DRAFT 1 Engineering Materials Group Project Project IV: Toddler Pram

Group Members: Tutor: Due Date:

Introduction
In the modern world, new innovations are constantly released by manufactures to provide the public population with better versions that make products easier to use. In this report, a toddler pram will be re-modelled into a new and improved version so that it can be more efficient in price and use. This report thoroughly covers the basic guidelines of a product and its materials to create a toddler pram such as the performance factors, material properties and suitability and graphic designs of the new model.

Materials Selection

Material Selection
Parts Handle, Brace, Brakes Cover, Seat Fram Rim Tyre Material High density Polyethylene (HDPE) Nylon Aluminium 6061 Polyvinyl Chloride Polyurethane Description High tensile Strength, Low Cost Thermoplastic silky material Low Density, Low Cost Low Cost, Durable Durable, Flexible

3.0 Factors that Effect Performance

3.1 Failure Analysis
It is important to design a component or system that is reliable and safe to use for the intended purpose. Component and system can fail in many ways based on geometry, load direction, environmental conditions and other variables. Prevention of failures is hard even though the cause of the failures and behaviours of materials is known. The sources of failures include improper materials selection and material processing as well as misuse of materials and components (Askeland, D.R. 1994, p.755). The main component of the toddler pram is the frame. The frame is going to support the toddlers weight and therefore the metal selected for this frame should be able to carry the weight. The metal selected for the frame should not fail in brittle fracture mode as this will not give the user a warning when its going to fail because this type of fracture will show little or no plastic deformation. So the elongation percentage and youngs modulus of the metals were also considered when selecting the metal for the frame because the metal should exhibit ductility. Another component of the stroller is the fabric that is fastened onto the metal frame. This fabric should be strong because it transfers the babys weight to the metal frame. One of the main failure modes in the prams is the cloth seat tears at the screw locations. To overcome this problem the cloth seat should be stitched around the metal frame and also be screwed together into the pre-drilled screw holes. By placing plastic support on the screw locations the pressure is distributed

onto a larger area and reduces the chances of fatigue failure that can occur on these locations after a lengthy period and it gives additional safety when a child is placed in the pram. The pins which hold the joints of the frame will fail in shear mode if the pram is overloaded or misused and the frame will become unstable. Since the failure happens suddenly it puts the toddler in risk of getting hurt. To overcome this problem weight restriction labels should be placed on the seat cloth and the handle to remind the user about the load restrictions. Majority of plastic products fail in creep or fatigue failure mode. Since the wheels are in constant contact with the ground they will undergo a lot of wear and tear. By adding rubber around the wheel the repetitive stress that is forced on the plastic wheel will be reduced by a considerable amount and minimises the fatigue failure that can happen after a period. Also the rubber acts as a protective coat for the plastic because plastic will crack when it is forced on to a sharp point.

3.2 Service Life

The service life of a material is the expected lifetime. For this report, we will be concentrating on the materials Maintenance-free operating period (MFOP) because the materials chosen must last five or more years with little or no maintenance due to the conclusion that a toddler pram should last until the child is at least five years old.

3.3 Corrosion
Corrosion is the deterioration of a material due to a chemical reaction caused by the effects of its environment. The most commonly known type of corrosion is the rusting of metals which is also called electrochemical oxidation. This is when metals are exposed to oxidants such as oxygen and consequently damage such as oxide or salt usually occurs. Due to this, engineers must consider the effects of corrosion when selecting materials for a project and also innovate ways to prevent or reduce the chemical reaction on the exposed surface. For this project, the re-design of a toddler pram, anti-corrosion methods must be used so that the performance of the structure will last five or more years without any corrosion problems. Due to the targeted consumers of toddler prams, 0 to 6 year olds, some corrosion controlling methods cant be used, such as chemical coating layers and Cathodic protection. This is because these methods consist of chemical substances and electric currents on the surface of the structure which is not suitable for infants. Therefore, leaving only the barrier and anodizing method eligible. These two methods involve a protective layer that can be added over the chosen metal or enhancing the protective layer by using chemical reactions.

From extensive research, is has been decided that Aluminium will be the main structural metal for the beam of the re-designed toddler pram for this project due to its compatible structural properties, lightness, easy access and affordability. As a metal, Aluminium is known to be fairly resistant to corrosion due to its nature of oxidising very quickly. When exposed to oxygen from its environment, the aluminium instantly reacts to form an aluminium oxide layer on the surface which is chemically bound. This is also similar to corrosion but doesnt flake off like other metals; aluminium oxide is hard, stubborn and instantly self-renewing (reference 1). Even though Aluminium is resistant to corrosion, its protective oxide layer cant handle extreme environments where pH levels are too high or low and when the environment is acidic. According to the US Army Corps of Engineers, Aluminiums protective oxide film is generally stable in the pH range of 4.5 to 8.5, (reference 2). To be cautious, simple surface treatments can be done to the aluminium to prevent corrosion from happening to the re-designed toddler pram, even though it is unlikely that it will be exposed to these extreme environments. The aluminium oxide layer can be made multiple times thicker by annodization. Annodization is a surface treatment, where the aluminium gets soaked in an electrochemical bath that is adjusted so that pores appear on the surface of the materials corrosive layer. These pores let the corrosive layer grow thicker than usual and then this layer forms a hard surface which protects aluminium underneath. Another benefit of this is when the protective oxide layer is damaged; it can simply grow back by the oxidisation process.

