Beat it Music Module

Materials and Structures 2

Cameron Perrie

40058987

23/04/2013

Contents

1. Introduction

2. Research

3. Design Development

4. Structural Analysis

5. Material Analysis

6. Ergonomic Analysis

7. Design Review

8. Company Policy

9. Control sheet

Introduction

This design proposal is an interactive music station to be used within music

festivals. The materials design and construction methods are all to conform to

the relevant British and EN standards for ergonomics, structural loading,

material, constructions and finishes. The Station is there to provide an

interactive service for the festival customers which can be used to recreate

music heard during the day or for general amusement purposes to enhance

the overall experience given by the festival. The station will be situated in and

around the arena areas of the festivals where it will be open to the largest

concentration of people but far enough from the main music acts to make its

own sound audible and so as not to interfere with other music playing at the

festival. The design is made to consider a large range of potential users and

the instruments used in the design have been chosen for their simplicity due

to their ability to be played without the need for any extensive musical

knowledge or skill. The instruments on the station will be symmetrical so that

when being used by 2 people both users have the same opportunity in terms

of identical instruments.

The instruments I have chosen to use are drums and a glockenspiel . Both of

these instruments are appropriate for outdoor usage and can be contained

within a base unit without their musical qualities being inhibited. The stations

use is not limited by its 2 person chair as it can be used just as easily by one

person or even a group of people working collectively to produce a group

sound. The instruments will be able to withstand the wear and tear of usage

and environmental issues such as rain, wind and snow.

The concept behind the design is to make festival gooers feel as included in

the occurrences of the festival as possible. Because of this design not only

could people listen to the music they wanted to when acts are playing, but in

any time in between they could play around with friends on the music station

to create their own sound. Not everyone that plays on this station will create

an amazing sound but the design is there for amusement purposes, to

provide memories and to serve as an opportunity to experience a different

type of fun than can currently be experienced at festivals today

Research

To properly conduct the appropriate research for this design I looked at 3

different areas that would directly link to my design. First I researched music

festivals themselves to get a strong

idea of the atmosphere and the

occurrences at these festivals.

This is an image taken at a festival

called Tomorrowland in Belgium. The

main influence I took from this festival

was the colours themselves. This

festival is very popular and one of the

main reasons for this popularity are

the large scale over the top sets

created for the acts. It is my view that the aesthetic of this festival that sets the

mood of the festival and creates the almost magical atmosphere that people

claim to experience when at this festival.

As can be seen here in this image from T in the park festival Scotland.

Although the main acts are played on stages and often within large tents

there are still large plots of land in between these stages where food and

amusement stalls are placed. It is within the areas like these that the

proposed design would be placed. These areas are always busy with people

travelling to stages, from stages or generally relaxing and having fun

between performances and it is my belief that a product such as the

proposed would be an ideal addition to these areas and would provide a

new type of entertainment for these festivals.

There are some difficult issues related to festivals. One main issue is weather

extremities such as can be seen here again at T in the park.

Conditions such as this make it important for the design to be highly weather

proof and easy to clean. Mud like this would have no issues getting in and

around joints and creating havoc with any small joints or difficulty to maintain

materials. Snow and water will also create problems with any joints or

incorrectly finished materials. Preventing rusting of any metals and

waterproofing the hollow moulded component will be an important aspect of

the design as problems such as rusting can provide safety issues later in the

life of the product.

Wind also creates problems with a design such as this. Due to the main

component being hollow there is not enough initial weight within the design

to keep it in place or on the ground if there was to be a strong period of wind.

To compensate for this I will have to weigh down the moulded base unit with

water. This will add sufficient weight to keep the

station from moving but also means that when the festival is over the water

can be emptied fairly easily and then the station can be removed. This

method of weighting down products can be seen most

effectively in the base units for outdoor parasols. The

bases are weighted down with water just like I plan to

do.

The second segment of my research was to look at already occurring

examples of outdoor furniture and how they were designed to withstand the

strains of outdoor use and which materials were used in these designs in order

to do so.

This Public seating design

by Toyo Ito is a cast stone

bench that has been acid

etched and waterproofed.

I find the finishing of this

bench particularly

attractive due to the

colour and general shape

of the bench. The aesthetic

of this design is very

inviting and almost makes

you want to sit on it which

is something I would aspire to have in my design. The use of material is also

very smart and in this case the finishing is of such a high standard that in my

opinion it makes the design. This product for me highlights the importance of

correct finishing.

