GUJARAT

TECHNOLOGICAL
UNIVERSITY
Chandkheda, Ahmedabad
Affliated

Shree Sa'dVidya Mandal Institute Of Technology, Bharuch.

Project Report
On
TRI-STAR STAIR TRUCK
Under subject of
DESIGN ENGINEERING – 2B

B. E. III, Semester – VI
Mechanical Branch

-: Submitted by:-
: Group:

Name Enrol. No
PARMAR VISHAL 130450119081
PATEL AYAZ 130450119108
RANA PARTH 130450119139
Faculty Guide
Mr. Rudraduttasinh B parmar

Prof. S. J. Thanki
Head of the Department
Academic year (2015-2016)

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 INDEX

Sr no. Title page no.

1. Introduction 4

2. Literature review 6

3. Modeling and analysis using software 8

4. Prototype and proofing of concept 9

5. Eng. economics of design & features 10

6. Operation performed & principle of operation 11

7. Advantages and Conclusion 12

8. References 13

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 Acknowledgement

Our team consists of three members; all possesses different skills and have contributed equally to
complete the task. But before introducing to our team let me first introduce to our project guide.

Assistant Prof. Rudraduttasinh parmar.Thanks to him for give us this innovative idea for the
design engineering.

Now the Group Members:-

Starting with Vishal parmar- he is the most creative and clean person of our team. He every
time comes up with creative ideas and every time tries to decorate the sheet and make it eye
catchy. He gives the best ideas and every time the ideas are very interesting and everyone is
impressed by his ideas.

Next Member is Ayaz patel - He is very quick and does each and every work very quickly. He is
very enthusiastic and does each and every task very easily and quickly. Along with doing his
own work he also encourages other members to work properly and enthusiastically.

Last Member is Parth rana- He is the cleanest person in our team. He wants each and
everything to be neat and clean, he not only does his work neat and clean but also makes sure
that the other members do the work neat and clean.

Design thinking is a great skill to develop one's designing and creating creative idea skills. It
helps an individual to enhance his thinking skills; it allows an individual to think up to the peak
level.

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 Introduction
The present project relates to the field of load-carrying equipment of a type that is battery power-
operated or hand-operated, and capable of moving upwardly or downwardly on a flight of stairs.
Load-carrier is a wheeled-mechanical device, which is generally used to carry loads. It is used to
reduce human efforts. Load-carrier at its inception is a hand-truck.

A hand truck, also known as a three wheeler, stack truck, is an L-shaped box-moving handcart
with handles at one end, wheel sat the base, with a small edge to set objects on, flat against the
floor when the hand-truck is upright. The objects to be move dare tilted forward, the ledge is
inserted underneath them ,and the objects allowed to tilt back and rest on the ledge.

Then the truck and object are tilted backward until the weight is balanced over the large wheels,
making otherwise bulky and heavy objects easier to move. It is a first class lever. After a decade,
stair-case climbing load-carrier came into existence which we did in our minor project. Stair-case
climbing load-carrier consists a well-designed frame and a set of wheel clusters.

Wheels in the hand-truck are replaced by set of wheel clusters. Further if load is increasing, we
can’t offer more pressure beyond our limit. So we incept having mechanized or automated or
powered stair climber to our convenience. Stair-climbing, like walking on the level, is rhythmical
and involves similar joints, muscles and motor planning.

Stair Climbing Techniques :-

1. Tri-Star wheel arrangement,

2. Stair climbing robot,

Tri-Star Wheel Arrangement :-

The Tri-Star is a novel wheel design—originally by Robert and John Forsyth, assignors
to Lockheed in 1967—in which three wheels are arranged in an upright triangle with two on the
ground and one above them. If either of the wheels in contact with the ground gets stuck, the
whole system rotates over the obstruction. Its most famous application was the Land master, a
unique armored personnel carrier (APC) from the film Damnation Alley. Its common application
is employed as a stair climber.

