Introduction
Design and development of a new system or product requires certain procedures and development stages before it finally becomes a product. Design and development of a product or system is a technical process. Design is the process which revolves around its look, its overall style, as well as other issues that make up the product work.
Development is a global process of creating a product so that it could appeal to the audience; it as well modifies, and tests the product until it fully fits the market and is ready for production. There are several methodologies that can be used to design and develop a new system or product. The Pahl and Beitz design method is one of the methodologies that is used to design a new product or system.
This method of design is based on the value of the new product that is being designed or developed. The overall design of the product is usually divided into different sections that perform different functions.
In this methodology, the evaluation is usually listed so as to determine the factors that design of the new product is being judged on. The design and development of the vehicle will follow the following method
Planning and clarifying the task
The new product that is being developed is a commuting vehicle that is meant for transporting a single person at a short distance of about eight miles. The vehicle is supposed to be designed and developed with the lowest costs possible and it should conserve the environment. The vehicle should also be motorized.
When designing the vehicle, all these factors have to be considered so as to ensure that the design is good and well developed. The vehicle will be specifically for short distances and motorized and therefore the design should focus on these factors and also focus on environment conservation and reduction of costs (Chambers, 1992).
The design will be based on the demands and the wishes of the clients or customers because the product will only be successful if the customer is satisfied. When designing a system or new product, the customer demands and wishes should drive the design and the development of the new product.
The main demand and wish of the clients is the need of a vehicle that will enable short distance travels probably within the city or town center. The vehicle should be able to reduce the number of people walking in the city center and also help in carrying luggage within short distances (Chambers, 1992).
Design specifications
Some of the design objectives will be as the following:
- The vehicle will only be driven in short distances where there is traffic or no traffic of similar cars
- The car will be driven by a single person at any given time and it will be driven on both wet and dry surfaces
- Safety of the driver is of paramount importance and the car should be environmentally friendly and produced with the lowest costs possible
- The vehicle must be able to be maintained by equipment found in a general or ordinary mechanical store
- The car should also be motorized
Design requirements
- The wheels should be small but thick because the vehicle is small since it is designed to carry just a single person
- The vehicle must have a chassis
- The car must be equipped with a fully operational double wishbone suspension system in the front and in the back
- The braking system must affect all four wheels and be operated on one control
- The vehicle will be powered by a motor
The sketch of how the wheels are designed is shown below
Concept
The vehicle should be designed for one person because the distance is short and the vehicle is small and convenient for only a single person. The vehicle will also be designed for one person because it is not for public service but rather for public use.
The vehicle will be designed to carry one person at any given time and to travel only for short distances within the urban centers as these are the gap needs demanded by customers that need to be filled by the new vehicle being designed. Another wish or demand that the design must consider is low cost. The design should ensure that the vehicle will be developed at the lowest cost possible.
The construction structure and layout
The structure of the vehicle will be four wheels and a single seat and a small chassis. The layout of the vehicle can be as shown below
The construction structure shows the foundation model from which the vehicle will be built. In the diagram above, it shows that the vehicle will be built as a four wheel vehicle with a single seat. The four wheels will be for support of the vehicle and for easy movement within the short distances
Outline specifications
The outline specification will include the list of the required materials for developing and building the model, the systems and the equipment that are required for the motorized vehicle and that will favor all its specifications.
It will also include the quality performance expectations of the motorized vehicle. Some specifications for the vehicle such as it should be used by only one person at a time will form the basis of the outline (Chambers, 1992).
An analysis of functions
The main functional areas of the vehicle will include the body which will support the whole vehicle, the electrical part, the chassis and the climate control components. The main objective of a system approach to designing a vehicle is to clearly state the technical requirements of each component of the vehicle and also clearly identify the functions of each component.
The main function of the vehicle will be to carry a single person in short distances within an urban center. The main function of the chassis will be to protect the driver from harsh environmental conditions such as hot or rainy weather. The motor will be used to move the vehicle since the demands of the clients was that it has to be motorized.
The double wishbone suspension system will be able to protect the driver from any unfortunate incidents like injury incase of an accident. The breaking system will also be for stopping the vehicle (Chambers, 1992).
Functional matrix
A clearly stated functional matrix is necessary for any design especially for technological and mechanical products. The functional matrix is used to describe the functional requirements of the product or system. A good functional matrix should be able to map the functional requirements of the product or system being designed with its design requirements or parameters
The materials after the development of the vehicle will be recycled. They will be used as scrap metal and others will be recycled into new design materials to be used for making other designs and developing other products.
Although the design and development of the vehicle is usually regarded as costly, its value becomes justified when the results of the vehicle’s functions are seen (Chambers, 1992).
References
Chambers, J. (1992). Modeling and design. California: Cengage Learning “Vehicle structure and layout”. Web.