CAD: Mechanical Design for Deflection

This is the final design that our team came up with.

Video of test day in the Instron machine! My team got perfect numbers and ended up winning first place in the competition!

Description

This project was for an introductory mechanical design course using SolidWorks. The goal of the assignment was to create a shape with 1/4" thick Aluminum to deflect .3" under 250lbf, without deformation and smallest weight to performance ratio. My team of 3 originally came up with an “S” shape, however the simulation in SolidWorks was not giving us the deflection we wanted. On the eve of the assignment due date, we decided to scrap our project and start over to get the desired results. We came up with this shape below, and ultimately got first place in performance on test day! A great accomplishment for my team.

Role

My role was to keep my team moving to hit our deadline. I did some simulation in SolidWorks and led.

For

ME 42 Design course- Instron machine

Date

November 2013

Type

1/4" Thick Aluminum Shape