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[[File:Portapossibilities.png|thumb|right|Sample photo caption.]]
[[File:IMG 2138.JPG|thumb|right|Team Porta Possibilities, ENGR 215, Spring 2015.]]




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! Criteria
! Criteria
| Description
! Weight  
! Weight  
|-
|-
| Portability
| Portability
|Cart can be transferred through narrow doorways and over a variety of uneven terrains
| 10
| 10
|-
|-
| Durability
| Durability
|Cart can withstand daily use without degrading quality
| 10
| 10
|-
|-
| Stability
| Stability
|Cart remains stationary when in use
| 9
| 9
|-
|-
| Safety
| Safety
|Cart can be used by Middle School children with adult supervision
| 9
| 9
|-
|-
| Ease of Cleaning
| Ease of Cleaning
|Cart needs little maintenance and is easily washed after use
| 7
| 7
|-
|-
| Upcycled
| Upcycled
|Cart is made of as many upcycled materials as possible
| 6
| 6
|-
|-
| Aesthetics
| Aesthetics
|Cart is visually appealing
| 6
| 6
|-
|-

Revision as of 06:21, 7 May 2015

Figure 1:Porta Possibilities SmartCart.
Team Porta Possibilities, ENGR 215, Spring 2015.


Abstract

Our team, Porta Possibilities, consists of four Humboldt State University Environmental Resources Engineering students. For our Engr215 Introduction to Design class, Merissa Coello, Brent Davis, Isaiah Duarte and Erin Mcdannold were given the opportunity to work with a local school, Zane Middle School, and improve their process of recycling. Our project was to improve the process that was currently in place of cleaning the recyclables from the school's cafeteria.

Background

Zane Middle School in Eureka California is working to reduce the amount of waste produced daily through recycling. As a part of this effort, staff have worked out a deal with Eel River Recycling to recycle milk cartons, a product that is not typically or easily recycled. Milk cartons and other common cafeteria waste(Figure 2) are washed in 5 gallon buckets placed on an unstable cart that spills water during transportation creating safety hazards for students and faculty. Table 1 provides the amount of waste produced daily at Zane Middle School. Figures 3 and 4 are included to demonstrate the high amount of waste Zane produces. This project will focus on creating a new portable and durable to clean the recyclables produced by the Zane Middle Schools cafeteria.

Table 1: Zane Middle Schools Daily Waste
Waste Amount
Milk Cartons 450
Silverware 300
Cereal Bowls 50
Milk(gallons) 7

Criteria

Table 2: Client Criteria Listed by Weight
Criteria Description Weight
Portability Cart can be transferred through narrow doorways and over a variety of uneven terrains 10
Durability Cart can withstand daily use without degrading quality 10
Stability Cart remains stationary when in use 9
Safety Cart can be used by Middle School children with adult supervision 9
Ease of Cleaning Cart needs little maintenance and is easily washed after use 7
Upcycled Cart is made of as many upcycled materials as possible 6
Aesthetics Cart is visually appealing 6

Project Goals

  1. Create a very durable cart to wash recyclables before recycling
  2. Improve ease of portability of the cart
  3. Enhance the workflow of the recycler
  4. Improve the overall experience of recycling wastes produced by the school's cafeteria

Description of Final Design

The final design includes a restaurant grade stainless steel sink(with three sinks) for durability and ease of maintenance. The sink is connected to a garden cart equipped with pneumatic wheels on an axle, providing the cart with an wide turn radius with the wagon style steering. The sink is attached to the cart with steel bars to elevate the sink and for reinforcement. The sink has a custom made lid with fitted seals for each sink to ensure the lid is stationary during transportation. The lid has two convenient handles right outside of the replicated school logo(painted by hand by Erin McDannold). Underneath the sinks, each drain is connected to a simple ABS drainage system that can be released directly over a sewer drain. The system can be activated with one main valve once each drain stopper is removed from each sink. The cart is help place over the sewer drain with a basic 2*4 under a pair of the wheels. On one side of the cart there is a tension clip in place to hold the wagon handle up while the cart is in use. To provide an area for a 5 gallon bucket filled with milk during transportation, small metal pegs have been installed on the handle side of the cart to ensure the client has control over the milk filled bucket.


Costs

The amount of hours spent by Porta Possibilities for the SmartCart is shown in a pie chart demonstrated in Figure 7. The pie chart is split up into the 6 Sections of the document. Building hours are included in the Section 6. About 60 hours of the 85 hours in Section 6 are building hours. A total of 169 hours was spent on the SmartCart.

Costinhours-2appro Chart1.jpg

Figure 7(above): Time spent for the SmartCart.

All the materials used in building the SmartCart are recorded below in Table 1. Each item is accompanied by the amount used in the SmartCart, the retail cost, and the team cost. Multiple items were donated as reused materials and reduced the team cost by around $200. A total of $240.16 was spent by Porta Possibilities on the SmartCart, using $459.86 worth of materials.


