Project Details

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Tire Positioner Pivot Arm Redesign

Company: Fleet Equipment Corporation / Columbia Industries

Major(s):
Primary: ME
Secondary: IE

Non-Disclosure Agreement: YES

Intellectual Property: YES

Background: Fleet Equipment Corporation is a leading manufacturer of tire service trucks. A tire positioner is a truck mounted crane hand used to mount and dismount tires on offroad equipment. Though emphasis is often placed on the maximum size tire a given tire positioner can handle, being able to gasp smaller tires is also important. The tire positioner clamping mechanism is a four-bar linkage design actuated by a hydraulic cylinder. Currently on the 108 and 130 tire positioners, the hydraulic cylinder is pinned to ears on the side of arm weldment. The 147 tire positioner pivot arm has been redesigned so the hydraulic cylinder is attached with the same pins as the arms. The changes to the 147 allowed for a longer cylinder stroke which closes the hand farther. This project is to determine if the 108 and 130 arms can be redesigned in a similar manner. Key Design Components: 1. Mount to existing main frame and clamp arm weldments to allow older units to be retrofitted. 2. Decrease weight when possible. 3. Design with cost in mind. Deliverables: 1. Basic study of current 108 and 130 pivot arm designs including clamping geometry, clamping force, and finite element analysis. 2. Drawings, clamping geometry, clamping force, and finite element analysis of proposed designs including any major design iterations. 3. If designs are determined to be feasible, FEC will work with students to produce a prototype of one of the arms.