For my materials and manufacturing class, my group modeled a storage rack that carries gardening tools and other general purpose equipment. The modeling process is based off of an existing rack from Amazon, with assumptions made when specific information couldn’t be determined. After modeling was completed, a Finite Element Analysis (FEA) was performed in order to test stresses and deflections under expected load.
The first step was to create a CAD model of the rack in SolidWorks. Many dimensions were clearly labeled in the Amazon listing, but assumptions had to be made about the smaller details. Next, an FEA was performed. The first step in creating the FEA was to choose a material for the rack. Alloy Steel was chosen, as it was the material stated on the Amazon listing. Next, an initial mesh was created of the model. However, for some of the critical points, more specific meshing was needed. Stress and deflection were measured on four different hooks, in order to capture different stresses and deflections that may occur at different parts of the beam.
