156B Week 4

Overview of Status of Analysis, Design, Fabrication, Tests, etc.

• • Analysis - Force analysis was done on caster wheels designs in order to estimate how much capacity each wheel should hold.  Force analysis performed to get a basic of idea of the power requirements for the hydraulic system.  Determined force required to tilt new desisn

  • Design - Different members of the team began to create CAD designs of different parts of the tilt 'n move device.  Josh created a lot of the CAD and combined it together to form a fairly good indication of what our final design should look like.  This was done in order to give the machine shop a physical representation of our design, to allow them to give us feedback on feasibility and optimization.  In addition, we have been narrowing down options to purchase.  We have decided on the "build-from-scratch" approach, and have already began finalizing material type and the company we are going to buy the steel from.  We are also, narrowing down the hydraulic kits to purchase. We decided a kit would be best to allow for easier installation.

  • Fabrication - still finalizing the design

Accomplishments from Previous Week

• • Josh - determined force required to tilt new design, converted to pound-force and found piston size and hydraulic pressure needed.

  • Josh - CAD model of preliminary design.

  • Romulus - completed the "Impact on Society" section of the report

  • William - CAD design of the cradle, Double Acting Hydraulic with the specification sheet 

  • Dev -  discussed with Air Technical about purchasing individual components of their tilting product in order to build our own from scratch

  • William and Dev - Submit the frame to the CRMS and Don (the person who's in charge) will inform the quote by Monday (Note: Frame materials will be provided by CRMS)

Goals for Next Week (list names after each item). Use specific and measurable objectives.

• • Dev - Decide on which hydraulic system to purchase (will be done very soon) and exactly how to implement it

  • William - Detailed design of cradle and frame attachment.  We already have a good idea of what it will look like; however, exact specifications will be decided such as hole locations and exact size specifications 

  • Romulus - Complete major sections of the report that can be completed.  Finalize which caster wheels to purchase.  Look into possibly purchasing a frame-with-wheels kit (just a side project, since are most likely going to go with a build-from-scratch approach)

  • Josh - Practice welding in the machine shop, and other major techniques needed for this machine-heavy project.  Decide on exactly which steel to purchase from.  Talk to the different machine shops on campus to ask for price and time estimations for our design

  • William - Get the purchase list and confirm with the sponsor

Sponsor Comments from Last Meeting and Actions Taken to Address these Comments (indicate date of comments and if via email or in person)

• • During Sponsor Meeting on April 17:

    • The device and cabinet will only have to traverse sidewalk ramps, no ramps inside the building. - Just note.

    • A stretch goal is to limit the width of the device to 30 inches, 36 is max: Noted and designs are being modified.

    • Sponsor Requested a parts list ASAP: Team is finalizing the design and shopping for parts to fit, completion is scheduled for Friday April 19.

    • Sponsor had a cabinet set up in room during meeting, the distance between the screw casters and the lip of the frame does not give enough space to grab and lift from the sides, this eliminates one type of cradle (L-Frame).  Team is currently pursuing a full platform to place the cabinet on. 

    • Sponsor stated to shoot for 25 inch platform, cabinet is 24 inches, this would allow a buffer of .5 inches on each side, space can be filled by rubber bumpers or Nylon Glide strips.

    • Design should have a covering for the Hydraulics and batteries/motors.

    • Key:  The device must be simple enough to be used by people who have no idea what it is. 

Instructor Comments from Last Meeting and Actions Taken to Address these Comments  (All in person, meeting on 4/15/2013)

• • Have design and path set by 4/19/2013. Action Taken:

  • Find current draw for motors used and find an inverter that can handle the Amperage, discuss with sponsor about installing an inverter.

  • Look through component room for bearings, ensure bearings found can still be readily purchased.

Comments from Other Students in the Class (indicate date of comments and if via email or in person)

• • None

Risks and Areas of Concern

• • Cost of caster wheels.

  • Since shifting to a bottom pushed model and changing to a platform based design, the frame must be close to the ground.  The size of the casters

  • Deciding exactly how to implement and fabricate the hydraulic mechanism.  We have a fairly good idea of where we are going to place the hydraulics; however, we still need to finalize the exact linkages.  This is critical. 

  • Ordering the correct hydraulics that perfectly fit our project needs.  The expensive nature of good hydraulics makes this a key purchase

  • Battery for the hydraulic. Most of the 12 Volts battery such as Car battery usually have around 6-12 Amps. Still need to compare between the Marine battery versus Car battery

Resources or Information Required but not Available

• • A person who is well knowledgeable in Hydraulic Design.

Schedule

• • Describe upcoming milestone

  • Update Gantt chart.

Budget (list amount spent and amount remaining)

• • $8495.92

Progress on Report and Webpage

• • The report is completely up-to-date with the schedule shown on the class website.  In addition, other portions of the report have been filled in as well, including a discussion of different design considerations.