Category: Fall 2020

During November, some of our team members felt that due to health concerns, it was best that they no longer visited the UTDesign Studio this semester. The progress we made this month was divided into two main goals: continued assembly of the trailer base, and logistics concerning the Portable Mounting Ramp.

As it stands, we have completed approximately 90% of the trailer base. We are currently stumped while attempting to affix the wheels to the base, which is barring our progress. However, the main frame of the ramp is completed, and the pieces that come after the wheels are add-ons such as the handles.

The instructions mentioned removing the hub caps of the wheels so that we could slide the wheel onto the side of the trailer base, after which we would have to reapply the hub cap. However, this caused a roadblock, as there was some sort of blue lubricant within the bearing of the wheel that would ooze out was we applied pressure. Currently, we have not secured the wheels to the trailer base.

**We limited our time in close proximity to 15 minutes per day as specified in the UTDesign Studio safety requirements. We made sure to wear a face mask at ALL times, and applied a face shield BEFORE coming in close proximity for long durations.**

Our team members that stayed home worked on some of the logistics of the ramp. This included converting the ramp assembly into a CREO file from a SolidWorks file, continuing research into railing alternatives, and brainstorming alternatives for the ramp walking surface and side coverings. We also began taking part inventory using the updated CREO model in order to prepare a Bill of Materials for next semester’s procurement request.

Regarding the walking surface, one of our main considerations was replacing the solid 0.15″ thick steel plated with a thicker, meshed steel walking surface. This would cut the cost of the walking surface down, and we already had some of the material on hand to experiment with. In order to go through with this change, we must ensure that walking canes will not skip through the holes in the mesh and that the structural load-supporting capabilities of the mesh equal or exceed the requirements given to us by Equest.

Considering our limitations under current circumstances, we think this semester has been very productive for the Equest Portable Mounting Ramp project. We ironed out the design flaws in the ramp, completed the majority of the trailer base, and have a part inventory on the verge of completion. It has been a blast to work as a team on this project, and we hope the Portable Mounting Ramp will be finished next semester!

October was a very busy month for the Portable Mounting Ramp Project. This month, we finally got our hands dirty and made some major physical progress. We spent most of the month assembling the trailer base and delivering our semester presentation. We also further discussed mount railing holder solutions, although we did not dedicate as much time to that aspect of the ramp.

One of the biggest problems we ran into during assembly of the trailer base was interpreting the instruction manual. We spent quite a few attempts trying to properly line up the components of the front frame of the trailer base.

We also needed to learn how to use a ratchet and socket and also how to properly use the tool when the bolt is not secured. The solution was to have one of our teammates hold the bolt in place on the outer surface with a different socket/wrench while another teammate tightened the nut on the inner surface using the ratchet and socket.

**We limited our time in close proximity to 15 minutes per day as specified in the UTDesign Studio safety requirements. We made sure to wear a face mask at ALL times, and applied a face shield BEFORE coming in close proximity for long durations.**

We completed about 1/3 of the trailer base this month, but we also learned and developed our knowledge of manual tool usage and interpreting instruction manuals. This month was our learning curve in regards to trailer assembly and hand tool usage. The knowledge we gained by studying the trailer base instruction manual will help us when we begin making our own manual for the Portable Mounting Ramp. Our goal for November is to finally finish the trailer base.

This month was quite eventful for the Neigh Sayers. We contacted the UTD Machine Shop to have our final engineering drawings approved and to inquire about in-person training to help fabricate the Portable Mounting Ramp. Due to current circumstances, we unfortunately will not be able to assist in ramp construction this semester, which will increase our total build cost.

On a positive note, we ordered the trailer base upon which the ramp will be mounted. It is currently in the UTDesign studio where we will spend next month assembling it while we procure parts for the ramp itself. The Irontron Trailer Base we ordered is shown below:

As we finalized our Semester Plan, we noticed that our project is currently over-budget by quite a large margin. Given the magnitude of the ramp, we expected to be over-budget, but not by this much. To cut down on costs, we are currently brainstorming alternatives to replace the Single Post Mount Railing Holders shown below.

Due to unforeseen circumstances, we have merged with The Legacy Senior Communities team. We spent the first few weeks of this semester redefining our team roles and responsibilities while also learning about both projects. At the conclusion of August, we had developed our goals and milestones for this semester.