HS-DT-S1-Cherub

** Design Folder - Cherub Sharma **

 * Mr. Muller **


 * Design Technology 10G **
 * August 15th, 2011 **

The DT lab is overflowing with cardboard. How can cardboard be used to make a stable chair with back support capable of holding a 150 pounds person without using any fasteners, glue or tape?
 * INVESTIGATION **
 * Unit Question: **

Now-a-days, chairs have become a part of our lives. They are found almost everywhere we go. But, one does not probably think of a chair being made out of cardboard. Plus, a chair made of cardboard which can support a 150 pounds person! I as a designer, take this project to be a challenge because I never thought of making anything like this. The unit question has a big correlation with out community. Firstly, chairs are all around us, as mentioned above. Secondly, a chair is probably the most common thing that people use to sit on. Thereafter, it is a requirement of the community and, a cardboard chair is unique and is probably wanted by a majority of the society. Wastage is a preeminent problem in our community. If one thing is reused, two other things are wasted. In other words, there is a lot of wastage and a negligible amount of recycling. So, if I have the opportunity to reuse something and move a little closer to sustainability, why not take the chance?
 * Unit Question Interpreted: **


 * Brainstorm on Unit Question: **

__** Material Experimentation (Paper): **__

__ **Experiment 1** __ The first experiment I did was basically making tubes out of notecards. But, no fasteners were used, unlike in class. As you can see above, a slit has been used to keep the two edges of the paper together. The **point of failure** in this design is the place where the slit has been made. The **column** tends to **compress** from that particular point. Conclusion: Quite a strong design. Can hold heavy loads. Something needs to be done to make the slit stay in place.

__**Experiment 2**__

The second experiment was making a 'seat' for two people. Again, slits were used, and they can be seen in the second picture above.The **point of failure** in the design is the divider in the centre. A small **load** can displace the divider, causing the whole seat to be **unstable**. The legs tend to **compress** in towards the divider if the load becomes more than the seat can take. Conclusion: Can be made if something can be done about the divider in the middle. How can the legs be made stronger?

__**Experiment 3**__ The third experiment was not really a chair. It was more like a strength and stability test. The structure that was made was 'H-Shaped'. A dowel made of paper was used to connect two notecards. It held A LOT of **load** and did not go into **compression** till a long time. The **point of failure** is the bottom of the legs. As the weight overtakes the strength, the legs bend and the structure collapses. The **beam** in the centre is really useful as it not only connects the two pieces but also provides support. Conclusion: Great Structure. Can be used to make the actual product.
 * Compression
 * Tension
 * Center of gravity
 * Point of failure
 * Load
 * Joints
 * Trusses and Buttresses
 * Columns and Beams

__** Paper Products (chairs): **__

The first chair I made was made of only one small notecard, which was cut into a (7.7cm x 7.7cm) square. The chair has got NO cuts / slits and is based on the principals of origami. It probably holds the most weight as compared to the other chairs. Unfortunately, the chair itself turned out to be quite small. But, it is really strong and stable. It is not probably as strong as it could actually be. This is because, the paper used was very small. Also, its the first time I made it and so, there were a lot of unnecessary creases.
 * __Chair 1__ **

__**Chair 2**__ The second chair I made was also produced of one square notecard (7.7cm x 7.7cm). Like my other chairs, not a single cut was used. This chair is more ergonomic, but it does't support as much weight as the first chair. It also has more space to sit on.The point of failure in this case is probably the unstable back rest. Pressure on the back rest makes the chair topple over.

__**Chair 3**__ The third chair I made was probably the most unstable and it has deceiving looks. It seems to be the best looking, but it doesn't solve the problem of the project. It can hardly hold weight and the point of failure in the product is the legs. If a weight is put on the chair, the legs begin to tremble and the chair collapses. How can the legs be kept together?


 * Guiding Questions **
 * 1) What type of joints will be useful?
 * 2) How much time will we be getting to complete the product?
 * 3) What are some of the problems that one can face while making this product?
 * 4) Are there any people around, who I can ask for guidance (other than teachers)?
 * 5) What can I do to make the chair Ergonomic?
 * 6) Is cardboard as flexible as paper? What are the major differences in properties?
 * 7) How do I make the product stronger?

