Date of Award

2018

Degree Type

Capstone Project

First Advisor

Bahram Nassersharif

Abstract

In the past decade there has been much research conducted on maintaining a healthy lifestyle, even in sedentary activities. It is clear to see this trend in the rising popularity of standing desks, ergonomic mice and keyboards, and the plethora of applications that remind the user not to stay inactive for too long. Ken Howes suggests that this revolution be brought to the world of motor vehicles with his proposed concept of the Strike 3000: an electric-powered three-wheeled vehicle that keeps the operator in a standing position while still maintaining all of the functionality and reliability of a standard automobile. To accomplish this goal, the members of Team 4 conducted thorough technical research into existing patents, competitive designs, and literature concerned with the essentials in designing a vehicle. With the information that was gathered, Team 4 then began to generate design concepts for every component of the vehicle including the chassis, steering, braking, suspension, etc. Together the team generated over one-hundred and fifty concepts. The team also conducted a Quality Function Deployment comparison to create a visual representation of how each component of the vehicle will help meet the wants of the sponsor as well as a comparison between the Strike 3000 and other competitive products. This gave the team a better understanding of what components were important to focus on and which could be sacrificed in order to improve the most essential parts. After the foundation work of the design was completed, Team 4 and Ken Howes collaborated to design a chassis to the aesthetic standards of Mr. Howes’ proposed design while making necessary revisions to keep the design technically acceptable. At the start of the second semester, Team 4 had sent out a final design and engineering drawing to a local welder for construction of the chassis. They ordered all the parts to be implemented into the vehicle. When the chassis arrived they began assembling the vehicle in the Kirk Machine Shop so that custom parts, such as suspension mounts and tie rods could be welded and modifications to the chassis could be made accordingly. The team was able to finish the construction with a lot of help from Nick Ladyga, a member of the team who lead the build effort. The motor was not able to be installed by the time of the Design Showcase but with technical documentation and guidance the team will be able to help Mr. Howes complete the vehicle in a short amount of time.

Comments

Sponsor: Ken Howes

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