Write about what is the design, materials, specification; need

to draw in solid works and design approach.

Design:
Design is a plan or drawing produced to show the look and function or workings of a building,
garment, or other object before it is made.

Our design is to produce three wheel wheelchairs to climb on stairs. The objective of this project
is to design a wheelchair with the ability to transport its user over an obstacle, such as a curb or
stairs. We realize that few people have the means to pay for an expensive electrical model that
can climb curbs and steps, while others may find those models too bulky or cumbersome for the
home or workplace. By adding some new components to the standard wheelchair, we aim to
provide an inexpensive alternative that increases mobility without sacrificing maneuverability.
To accomplish our goal, we will carry out the following major tasks: formulating design ideas,
3D modeling and computer analysis, ordering/machining parts, building prototype, and testing
the wheelchair.

The final goal of this project is to help those who have to rely on a wheelchair to get around.
Our design will provide more freedom, more independence, and more mobility at a cheaper cost
than anything on the market today. We hope to give the disabled more options for their
transportation needs.

Applicable Codes and Standards:

The internationally accepted standard for wheelchair design is provided by the International
Organization for Standardization (ISO). The German national organization for standardization,
the Deutsches Institut für Normung e. V. (DIN; in English, the German Institute for
Standardization) is the country’s ISO member body and has wheelchair designs that are
equivalent to the ISO standards. While both codes provide standards for the design of
wheelchairs; these standards do not extend to Wheelchair attachments and as such there are not
governing standards for the design of wheelchair attachments. However, in order to test the
strength of our design and guarantee strength and durability, we will design our wheelchair
attachment to comply with ISO standards.

Preliminary Schedule to Design Project:

The design project will be broken into 5 different tasks to be completed over an 8-month period:

Task 1 – Formulating design ideas

Task 2 – 3D computer modeling and analysis of design ideas/ Final design choice
Task 3 – Ordering or machining all necessary parts

Task 4 – Building prototype

Task 5 – Testing prototype

Wheelchair Design Principle:

Individuals ought to be trained to design, produce and test wheelchairs that meet these
guidelines. This can be done by introducing these guidelines to students or practitioners of
related disciplines.

Wheelchair evaluation and testing results should be recorded and made available to all
stakeholders. Such information will help stakeholders to select the most appropriate wheelchair
for a given use. Service providers, users and advocacy groups are also encouraged to use the
information provided to communicate with wheelchair manufacturers and suppliers about their
specific needs and how available wheelchairs meet their needs.

Stakeholders involved in the design and production of wheelchairs include purchasers,

manufacturers, designers, evaluators and users. Experienced wheelchair users can often
contribute substantially in designing wheelchairs. Key resources required to implement the
design and production guidelines include:

 Engineers, designers, users, technicians and manufacturers.

 Facilities and equipment to produce or assemble wheelchairs.
 Facilities and equipment to evaluate wheelchairs.
 Product evaluators.

Wheelchair designs vary greatly to take account of the diverse needs of users. To ensure
wheelchairs are appropriate, designers and providers must thoroughly understand the needs of
the intended users and their environments. Users’ needs are best met when there is a variety of
models from which to choose

Specification and SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES:

The specific objective was to:

 Investigate the existing driving systems for both wheelchairs and tricycles.
 Design and manufacture a wheelchair tricycle attachment for better accessibility and
performance of a wheelchair user.
 Test and evaluate the developed wheelchair tricycle attachment.
A wheelchair is required to take into account the following wheelchair users requirements:

 Home environment as at rural, urban, crowded and flat areas.

 Disability, i.e. Amputee, Polio, Spinal Injury, etc.
 Lifestyle, i.e. do they work, travel long distances, keep to the house, or participate in
sports.
 Economic situation (ability to afford their daily living expenses)
 It helps the user to travel greater distances with less effort,
 Easy to replace or repair and uses many standard bicycle parts.
 Assembling and dissembling for recycling or reuse.
 The tricycle drive, together with the wheelchair, is easy to carry on most forms of
transport.