From the unit question, we got to know that there was an excessive amount of cardboard in the D.T. lab, and it had to be used to make a chair. To solve the problem, I plan to make a chair which will be comfortable and has space for the whole body. The design in my mind is the one similar to a chair which is used for sunbathing. I plan to make this product mainly for myself and my family. This is because, all members of my family love to sit back and relax. I managed to interview quite a few people and a majority of them opted for the one that I plan to make (mentioned above). Research also shows that lying down on a sunbathing chair makes you loosen up and it also makes you sleep faster! These are the things that I would love to have in my product.
 * Design Brief: **

There are a lot of things that we need to keep in mind while making this product to make it a successful and usable one.
 * Design Specification: **

SAFETY- 1. The product should be strong enough to hold 150 pounds and not collapse, thus hurting the person sitting on it. // TEST // : **Before making a person sit on the chair, add a weight on it to see if it remains stable.** 2. The chair should not have any sharp edges / points, which might hurt the person who sits on the chair. // TEST // : **Run your hand along the edges and the surfaces of the project to make sure that there are no sharp edges or surfaces that can poke someone.** 3. The chair must have the center of gravity, relatively in the centre, to make sure that the chair does not topple. // TEST // : **Apply pressure on one side of the chair to see if it topples.** 4. The product must not use any toxic materials. // TEST // : **Make sure not to use any toxic materials and check the packing materials being used.**

5. The chair's back support should be strong enough and it should make sure that the person sitting on it does not fall backwards and hurt himself / herself. //TEST: **Gradually lean back on the backrest and see if it can take the strain.**//

MATERIALS- 1. The main material used is cardboard. 2. Any sorts of fasteners (glue or tape) are not allowed.

ECONOMY- 1. The product should not be worth for more than thirty dollars at the most. // TEST // : **Check the price that the product is being sold for.** 2. It should financially be in the reach of majority of the society. // TEST // : **Check the number of pieces being sold daily.**

SIZE- 1. The size again should be enough for the whole body to fit. // TEST // : **Lie down on the chair and check if any part of the body is off the chair.**

SUSTAINABILITY- 1. Only cardboard that has been used is allowed. Thus, there is somewhat a process of recycling and reusing.

AESTHETICS- 1. The project should be unique and good looking to attract more people. // TEST // : **Show someone else the chair and ask them if they find it to be attractive or not.**

__Designer: David Graas__

David Graas is a Dutch designer. He is best known for his humor and material experimentation. He has recently produced a series of cardboard furniture as well. He has designed a lounge, coffee tables, dining tables, chairs and many more. His products have a special characteristic. Some of his products can be folded and made absolutely flat! Users have to assemble them. Graas has also developed a children version, that gives children the ability to assemble their own furniture, learning in the process.

__Inspiring / Interesting Cardboard Furniture__

[]

Positive Aspects of Cardboard:


 * Durable
 * Sustainable
 * Puncture Resistant
 * Doesn’t tear easily
 * The fluting is lined up vertically, so the interior paper forms columns that are able to support a great deal of weight.
 * Cardboard is the most recycled material, and nearly all of the recycled cardboard is made into new cardboard products.
 * Cardboard can also be cut and folded to make many different sized and shaped boxes or displays.
 * It can be treated to be flame retardant or to control static electricity.
 * Cheap
 * Readily Available


 * PLAN **

Part 1: Design
__Choosing the right chair:__ The three designs I came up with are the ones that are shown above, Chair 1,2 and 3.
 * Chair 1: The first chair I made was of made of only one small notecard (7.7cm x 7.7cm). This chair easily works for the unit question we have. It can hold sufficient weight, it has a backrest and no sort of fasteners are used. But, the problem with this chair is that it uses too many folds. It might seem easy to make on the notecards, but making them on a thicker material such as cardboard would be really challenging. Also, a large piece of paper makes only a small chair. Thereafter, if this chair was to be made, I would probably be impeded by material (size) constraints. Also, I wouldn't be able to get each and every fold right where it is supposed to be, because it gets really hard to fold towards the end.

At the end of the day after having some serious discussions, I decided to stick with the second chair. I made this decision for a number of reasons. Firstly, this chair solves the unit question effortlessly. Secondly, this chair is the easiest to make because it requires the least amount of folding. The lesser the number of folds, the easier it becomes to fold on the actual cardboard. Unlike the other two chairs, this chair does not fall into a problem with the back support. This is because, the back support is connected to the 'arms' of the chair, which eventually meet at the seat of the chair. Thirdly, mini-surveys indicate that this is better looking as compared to the other chairs. I like this chair the most and since I am making this product for myself (I'm the buyer), it's important that my demands are met. Finally, this chair meets all of my design specifications and thus, it can be made.
 * Chair 2: The second chair I made was also made of one notecard. This chair has no cuts or any sorts of slits or slots. It relies completely on folds. This chair solves the unit question and it is also quite ergonomic and aesthetically pleasing. This chair had a problem with balance and center of gravity. But, that was fixed by adding a second piece to make the whole product more balanced and strong as well. If I fall into any sort of materialistic problems, I can simply make this two-seated chair into a one-seater, thus solving the problem.
 * Chair 3: The third chair was also made of a single piece of notecard but it wasn't as strong, and it doesn't really solve the unit problem, because it simply cannot support the weight. I tried to add supplementary support to the legs but failed. Even though this looks most like a common chair, it's the weakest of the three and simply collapses even if there is a little jerk.


