Masters Theses

Tilak Inturi

Abstract

"U.S. Army members undergo high biomechanical stresses, when performing tough manual material handling (MMH) tasks such as the assembly of a Medium Girder Bridge (MGB). High biomechanical stresses often lead to various musculoskeletal disorders in the people undertaking these tasks. The bridge components are extremely heavy and are designed to be carried using simple tools not manually.

A study was done by Kotian and Davis applying in 2005 applying Human Factors Engineering and Mechanical Engineering methodologies to MGBs Mechanical assists were designed to reduce injury caused by manual material handling of bridge components. The approach for the current research involved phases of Finite Element Analysis (FEA) on most critical parts of the crane followed by fabrication of a crane based on the outcome of the FEA results.

This thesis research involved design calculations, testing of each and every component of the crane using FEA analysis, and optimizing the design wherever needed. For this, the most critical structural areas were identified, and FEA analysis was done on those components. The results revealed that the design was safe with an overall factor of safety above 5, except for a few areas such as the holes for the clevis pins on leg beams where the tearing of the material was observed with the initial design. A few design changes were done to avoid the tearing of the material. The crane was fabricated with the final design calculations, and field testing was done. The results revealed no tearing of any material or breaking of any pins in the assembly of a Medium Girder Bridge"--Abstract, page iii.

Advisor(s)

Flanigan, V. J.

Committee Member(s)

Chandrashekhara, K.
Kapila, Shubhender

Department(s)

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering

Degree Name

M.S. in Mechanical Engineering

Sponsor(s)

U.S. Army Research Laboratory

Comments

This work was financially supported by the Army Research Laboratory in Fort Leonard Wood, MO. (Human Research and Engineering Directorate).

Publisher

University of Missouri--Rolla

Publication Date

Fall 2006

Pagination

ix, 48 pages

Note about bibliography

Includes bibliographical references (page 47).

Rights

© 2006 Tilak Inturi, All rights reserved.

Document Type

Thesis - Restricted Access

File Type

text

Language

English

Subject Headings

Human engineeringMachine design -- Mathematical modelsMachine design -- TestingMaterials handling -- Equipment and supplies

Thesis Number

T 9084

Print OCLC #

123898079

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