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Analysis
The design requirements were as follows:
Vertical leg/foot must be able to extend out horizontally and articulate down 90 degrees
Must be able to support a load of 5000 pounds
Must be dimensioned to fit on a 7’x12’ trailer and weigh no more than 700 pounds
Must be able to counter a moment caused by a 20-foot tower with 2000 pounds of thrust
Must level out trailer within ±5 degrees
Must allow the trailer to operate on a 15% grade
Analysis: Welcome
The analysis of the project started with the main design concept that the vertical leg and foot should extend out horizontally with the booms and articulate down to support the trailer and wind tower. The total boom extension length and minimum required height for the vertical leg and foot were calculated to obtain the geometrical constraints. External forces were summed to find the main forces acting on each vertical leg, both when operating on even ground and on a 15% grade.
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Using this information, the vertical leg was modeled as a column and analyzed to find the stresses in the member and designate material and size. At this point, a material designation of A513 steel was selected for the booms.
To articulate down and operate on uneven terrain, the vertical leg steel tube used pin connections to the smallest horizontal boom and to the foot. Analyses were conducted to find the corresponding stresses in the members and design the pin connections.
The figure above is an example of a typical analysis for the project. This particular analysis found the stress in the vertical leg caused by the pin connection. The results of the analysis were used to confirm that the appropriate size, thickness, and material were designated for the vertical leg steel tubing. In doing so, the design requirement of the device supporting a maximum load of 5000 pounds was addressed.
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Additional analyses are contained in the project report, which is linked at the top of the page.
Analysis: Text
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