Sunday, 2 May 2010
Thursday, 29 April 2010
Summary
As a group we believe that if we had the oppurtunity to do this again between us we would not do anything different, we set tasks and the four of us would have weekly meetings or even more and by the next meeting the work that had been set previously would be completed. The team had great communication and this was our best strength and what had seperated us from the other groups.
The commitment the team had showed really shone through when coming together with people we hardly knew to meeting and discussing work on a daily basis.
Choosing the design was the hardest challenge we had to choose a design that would be different and unique to stand out from the rest of the designs. the design was simple so it did not need training or instructions to set up, it is self-explantory. The design the team had chosen was versatile and easily portable.
The commitment the team had showed really shone through when coming together with people we hardly knew to meeting and discussing work on a daily basis.
Choosing the design was the hardest challenge we had to choose a design that would be different and unique to stand out from the rest of the designs. the design was simple so it did not need training or instructions to set up, it is self-explantory. The design the team had chosen was versatile and easily portable.
finance
The cost for 7 meters worth of aluminum bars came to a total of £779.86
The cost of the 3.1 meter I-Beam came to £354.14
The cost of the bottle jack was £20 x 4 = £80
The labourers cost for welding came to £120
The total costing came to £1334 ~ £1400
As this is a disaster saving tender we do not intend to make any profit on this there is no price on the lives of people. All costing has been taken into consideration and as nearly all of it will come pre-made there is no extra machining necessary. The aluminum bars came from the Aluminum Warehouse, the bars they supplied were what we needed.
The I-Beam was a great find I found an online company funnily enough called Online Metals and I was able to give them my dimensions and they gave me a quote instantly. The price they had quoted me was reasonable and as the financial officer I had set an initial budget of around £1500 so the crane complete cost was pleasing.
The design allows the toes' on each of the legs to accomodate to most jacks. So this would save on costing and would be able to help the disaster more efficiently as in it would mean the government or whoever the buyer would be would be able to buy bulk at cheaper prices.
The cost of the 3.1 meter I-Beam came to £354.14
The cost of the bottle jack was £20 x 4 = £80
The labourers cost for welding came to £120
The total costing came to £1334 ~ £1400
As this is a disaster saving tender we do not intend to make any profit on this there is no price on the lives of people. All costing has been taken into consideration and as nearly all of it will come pre-made there is no extra machining necessary. The aluminum bars came from the Aluminum Warehouse, the bars they supplied were what we needed.
The I-Beam was a great find I found an online company funnily enough called Online Metals and I was able to give them my dimensions and they gave me a quote instantly. The price they had quoted me was reasonable and as the financial officer I had set an initial budget of around £1500 so the crane complete cost was pleasing.
The design allows the toes' on each of the legs to accomodate to most jacks. So this would save on costing and would be able to help the disaster more efficiently as in it would mean the government or whoever the buyer would be would be able to buy bulk at cheaper prices.
Monday, 26 April 2010
Contractor SWOT analysis
The following is a SWOT analysis of the group, not the product. Hector Vela Garza has not been included as he has not been a part of the project:
Strengths:
1. Structure. The group assigned responsibilities and roles to each individual at an early stage. These responsibilities have allowed each member to act independently of the group, seeking advice when needed; as well as delegating tasks to other group members where appropriate.
2. Flexibility. The flexibility of all group members to act 'out of role' has been a significant success story. Combining this with the weekly group meeting has kept the structure of the group in tact and the project on track. The willingness of all group members to adapt ideas and take on board constructive criticism has seen many changes occur from the original design; all significantly improving the completed product.
3. Commitment. The group has remained committed to the project from the start. Any other responsibilities have been kept way from group time; with the use of a blog greatly enhancing the way the group monitors and adapts to changes; especially short notice ones.
Weaknesses.
1. Meeting group deadlines. All individuals have had to make short term changes to the timescales set in order to achieve a better result. These short notice changes have been handled well but could have resulted in friction occurring. Fortunately the group has not suffered from any ill feeling with any issues or opposing opinions addressed immediately. The use of the blog, email and text messaging has kept all others in the loop and helped prevent problems develop.
2. Sub teams. The use of sub teams has helped the group achieve results quickly; but has also become 'the norm' with respect to operating procedures. If the project was to be completed over a longer timescale then a change of sub team composition would enhance group cohesion.
Opportunities.
1. Blogging. The use of a blog was a first for many of the group, however this method of developing a product/plan has proved to be most effective. It is definitely a valuable tool that the group plan to take the opportunity to use in the future.
2. Planning criteria. If the group were to undertake a project like this again it would be a useful opportunity to develop a number of different solutions; and be in a stronger position to pick the most suitable design for further production.
Threats
1. Limitations. The lack of a 'shared area' of online space to store designs and documentation has hindered the creation of the product. If any such area was to be made available then the flexibility of the group, to work without a missing member, would allow production to continue. At times the group has been hindered because an individual has the documentation/design that the rest of the group needs, in order to develop it further. The blog is a useful tool but would greatly benefit from adding this feature.
Strengths:
1. Structure. The group assigned responsibilities and roles to each individual at an early stage. These responsibilities have allowed each member to act independently of the group, seeking advice when needed; as well as delegating tasks to other group members where appropriate.
2. Flexibility. The flexibility of all group members to act 'out of role' has been a significant success story. Combining this with the weekly group meeting has kept the structure of the group in tact and the project on track. The willingness of all group members to adapt ideas and take on board constructive criticism has seen many changes occur from the original design; all significantly improving the completed product.
3. Commitment. The group has remained committed to the project from the start. Any other responsibilities have been kept way from group time; with the use of a blog greatly enhancing the way the group monitors and adapts to changes; especially short notice ones.
Weaknesses.
1. Meeting group deadlines. All individuals have had to make short term changes to the timescales set in order to achieve a better result. These short notice changes have been handled well but could have resulted in friction occurring. Fortunately the group has not suffered from any ill feeling with any issues or opposing opinions addressed immediately. The use of the blog, email and text messaging has kept all others in the loop and helped prevent problems develop.
2. Sub teams. The use of sub teams has helped the group achieve results quickly; but has also become 'the norm' with respect to operating procedures. If the project was to be completed over a longer timescale then a change of sub team composition would enhance group cohesion.
Opportunities.
1. Blogging. The use of a blog was a first for many of the group, however this method of developing a product/plan has proved to be most effective. It is definitely a valuable tool that the group plan to take the opportunity to use in the future.
2. Planning criteria. If the group were to undertake a project like this again it would be a useful opportunity to develop a number of different solutions; and be in a stronger position to pick the most suitable design for further production.
Threats
1. Limitations. The lack of a 'shared area' of online space to store designs and documentation has hindered the creation of the product. If any such area was to be made available then the flexibility of the group, to work without a missing member, would allow production to continue. At times the group has been hindered because an individual has the documentation/design that the rest of the group needs, in order to develop it further. The blog is a useful tool but would greatly benefit from adding this feature.
Friday, 23 April 2010
Buckling
In engineering, buckling is a failure mode characterized by a sudden failure of a structural member subjected to high compressive stresses, where the actual compressive stress at the point of failure is less than the ultimate compressive stresses that the material is capable of withstanding. This mode of failure is also described as failure due to elastic instability. Mathematical analysis of buckling makes use of an axial load eccentricity that introduces a moment, which does not form part of the primary forces to which the member is subjected.
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