in a thin rotating rim
of a ywheel (Bending as well as normal stress due
to inertia is considered)
The tensile stress is given as the larger value based on the
sign of,
s
t
Zrv
2
1K
cos
3C sinf
G
2r
Ct
1
f
K
cos f
sinf

(7)
where
C Z
12r
2
t
2
1
2 sin
2
f
sin 2f
4
C
f
2

K
1
2f

C
1
2 sin
2
f
sin 2f
4
C
f
2

C
A
A
1
(8)
The axial force in each spoke is
F Z
2btpv
2
3C
(9)
2.5. Approximate stress in ywheel rims
For approximate stresses in ywheels of ordinary
construction the Lanza equation [2] gives stress as
s ZV
2
5:6 C
18:5d
tn
2

10
3
(10)
2.6. Stresses in rotating disks of uniform width
Stresses in rotating disks of uniform width as might occur
in solid plates used as ywheels are given by the following
equations:
Disks with holes:
Radial stress for any radius r:
s
r
Zrv
2
mC3
8

1 C
r
i
r
o

2
K
ri
r
o

2
K
ri
r

2

(11)
Tangential stress for any radius r:
s
t
Zrv
2
mC3
8

1C
r
1
r
0

2
K
3mC1
mC3

r
r
0

2
C
ri
r

2

(12)
The maximum radial stress occurring at rZ

r
i
p
r
o
is
s
r max
Zrv
2
mC3
8

1K
r
1
r
o

2
(13)
The maximum tangential stress occurring at rZr
i
is
s
t max
Zrv
2
mC3
4

1C
1Km
mC3
r
i
r
o

2

(14)
Solid disks
Radial stress for any radius r:
s
r
Zrv
2
mC3
8

1K
r
r
o

2

(15)
Tangential stress for any radius r:
s
r
Zrv
2
mC3
8

1K
3mC1
mC3
r
r
o

2

(16)
The maximum radial stress and maximum tangential
stress are equal and both occur at rZ0
s
r max
Zs
t max
Zrv
2
mC3
8