Material, Geometry and Component Selection:

The primary consideration for materials in this project is the strength to weight ratio. The device
is an attachment, and as such, must be easily removed, stowed, recovered and reattached. We
plan on using hollow tubing rather than solid stock for the axles and main tubes of the device’s
frame. Fortunately, the trend in bicycle component manufacture is also towards lightweight
components which maintain their strength, so it will be possible to shave ounces off the front
wheel, fork, brake and cranks through careful component selection.
As for the geometry of the device, the greatest limiting factor is the flexible shaft. Due to the
torque requirements, the minimum radius for the shaft is 12 inches. This takes up a considerable
amount of space, since the entire wheelbase of the wheelchair and current device is less than 39
inches. The only other major consideration is the angle of the head tube, because this radically
affects the handling characteristics.
Component selection is based on availability and ease of maintenance. Where possible, standard
Wheelchairs components are being used so that replacements are easily found, and any bicycle
mechanic can perform the required maintenance. Again, for parts that we will be manufacturing,
strength and weight have driven the material selection and design.

Materials Used:
In order to get the strongest parts with the lightest weight possible, the majority of the parts were
fabricated from 6061-T6 aluminum. This alloy of aluminum is ideal for welding and machining.
Aluminum was purchased in billet form, bar stock, and tube stock as necessary.
For parts that would be subjected to larger loads and so required more strength, such as the head
tube and steer tube, 4130 chromoly steel was used. This is a common alloy used in bicycle
fabrication so it was a logical choice for our application. 4140 heat-treated steel was used for the
bottom bracket spindle and the shaft between the gearbox and the flexible shaft.
Wheelchair Performance:

Functional performance is how a wheelchair performs for different users in different

environments. The functional performance of a wheelchair is determined by its unique design
and features. There are many compromises to consider when designing or selecting for different
uses. This section provides information on the key features of a wheelchair that affects the main
categories of performance and how to evaluate them. It also outlines compromises that need to
be considered when choosing different design features.

To meet the functional performance needs of individual users, a range of wheelchair designs and
sizes are needed. Wheelchair stability affects how safe the wheelchair is, and how well the user
can carry out activities in the wheelchair. Wheelchair tipping causes many injuries for users.

Static stability relates to the stability of the wheelchair when it is not moving. This determine
whether the wheelchair will tip over (where some wheels lose contact with the ground) when the
user, for example, leans over to pick something up off of the ground or transfers into or out of his
or her wheelchair.

Dynamic stability relates to the stability of the wheelchair when moving. This determines
whether the user can ride over bumps or sloped surfaces without tipping. The design features
used to increase wheelchair stability have secondary effects on other functional performance
characteristics. For example, moving the front castor wheel forward increases stability but
reduces the maneuverability of the wheelchair in confined spaces. Apart from seat height,
stability in each direction is sensitive to several design factors.

Rearward stability (resistance to tipping backwards) is affected by the rear axle position in
relation to the user’s centre of gravity. Increasing rearward stability has associated advantages
and disadvantages. For example, anti-tip devices can be useful for some users who are unstable
or are learning to perform “wheelies” (whereby the user raises the front castor wheels and
balances on the rear drive wheels). However most anti-tip designs restrict the wheelchair’s
ability to travel over uneven surfaces (such as kerbs or dips).

Forward stability is affected by the size and position of the front castor wheel in relation to the
user’s centre of gravity. A good example increasing forward stability and the associated
advantages and disadvantages is large front castor wheels. Front castor size significantly affects
dynamic stability, with larger front wheels the wheelchair will be able to roll over larger
obstacles without being stopped and tipped forward. Although larger front castor wheels need
more room to swivel so the wheelchair design will need to be much longer or wider to allow
room for the user’s feet.

Maintenance and Repair:

This device is being designed with as many “off the shelf” components as possible. There must
be a shop which provides replacements. Maintenance will include standard maintenance for the
chain (clean and lube once a year, or seasonally in wet weather). Because the gearing is internal
to the hub, and the differential is a sealed part, these components should not require any
maintenance. The latch pivots might require oil once a year if the movement becomes difficult.
Brake pads will have to be periodically checked for wear and replaced when they become too
thin. Tires will also have to be checked for wear and replaced when tread becomes too low.