Universal Hamud Rack
Team 29
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About the Universal Hamud Rack
For our senior design project, our team is sponsored by Fred and Marty Hamud to create a modular upright vehicle rack for sprinter-type vans.
As avid outdoors enthusiasts, Fred and Marty Hamud enjoy a broad range of recreational activities that involve heavy equipment. From surfing to skiing, camping to biking, there is a constant need to swap out various racks from their sprinter van because conventional equipment racks in todays market cannot accommodate to housing different equipments, limiting the types of activities that can be done. This process of mounting and dismounting equipment and their racks can be very time-consuming and labor-intensive. With the recent effects of COVID19, there has been a large demand in outdoor activities because they adhere to the social guidelines detailed by the CDC. Recognizing an increase demand for a versatile product, Fred has enlisted the help of our team to design a universal rack in order to help participants optimize their car's storage and to improve the efficiency of mounting multiple equipment for various activities.
A Modular, Lightweight Equipment Rack for Sprinter Vans
Project Objective
The primary objective of the project is to produce an upright vehicle rack for a Mercedes sprinter van than can universally mount surfboards, bicycles, snowboards, etc. User requirements highlighted by the team and the sponsor include:
Provide rear door access while equipments are mounted onto the rack
Support an array of modular attachments that securely fasten onto the base and withstand normal driving conditions
Maintain its structural integrity when loaded with the maximum tongue weight capacity of 341 lbs during normal driving conditions
Prevent theft of modular equipment racks with a user-friendly locking mechanism
Finishing Touches on the Rack
smoothing the surface
painting the base
Final Design
Base Rack
Base Rack
Modular Surfboard Rack
Modular Surfboard Rack
Full Assembly
Full Assembly
The Universal Hamud Rack
The Universal Hamud Rack
The final design of the rack consists of three primary components: the base, the sliding lock, and the modular surfboard attachment. The square tubing of the surfboard rack slides into the square inserts of the base. The rack is locked in with the custom-cut locks, which prevents further motion in the vertical direction.
Other Modular Rack Designs
Along with these three physical deliverables, there are design iterations for other types of equipment racks and accessories, including a ski rack, a bike rack, and a locker attachment that were not manufactured due to time constraints. Further elaboration on the three components and the design concepts of the other equipment racks can be seen on the Final Design Page.
Summary of Performance
Physical testing was conducted by various surfboards including shortboards and longboards. Ultimate tensile testing was conducted by having people with various weights standing on the base for 10 whole minutes and observing any deformations. The results concluded that the surfboard rack can hold a shortboard with a length of 5 feet and a longboard with a size of 9 feet with no difficulties. The weights of the boards are 7lbs and 18lbs, respectively. As for the strength test, 5 people with an average weight of 125lbs stood on the base for 5 minutes, with a total of ~625lbs, beyond the ultimate yield strength of the hitch. The base design was able to hold ~625lbs with no problem, and no deformations were observed.
Final Presentation
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