When I designed my music station I was intent on keeping it as simple as

possible and I discovered the main way to do this would be to make it from

as few components as possible. During my research period I came across this

design called the stairsquare by Mark Reigelman. This chair design is

incredibly simple yet has such a striking aesthetic that makes it in my view a

very good design. The shape of the chair itself is very simple which adds to

the designs aesthetics whilst not subtracting at all from the ergonomics or

functionality of the design. It was because of this design I decided to try tried

to create a balance between an interesting shape, functionality, simplicity

and an appealing finish.

These two chairs are example of

rotationally moulded furniture designed to be used outdoors. I looked at

these two designs to see how rotational moulding could be used to produce

weatherproof designs which were attractive and functional. Both of these

designs are made from polypropylene which comes in a variety colours and

also provides the strength needed in a moulding such as the component in

my proposed design.

The third segment of my research covered musical instruments. The

instruments I chose to use had to fit a number of specifications in order for

them to work well with my design. I had to choose instruments that not only

could be used in outdoor conditions without the sound quality being effected

and that were also simple to play and did not require any sizeable amount of

skill. To do this I looked mainly at outdoor musical toys for the likes of

childrens playgrounds. These are some examples of instruments I found

On the left there are chimes hung from a wooden structure. Although they

produce a nice sound I didn’t feel that the structure they needed to be on

would work with the original concepts that I had. I also felt that the sound

which they produced would not suit a festival atmosphere. To the right are

Tubano drums. These particular drums are designed to be used outside and

require little or no skill to use. I also came across children’s playground

bongo drums made using rotationally moulded plastic to create an incredibly

simple instrument. It was upon finding these designs that I decided I would

incorporate drums into my design as they worked with both of the

specifications I required for the instruments. Due to the charactericterisitcs of

both drums being hollow plastic I decided to use the moulded components

itself as a drum and add some circular pads to the extrusion to represent the

drums.

Upon looking for a second instrument I came across these.

I decided to choose a glockenspiel (left) because I felt it would be easier to

manufacture and join to my moulded component. The glockenspiel also has

the advantage that it is easier to maintain and clean as it is just slats of metal

rather wooden slats which could be difficult to maintain at festivals. The

glockenspiel is also fairly easy to play and can be made to be weather proof

so it suited the requirements for the instruments.

Design Development

To start off my design development I made an attribute analysis diagram to

highlight and show all the factors that I would have to design around.

These are some of my later initial concept designs from which I developed my design.

These concepts are all based on

shapes that I felt were aesthetically

appealing and that lent themselves to

rotational moulding. The top two

concepts failed in my view due to

over complication in terms of the top

right concept and in terms of the top

left design I felt the instruments

suggested in it and the look of the

design in general would not fit in a

festival.

I then went on to develop my design in Solidworks to get a better understanding of the

design in 3 dimensions. Here are some of my renders when I began to design in features

that would add to the design.

the instruments on the station

will be symmetrical in order to

give equal opportunity to each

user.

The seat is wide enough for two

people to sit on.

The stick used to play the

glockenspiel will be chained

onto the glockenspiel itself

The drums themselves are just protruding surfaces of the moulding.

seat section will have slight

convex face to prevent

pooling of water.

Imprinted graphic will be

put into the moulding as a

brand/ product name.

This is the access panel that

can be found on the back face

of the station, this is how the

interior would be accessed to

fix the glockenspiel on and to

add the water or sand that

will be used to weigh down

the product.

There is sufficient foot

space underneath the

chair in order to put

feet backwards when

leaning in to play the

instruments.

The glockenspiel being the only added piece will be bolted straight onto the moulded

component via the access panel and holes in the component itself. The pins that go

through the keys will extend right through the base and the moulding into the shell where

they will be bolted on.

The back panel will have twist bar locks similar to those on outdoor electrical boxes which

can only be opened with specific keys.

Structural Analysis

To begin my structural analysis I looked at the loads which would affect my

design from the live and dead loads to environmental loads. Here are the

diagrams I made to display the loads that would be in operation.

Of course when these loads are placed on the station they create areas of

stress. These diagrams show the points of stress and the type of stress that it

would be. I have made two diagrams. One to show the stresses under a

person’s weight on the chair section and another to show the stresses when

the instruments are in use and under impact stresses.

These are diagrams of the stresses that would be placed on my station when

performing its intended use. The diagrams show where the forces

compression, tension and sheer would act upon the structure.

The average weight of the European citizen is 70.8kg so my design will have

to be able to withstand at least three times this weight making the necessary

safety factor for my design 3.

Material Analysis

This is an image of my rotationally

moulded component .The

polymer that will be used for my

rotationally moulded component

is polypropylene (PP). Here are

the properties for Polypropylene.

