Trying to build a can crusher with with a dual action air cylinder that has at least an 8 inch stroke, but having a hard time figuring the minimum bore for the best crush. want to can to look like a pancake the flatter the better.
You might also want to include a device to indent the side of the can so that the can doesn't resist buckling at the start of the crush. Give my regards to Mudd.
First you need to know how much force is required to crush the can. Then you need to decide what air pressure to use. The resultant of the pressure and piston cross section area will give you the force you need. Then you want to build in a safety margin for those cans which require a bit more force. Then you want to design the system so that it will be safe to operate. It would be preferable to design for a maximum crushed thickness and place a reversing switch at that height. Remember the bottoms of soft drink cans are generally parabolic so that they can resist bulging from the pressure of the carbonate in the can. This means that they will be a little harder to crush and you risk having too much force just to crush that last amount. You also need some way of removing the crushed cans effectively.
