AER 222 Design Project Step Ladder

Program: AER 222 Section 03 Due Date: March 30, 2011

Names Adam Boroniec-Maslis Amrit Ruproy Mark Sahadeo Santhosh Inigo Steven Forys

Student ID 500291466 500327571 500373774 500379354 500397000

Abstract

Our group has designed a stool for airplanes that will be mounted every third row to accommodate shorter or elderly travelers and flight attendants to allow easier access to the overhead compartments. The stool will be able to hold up to 300 pounds. Our design is mounted to the bottom of the airplane aisle seat and slides out into the aisle as needed. The stool will not only serve as an aid to access the overhead compartments, but will also take a lot of the lifting off the flight attendants and will allow passengers to be seated quicker.

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Table of Contents Abstract.1 Table of Figures.....3 1.0 Introduction.....4 2.0 Review of Existing Designs.5 3.0 Design Parameters.............................................7 4.0 Detailed Design..9 5.0 Conclusions..13 6.0 Future Design Considerations.14 7.0 References15 Appendix..16

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Table of Figures Figure 4.1 Closed Position............9 Figure 4.2 Open Position...9 Figure 4.3 Main Step.10 Figure 4.4 Roller10 Figure 4.5 Brass Bushing11 Figure 4.6 Guide Bracket.11 Figure 4.7 Magnetic Strip12 Figure 4.8 Assembled Step Ladder...12 Figure 8.1 Concept 1 Foldable Stool.....16 Figure 8.2 Concept 3 - Initial Design Prototype.....16

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1.0 Introduction

Carry-on luggage has always posed an issue for older or shorter passengers and flight attendants to stow away in the overhead compartment. To overcome this continual struggle, we must come up with a solution that is both effective and economical. The design must allow passengers and flight attendants to access the overhead compartment quickly and easily without causing too much of an obstruction. The design needs to be small so that it does not take up too much space in the already compact cabin, which poses the problem of where it will be stored. It will need to be costeffective so it can be easily implemented and not incur too much of an extra expense for the airlines. Weight is always an issue on planes, so the design will be light-weight, but strong enough for a 300 lb person. Dealing with this issue will allow for everyone on the plane to leave with a better overall experience.

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2.0 Review of Existing Designs

Available Market Products After searching for other products that allow easier access to overhead compartments, it has become clear that there are no other products that are out there, or if they are out there, they are extremely hard to find. Because of this our team has been tasked to come up with three individual ideas. Out of these three the best one will be chosen and then broken down and improved on. Possible Solutions The Team broke down into three groups to solve this issue so that we would have three totally separate ideas. This would open up new ideas and help make improvements on the chosen design. By working all three concepts into the main design, the final concept would have evolved by incorporating the best of each design. Concept 1: This was basically a foldable step ladder. 12 high, 9 wide and 9deep. The only issue with this is that it would have to be either stored in the overhead compartment (which is the issue we are trying to solve) or be stored in the magazine compartment in front of the seat. This would cause a problem for the person who is sitting on the aisle seat whenever anyone needs to use the stool. (see Figure 8.1 in the Appendix) Concept 2: This was going to be a small step that was foldable into the side of the chair when not in use, and would be on a quick release button. The problem with this is that it was not esthetically pleasing, and may cause injury due to the moving parts.

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Concept 3: This is a series of steps that would be stored under the seat. They could be pulled out by slipping your foot into a slot and pulling backwards. This was the optimal choice. (see Figure 8.2 in the Appendix)

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3.0 Design Parameters

Design Objective: The design object is to keep the ladder as light as possible, to support load of 300 lbs, to fit compactly under the seat and to be easily extracted at any time.

Functional Requirements: Convenience: Having a ladder attached under every seat provides every passenger with the convenience of pulling it out instantly to access their overhead baggage space. It also avoids the extra space required for storing a large number of ladders at a central space. The ladder can be easily pulled out using the slot. Safety: A locking mechanism was designed to prevent the ladder from moving when the person is standing on it. To prevent the ladder from extending when it is not on use we have included a magnet that keeps the ladder safely retracted during banking or turbulence. The assembly was rigidly fixed to the seat to prevent it coming out during turbulence, landing and take-off. The edges of the ladder were rounded to prevent accidental injury to the passengers. Cost: Since airlines have to buy the ladders in large numbers, commercially available aluminum alloy was used for major parts to minimize the material cost. The ladder was designed to with minimal parts without losing functionality.

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Constraints: Dimensional Constraints: Considering the space available under the seat closest to the aisle, 9.125inch width, 12 inch length, and 11.875 inch height were selected as the overall dimensions for the ladder. The ladder when fully extended will protrude only 9 inches into the aisle so that it is well within the normal aisle width of 17 inches. This constraint allowed us to change our original design of a 2 step stool, to a single step. With a single step we would be able to maximize the use of the space under the seat for leg room. Weight Constraints: The material selected for major parts of the ladder was aluminum to keep it as light as possible. The bushings are made of brass and the rollers are made of steel, we chose a stronger material because these points bear the most stress and they have to able to support a load of 300lbs. The thickness was kept to a minimum for the same purpose. Design Variables: We had the wide variety of materials to choose from to make our ladder. The shape of the ladder could be done in different ways and number of steps could be varied. The mechanism to pull the ladder could have been a handle instead of a slot. The locking mechanism of the ladder could either be spring loaded balls or a block that restricts motion beyond a certain point. The rollers were included later in the design for smooth operation. The magnet could have been omitted but it was included to provide additional locking force.