Excellent resistance (no

attack) to dilute and

concentrated Acids,

Alcohols, Bases and Mineral

Oils

Good resistance (minor

attack) to Aldehydes,

Esters, Aliphatic

Hydrocarbons, Ketones and

Vegetable Oils

Maximum

Temperature:

275°F 135°C

Minimum

Temperature: 32°F

0°C

Melting Point:

338°F 170°C

Tensile Strength:

4,500 psi

Hardness: R95

UV

Resistance: Poor

Rigid

These properties make this material particularly appropriate for my design.

Resistance to alcohols and acids is appropriate for spillage of liquids at a

festival. The maximum and minimum temperatures before failing are also of a

level that is above any conditions the station would experience in an outdoor

situation. Polypropylene also lends itself incredibly well to rotational moulding

so it is the perfect material for me to use for this component.

The secondary material I will be using will be the glockenspiel and its fixings.

The glockenspiel keys are made of high carbon steel. High carbon steel is

very strong so will be good for use in my design however it does have a

tendency to wear over time so keys may have to be replaced every so often.

The keys will undergo the process of pickling to ensure they are as

weatherproof as possible. The base of the glockenspiel will be made from

rosewood which is a good sound conductor and is easily finished. The wood

will be finished with waterproof black paint. The wood will be fixed onto the

moulding with bolts and then the keys themselves onto the wood with

galvanised pins.

Here is a list of the components and the materials they are made of:

Rotationally Moulded base component – Polypropylene.

Wooden key base – Waterproof painted Rosewood.

Glockenspiel keys – Acid pickled High carbon steel.

Bolts and pin fixings – Galvanised steel.

Water/ sand will be used to weight down the moulding

These materials were chosen not only for their sound qualities but also for their

ability to be weatherproofed to withstand the outdoor conditions.

Joinings

Nuts (above) pin (below)

glockenspiel keys( above) key base (below

Joinings assembly (above) moulding would be between final nut

and the base struts.

Ergonomics.

My design will be sized around the appropriate ergonomics charts for my design. The main

sizes I will need to accommodate are the buttock popliteal length, the shoulder reach and

the hip and elbow to elbow breadth (which I will need to double to make the station a

two person product)

95th male percentile data

Buttock popliteal length- 50cm

Popliteal height – 44.5 cm

Shoulder reach – 72.8 cm

Hip breadth – 42 cm

Here is a technical drawing of my design and the sizes I made it to accommodate

for certain factors. I decided that that to comfortably play the instruments the

users would instinctively be sitting on the edge of the seat and leaning forward at

an angle I estimated from my own view to be around 10-20% forward from a

perpendicular upright position. This means that the distance from the shoulder to

the instruments would be shorter so the size accommodates that fact, so instead

(Measu

remen

ts in cm

)

of the percentile data which was 72.8 cm I made the distance 68 cm from the

shoulder to the top drum making all other instruments easily within reach.

Sitting on the edge of the chair also means that you would not need the seat to be

as deep as a standard chair designed solely for sitting so I shortened the depth of

the bench to 36cm.

This forward sitting position also means the buttock popliteal length can be slightly

longer so that when the user is sitting forward their knees are not an ideal angle

this is why I added some height to tackle this issue and made the height 50 cm.

The 95th percentile male hip breadth is 42cm so to make the bench suitable for two

people as intended I made it 110cm.

Design Review

I feel that this design is based on a strong concept and with extensive

development could become a great design in time, however I feel having

only had 6 weeks to do so this proposal is quite strong.

There are a few weakness’ in the design such as there could be some sound

quality issues associated with bolting the keys and key support straight onto

the moulding.

Something that could be looked into further are transfers. It would be a very

strong addition if vinyl transfers related to the festivals that want the booth

could be placed into the mould and transferred on to give a more unique

and interesting aesthetic.

Company Policy

My company policy will uphold a fairly strong moral policy. The designing has

all taken place in the uk however for cost efficiency to improve profit margins

the moulding of the main component will be done abroad potentially in

China where it can be made cheaply.

This product was not designed initially to be sustainable however due to the

only extra component being the glockenspiel (which can be taken off) this

product is almost entirely recyclable and is almost reminiscent of cradle to

cradle design.

The Co2 footprint off this product is reduced by the low number of

components it is made up off and the main contributing factor to any

noticeable footprint is the production of the moulded component and the

fabrication of the glockenspiel. All in all this companies morals are as strong

as any competitive company can allow it to be in todays market.

Change Note