Lifting objects ,loads such as books, food grains etc. to store above the ground level, or
even patients to move upper level from ground is not easy job, especially where there is no
lifting facilities (elevator, conveyer, etc) Moreover, in most of the buildings in the world does not
have elevators or escalators. In this case human labors are considered to be the only solution.
Labor is becoming costly as well as time consuming in the developed countries, where growth
rate is getting negative. This problem can be solved if a vehicle can lift loads while traveling
through stairs.

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 The project introduces a new option for the transportation of the loads over the stair.
Most of the buildings of the country are structurally congested and unavailing of elevator facility
so it is difficult and laborious to lift up heavy loads. The stair climbing hand truck can play an
important role in those areas to lift loads over a short height, like libraries, hospital, and in
construction area. The vehicle, which can move upper level through stairs, or run in very rough
and rocky surfaces, is called stair climbing hand truck or say stair climbing vehicle. Stair climber
trolleys have a total of six wheels, three on each side. They are set in a triangular pattern. The
uppermost wheel rests on the upper step, with the other two wheels set on the lower step. This
allows you to apply leverage as you pull the trolley up a set of stairs.

Fig. 1 Tri-star stair truck

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Literature review/secondary research :-
1. Stair climbing truck, Mr. Pratik H. Rathod, Mr. Ravi R. Mishra,
Mr. Nitin A. Waghamare in sept-2013 ,Published in International Journal of
Emerging Trends in Engineering and Development.

Lifting objects ,loads such as books, food grains etc. to store above the ground level, or
even patients to move upper level from ground is not easy job, especially where there is no
lifting facilities (elevator, conveyer, etc) Moreover, in most of the buildings in the world does not
have elevators or escalators. In this case human labors are considered to be the only solution.
Labor is becoming costly as well as time consuming in the developed countries, where growth
rate is getting negative. This problem can be solved if a vehicle can lift loads while travelling
through stairs. The project introduces a new option for the transportation of the loads over the
stair. Most of the buildings of the country are structurally congested and unavailing of elevator
facility so it is difficult and laborious to lift up heavy loads. The stair climbing hand truck can
play an important role in those areas to lift loads over a short height, like libraries, hospital, and
in construction area. The vehicle, which can move upper level through stairs, or run in very
rough and rocky surfaces, is called stair climbing hand truck or say stair climbing vehicle.

Stair climber trolleys have a total of six wheels, three on each side. They are set in a
triangular pattern. The uppermost wheel rests on the upper step, with the other two wheels set on
the lower step. This allows you to apply leverage as you pull the trolley up a set of stairs. Though
this project had some limitation as a first step of making any Stair Climbing hand truck, it was a
pioneer project. During the test run of this project, it was realized that it would capable of
carrying heavy load without suffering any deformation or local fractures if it would go into real
world production at an ideal scale. Though the initial cost of the project seemed to be higher but
more accurate manufacturing would shorten this.

2. Stair climbing hand trolley , Prajan Pradip Gondole , Kamlesh Diliprao Thakre
in april-2015 , Published in Journal of Emerging Technologies and Innovative
Research (JETIR)

The present invention relates to hand trucks intended for transporting heavy load and
more particularly, to an improved and simplified hand truck which is adopted to move heavy
loads easily up and down from the stair; with the help of this truck we can lift the load easily up
and down from stairs. Due to this the man effort is reduced and time to lift the load is also
reduced.
After studying various options it was decided to build a hand truck that could be carry
load across stair, also it was decided to power it manually so as to keep it in reach of many users.
This will enable efficient handling of goods across stairs with less human energy. before delving
into the theory behind complex stair-climbing mechanisms, it should first be noted that it is
possible to climb stairs using an ordinary wheel.

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 The large wheels necessary for this task make this method of stair-climbing somewhat
undesirable. Also, the climbing motion produced by simply rolling over stairs is a jarring motion
rather than a smooth one. In addition, the frictional force between the wheel and the edge of the
stair must be sufficient to allow the wheel to grab and roll over the stair. A friction coefficient of
too small a magnitude will cause the wheel to slip against the stair rather than climb.