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4.0 Detailed design

The ladder assembly is fitted to a frame which is attached under the seat of the plane. It has two guides which are fixed to the frame with three bolts on each side. The guides also have two holes in which spring loaded balls are provided. The ladder is shaped like an inverted L and the top surface slides into the guides. The sliding faces have holes in them into which the balls are pushed in by the spring. This keeps the ladder locked in its initial position. A magnet is provided on the face of the ladder so that it holds on to the frame by the magnetic force in the initial position. This provides additional locking force to prevent the ladder from sliding out. A slot is provided on the vertical face of the ladder to enable pulling by hand. When the ladder is pulled the balls slide into the holes of the guides and when the first set of holes in the ladder reaches the second set of holes in the guides the balls slide into the holes in the ladder and the ladder is locked in the extended position. The distance between the two sets of holes in the guide controls the maximum movement of the ladder which is 6 inches. When the ladder is in the locked position it projects out of the guides by 3 inches. When it is fully extended the ladder will have a flat surface 9 inches long and 12 inches wide for a person to step on. The vertical face of the ladder has two brass bushings fitted at the bottom which house two rollers to support the load of the person and also to provide friction free movement of the ladder. The outer shape of the frame will vary according to the shape of the seat. It is made of steel to support the whole assembly but it is made of thin gauge to keep the weight to a minimum. The guides and ladder are made of aluminum alloy to reduce the weight. The bushes for the rollers are made of brass to provide wear resistance for the movement of the rollers. The rollers are made of steel to support 300lbs of load. The top surface of the ladder is provided with a diamond shaped embossing to prevent the person from slipping and to provide strength to the ladder face. (Detailed Drawings are provided to illustrate the above description)

Figure 4.1 Closed position

Figure 4.2 Open position

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Components

Figure 4.3 Main step

Figure 4.4 - Roller

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Figure 4.5 Brass Bushing

Figure 4.6 Guide Bracket

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Figure 4.7 Magnetic Strip

Assembled Step Ladder

Figure 4.8 Assembled Step Ladder

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5.0 Conclusions In conclusion, our group has carefully planned out the details of an aircraft step ladder. This part will benefit the short, the elderly, and flight attendants by allowing quicker and easier access to the overhead compartments. Those who do not use the step ladder will also benefit since the aisles will be cleared faster. The site of the step ladder will be permanently fixed below the aisle seat and will be able to slide out for use. This design will not hinder the person on the aisle seat since it does not take away their feet space.

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6.0 Future Design Considerations A modified locking mechanism can be considered as a part of future consideration, where spring loaded ball bearing may be replaced to improve the efficiency of design. In the present case, ball bearings may need to be lubricated every now and then to prevent friction and wear out of guide bracket; however a substitution can be done in place of magnet and ball bearing. Simply, two pneumatic cylinders can be added to the mechanism which guides and controls the movement of ladder. To ease the accessibility for passengers, foot controlled switch can be installed on the floor which automatically triggers the pneumatic cylinders and pushes the ladder inside/outside without hassling the travelers. Another option perhaps can be considered is to use rack and pinion. A DC motor can be connected to a spur gear and rack gear will be attached to the frame of chair as shown below. This setup converts rotational motion into linear motion and allows the step ladder to move in and out.

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7.0 References "Boeing: Commercial Airplanes - 747 Classics Technical Specs." The Boeing Company. Web. 31 Mar. 2011. http://www.boeing.com/commercial/747family/pf/pf_classics.html

Bo Tan. "Design Project Instruction." Blackboard Learn. Web. 31 Mar. 2011. https://my.ryerson.ca/webapps/portal/frameset.jsp?tab_group=courses&url=/webapps/bl ackboard/content/contentWrapper.jsp?attachment=true&navItem=content&content_id=_ 1430522_1&course_id=_51360_1&displayName=design+project+instruction.docx&href =/%40%40/01A715F84D377053216F83AA7920D9B1/courses/1/aer222_w11_01/conte nt/_1430522_1/design%2520project%2520instruction.docx

Shahid Kamran. "Catia Laboratory Manual." Blackboard Learn. Web. 31 Mar. 2011. https://my.ryerson.ca/webapps/portal/frameset.jsp?tab_group=courses&url=/webapps/bl ackboard/content/contentWrapper.jsp?attachment=true&navItem=content&content_id=_ 1430519_1&course_id=_51360_1&displayName=AER222+Catia+Manual.pdf&href=/%4 0%40/01A715F84D377053216F83AA7920D9B1/courses/1/aer222_w11_01/content/_1 430519_1/AER222%2520Catia%2520Manual.pdf

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Appendix:

-Drawings/Drafts

Figure 8.1 Concept 1 Foldable stool

Figure 8.2 Concept 3 Initial Design Prototype

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