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ArcelorMittalUSA
TheWoodchippers
MattJohannes
mzj5185@psu.edu
BandishThaker
bst5093@psu.edu
MadisonDeWitt
msd5297@psu.edu
CaitlinLander
crl5291@psu.edu
EngineeringDesign100
April20,2015
Section22
TableofContents
Abstract.........2
ProblemStatement..........3
DefinitionofSustainability......4
Background...........5
CustomerNeeds..........6
ConceptGeneration...........8
ConceptSelection.......9
DesignReview.......11
ModelofProcess.......13
SystemsDiagram.......14
CostandFeasibilityAnalysis...........15
LifeCycleAnalysis.......16
Conclusion..............17
References.........18
Acknowledgements.......19
Page1
Abstract
Forthisproject,weweretaskedbyArcelorMittalwithtacklingtheproblemofreducing
theirlumberwasteandecologicalfootprintwhileincreasingoverallsustainability.Wehadto
findawaytoconvertwoodenpalletsandrailcarsintoareusableproduct.Afterbrainstorming,
carefulconsideration,andthoroughprocessanalysiswecameupwithamethodthatfitthe
customerneeds.Wechosetoputthelumberthroughanindustrialwoodchipper(1000Tub
Grinder)sothatthenailsandstapleswouldntaffectthebladesaswellasithasthecapability
toseparatethemetalfromthewoodandrunoffofelectricity.Theendresultisaproductthat
canberepurposedandsoldtomakeaprofit.
Wefoundthatthismethodwouldinvolveafairlylargeinitialpaymentbutthewood
chipperwouldenduppayingforitselfinalittleunderthreeyears.Webelievethatthisoption
wouldbefeasiblebecauseafterArcelorMittalbreakseventheywouldthenbemakingaprofit
ofapproximately$36,000ayearjustfromthewoodchips.Themethodisalsosustainable
andproduceslowemissionallwhilemeetingthecustomerneeds.
Page2
ProblemStatement
ArcelorMittalwouldliketoreducethevolumeofwastedlumber,whichisusedto
transportrawmaterialstothefactoryforprocessing,inordertoreducethecompany's
ecologicalfootprintandincreaseoverallsustainability.
Thewastedmaterialnotonlyimpactsthecompany'sproductivityandrevenue,but
alsoadverselydamagestheearthbyincreasingtheecologicalfootprint.Afterreceivingand
processingcriticalrawmaterialsrequiredinthemanufacturingofArcelorMittalsteel,the
companyisleftwithexcessivequantitiesofwoodenpalletsandrailcarsupports.Atthispoint
intime,theseexcessmaterialsarediscardedinsteadofbeingreusedandrecycled.Muchof
thelumberiswastedbecauseofthepresenceofnailsandscrews.Thisproblemshouldbe
givenutmostimportanceandbefixedassoonaspossibletomaketheplantanefficientplace
toproduce.Theexcesswoodiscurrentlyeithergivenfreeofchargetoplantemployeesfor
personaluseorsenttolandfillsfordisposal.Fixingthisproblemwouldallowperfectlygood
woodtobereusedinamultitudeofdifferentways.
Toachievethisgoal,wewilloptimizetheprocessofnailremovalinordertomaximize
efficiencyduringthedeconstructionofthecratesandpallets.Wewillinvestigateecofriendly
methodsofwooddisposalinhopestodiscoverabetterdisposalalternative.
Page3
DefinitionofSustainability
AsdefinedbyArcelorMittal,sustainabilitymeansstrivingtodevelopacleaner
steelmakingprocess.Theiroperatingphilosophyistoproducesafe,sustainablesteel.Asa
groupwehavecreatedourowndefinitionofsustainabilityandusedthatdefinitiontoleadus
inourproblemsolvingstrategies.Toussustainabilitymeanssomethingthatislonglasting,
andabletoproducethesameresultsmultipletimes.Westriveforoursolutionstobe
environmentallyfriendly,safeandtouseourresourcesinthemosteffectivemanner.