(17)
2.7. Program description
The programme was designed using Eqs. (1)(17), and
implemented using Microsoft Visual Basic object oriented
programming language. The programmes algorithm is
shown in Section 2.8, while the owchart is shown in Fig. 2.
The programmes structure basically consists of three stages
namely the input stage, analysis, and output stage.
2.7.1. Input stage
This uses a form object interface to obtain information
about the ywheel to be designed for. Error messages in
form of message boxes are displayed when the user omits
any of the basic data required for analysis or inputs non-
numeric values. The codes for the programme, were written
in such a way that the software requires minimal input to
carry out its analysis.
2.7.2. Analysis
The program codes used for analysis are very robust and
dynamic. Upon entering the data, the software computes all
the ywheel parameters in less than 3 seconds depending on
the speed of the processor.
2.7.3. Output
The ywheel parameters are outputed numerically and
graphically, with accompanying description of the results.
2.8. Programme algorithm
The following is the algorithm on which the software is
based:
J.A. Akpobi, I.A. Lawani / Advances in Engineering Software 37 (2006) 222235 224
J.A. Akpobi, I.A. Lawani / Advances in Engineering Software 37 (2006) 222235 225
Fig. 2. Program Flowchart.
J.A. Akpobi, I.A. Lawani / Advances in Engineering Software 37 (2006) 222235 226
3. Examples to illustrate the use of the software
To illustrate the effectiveness of this software, the
following numerical examples were considered.
3.1. Example 1
Analyse for the required mass of a punch press ywheel
with the following parameters:
Energy to be furnished: 2900 J
Maximum speed of ywheel: 200 rev/min
Speed decrease: 10%
Mean diameter: 1.83 m
Flywheel effect: 0.90
3.2. Solution
The output from the software for this analysis is as
follows:
The coefcient of speed uctuation of the ywheel is
8.33333333333333E-02. The mass of the rim is
52.3218233046997 kg. The cross-sectional area of the
rim is 1.1894188896575!10
K3
m
2
. The variation of mass
of rim required with varying maximum speed is shown
below.
The software also gave as output a graph of the required
masses for different speeds up to 100 m/s. The screen shot of
the solution is shown in Fig. 3.
3.3. Example 2
Analyse for the required mass of the ywheel of a two-
cylinder crank engine with the following parameters:
Power developed: 75 kW
Mean speed: 420 rev/min
Coefcient of speed uctuation: 0.02
Mean diameter of ywheel: 1.5 m
Variation of energy per revolution of mean energy: 20%
Flywheel effect, K: 0.95
Density: 7000 kg/m
3
3.4. Solution
The output from the software for this problem is:
At a mean speed of 420 rev/min, the energy output
per cycle of the ywheel is 12142.8571428571 Joules
and the maximum variation of energy per cycle is
2428.57142857143 Joules. The mass of rim is
105.987227442864 kg. The variation of mass at different
speeds up to 100 m/s is shown below. Its cross sectional
area at the desired mean speed is 3.21261033138928!
10
K3
m
2
.The speed decrease of the ywheel is:
1.98019801980198 %. The maximum speed of the
ywheel is: 424.2 rev/min. The mean velocity of the
ywheel is: 32.991 m/s
The software also gave as output a graph of the required
masses for different speeds up to 100 m/s. The screen shot of
this analysis is shown in Fig. 4.
Fig. 3. Output screen for Example 1.
J.A. Akpobi, I.A. Lawani / Advances in Engineering Software 37 (2006) 222235 227
3.5. Example 3
Analyse for the required mass of rim for the ywheel
of a gas engine that develops 70 kW at 1900 rev/min
mean speed. The maximum variation of energy per
revolution is 25% of the mean energy, and the allowable
coefcient of speed uctuation is 0.02. Assume that the
rim provides 90% of the needed ywheel effect (KZ
0.90). The mean velocity of the ywheel rim is limited
to 48 m/s.
3.6. Solution
The solution of this problem from the software is:
At a mean speed of 1900 rev/min, the energy output
per cycle of the ywheel is 2210.52631578947 Joules
and the maximum variation of energy per cycle is
552.631578947368 Joules. The mass of rim is
10.7935855263158 kg. The variation of mass at different
speeds up to 100 m/s is shown below its cross sectional
area at the desired mean speed is 1.01725260416667!
10
K3
m
2
.The speed decrease of the ywheel is: 15%.
The maximum speed of the ywheel is:
2054.05405405405 rev/min. The mean velocity of the
ywheel is: 48 m/s
The software also gave as output a graph of the required
masses for different speeds up to 100 m/s. The screen shot of
this analysis is shown in Fig. 5
3.7. Example 4
