Chair Design Report

For this project I was tasked with designing a chair capable of holding a 300-pound
person that cost less than $100.00 to manufacture. To prove the chairs strength, I was tasked
with conducting FEA analysis on the chair. In brainstorming the chairs design, I tried to think of
a design useful for my every day needs. Currently with the quarantine I spend a lot of time at
my desk watching video lectures and working on homework. That said, since a lot of time is
spent in the chair it should have an upright back to support my posture. Furthermore, the chair
should be durable in nature and comfortable to sit in. Taking these criteria into consideration,
the following chair was designed:

Figure 1 Chair (Isometric View)

Referencing figure 1, it was decided the chair should be built from Steel. Steel was
chosen since it is easily accessible, stronger than most metals (aluminum included), and a
relatively cheap material to buy. Furthermore, two hand grips were added to give the chair
better support, and a leather seat cushion was added to give the chair more comfort.

In total it was estimated the chair, conservatively, would need around 45 in^2 of steel to
manufacture. According to McMaster.com, Tight-Tolerance Low-Carbon Steel Bars of 54 in^2
would cost around $20.00. Slight additional costs (around $5.00) would then come from the
leather cushion, and then $75.00 remains for machining purposes. Assuming these chairs are
being produced at a large scale, each chair roughly costs around $50.00 to manufacture.
Machining should be relatively simple since the chair was designed as an assembly of parts. In
total, the chair should cost roughly $75.00 to build, raw materials and manufacturing included.

After running FEA analysis, it was determined the chair could easily withstand a 300-
pound distributive load over its top surface. Referencing figure 2 below, there is not too great
of a pressure concentration on any part of the chair.

Figure 2 FEA Analysis (Von Mises Stress)

Furthermore, the translational displacement is on the order of 10^-5. All things considered this
is very small movement, especially considering the average person does not come close to
weighting 300 pounds.
 Figure 3 FEA Analysis (Translational Displacement)

Overall, it is easy to understand why the chair is so durable since it is made of steel.
Although the chair is very sturdy in nature, there is some room for improving the chairs
ergonomics. In future designs one might want to create a back that better maps the back profile
of an individual. Additionally, adjustable legs might help given most people are different
heights.