Page4
Background
WoodenPalletsareusuallydisassembledbecauseitiseasiertohandlethewooden
boardswhentheyareseparatedfromeachother.Ourinitialapproachforrecyclingthe
woodenpalletswastodisassemblethem,removethenailsandthensellorreusethewood.
Patentresearchshowedmanydevicesthatwereusedtoprythewoodenpalletsapart.There
isaproductthatusesbandsawstocutalongtheconnectionoftheplanksofwood[1].The
sawwouldcutthroughthenailsinthewood,whileleavingtheplanksintact.Theplanks
howeverwouldstillhavethenailsimbeddedinsideofthemwhichisnotidealforoursolution.
Wealsodidresearchonhowtoeasilyremovenailsfrompallets.Theideaswefoundincluded
atypeofmagnet[2]oranelectricdrill[3]thatwouldremovethewoodimmediately
surroundingthenailmakingiteasiertopryitout.Thelastideathatweresearchedwasthe
recyclingofwoodenpalletsandmanypeoplerecommendedtheshreddingofthepalletsto
createwoodchipshoweverthereweremanycomplaintsaboutthenailsdullingthebladesof
theshreddersorjammingthemachine.
Page5
CustomerNeeds
Inordertostartorganizingourprojectrequirementsintoastatisticalmanner,our
groupdecidedtocomposeanAHPmatrix.AnAHP(analyticalhierarchyprocess)matrixis
usedtodeterminewhatelementsofaproductsdesignismostcrucialtothesuccessofthe
device.Inotherwords,itisatoolthatisusedtohelpranktheimportanceofdifferent
elementsofaprojectbycomparingeachelementtooneanother.Giventheconstraints
providedbyArcelorMittal,ourgroupcompiledalistof8necessitiesthatwebelievedtobestfit
theirrequirements.Innospecificorder,ourinitiallistofneedswasasfollows:(1)cost
effective,(2)timeeffective,(3)nonlaborintensive,(4)simplicityofuse,(5)safe,(6)reliable,
(7)durable,and(8)profitable.OurAHPmatrixisdisplayedin
figure1.1
below
Figure1AHPMatrix
Cost
effective
Time
effective
Nonlabor
intensive
Simplicity
ofuse
Safe
Reliabl
e
Durable
Profitabl
e
Total
Weight
Cost
effective
.5
.33
.5
.33
6.66
.097
Time
effective
.5
.33
9.83
.153
Nonlabo
r
intensive
.5
.66
.5
.5
8.16
.119
Simplicity
ofuse
.5
.33
.5
.33
.5
7.16
.105
Safe
16
.234
Reliable
.5
1.5
12
.176
Durable
.5
12.5
.183
Profitable
.5
.33
.5
.5
6.83
.100
Page6
Aftercomposingthematrix,itwasaveryclearastowhichelementsoftheprojectneededto
befocusedonduringthedesignofourdevice.Showninthelastcolumnof
figure1.1
are
theweightedequivalentsforeachofthedifferentelements.Theseweightedfiguresallowed
ustorankthe8elementsinaveryspecificandpurposefulway.Ourelementsareorganized
frommostimportanttoleastimportantinthelistbelow.
(1)safe
(5)nonlaborintensive
(2)durable
(6)simplicity(easeofuse)
(3)reliability
(7)profitable
(4)timeeffective
(8)costeffective
AsshownbytheresultsoftheAHPmatrix,thethreemostimportantcriteriaaresafely,
profitability,andreliability.Thisislogicalbecausealmostalloftheotherrequirementsactas
asubsidiarytothesethree.Iftheprojectisdesignedtobesafe,mostlikelyitwillbenonlabor
intensiveandrelativelysimpletouse.Similarly,durabilitywillreducethemaintenance
requiredtoupkeepthemachine,andthereforemaximisecosteffectivenessandprofitability.
