ME 4182 Problem Statement, Design Partition, Project Plan, Task Assignments Team: GT Rack 2:00 pm September 7, 2005 Ryan Glenn Andrew Mrasek Japheth Nelson Manuel McMillan Brian Collins Hyun Lee

Objectives  Present the problem statement for the selected project.  Provide an overview of the Design Partition for the project.  Review the Project Plan over the course of the semester.  Present the Task Assignments for the project.

Problem Statement   There exists a need for a more compact roof mounted bicycle rack device that will minimize the overall height added to a vehicle when a bicycle is being transported.   With existing top loaded bike racks, drivers are restricted from entering a height restricted areas such as a parking garage, fast food restaurant drive-through, drive-through bank tellers, etc.   Alternatives to roof mounted bicycle carrier systems available to consumers exist: – –Hitch mount racks, mount to a tow hitch located at the rear of the vehicle. These requires a user to own a vehicle with a tow hitch or the user must have a tow hitch installed. – –Trunk mounted removable racks, offer a universal method of transporting bicycles on a broad range of vehicles. They do not offer optimal levels of fit and may not restrain a bicycle safely if the rack is not installed properly.

Problem Statement   Consumers opt for roof mounted rack systems since they offer the range of versatile carrying capabilities.   items such as bicycles, boats, canoes, kayaks, camping equipment, snow sport gear, and cargo boxes can be carried using the appropriate rack attachment.

Problem Statement   The goal of this project is to extend the versatility of roof mounted rack systems by developing a compact bike carrier that will allow consumers the freedom to travel unrestricted in height restricted areas.

Design Partition  Attach Bike Carrier to Rack System: -design attachment system to place trough rail onto standard aftermarket Yakima or Thule rack system.  Secure Bike: -trough rail needed to extend entire length of bike -support bike at front and rear ends of trough rail. -torsional rigidity should be achieved when bike is secure.

Design Partition  Lowering/Raising Mechanism -should lower/rotate bike and trough rail 90 degrees safely, controlled, and with little human effort. -when lowered, a specified clearance should be achieved so the bike does not come in contact or damage car roof. -bike should be able to be lifted back to upright position for easy and stable loading/unloading. (additional device may be needed) -place stress on rack and not on bike.  Lock Lowered Bike in Position -keep bike from bouncing/traveling during driving -lock empty (not in use) rack system.

Project Plan

Task Assignments  Brian Collins: –CAD Design –Prototype Development  Andrew Mrasek: –Engineering Analysis –Team Website –Video and Photo Documentation  Ryan Glenn: –Team Website –Engineering Analysis  Hyun Lee: –Conceptual Designs –CAD Design

Task Assignments  Jay Nelson: –Patent Research –Prototype Productions  Manual McMillan: –Conceptual Evaluation –Materials

Collapsible Space Saver Bike Rack Roof mounted sport racks are popular and useful for carrying bikes and other items that cannot be carried using a hitch mounted rack. However, when transporting bicycles, the advantages of a roof rack are diminished since the bike effectively raised the overall height of the vehicle. When carrying a single bicycle, a collapsible space saving bike rack would minimize the effects of the added height added by the bicycle.