A problem with prior art hand trucks or carrying carts is that is difficult for the operator
to keep the truck under control when going down the stairs, and it is even more difficult to move
heavy loads up on stairs because the operator is substantially pulling the load and the truck. It is
common to have braking device operable to help prevent the truck from running away during its
movement down the stairs. Another problem with existing hand trucks and carrying carts is that
they are unsatisfactory for transporting heavy products. The trucks typically have pair of ground
engaging wheels which wear quickly because of the heavy loads bearing downwardly directly
on the wheels.

The stair-climbing hand truck is designed to reduce liability rather than increase it.
Conventional hand trucks work well on flat ground, but their usefulness decreases when it
becomes necessary to move an object over an irregular surface. Package deliverymen, for
example, often find it necessary to drag loaded hand trucks up short flights of stairs just to reach
the front door of a building. The entire purpose of using a conventional hand truck is to avoid
having to lift and carry heavy objects around.

3. Stair Climbing Vehicle, Md. A. Hossain, Nafis A. Chowdhury, Rubaiat I. Linda

in jan-2010 , Published in International Journal Of Research Publications In
Engineering And Technology.

Lifting recurring loads like books, food grains etc. to store upper level, or even patients to
move upper level is not easy job, especially where there is no lifting facilities (elevator).The
project introduces a new horizon for the transportation of the loads over the stair. Most of the
buildings of the country are structurally congested and unavailing of elevator facility so it is
difficult and laborious to lift up heavy loads.

The stair climbing vehicle can play an important role in those areas to lift loads over a
short height, like libraries, hospital, and in construction area. The vehicle, which can move upper
level through strain, or run in very rough and rocky surfaces, is called stair climbing vehicle.

In the initial design, each wheel contained frame, a sun wheel and three planetary wheels.
The planetary wheel was connected with the sun wheel through an idler. The purpose of using
the idler was to rotate the planetary wheels in the same direction of sun wheel. Each planetary
wheel was aligned in a straight line with idler and sun wheel. The straight wheel frame takes
more thrust to tilt the wheel frame to engage next planetary wheel. The length of each arm is
high and thus creates vibration and the vehicle would be unstable. In the present design, the
wheel frame was made curve so that the front surface of the arm could not collide with the edge
of the stair.

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 1. MODELING AND ANALYSIS USING SOFTWARE

Fig 2. Tri-star stair truck

The figure shows the basic concept of our model. For modeling and analysis of our working
model we used CAD software for the design of our model .

Dimensions :-

Wheel radius 8 cm
Shaft length 50 cm
Total weight 18 kg

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 2. PROTOTYPES AND PROOFING OF CONCEPT

Prototypes, models and proof of concept

 Prototype :- The basic concept of our model is from the stair climbing trolley. We went
to the different malls and we observed that there are problem of lifting loads from
ground level to upper level by stairs. So as per the problem we decided to make that “tri-
star stair truck” . with the help of that machine we can easily lift the loads.

 Model :- In model we made a working model of “tri-star stair truck” which is shown
below. There 6-wheels and 1-shaft and some metals are joined by welding . our model is
fully hand operated so there is no any pollution occurs.

Fig 3. Tri-star stair truck

 proof of concept :- the basic concept of our model is to lift the heavy loads and lift the
loads from ground level to upper level by stairs. our concept is fully hand-operated so
there in no any chance of any pollution.

 For building a series of our model is possible. But the cost of the manufacturing the
model is little bit more. The use of our model is at two places in industries and malls. The
cost of our model is not higher. If the industry having no problem with the model they
can make series of it and use it.

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 3. ENGINEERING ECONOMICS OF DESIGN

 Cost estimation :-
Parts Price
Wheel 900
Shaft 100
Cotter pin 20
Welding cost 500
Nut and bolts 250

 Labour , material and overhead cost :-

Less skilled labours are able to work with it. Every labour can easily work with it.
The material use in our model is metal and fiber. Metal for the shafts and rods and
fiber for wheels. The overhead cost of the our model is 2370 rs.
New material :- instead of rubber wheels we use fiber wheels. Fiber wheels are able
to withstand whenever the heavy loads are going to lift.

