Author(s)

T. Mori, Y. Ohbuchi, H. Iida, K. Tsukamoto, Y. Nakamura, H. Sakamoto

Abstract

Existing product developments tend to separate the product design from the product planning. After the planning of shape and style of the product by designer, its strength is evaluated by engineering analysis, and then the product will be finally designed.

This research, aims at the construction of the optimum shape and strength with the sophisticated design of the machine and structure members. The composite material that are typified by carbon fiber reinforced plastic (CFRP) has very high specific strength and it is light compared with metals. So, it is possible to produce the complex and lightweight products by using these composite materials.

Here, the material characteristics were expressed as a combination of some simple element models of this high strength carbon fiber reinforced materials CFRP. By the simulation design technique which used the FEM analysis was proposed. To get the elastic modulus of CFRP which is influenced by fiber direction, three-point bending test was performed. In this experiment, two types of specimens which have different fiber direction each other were tested.

As a design target, the redesign of Zig-Zag chair was selected, which was designed by Gerrit Thomas Rietveld, who was a Dutch architect and furniture designer. The optimum design items are the good shape, best strength and weight lightening.

Keywords

CFRP, Zig-Zag chair, elastic modulus, torsional rigidity