Allofthisconsidered,theAHPactedasasuccessfulmeanstoidentifyaspecificorderof
designconstraints.
Page7
ConceptGeneration
Ourinitialideaforrecyclingthepalletswastooremovethenailsandthenrecyclethe
wood.Theprocessofremovingthenailshoweverwouldmostlikelydamagethewoodby
eithersplinteringitormakingitweakerbecauseofthegreatforceneededtopullthenailsout.
Thiswouldbringdownthevalueofthewood,andwouldnotbebeneficialforussincewe
plannedonreusingorsellingthewood.
Wethenthoughtoftheideaofjustcuttingthenailsdownsothattheywouldbeflat
alongthewood.However,thequalityandworthofthewoodwouldnotbehighbecausenails
wouldstillbeimbeddeditinsoresellingthewoodwouldbehard.
Wethenresearchedhowpalletsaredisposedofwhentheyaredonebeingusedby
othercompanies.Welookedatwoodshreddersbutfoundthatifapalletwastobeputinto
themachine,thenailsinthepalletswoulddullthebladesoftheshredderveryquickly.The
shreddingofthepalletswouldallowforanewfinalproductofwoodchipswhichcouldbesold.
Page8
ConceptSelection
Weputallthreeofourconceptideasinamatrixandwerankedthemagainstour
customerneeds.Ourmatrixcanbeseenbelow.Werankedeachofourideasagainstthe
customerneedsofArcelorMittal,onascaleofonetofive,fivemeaningthatthedesignmeets
therequirementverywellandonemeaningthatthedesignfailstomeettherequirement.
Thesenumberswerethenaddedupandthattotalistheleftmostnumberinthetotalcolumn.
wethencalculatedthetotalofeachdesignusingtherankingsforeachofthecustomer
needs.Wetookthescoreofthedesignfeaturesandmultipliedthembytherankingsofeach
ofthecustomerneeds(whichisthenumbershownintheparenthesesunderneaththe
customerneeds)andaddedthemtogethertogetthetotalwhichisshowninthebottomright
ofthetotalcolumn.Thegreaterthenumberofthetotalthebetterthedesignmetthedesign
requirementsandcustomerneeds.Afterallofthecalculations,isitshownthatthechippingof
thewoodandsellingitasafinalproductmetthecustomerneedsmosteffectively,therefore
weselectedthisasourproposedsolution.
Manypallets,aftertheyareused,arenotingoodcondition.Mostofthemareworn
andweak.Thewoodplankswouldthennotbegoodforreusingorselling.Soshreddingthe
woodwouldcreateanewfinalproductthatwouldbesellable,andcreateanewprofitfor
ArcelorMittal.
ForoursolutiontobeprofitabletoArcelorMittaltheshredderwouldneedtobeableto
cutthroughthenailsbecausedisassemblingandremovingthenailsfromthewoodfirstwould
betoolaborintensiveandtimeconsuming.Itwouldalsobeverycostlytohavetooften
replacethebladesofthemachine.Weneededamachinethatwillbeabletoshredtheintact
palletsandbeabletocutthroughthenailswithoutwearingovertime.Tubgrindersdojust
that,andwefoundagrindercalledtheMorbark1000.ThisTubGrindercanshredthroughthe
woodandnailswithoutdamagingordullingthebladesovertime.Themodelcanalsowork
fullyonelectricpower.Wewillthenhavetheshreddedwoodseparatedfromtheshredded
bitsofnails.Theshreddedwoodwillthenbeshippedofftobebaggedandsoldasafinal
product,andthenailbitsrecycles.
