E-Thesis 82 views 45 downloads
Advanced Design of Sports Wheelchairs / JOSEPH O'SULLIVAN
Swansea University Author: JOSEPH O'SULLIVAN
DOI (Published version): 10.23889/SUThesis.67595
Abstract
The aim of this project is to design the best possible sports wheelchair for tennis for use in competition. Initial market research was carried out on existing prod-ucts from both the partner company, RMA Sport and competitor companies. The market research looked at both consumer sports wheelchairs...
| Published: |
Swansea University, Wales, UK
2024
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| Institution: | Swansea University |
| Degree level: | Doctoral |
| Degree name: | EngD |
| Supervisor: | Harrison, W.; Bezidos, N.; and Pitt, J |
| URI: | https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa67595 |
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| Abstract: |
The aim of this project is to design the best possible sports wheelchair for tennis for use in competition. Initial market research was carried out on existing prod-ucts from both the partner company, RMA Sport and competitor companies. The market research looked at both consumer sports wheelchairs and elite bespoke tennis wheelchairs, used by world-class athletes such as St´ephane Houdet. The comparison particularly focused on key characteristics such as weight, materials used and manufacturing methods. Optimisation techniques used in other similar engineering applications were also investigated. A product design specification (PDS) was developed based on the background research, with key design criteria for the performance, user requirements, compatibility with other components, manufacturing requirements and environmental considerations.Practical testing was carried out on an existing product to measure loads during range of load cases. This was done by applying strain gauges in key locations on the chair paired with camera footage to identify which movements have the largest effect on the wheelchair. Following this, two design optimisation approaches were applied. The first looked at optimising the current design by using computational optimisation algorithms to minimize weight whilst maintaining structural integrity for all load cases. This was done initially by modifying tube dimensions in a low-fidelity finite element model, before being extended to setting both tube dimensions and chair geometry as design variables. Three different methods were used to identify the best solution: Design of Experiments (DOE), Genetic Algorithm (GA), and Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO). This resulted in a weight reduction of almost 450g when compared to the original design.The second design optimisation approach was aimed and developing a more be-spoke product for elite athletes, utilising carbon-fibre tubes with additively manufactured connectors. Topology optimisation was used to minimise the weight of these connectors whilst making joints that were strong and stiff. 48% reduction in mass of printed connectors. The final design was manufactured and assembled to prove the concept. The PDS was used to compare the two proposed designs with the original wheelchair design to ensure they met the desired specifications. |
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| Item Description: |
A selection of content is redacted or is partially redacted from this thesis to protect sensitive and personal information. |
| Keywords: |
Design optimisation, Wheelchair sports, Topology optimisation and Additive manufacture. |
| College: |
Faculty of Science and Engineering |
| Funders: |
M2A, ROMA Medical |