Team 4: wheels

1
Team 4 wheels on anything
Team 4 wheels on anything
Abstract The purpose of this project is to design
a device for emerging markets that enables the
user to essentially move anything with relative
ease and efficiency. The device needs to be
relatively cheap, lightweight, and offer an
incentive over methods which in some cases have
been used for more than millennia. We started our
design process by gathering information on
current third world transportation means. We
were relatively restricted with our research
capabilities as direct customer surveying was not
realistic, instead we researched current methods
and conditions of our target market small
business and agriculture of East Asia and India.
From our research we then determined our customer
needs and constructed Pugh charts. From these
Pugh charts we finalized our customer needs into
a hierarchy and began to develop concepts by
relating our hierarchy to current models and
techniques. We then proceeded to test our
concepts with various physical strength
experiments. Creativity methods such as Triz and
scamper were subsequently applied, and we began
to develop our final design. Finally after much
deliberation we completed the final details of
the design, and formatted the final models.

• Current methods
• Current transportation methods involve makeshift
  carts, and designs that have been used for
  centuries. Our intention is to offer an
  incentive over these methods
• Many of these carts consist of simply of an axel
  and wheels connected to a wooden base
• These designs are relatively inefficient,
  required to be hand loaded, and are limited in
  their weight capacity

Photos from pinayinpakistan.blogspot.com (bottom)
and huffingtonpost.com (top)
Hierarchy of customer needs based on Pugh charts
Results of scamper and Triz

• Early concept selection
• We drew up several sketches based on our research
  and Ideas.
• We first drew various parts and components
• Our best ideas were selected through
  morphological charts.
• Final design concepts were also generated at this
  point. The picture to the right was a sketch of
  the early design demonstrating the devices
  lifting capabilities

• From the implementation of scamper and Triz, we
  determined the following
• Our design was too heavy with stainless steel, so
  hollow aluminum 2024 bars were selected instead.
  
• The user would have had difficulty in using the
  device as a lever since there were no optimal
  lifting positions, a bar made of hollow aluminum
  2024 was placed on the end to correct this
• We discovered that the user may in some cases
  have difficulties in tiling up the device to load
  items, a rotating axel was added to increase ease
  of tilt and serve as another point of contact
  with the ground for the trailer
• The hazard problem do to weight has also been
  eliminated with efficient low weight aluminum.

Design breakdown

• Aluminum 2024 frame

• Approximate weight 350lbs total

• The user will need only 60 pounds of lifting
  force to adequately operate this design without
  load
• Shelled frame to reduce weight yet still retain
  major strength properties
• Geometrically sound design to reduce damage risk
• Handle bar near end of trailer to create
  comfortable lifting positions when using the
  device as a leaver
• Fixed gate to act as a fulcrum and loading
  device

Bill of materials

• In regards to sustainability and economic
  feasibility our design meets the necessary
  standards required to engage in a third world
  market

• Almost all of our device is recyclable as seen on
  left, with 90 of the metal used available for
  recycling.

Conclusion
We believe that through our design process, that
we have adequately met the necessary steps to
ensure a successful product in our target market.
We have taken careful consideration of our
customer needs and sufficiently developed them
into coherent hierarchies. Our concepts were
re-evaluated through multiple design creativity
methods to ensure all details of the design were
accounted for. Our design has also been shown to
be both economically and environmentally
feasible. Our team is satisfied with our design,
and believes it will undoubtedly be a useful
device.

• The materials used in the manufacturing of
  aluminum 2024 mainly bauxite, are readily
  available for third world markets . The major
  deposits of bauxite are shown on bottom left. The
  planned manufacturing area china, already is a
  large supplier of the ore

By Macklin Elder, Rui Liu, Yousef Alhosani
World map (worldofmaps.net)