Page9
Figure2ConceptSelectionMatrix
cost
effectiv
e
(1)
time
effective
(5)
nonlabo
r
intensive
(4)
simplicit
yofuse
(3)
safe
(8)
reliabl
e
(6)
durable
(7)
profitable
(2)
Total
Design1:
Cutnailsand
leavein
wood
26
129
Design2:
Remove
nails
manually/
mechanically
25
116
Design3:
Chipwood
andsellas
newproduct
33
149
Page10
DesignReview
Ourdesignreviewconcludedthattheothergroupfullysupportedourideaanddidnot
provideasubstantialamountofnewrecommendations.Instead,ourtwogroupsdiscussed
differentfacetsoftheproposedprocessandlocatedaspectsofourfinaldesignthatseemed
lacking.Afterthepeerreviewhadended,ourgroupreviewedtheprovidedresponsesand
developedafewspecificactionitemsthatwefeltitnecessarytoaddress.Theseactionitems
consistedoffacetsofourdesignproposalthatwerelackingindepthorseeminglyneeded
improvement.
Ratherthanofferingredesignpropositionstoourbusinessmodel,thepeerreview
actedtojustifythelegitimacyofoursolution.Bothofourgroupsproposedaverysimilar
solutiontothepallet/railcarproblem,sobydiscussingourconceptswewereabletohelp
benefitbothourteams.Thediscussionwiththeothergroupreassuredourconfidenceinthe
finaldesignproposition,whichisoutlined,inbrief,below.
OursolutionbeginswiththepurchaseofaTubGrinder.ATubGrinderisamachine
thathasthecapabilityofchippingfullyassembledwoodenpallets.Afterthepalletisplacedin
thetopbinofthemachinebyalaborer,astrongsetofmetalteethlocatedatthebaseofthe
mainbucketgridsthepalletwoodandnailsintowoodchipsandnailbits.Thisisthefullextent
towhichworkersmustinteractwiththedevice,soitcompletelyeliminatesthetime/labor
intensiveworkinvolvedwithmanuallydisassemblingpallets.Thewoodchipsandnailshards
arethensentdownaconveyorbeltandrununderastrongmagnet.Fromabove,themagnet
willbeabletoseparateallofthenailbitsfromtheremainingwoodchipsanddiscardthemin
aseparatecontainerlocatednexttothebelt.Thenailbitscanthenberecycledandusedby
ArcelorMittalintheprocessofsteelmakingandthewoodchipscanbesoldtoother
distributors.
Beforethedesignreview,ourgrouphadproposedthatArcelorMittalselltheexcess
woodchipstobusinessesthatburnwoodasasourceofbiofuel.Therearemanydifferent
industriesthatrelyheavilyonwoodasabiofueltooperatetheirinternalsystems,andsothis
seemedlikethebestoption.Afterconductingthepeerreviewthough,werealizedthatthere
Page11
isnoneedtoidentifyaspecificlocationthatthechipsshouldbesentbecausetherearemany
industriesthatareinterestedinpurchasingthewoodchips.Asagroup,weidentifiedthree
separateoptionsastowherethewoodchipsshouldbesold:biofuelcompanies,landscaping
industries,andvariousnaturetrailorganizations.Sellingittothesecompanieswouldnotonly
makerevenueforArcelorMittal,butalsohelplowertheecofootprintoftheircompany.For
example,bysellingthewoodchippingstonaturecentersandnatureparks,ArcelorMittal
wouldcontributetotheconstructionoffoottrails.Thepalletchipswouldacttosuppress
vegetationgrowth,raisethetreadinmuddyareas,andoverallpromotethepreservationofthe
environment.ThiswouldallowArcelorMittaltosimultaneouslyprofitwhilepromotingthe
safetyoftheenvironment.
