We were excited to visit the Science & Industry Museum, in Manchester, just recently and discover that an exhibit we wrote an article about back in 2002 is still on show and entertaining visitors. By turning a small handwheel visitors can effortlessly raise a Mini up and down a metal frame. The exhibit, driven by a Renold gearbox, is designed to enthuse visitors in the power and capabilities of engineering.
The mechanical system was designed by Renold incorporating a counterbalanced system with the car secured to a steel frame and running on tracks hidden within the wall of the display. The counterbalance weight was the same as the car’s and was suspended by Renold Synergy chain at the rear of the structure. The counterbalance provided an important safety feature and reduced the amount of mechanical effort required to raise and lower the car to the minimum.
The handwheel was attached to a Renold worm gearbox with a 70:1 ratio and inbuilt self-sustaining characteristics. The latter ensured that a visitor could let go of the handwheel at any stage of the Mini’s ascent or descent without the risk of over-run. The primary drive, attached to the gearbox, was designed with Renold Synergy chain between two 19-tooth sprockets and this was connected to a secondary drive with 19 and 38-tooth sprockets respectively. The secondary drive was connected to a cam-and-lever mechanism that would effect the raising and lowering of the Mini. The display is on show in the EXPERIMENT gallery of the Science & Industry Museum