 * Production Plan**

1. Get a large piece of cardboard which is 160cm long and 120cm wide. 2. Draw a grid on either side of the cardboard. The grid should be a 4x3. Thereafter, each of the squares on the grid should be (40cm x 40cm). 3. After the grid has been completed, apply a chair fold to the second square in the first column and to the second square in the third column. 4. Flip the product over. Apply the chair fold to the third square in the first column and to the third square in the third column. 5. Flip the product over. Take the remaining part of the paper at the corners and apply a valley fold towards the inside - an infold. 6. Push the folded part in-between the legs of the chair. 7. Turn the model over and curl the edges towards the outside on the top left and right corners.

1. Cardboard 2. An Xacto-Knife 3. Ruler 4. Meter Stick 5. Large tracks 6. Knife Pads 7. A calculator
 * Materials List/ Parts List**

Size of initial piece being used: (30cm x 40cm)
 * Dimensions:**

Dimensions for actual product: (102cm x 160cm)

NOTE: DIMENSIONS SUCH AS HEIGHT, LENGTH, BACK SUPPORT ETC. DON'T MATTER IN THIS CASE BECAUSE EVERYTHING DEPENDS ON THE SIZE OF THE INITIAL PIECE

Day 1: Get the cardboard, cut off excessive parts from the edges using the knife. Day 2: Continue with getting rid of excessive parts. Start Gridding. Day 3: Get at least half of the grid ding done. Day 4: Finish off any of the grid that remains. Day 5: Apply the first chair fold. Day 6: Apply the second chair fold. Day 7: Apply the in folds. And put the piece through the chair legs. Day 8: Curls at edges. Finish off anything else left.
 * Time Management Plan**

I think that my plan makes good use of time and resources. I'm using all the resources that are possibly available in the lab. I'm also using resources wisely because I switched to recycled cardboard as to a fresh piece. I think that someone else would be able to follow my design and make my chair. The process mentioned is really simple but, trial and error will come handy because I myself did not get it the first time. I had to experiment to come up with the design
 * Plan Evaluation:**

__**Quarter Scale Model**__ After experimenting with the notecards, our next assignment was to make the 1/4 scale model. This was to be made with a material similar to cardboard but it was much thinner and it wasn't as strong as the actual cardboard.
 * CREATE **

__**Day 1 September 28th, 2011**__ Today I started my quarter scale model. I initially got a large sheet which was rectangular and so, I had to cut it out into a square. I did that and I finished all of the grid work today. The square size was a 60cm by 60cm. But then, I had to make that a lot smaller because my chair was going to be one what was single seated. Thereafter, I brought it down to 30cm by 40cm. The grid-work took the whole class and I did some work at home as well. It takes time to get draw and score on exactly where the lines are supposed to be. But today, I realized that scoring actually paved the way for you if you were going to fold the cardboard! Pictures: 1. http://i56.tinypic.com/14vo6rl.jpg 2. http://i54.tinypic.com/2n20eh4.jpg 3. http://i56.tinypic.com/1j68uo.jpg 4. http://i56.tinypic.com/1441kls.jpg 5. http://i55.tinypic.com/35hrdia.jpg

__**Day 2 October 11th, 2011**__ Today, I continued on my quarter scale model. I made the two chair folds which are shown in the images below. These ware quite critical to make because, one could easily go a little off and that would stop the maker from folding the chair at the end! Thereafter, I used the same idea of scoring to get the diagonal lines which made it easier to fold. For those who don't know, the picture below shows a chair fold. Pictures: 1. http://i51.tinypic.com/5znm6e.jpg 2. http://i54.tinypic.com/2qtvp8w.jpg

__**Day 3, October 13th, 2011**__ After getting the first chair fold last class meeting, I got the second today. This one was even harder to fold because a lot of pressure had to be applied due to the thickness of the paper. But, with Mr. Hassan's guidance, I again used the idea of scoring to make my way past the problem. I also folded the remaining corners and I also put that piece through the legs. This was the HARDEST PART. I just couldn't get it in until I decided to use a ruler to apply pressure on the scores to make the folding easier. I also had to hold onto the legs for a little time at the end to make sure that it doesn't fall apart. After that, I just added the finishing touches which was to curl the edges. Overall, today was a real productive day! Pictures: 1. http://i53.tinypic.com/295g56g.jpg 2. http://i55.tinypic.com/2ni07f7.jpg 3. http://i56.tinypic.com/317du8y.jpg 4. http://i55.tinypic.com/25k4tmo.jpg 5. http://i51.tinypic.com/2zp2ywj.jpg