Analyse for the required mass of plate of a ywheel
for a gas engine that develops 70 kW at 1900 rev/min
mean speed. The maximum variation of energy per
revolution is 25% of the mean energy, and if the
allowable coefcient of speed uctuation is 0.03. Assume
all ywheel effect comes from the ywheel. The ywheel
is to be a plate of outside diameter 500 mm mounted on
the shaft.
3.8. Solution
The output from the software is:
At a mean speed of 1900 rev/min, the energy output
per cycle of the ywheel is 2210.52631578947 Joules
and the maximum variation of energy per cycle is
552.631578947368 Joules. The mass of plate is
14.8863205959334 kg. The variation of mass at different
speeds up to 100 m/s is shown belowits cross sectional area at
the desired mean speed is 1.35367105537269!10
K3
m
2
.The
speed decrease of the ywheel is: 2.95566502463054%.
The maximum speed of the ywheel is: 1928.5 rev/min. The
mean velocity of the ywheel is: 49.7483333333333 m/s.
The software also gave as output a graph of the required
masses for different speeds up to 100 m/s. The screen shot of
this analysis is shown in Fig. 6.
Fig. 4. Output screen for Example 2.
J.A. Akpobi, I.A. Lawani / Advances in Engineering Software 37 (2006) 222235 228
3.9. Example 5
For a drive shaft that rotates at maximum speed of
100 rev/min and requires an average power input of
95 kW determine the required mass of rim. The maximum
energy variation per cycle is equal to the mean energy of
the cycle and the speed must not drop more than 15%
during the operation, with a mean diameter of 2 m. The
operation occurs in each revolution of the drive shaft.
Assuming KZ0.95.
Fig. 5. Output screen for Example 3.
Fig. 6. Output screen for Example 4.
J.A. Akpobi, I.A. Lawani / Advances in Engineering Software 37 (2006) 222235 229
3.10. Solution
The output from the software is:
At a maximum speed of 100 rev/min, the energy output
per cycle of the ywheel is 61621.6216216216 Joules
and the maximum variation of energy per cycle is
61621.6216216216 Joules. The mass of rim is
3846.39502674217 kg. The variation of mass at different
speeds up to 330 m/s is shown below its cross sectional area
at the desired mean speed is 0.087441916585027 m
2
.The
speed decrease of the ywheel is: 15%.The maximum speed
of the ywheel is: 100 rev/min. The mean velocity of the
ywheel is: 9.68783333333333 m/s.
The software also gave as output a graph of the required
masses for different speeds up to 100 m/s. The screen shot of
this analysis is shown in Fig. 7.
3.11. Example 6
For a ywheel rotating at 45 rev/min maximum that is to
furnish 80 kJ of energy to a punch during 1/4 revolution
with a 10% reduction in speed, determine the required mass
of rim and coefcient of speed uctuation. The maximum
velocity at mean radius of the rim is not to exceed 25 m/s.
90% of the ywheel effect is produced by the ywheel. Cast
iron density is 7000 kg/m
3
.
3.12. Solution
The solution from the software is:
The coefcient of speed uctuation of the ywheel is
0.105263157894737. The mass of the rim is
121.263157894737 kg. The cross-sectional area of the rim
is 5.196992481203!10
K4
m
2
. The variation of mass of rim
required with varying maximum speed is shown below.
The software also gave as output a graph of the required
masses for different speeds up to 100 m/s. The screen shot of
this analysis is shown in Fig. 8.
3.13. Example 7
For a single double acting engine that delivers
200 kW at 110 rev/min mean speed, determine the mass
of rim required. The maximum variation of energy per
revolution of the mean energy is 15%, and the speed
variation is limited to 3% either way from the mean
speed. The mean diameter of the rim is 2.8 m. Assume
that the hub, spokes, and shaft contribute 5% of the
ywheel effect (kZ0.95) and that cast iron density is
7000 kg/m
3
.
3.14. Solution
The solution for this problem from the software is:
At a mean speed of 110 rev/min, the energy output
per cycle of the ywheel is 109090.909090909 Joules
and the maximum variation of energy per cycle is
16363.6363636364 Joules. The mass of rim is
966.078941441098 kg. The variation of mass at different
speeds up to 330 m/s is shown belowits cross sectional area at
the desired mean speed is 1.56873780745576!10
K2
m
2
.The
speed decrease of the ywheel is: 6%.The maximum speed of
Fig. 7. Output screen for Example 5.
J.A. Akpobi, I.A. Lawani / Advances in Engineering Software 37 (2006) 222235 230
the ywheel is: 113.40206185567 rev/min. The mean
velocity of the ywheel is: 16.1289333333333 m/s.
The software also gave as output a graph of the required
masses for different speeds up to 100 m/s. The screen shot of
this analysis is shown in Fig. 9.