4. DESIGN FOR USE , REDUCE AND SUSTAINABILITY

 Design for use :-we used metal in our model so the metal is very strong and it have
strength to lift heavy loads. so the life of this model is longer. In this we use metal so
we have to protect it from corrosion. We have to protect it from rain water.

5. TEST THE PROTOTYPE

 In testing of our model we put 25kg on it and make it to climb the stairs. it can
withstand with heavy loads like 30-40kg.
 We able to lift the loads from ground level to upper level.

6. ETHICS IN DESIGN

 In ethics it looks like a trolley but it having 3-wheels instead of one or two
wheels.
 It having 3-wheels on each side.
 Metal plates on each both side.

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FEATURE
• Quiet wheel dampens shock and vibration thus reducing noise.
• High Impact Strength: resists fracture from repeated shock loads.
• Higher Loads: mechanical strength supports greater weight and allows better
utilization in caster rigs.
• Higher Resilience: wheel returns to original shape without deforming when
deflected by loads or rapidly applied stresses.
• High Caster Ratings: higher wheel ratings allow better utilization of caster rig
ratings.
• Floor Protective: material does not damage floors and is lighter in weight than
steel.
• Longer Life: shows minimal wear in extended use. Resists abrasion, water and
many hazardous chemicals. Ideal for stainless steel rigs applications.
• Lower Maintenance: sealed precision bearings and minimal wheels wear greatly
reduces in-plant maintenance requirements. Only one type wheel needed.

OPERATION PERFORMED

ARC WELDING :-

An electric arc between the electrode and work piece generates heat. Sufficient
heat is generated to melt the work pieces together. The range of welding current used can
be from 5 to 500 amps. The voltage ranges from 20 to 30 volts, Ac or Dc. Both are
determined by material thickness. The arc is shielded by a blanket of granular fusible
material on the work. Pressure is not used. Equipment consists of welding machine or
power source, the wire feeder and control system, the welding torch for automatic
welding or the welding gun and capable assembly for semiautomatic welding, the flux
hopper and feeding mechanism, usually a flux recovery system, and a travel mechanism
for automatic welding.

PRINCIPLE OF OPERATION :-

Stair case load carrier works on the floor as in Hand truck case. When it comes to
stair case brakes are to be applied for wheels. Brakes are applied to avoid the slip of
wheels. Now switch on the motor to run. By using gear train mechanism the power of
motor is transferred from one shaft to another by gear and pinion mechanism. Here
driving shaft is the motor shaft and driven shaft is the working shaft, when this shaft
rotates a turning moment is created to rotate the wheel. Due to this the tri-wheel cluster
will rotate and third wheel which is idle in the air lands on the next stair. This is the way
how a stair case load carrying mechanism works.

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ADVANTAGES AND APPLICATIONS :-

ADVANTAGES :-

 Stair climbing ability with a less power consumption.

 Suitable to almost all stairs.
 Easy to handle.
 More efficient.
 Economical.
 Easy to assemble.
 Autonomous operation on stairs, slopes and irregular terrain.
 Compared to other wheel load carrier the effort required is less with this type. This load
carrier makes it possible to move unit loads cost effectively, safely and ergonomically.

APPLICATIONS :-

 It can be used in transportation of luggage from one floor to another on stairs in shopping
malls.
 It can be used in buildings under construction.
 This mechanism can be used as stair climbing mechanism for wheel chair.
It can be used for material handling.

CONCLUSION

1. Doing better work with lesser effort has been the main objectives of human beings in
any field.
2. The main aim of the project is stair case climbing mechanism for load carrier with
decreasing effort.
3. By taking the main project as platform we try to present mechanized stair climbing
load carrier with reducing effort.
4. The model of mechanized stair case load carrier which helps to carry the loads with
stair case.

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 REFERENCES

BOOKS :

1. Machine design by R S Khurmi.

2. Design of machine element by V B Bhandari.
3. Study of stair climbing assistive mechanism for the disabled, Murray John
Lawn.

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