Page12
Modelofprocess
Becauseoursolutionisformattedmostlyasabusinessplan,theonlyadditionally
devicerequiredforthesuccessofourplanisthemagneticnailremoverthatislocatedabove
theconveyorbelt.Thepurposeofthismagneticplateistoseparatethenailshardsfromthe
woodchippingsthatareproducedbythetubgrinder.Oncetheundersidefaceofthis
magneticplateisfullyoccupiedbynailfragments,itmustbemanuallydisplacedoverthe
bucketplacedonthesideoftheconveyorbeltinordertodiscardofthenails.Oncecleared,
theplateisrelocatedovertheconveyorbeltandisreadyforuse.Essentially,theprocesscan
besimplybrokendowninto3differentsteps:
1. Woodenpalletsandrailcarsfixedwithnailsatthejointsarepiledup.
2. Aworkerwillmanuallyplacethethewoodenpalletsandrailcarsinsidethe100Tub
Grinder.1000TubGrindershredsthewoodandseparatesthenailsusingamagnet
locatedabovethesurfaceoftheconveyorbelt(displayedinthesolidworksmodel
below).Afterapproximately5pallets/railwaycarsupportsareprocessed,someone
mustmanuallymovethemagnetoutfromovertheconveyorbelt,resultinginthe
relocationofthenailshardsintoabucketbeside.
3. Thenailswillgotoametalrecyclerwheretheywillberepurposedandwoodchipswill
bepackedupandsoldforseveraldifferentuses.
Figure3.1(left)and3.2(right)Demonstratesmovementofmagneticplate
Page13
Systemsdiagram
Oursystemcanbeviewedasa
BlackBoxModel
characteristicofitsinputsandoutputs
withoutevenknowingofitsinternalworkings.Theinputofoursystemisthewoodenpallets
attachedwithnailsattheirjointswhicharesenttothewoodchipper.Thewoodalongwiththe
Page14
nailswillbechippedandwillfallonthemagneticconveyorbelt.Nailsbeingironwillclingto
thesidesoftheconveyorbeltwheremagnetsareplaced.Thesenailscollectintheslidingbox
attheendoftheconveyorbeltasshowninFigures3.1and3.2onthepreviouspage.The
nailswillberemovedmanuallyfromtheboxandeitherbediscardedorrecycledbackinthe
factory.Ontheothersidethewoodchipswillfalloffontheothersideofthebeltandcollectin
bagswhichcouldbeusedasmulchforlandscapingortoproduceenergyasabiofuelsource.
Costandfeasibilityanalysis
Inordertoconductacompleteandlegitimatecostanalysis,wedecidedtobreakdown
thecostsintotwoseparateentities:initialinputcostsandresultingbenefits.Asinterpretedby
ourteam,theinitialinputcostsaccountedforanyrequiredmaterialorservicethatwas
requiredbeforeanyprofitwasgained.Likewise,theresultingbenefitsquantifiedtheresultant
productandmeasuredtheprofitprojectedbyouranalysis.Thebreakdownofcosts,along
withjustificationofpurpose,isdescribedinfurtherdetailbelow.
BreakdownofCosts
Cost/Profit
NecessaryInputs{InitialCosts}:
1. Pallets&RailcarSupports
free(alreadyhave)
2. Morbark1000TubGrinder
$50,000150,000
ResultantOutputs{FinalProfits}
1. Approx.1,200bagsofmulch
3
6x8x20standardindustrialrollingdumpster=960ft
3
960/2(toaccountforunoccupieddumpsterspace)=480ft
3
480(volumeofwood)/0.4(ft
perbagofmulch)=
1,200
bags
2. @$2.50perbag
Retailers(i.e.HomeDepot,etc)sellfor$56perbagofmulch
AssumedRetailerssellforoverdoublepurchasingprice
Page15
3. Netprofitof$36,000peryear
$2.50x1,200bagsofmulch=$3,000permonth
$3,000permonthx12monthsperyear=
$36,000peryear
Lifecycleanalysis
Oursystemfollowsacradletograveaswellascradletocradlecycle.Wooden
palletsalongwithironnailsweredifficulttoreuseandrecycle.Andthuswethoughtof
chippingthewoodenpalletsandthenseparatingthewoodchipsfromthenails.This
way,boththeoutputsi.ethewoodchipsandtheironnailscouldbereusedseparately.
