Design Proposal

ENGR 103 - Spring 2017
Freshman Engineering Design Lab

“The Honeywalk”

Project Design Proposal

Date Submitted: April 12, 2017

Group Members {Spencer Kociba, smk442@drexel.edu}

{Ilana Gorberg, ing28@drexel.edu}

{William Reil, wer32@drexel.edu}

{Julia Coleman, jsc338@drexel.edu }

Technical Advisor {Eugenia Victoria Ellis, genaellis@drexel.edu}

Abstract:

The Freshman Design series works to integrate students into the creative aspect of laboratory work. In Design I and II, the student was led along a predetermined path to discover which techniques worked best when working in a group to create a final, deliverable project that met the needs and even exceeded needs in some cases. Design III is a self-led section of the Engineering Design Courses, and students are encouraged to take what they learned for the past two terms and to put it to use to develop an invention relevant to the section chosen for the term. The motivation for this project is a love for the environment. When brainstorming, a common theme was discovered to be motivating each member: improve upon the Earth with engineering skills. The Honeywalk was thought up when thinking of the pathways of grass and mulch destroyed by the high-traffic of the Drexel Campus, as a way to have both grass and a sustainable method to avoid replanting the grass. A small-scale prototype with an interlocking mechanism will be created that can be produced in order to have grass and mulch to slow the flow of rainwater. Grass will be able to flourish underneath the foot traffic, keeping the dirt and its nutrients safe for all plants within the soil.

Introduction

The motivation for the Honeywalk is mainly to protect the grass of Drexel.  Many Drexel students tend to walk on the grass without giving it a second thought.  The Honeywalk will act as a raised platform that students can step on instead of trampling the grass if they would like to take a shorter route to class.

Some of the learning outcomes that will come out of doing this project are a good understanding in the whole design process and an understanding of the force distribution that is needed to support a person at any point on their walk.  One major task that needs to be accomplished is that the Honeywalk needs to be able to support the weight of multiple people walking on it at once.  Another task is that the Honeywalk need to be built with an easy and effective method of interlocking with other Honeywalks so that a pathway can be made.  

Deliverables

At the conclusion of this project, group 10 will have a working scaled prototype of a Honeywalk system that functions as a bridge over walkways, a blog that displays the growth and challenges faced on a weekly basis, three 3D models to show the interlocking mechanism, and a report that displays the many uses and features of the Honeywalk. The Honeywalk will also function as a ramp with a running slope of 1:12 max according to ADA regulations (Ramps and Curb Ramps). Challenges will include balancing tensile strength and size, and creating an easy and effective interlocking system that works with any side of any Honeywalk piece in order to create a navigable pathway. Balancing affordability, strength, size, and sustainability will all be important factors in creating the Honeywalk system. Scaled weights will also be delivered to show what a full-size Honeywalk would hold.

Technical Activities

Two of the main technical challenges will be to develop a large, yet sturdy, collapsible bridge that spans walkways without breaking under several hundred pounds of weight, and to create a system of interlocking mechanisms that are universal to all Honeywalk pieces and strong enough to stay holding even when there is a lot of pressure on the pathway.

Strength tests will be performed on scale models to better determine which structures work the best and which mechanisms perform even under pressure. 3D models, created in Creo: Parametric, will allow testing of hold strength, even when there is no full-scale prototype available. Repeated testing will allow data to determine which combination of size and structure work the best.

Project Timeline

The following table is a projected timeline for the project, from group formation and product conceptualization to a secondary scaled model. This project will involve testing the strength of the materials, the effectiveness of interlocking mechanisms, and research of the product’s applications in the real world. Within 10 weeks, group 10 will need to become experts in the field of construction with plastics and testing the strength of various materials.

Table 1: Below is the timeline for the Honeywalk project and Design III Course.

	Week
Task	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10
Course Checkpoints
Form Group	X
Blog Check #1		X
Design Proposal		X
Blog Check #2						X
Final Report Draft							X
Blog Check #3
Final Report									X	X
Final Presentation									X	X
Research
Research current walkway construction		X	X
Research strengths of recycled plastics		X	X
Research greenspaces in urban settings		X	X
Design
Define dimensions of Honeywalk pieces		X
Order plastic sheets for full scale piece			X
Design locking mechanism			X
3D designs in AutoCAD			X	X
Print scale 3D parts				X	X
Test load strength of recycled plastic					X	X
Design revisions and reprint (if necessary)					X	X	X
Build full scale piece							X	X	X
Deliverables
Final 3D Printed Parts										X
Final Blog updates										X
Final Presentation									X	X

Facilities and Resources

This project will need 3D printers to create the prototype for this project.  It will also be using the Mark 10 Tensile Strength test to see how much weight that the scaled products hold. In addition to utilizing the 3D printers in the Innovation Studio to create a small-scale prototype, a larger-scale model of the prototype will be created.  This will be created from plastic materials that will be ordered. The machine shop at Drexel will be used to make cuts in the larger-scale prototype and may be used to attach parts together when building the model.

Expertise

1. CAD and 3D Printing Experience:

In order to produce a scale model, there had to be sufficient skill to design a 3D scale model of the interlocking sidewalk.  This model had to be compatible with available 3D printer software and produce a reasonable facsimile. Knowledge of how resolution of a 3D-designed piece is also important, as reducing the time needed to create the piece in the printer will allow for increased testing of strength and size ratios in the Mark 10 machine.

2. Knowledge of Materials Science and Engineering:

The careful selection of material for the honeywalk was essential.  The longevity, biocompatibility, tensile strength, and cost of the material each had significant effects upon the usefulness of the design.  The ability to make informed and scientific choices in material selection was paramount.  The interaction between these products and the environment was also taken into consideration when selecting the materials, as toxic plastics can ultimately undermine what the Honeywalk is about—preserving nature.

3. Knowledge of Mechanical Design:

The overall final design must consider the shape, texture, and durability of a single unit, as well as the interlocking quality and force dispersion of multiple units in use. This will require the knowledge of the interaction between materials and how best to create interlocking joints on the Honeywalk. In addition to knowing how best to create pieces that meet the above criteria, there should be previous knowledge that shows which space- and cost-efficient materials should be used and why they are the best for this project.

Budget

The HDPE plastic sheet would be the only self-bought expense in the design. The first scaled models will be created with the 3D printers made available to students, and that cost is covered by the university. Because group 10 will not be creating a full-scale model, they do not need to buy additional sheets of plastic. This is the only expense that the group needs to finish this project.

Table 2: Below is the budget for the Honeywalk project.

Category	Number Needed	Cost Per Item	Shipping
HDPE 1” 24x48”	1	$93.90	$40.00
		Total	$133.30

HDPE 1” 24x48”

A singular sheet of this plastic is required to create the larger scaled model of the final design. This sheet would be used in the secondary phase of designing a model, and it would also be used in testing the overall strength of the plastic. This stage of the model is important to determine where strength decreases as size increases, and vice versa.

References

“Ramps and Curb Ramps.” United States Access Board. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Apr. 2017.