Saturday, May 28, 2016

VI. (Intermediate) cabin

VI. (Intermediate) cabin


Background and context

  • Cabin team design/improve previous year’s cabin design

Objectives

  • Design/improve previous year’s cabin designs
  • Larger cabin shell so
i. Wheelchair accessible
ii. Aerodynamic/aesthetically pleasing
  • Two wooden models will be fabricated for final design

Design requirements and specifications

  • Designs regulated by ADA standards
i. Doorways must at least be 72” high and 32” wide
ii. 32” by 48” opening for wheelchair mobility
iii. Height of cabin must be at least 70” to allow storage of bicycle
iv. Internal temperature of the cabin will be controlled at 70oF to 72oF and the humidity levels will be at 40-60%
v. Overall shape based to reduce air drag as much as possible (drag coefficient expected to be between 0.8 - 1.8 for when travelling at 30 miles/hour)

State-of-the-Art/Literature Review
  • Spartan Superway based on Personal Rapid Transport (PRT) systems
  • PRT systems found at West Virginia University and London Heathrow airport
  • Bicycles are becoming a more popular mode of transportation in the Bay Area

Description of Design

  • Exterior of cabin
i. Design based off Swedish summer team
ii. Some changes
  1. Vertical flat walls
  2. Different positioning of windows
  3. Back of cabin is simple round curve while front has aerodynamic nose
  4. Doors have hinge mechanism
  • Interior of cabin
i. Interior has maximum of 4 passengers, 2 in front 2 in back
ii. Sufficient space for wheelchair accessibility
iii. Bike storage
  • Safety
i. Hooks have retractable belts/locks
ii. S-hooks built to strap wheelchairs in
iii. Interiors have foldable space for wheelchairs/bikes

Analysis/validation/testing

  • Exterior design
i. Some changes were made
  1. Added a second doorway on the other side
  2. Rounded of edges that has a 15” radius to allow for a smoother flow of traffic
  3. Lengthened cabin size to to prevent interference from door opening and a parked wheelchair
ii. Final dimensions are 6 feet by 12 feet with height of 7 feet
iii. Simulation run using air as fluid and traveling at 30 miles/hour
iv. Designs ran at 30 m/s
v. Average pressure experienced by cabin is 14.7 +- 0.4 psi
vi. Highest point of pressure is nose of cabin
v. Drag equations was used in testing (During testing only 6 N of Drag force was found when cabin moved at 30 mph)
Money Spent on Project

  • Overall cost: $289.55


Results and descriptions

  • Spring 2016 has been especially productive
  • Both quarter and intermediate scale of cabins have been fabricated

Conclusion and Suggestions for Future Work

  • Overall design of exterior/interior of cabin was quite accurate
  • Some elements should be 3D printed to save time/ have nicer detailing
  • Reduce weight
  • Station setup

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