FOUNDATIONS OF DESIGN
What is FOD?
Foundations of Design (FOD) 1 and 2 are the introductory general engineering courses taken by freshmen engineering students at ONU. Students take FOD1 in their first semester, and FOD2 in their second semester. Both courses have similar layouts, building and teaching the basics of the engineering process that will continue to be used throughout the rest of their academic and professional careers. FOD2 culminates in a final project where the students work in groups to identify a problem and follow the engineering process to develop a solution.
Ordinarily, this project would include physical prototyping and testing. However, due to rising public health concerns due to COVID-19, students were sent home early to complete the rest of the semester online. As such, prototyping and testing was designed and planned, but could not be physically carried out.
Ordinarily, this project would include physical prototyping and testing. However, due to rising public health concerns due to COVID-19, students were sent home early to complete the rest of the semester online. As such, prototyping and testing was designed and planned, but could not be physically carried out.
Tunnel Frame
Please click here to view the full FINAL PROJECT REPORT.
Please click here to view the full FINAL PROJECT POSTER.
Please click here to view the full FINAL PROJECT POSTER.
Overview
In this project, we were tasked with finding a problem related to search and rescue in a hurricane disaster zone. After talking with experts who work in that type of scenario, we found that one of the greatest problems they face is stabilizing buildings with structural collapse. We decided to look specifically at stabilizing small spaces inside those buildings.
Problem Framing
Rescue workers need a way to stabilize debris inside a collapsed structure that will not block the path for the rescuers. This device will need to be portable and lightweight but also durable and capable of withstanding large forces. Addressing this problem is important because it will help save lives.
Background Research:
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A collapsed house in Mexico Beach, Florida, after Hurricane Michael
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Assumptions:
- Debris varies greatly in size, shape, weight, and material.
- Debris is very irregular and unorganized.
- Solution must accommodate many different users.
- Operating environment will contain numerous hazards including water and downed power lines.
- Terrain near the operating environment may be impassable by vehicles.
- Users have some level of rescue operations training.
- External sources of power are unavailable.
Criteria
Constraint justifications:
- The device must be lightweight and portable for ease of transport.
- The device must be able to operate on multiple types of terrain to be able to assist in different situations.
- The device must be resistant to water corrosion as it will be used in hurricane disaster areas.
- It must be compact for ease of storage and transport.
Evaluation metric justifications:
- Making the device lighter will allow it to be carried and moved with greater ease.
- If the device is less expensive, then it will be easier to access by users.
- Making the device smaller will allow it to be carried and moved with greater ease.
- Decreasing the time required to learn how to use the device will increase the time spent using it to save lives.
Final Solution
Our solution is an expanding frame that can be placed inside a small, unstable space to shore up the structure. As seen in the image to the right, the frame is designed to expand both laterally and vertically, providing critical stability while giving the rescue workers a gap to crawl through.
The tunnel rescue frame consists of 4 corners made of steel that fit within each other to form a rectangle that can expand to fit the needed dimensions. The outside of the frame can expand from 21.25 inches in its collapsed form to 39.25 inches when fully expanded. Each corner is reinforced with a steel plate gusset to provide extra strength to the frame. The arms of the frame are held in place by steel locking pins to ensure that the frame stays at the desired size. We believe our frame design will benefit rescue and medical personnel as well as first responders. This is because the fame was specifically designed to be another tool that they can use in rescuing people trapped under rubble and within collapsed buildings. For the future we plan to make the frame cheaper and lighter so as to increase production and ease of use. The lower cost would also make it more viable and appealing to use in the poorer countries. Internalizing the locking pins is also an improvement that could be made as with the current design the pins must be fully taken out to operate the frame. |
Photorealistic rendering of the Tunnel Rescue Frame partially expanded
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