Design and Strength Simulation of Single Attachable Connector for Electric Scooter Wheelchairs
摘要
There is an extraordinary need for assistive technologies (ATs) to improve the quality of life for people with disabilities in developing countries. The excessive technology integrated into wheelchairs in the present era makes them vulnerable to damage and difficult to maintain and repair. The Attachable Wheelchair Automator (AWA) is a new design concept, and continuous development is being carried out on the Attachable Wheelchair. The design has been deemed incomplete, with a suboptimal selection of components and applying a telescopic frame in the previous design. Therefore, a new design for the connector mechanism system is needed to address these shortcomings with a single attachable connector. Determining plate thickness and shaft diameter must be reviewed to assess the strength and avoid over-design issues. Plate thickness variations of 2–4 mm are considered, while shaft diameter ranges from 8, 10–12 mm. Therefore, variations in materials, namely AL 6061 T6 and ASTM A36, are performed in this study. The loads that will occur on this single connector attachable are analyzed under three conditions: static loading, acceleration condition, and deceleration condition. From the load analysis results, the deceleration condition is the most extreme, thus used as a reference in the analysis process using finite element software. The analysis results show that selecting AL 6061 T6 material provides better stress, safety factor, and connector mass values, while ASTM A36 material provides better deformation values. Based on the analysis and considerations of mass, safety factor, and production cost, the recommended design for the wheelchair automator connector is a plate thickness of 3 mm, a shaft diameter of 12 mm, and the selection of AL 6061-T6 material. The safety factor is 2.26, with a stress of 121.64 MPa and a total deformation of 0.24315 mm.