4.0 Reasons for Material Selection

4.1 Selection of Metal for Pram Frame
The selection for the material to be used for the frame of the pram was narrowed down to three commonly used metal alloys. The selected materials consisted of aluminium, cast iron and stainless steel. However there are also various types of alloys with different properties within each group and therefore a specific type of alloy will be chosen from its group. In the design of the pram frame the most important aspect was considered to be the weight of the material. This was because prams are predominantly used by post pregnant mothers whom require a pram possessing a light weight frame

enabling for easy movement and manoeuvrability. Cost is another important factor in the selection of materials. For a commonly used item such as the pram it is important to keep the cost low. Furthermore a lighter weight alloy usually incurs a lesser cost which is another important user preference. Other factors that need to be considered in appropriate material selection include service life, strength, corrosion control and manufacturing processes. The table below shows a table of the possible materials and their characteristics for the pram frame. The material chosen for the pram frame was aluminium 6061 which is a heat treated alloy. Aluminium 6061 compared to the other alloys on the table is the lightest material overall with a density of 2.7G/cm3, and the cheapest form of aluminium. According to David Rethwisch aluminium, although a less dense material, on a weight basis it is able to sustain larger loads than other higher density metals (William D. Callister, 2007). In terms of strengthening Aluminium 6061 T4 was chosen which means the aluminium has undergone heat treatment known as precipitation hardening. Precipitation hardening is the precipitation of two elements other than aluminium, to form an inter-metallic compound which is then age hardened. This process significantly increases the strength and hardness of the aluminium as well as increasing fracture toughness and resistance to fatigue (Cast Nonferrous: Heat Treatable Aluminum Alloys, 2010). The strengthening process of aluminium is a key as it keeps the pram light and the added strength ensures the toughness of the pram and its ability to maintain a long service life.

4.2 Manufacturing process

In terms of manufacturing process it was decided to fasten the pram together with screws rather than welding. This is because aluminium 6061 looses considerable strength during the welding process (Wessel, 2004). Another benefit of using screws is that the manufacturing cost is significantly reduced and ultimately the pram can be assembled after purchase. The material chosen for the screws was stainless steel as it is a material which highly resistant to corrosion in a variety of environments (William D. Callister, 2007). With stainless steel screws both being good corrosion resistors ensures the sustainability of the service life of the pram. Weight (G/cm3) Aluminium alloy Alloy 1100 Alloy 6061 Alloy 7075 Cast Iron Grade 60-40-18 Grade 80-55-06 Grade 120-90-02 Stainless Steel Stainless alloy 304 Stainless alloy 405 2.71 2.7 2.8 7.10 7.10 7.10 8 7.8 Tensile Strength (MPa) 90 240 570 414 689 827 485 725 1450 Relative Cost

12.3 7.6 13.4 2.4 2.4 2.4 4.0 6.7 12

Stainless alloy 17- 7.65 7PH

Below is a simple manufacturing process of our pram:

Manufacturing Process Step s

1

Descriptions
To form the components of the frame, Aluminium 6061 tubing is bent using a press. The metal frame components are then soaked into an electrochemical bath. This is a surface treatment to reduces corrosion, called Annodization The frame components are then spray-painted using a process known as powder-coating. The frame components are then pre-heated and coated with a powder resin finish. This method hardens the frame and acts like a cross-linking agent. The components are then heated again, which bakes the finish onto the frame. The various components of the frame are then assembled using Stainless steel rivets and screws. The seat and hood are then cut from a large swath of Nylon material, with an overhead cutting apparatus.

3 4 5 6

8 9 10 11 12

The seat and hood are then stitched together on an industrial sewing machine. Trim is stitched onto the seat and hood, again using an mechanical sewing machine The seat and hood are attached to the assembled frame. The Polyvinyl Chloride wheel and Polyurethane Tyre are then attached to the assembled frame. The final products are placed in plastic bags and boxed for shipping.

5.0 Design of Improved Toddler Pram

CAD design pictures

6.0 Reason for Design

Why we chose design e.g. more support, less materials, safer, comfortable The main reason for our design was manoeuvrability and cost. This was achieved through choosing lightweight and cost effective materials. The aluminium 6061 T4 frame is strong, light weight and cheep making it easy to use. Benefit of assembly by screws means the pram can be assembled after purchase and significantly lowers the cost.

7.0 Conclusion References

Chris green Julieanne yellow Mathevarajah light blue Everyone - red