Development of a design concept for a prototype transport device using the Design Thinking method

Abstract

The article presents the development of a multifunctional prototype transport device mounted on a towing hook of a passenger car, used to transport motorcycles and light four-wheeled vehicles, based on the Design Thinking method. The device, in its original design, has obtained patent protection from the Patent Office [1]. The use of the device in real road conditions requires the solution of many technical, ergonomic, endurance and functional problems, and in the final phase the implementation of the final device. The authors of the study presented the most important construction works described in terms of the analysis of the key strength nodes of the transport device. The boundary conditions for the weight of the device and the forces acting on the device were based on literature data on the load capacity of hooks used in passenger vehicles, the weight of motorcycles in accordance with the classification, which was verified in the identification tests on the real model, taking into account the height of the front wheel suspension of the transported motorcycle. According to the data analysis, the mass of the transport device should oscillate within 10 kg, and the reference point for the construction work is the prototype model made of s235 steel with a net weight of 28 kg. On this basis, the work presents simulations of a static load with the determination of stresses in the material, deformation and mass calculation for various design versions. In the final stage, the target construction version, designed from two materials, i.e. steel s235 and aluminium 6081, was compared. As a result of the analysis, the target construction reduced the weight of the transport device by 17 kg.