From October 28th to November 11th, the team has made some notable changes. Firstly, the team decided to change the device's base frame so that the buckets would be hanging onto the frame with hooks. This will eliminate the process of having the users manually carry the buckets onto the device itself, which will lessen the work being done. Additionally, fewer materials will be needed to construct the device, saving the team's cost and time. The figure below shows the updated design of the Water Container Transportation Device.
Figure 1: Updated Design of the Device
Following the progress report presentation, the team received feedback that it should better define the terrain in the SJL region. Initially, the team had only elevation maps from which slopes were found. However, one of the team members found that by using Google Earth Pro, precise dimensions and elevations for a specific point of the SJL region could be found. Using the Google Earth Pro software, the team set out to trace 5 roads in the SJL region that are traversed by people who live up the mountains and resort to domestically carrying water. The roads spanned a total of 49 thousand feet and were into an elevation diagram. Below is a map of the 5 paths the team traced; each color represents a different route traced.
Figure 2: Map of the 5 Paths
Below is one of the five elevation maps produced after tracing the routes.
Figure 3: Elevation Map
The average slope for both going up and down the route and the maximums for each of these are presented. This has allowed the team to better understand the distances and slopes found in each route. The table below now displays the actual slopes of the roads of the SJL region converted to degrees.
Table 1: Actual Slopes of the Roads in SJL District
This means the team must optimally design a device that can move across areas that are, on average, 7 degrees inclined upward and 4 degrees inclined downward. It must also be able to tolerate the potential maximums.
In addition to finding an average range of slopes, the team also went through the streets of San Juan de Lurigancho District in Google Streetview to look at the unevenness of the roads and paths. After thorough research, there was no better way to find and quantify the unevenness than going through the streets and estimating the height of certain divots, bumps, debris, and potholes. From that, the team created the following chart, giving us a range of the unevenness of roads/walkways to consider when defining a solution.
Table 2: Road Unevenness Chart
Currently, the team is looking for an optimal tire and axle for the rough, rocky road of San Juan de Lurigancho (SJL) District. Research has been done between wide versus narrow tires, and according to the research (YouTube: Tinkerer’s Adventure), narrow tires are better for off-road performance. The contact surface of the narrow tire shows longer and narrower areas, but the area is still the same as the wide tires. The main reason is that narrower tires have more deformation than wide tires. The higher deformation means more flexibility and a more flexible tire deforms better over obstacles, which can help with grip and control quality of the device.
From November 11th to November 25th, the team plans to finish optimizing the tire and axles for use along with the device. Currently, optimal tire dimensions and the types of tires are being researched. Several factors affect the type of tire used along with the device. For example, the roads of SJL District consist of dirt, rocks, and many deformations on the road. The team must consider these when choosing the tire for the device to maximize the stability and handling of the device. The most significant milestone that the team hopes to achieve throughout this timeline is to figure out a way to improve the axle so that it can help with the stability of the device when it is being used. The tires and wheels also need to be found at a lower price with easier accessibility within Peru so that the device itself can be easily purchasable by the residents of SJL District.
Furthermore, we hope to use our research on hiking speed and the terrain properties we gathered to calculate how much time and work we expect a user to output. A considerable area of the work involves tying the new research done after the presentation feedback into the design and calculations of the device.
One of the problems that must be addressed is how the wheels and axles can be fitted with the Water Container Transportation Device. The team is working to determine the specifications of the tires and wheels that will be a perfect fit for the device. Many factors come into this decision: the total height, total price, total weight, rotational angle of the device, and its ability to traverse through the SJL terrain. To resolve these limitations, the team chose narrower and smaller diameter tires and wheels to ensure the device was not oversized. The price will also be double-checked with Peruvian manufacturers. The team aims to have a small turning radius for the device, and a turning radius of zero degrees seems possible by having each tire rotate individually using bearings. Lastly, the axles also need to help with the stability of the device so that the deformation of the SJL terrain does not make it too difficult for the users to use the device.
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