3.15. Example 8
Determine the maximum tensile stress in the thin rim
of a steel (density: 7850 kg/m
3
) ywheel rotating at
660 rev/min with a mean radius of the rim 2000 mm, rim
Fig. 9. Output screen for Example 7.
Fig. 8. Output screen for Example 6.
J.A. Akpobi, I.A. Lawani / Advances in Engineering Software 37 (2006) 222235 231
thickness of 300 and 500 mm width. Each of the six
spokes is constant in cross section with a cross section
area A
1
Z0.02 m
2
.
3.16. Solution
The output from the software for this problem is:
The maximum velocity in the ywheel is:
138.248 m/s. The maximum tensile stress at the section
of the rim at the spoke and midway between spokes:
178.792109503657 and 158.55411927665 MPa respect-
ively. The variation of the permissible stress between two
spokes is shown below. The axial force in each spoke is:
1603204.27005948 N. And the stress in each spoke is:
80160213.5029742 Pa.
The software also gave as output a graph of the
permissible stress at various points between the spokes,
which showed that the maximum stress occurred at the
interface of spoke and rim.
The screen shot of this analysis is shown in Fig. 10.
3.17. Example 9
Determine the maximum tensile stress in the thin rim
of a cast iron (density: 7490 kg/m
3
) ywheel rotating at
660 rev/min with a mean radius of the rim 2000 mm, rim
thickness of 300 and 500 mm width. Each of the six
spokes is constant in cross section with a cross section
area of 0.02 m
2
.
3.18. Solution
Using the software, the output for this problem is:
The maximum velocity in the ywheel is:
138.248 m/s. The maximum tensile stress at the section
of the rim at the spoke and midway between spokes:
170.592726137884 and 151.2828475646 MPa respect-
ively. The variation of the permissible stress between
two spokes is is shown below. The axial force in each
spoke is: 1529681.5264644 N. And the stress in each
spoke is: 76484076.3232199 Pa.
The software also gave as output a graph of the
permissible stress at various points between the spokes,
which showed that the maximum stress occurred at the
interface of spoke and rim.
The screen shot of this analysis using the software is
shown in Fig. 11.
3.19. Example 10
For a ywheel having the following properties:
Density: 7000 kg/m
3
.
Thickness: 200 mm
Width: 400 mm
Mean radius: 1000 mm
Maximum tensile stress: 55 MPa
Number of spokes: 8
Area of cross section of spoke: 700 mm
2
Fig. 10. Output screen for Example 8.
J.A. Akpobi, I.A. Lawani / Advances in Engineering Software 37 (2006) 222235 232
Determine the permissible velocity at different sections
of the rim
3.20. Solution
Analysis was carried using the software, to determine the
variation of velocity between two adjacent spokes. The
output from the software for this problem is:
The maximum permissible velocity at the section of the
rim at the spokes and midway between spokes is:
87.2057993330708 and 89.3494545369511 m/s respect-
ively. The graph that illustrates the variation of permissible
velocity along the rim, between two spokes is shown below.
The software also gave as output a graph of the
permissible velocity at various points between the spokes,
which showed that the minimum velocity occurred at the
interface of spoke and rim.
The screen shot of this analysis is shown in Fig. 12.
4. Discussion
This software was tested for this paper on 10 examples, in
which both solid and rimmed disk ywheels were con-
sidered. The results displayed (shown in Figs. 312) by the
software, depending on the problem denition, provide the
designer with exact numerical values of the ywheel
parameters being designed for. For designs involving the
mass of rim required, the software provides a graphical
representation of mass of the ywheel against maximum
permissible speed, as the speed is varied within the allowable
stress of the material. The results show that as the speed
increases the required mass of the ywheel must decrease so
as to perform satisfactorily within the permissible stress, this
result agrees with the theory of ywheel analysis.
For designs based on the permissible stress of the
ywheel material, the software provides the user with the
variation of stresses along the rim between adjacent spokes.
The maximum stress occurs at the interface of the spoke
while the minimum stress usually lies between the spokes.
For designs on permissible speeds, the interface between the
spoke and the rim has the least speed and has the maximum
speeds somewhere between the spokes.
The softwares performance accuracy was tested rigor-
ously through the large number of different problem
congurations as reected in all the examples. For each