Thewoodchipswillbepackedinbagsandsoldasmulch.Thismulchcanbeevenly
spreadingardensandchildrenparksforbetterenhancementofthegreenery.The
woodchipscanalsobeburnttoproduceenergyperhapsasabiofuelsource.Theiron
nailscanbeeithersoldoffasscraporevenbemeltedandputbacktouseinthefactory
fortheproductionofsteelmakingitacyclicalcycleinsteadofalinearone.Thiswayour
systemfollowsacradletogravecycleincaseofthewoodchipsandcradletocradle
cycleincaseofthenails.
Therefore,takingLifeCycleAnalysisintoconsideration,wetookstepswhich
wouldhelpeitherreuseorrecyclethescrapmaterialsorbringprofitstothecompanyby
sellingthewaste.Weassessedtheenvironmentalimpactsateachstepofourprocess
makingsurethatnoharmisdonetotheecosystemandyeteveryoneisbenefittedbeit
ArcelorMittalortheircustomers.
Page16
Conclusion
Ourfinaldesignwasthe1000TubGrinderwhichhasmanyoptionsthatcanbe
includedinthemachine.Someofthefeatureswechoseweretheelectricmodel,whichwould
savemoneyandemissionscomparedtoifitranoffgasoline,andthemagnetizedconveyor
beltwhichwouldeasilyseparatethemetalfromthewood.Thisdesignwouldhelpmake
ArcelorMittal$36,000dollarseveryyearafterpayingofftheinitialpayment.Althoughinthe
longrundesignwouldmakeadecentextrasumofmoneytheinitialcostofthemachinecan
bequitecostly.
WiththisdesigninplaceArcelorMittalcandecidewhatmeanstheywouldwanttosell
thewoodchipsandwhatpricetheywillgetthemachineat.Thismachinewilllastforalong
timeandArcelorMittalwouldonlyhavetobuyonetoseeprofit.Thismachinewillhelpthe
companytransitionintoamoreecologicallysustainablecompany.
Throughoutthisprojectourgrouplearnedseveralthings.Welearnedhowtodo
constructiveresearchintoacompanytohelpunderstandtheirneedsandcreateadesignthat
suitstheircompany.Wealsolearnedtodoresearchintosolutionsthathavealreadybeen
triedaswellasoptionsthatwecouldworkoffofratherthanhavingtocreatesomething
completelynewfromscratch.Thisprojecthelpedintroduceusintotheprojectsthatwecould
bedealingwithwhenwegetoutintothefieldofourrespectiveengineeringfields.
Page17
References
Cosgrove,AndrewJ."PalletDismantler."
GoogleBooks
.N.p.,17June2014.Web.22Apr.
2015.
DeMasi,Douglas."PatentUS20070039286ElectricMagneticNailRemoverandNail
Impailer."
GoogleBooks
.N.p.,22Feb.2007.Web.22Apr.2015.
Maker,TimothyM.,ThisInstitutionIsProhibitedFromDiscriminationOnTheBasisOf,and
Race,Color,NationalOrigin,Sex,Age,OrDisability.
WoodChipHeatingSystems
(1994):n.pag.
Biomasscenter
.1994.Web.22Apr.2015.
"Morbark1000TubGrinderLandClearing,WoodWasteRecycling."
MorbarkInc
.N.p.,n.d.
Web.22Apr.2015.
Phillips,Stephen."PatentUS6755392NailExtractor."
GoogleBooks
.N.p.,29June2004.Web.
22Apr.2015.
"Sustainability."
ArcelorMittal
.N.p.,n.d.Web.22Apr.2015.
Page18
Acknowledgements
TheWoodChipperswouldliketothankProfessorRitterforherguidancethroughoutthe
durationoftheproject.Inaddition,wewouldliketothankArcelorMittalforprovidinguswitha
legitimaterealworldproblem,allowingustodevelopandshowcaseourdesignskills.
PennStateUniversity
ProfessorRitter
TheEntireEDesign100Team
Page19
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