DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT OF A NEW AND NOVEL VEHICLE ROOF TOP LADDER CLAMPING SYSTEM

摘要

The existing ladder transportation market is limited with only two technical options, one a low cost, temporary option which involves lengthy preparations without any ergonomic considerations and the other a high cost, permanent fixture which takes into account ergonomic design, simplifying lifting the ladder to the roof height of the vehicle. The middle ground in the market is open for the competition for a temporary, easy to use product. This paper presents the design route followed with in-depth analysis and calculations used to develop the design of this product. The selection of the final design and comparisons of different alternatives to the initial requirements will also be considered. The paper details the design of main supporting structure design covering the selection of the cross-sectional structural members of the new product. The selection involves the cross-sectional shape as well as the calculations to select the optimum size and thickness to support the attachment structure and ladder in use.