problem reected in the examples, the solutions obtained
from using the software, were highly accurate as reected in
their numerical values and degree of precision.
4.1. Accuracy and efciency
To achieve a high precision always for the solutions, the
softwares parameters were designed and set at double
precision. The incorporation of the double precision feature
enabled solutions to be set to 12 decimal places. Also the
solution obtained at each stage of the computation, was not
rounded off, this eliminated errors due to rounding off. The
efciency of the software was considered from:
1. The time the software takes to be ready for use.
2. Its memory usage.
Fig. 11. Output screen for Example 9.
J.A. Akpobi, I.A. Lawani / Advances in Engineering Software 37 (2006) 222235 233
To test for the speed, the complete code for software was
embedded in a loop that was made to repeat for one hundred
times. Upon execution of the programme (on a computer
with an AMD
w
processor with clock speed 1.25 GHz and
256 MB DDRAM), timer incorporated in the software
read 1.28 s. This is a considerable improvement in speed
and accuracy as an average problem takes up to 30 min to
obtain an accurate solution manually.
The very little time it took to be fully operational was
enhanced by the programme design. The programme was
designedsuchthat objects / variables uponcompletionof tasks
were made to give up memory space they occupied so as to
reduce the load on the processor and thus increase its speed.
4.2. Robustness to variations in design parameters
One of the limitations of commercially available soft-
wares for machine design is that they provide solution to
problems dened in a xed manner. For example, if a
parameter is considered unknown, a solution is sought for.
However, when the solution to that problem is now
considered as an unknown parameter and other parameters
previously known are treated as unknown, the solutions are
not provided. But the software developed and presented in
this work, can effectively handle varied conguration of
parameters to be designed for. In other words, when the
output of a particular problem is now part of the input, and
any other previously known input is now treated as
unknown, the software can handle it. Thus we conclude
that the software is robust to variations in design parameters.
4.3. Visual Interpretation of solutions
The graphical features of the software provide solutions
that go beyond the given set of problem denition, in the
following manner:
For a given set of parameters, normally a solution would
be obtained. It is now extended graphically, instead of
entering new inputs for the selected parameter, and
redesigning each time. From the graph, other solutions for
the selected parameter being varied are obtained with
remaining parameters held constant. This feature greatly
facilitates the teaching of ywheels, as many assignments
can be easily given to students with answers readily
available.
5. Conclusion
In this work, we have designed and implemented a
computer algorithm that enables computer-aided design
of ywheel, under a wide range of practical problem
congurations, as illustrated through the various
examples considered. The software performs accurately
and efciently. It is robust to parameter variations. Its
graphical features provide solutions that extend it from
the initial design consideration to variations in the
desired design parameter, while the other parameters
remain unchanged. Thus with this software, ywheels
can be designed speedily and efciently.
Fig. 12. Output screen for Example 10.
J.A. Akpobi, I.A. Lawani / Advances in Engineering Software 37 (2006) 222235 234
References
[1] Eby D, Averill RC, Goodman E, Punch W. Optimal design of
ywheels using an injection island genetic algorithm Articial
intelligence in engineering design, analysis and manufacturing. vol.
13 1999 p. 389402.
[2] Hall AS, Holowenko AR, Laughlin HG. Theory and problems of
machine design Schaums outline series, Metric edition. London: Tata-
McGraw Hill; 2002.
[3] Hannah J, Stephens RC. Mechanics of machines: advanced theory and
examples. 2nd ed. London: Edward Arnold Publishing Company; 1972.
[4] Khurmi RS, Gupta JK. A textbook of machine design, Metric edition.
13th ed. New Delhi, India: Eurasia Publishing House Limited; 2002.
[5] Ryder GH. Strength of materials. 3rd ed. London: Macmillan
Publishing Company; 1973.
[6] Shigley JE, Mischke CR. Mechanical engineering design. 6th ed. New
York: McGraw-Hill; 2001.
[7] Microsoft Incorporated. Visual basic 6.0 users guide. Redmond Way,
Washington: Microsoft Press; 1998.
J.A. Akpobi, I.A. Lawani / Advances in Engineering Software 37 (2006) 222235 235