EDT Shop Elevator

The purpose of this project is to successfully build a working mechanical elevation system for the Engineering Design Team (EDT) at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC). All the necessary guidelines were applied carefully to achieve the best functional pulley system. Constraints such as cost and timely completion were taken into consideration during the process of designing. All the components of the system such as the operating pulley system, loading frame and station, moving rails and wheels, bolts and screws, diagonal support, and/or the operating motor were chosen according to how each component plays a role in the system and how it’s going to be implemented. The loading frame is made from 80/20 structural Aluminum and the loading platform will be made of wood to adhere to the low-cost constraint. The strut channels and the strut channel’s trolleys are made of zinc-plated steel. The pulley system will have to hold up heavy objects ranging from 75 lbs. to 100 lbs. SolidWorks was used to draw the 3-D modeling of the design. Necessary ANSYS simulations such as total deformation, stress, strain, and safety factor were conducted to optimize the maximum functionality of the design. All these components function together to produce a fully functional and safe mechanical elevation system.