Table 3: Material Cost
Item Quantity Retail Cost Our Cost
Sinks 1 84.00 Donated
Garden Wagon 1 81.55 81.55
Clip Tension 1 3.99 3.99
Paint (Cans) 2 48.59 48.59
Lid 1 40.00 Donated
Lid Handles 2 9.98 9.98
Edge Tubing (feet) 8 1.52 1.52
Lid Seal 1 10.00 10.00
Sink Insulation (Cans) 2 13.98 13.98
Drainage System 1 70.55 70.55
Steel Legs 6 86.70 Donated
Total Cost 450.86 240.16

Results

The SmartCart allowed our client to easily transport the cart, clean the recyclables and drain the used water directly down the sewer drain. Their was no spillage upon transport and the hot water only dropped 23 degrees after remaining stationary for over five hours. The new process also allows kids to safely join in the process. In conclusion, the overall cleaning experience was enhanced and the carts colors and logo further promote school pride.

How to Build

Required Materials:

  1. Restaurant grade sink
  2. Garden Cart (or other cart with pneumatic wheels on an axle)
  3. Steel corner bars (17" long) [6]
  4. Hoses (and appropriate sink attachments)
  5. Sink drain strainers
  6. Wooden Lid
  7. Rubber tubing (used as lid sealant)
  8. Plastic tubing (used as liner on sharp edges)
  9. Metal cylinders[3]
  10. Tension clip
  11. Paint
  12. ABS cement glue
  13. ABS piping with appropriate corners,valves, etc.
  14. 5 gallon bucket
  15. Tension Clip
File:IMG 2002.jpg
How to Build the SmartCart

Discussion and Next Steps

After implimenting the cart into Zane Middle School's daily agenda, we have found that the cart is very much effective. The next steps consist only of maintaining the cleanliness and functionality of the cart. This can be done by washing the cart on a regular basis, as well as checking the inflation of the tires and the tightness of the bolts throughout.

References

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“The Bickle Castors and Wheel Guide” Bickle, <http://www.blickle.co.uk/en/wheel-guide/> (April 29, 2015).

BLÜCHER (2015). “Material Properties of Stainless Steel” Stainless Steel Drainage Systems, <http://www.blucherdrains.com/Resources/Technical/Stainless_Steel_Properties>(April 29, 2015).

Blunt, Leah., “Recycling Mystery Milk: Milk and Juice Cartons” Earth911, <http://www.earth911.com/news/recycling-mystery-milk-and-juice-cartons/> (Feb. 22, 2015).

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“Plastic Properties of Low Density Polyethylene (LDPE)”. Dynalab Corp, <http://www.dynalabcorp.com/technical_info_ld_polyethylene.asp> (Fed. 22, 2015).

“High Density Polyethylene” eng.buffalo.edu, <http://www.eng.buffalo.edu/Courses/ce435/Polyethylene/CE435Kevin.htm> (Fed. 21, 2015).

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Environmental Protection Agency (2001). “Vinvyl Chloride” epa, <http://www.epa.gov/airtoxics/hlthef/vinylchl.html> (Fed. 21, 2015).

“The Categories of Plastics” Fresno.gov, <http://www.fresno.gov/NR/rdonlyres/4C46B165-2252-45F7-B1FD-27C6912E4451/0/TheCategoriesofPlastics.pdf> (Fed. 22, 2015).

“Cooling 101: The Basics of Heat Transfer“ Koolance <http://koolance.com/cooling101-heat-transfer> (April 29, 2015).

(2015). “Castors and Wheels” MHI, <http://www.mhi.org/fundamentals/casters> (April 29, 2015).

Lester H. Gabriel, Ph.D., P.E. “History and Physical Chemistry of HDPE” Plastic Pipe, <https://plasticpipe.org/pdf/chapter-1_history_physical_chemistry_hdpe.pdf> (Fed. 21, 2015).

National Geographic Strange Days on Planet Earth. “Smart Plastic Guide” Sea Studios Foundation, <http://www-tc.pbs.org/strangedays/pdf/StrangeDaysSmartPlasticsGuide.pdf> (Feb. 21, 2015).

“The 7 Most Common Plastics and How They are Typically Used” Reuse it, <http://www.reuseit.com/product-materials/the-7-most-common-plastics-and-how-they-are-typically-used.htm#plastic%206> (Fed. 22, 2015).

“ Message in a Bottle: The impacts of PVC on Plastics Recycling” Recycle Worlds Consulting, <http://www.grrn.org/nowst/uploads/assets/pdfs/pvc/PVCBottleRecyclingReport06162004.pdf >(Fed. 22, 2015).

Pearson, Charles. “Pros & Cons of Porcelain Sinks” ehow <http://www.ehow.com/info_7751168_pros-cons-porcelain-sinks.htm> (April 29, 2015).

(1999). “Suggested Temperature Limits for the Operation and Installation of Thermoplastic Piping in Non-Pressure Applications” The Plastics Pipe Institute, <https://plasticpipe.org/pdf/tn-11_temperatue_limits_for_thermoplastic_non_pressure.pdf> (April 29, 1015).

“PLASTIC PET RECYCLING” Wastcare Corporation, 

<http://www.wastecare.com/Articles/Plastic_PET_Recycling.htm> (Fed. 21, 2015).

X.F. Lu, J.N. Hay (2001). Polymer “Isothermal crystallization kinetics and melting behavior of poly(ethylene terephthalate)“Volume 42, Issue 23, November 2001, Pages 9423–9431

Contact details

Isaiah Duarte - iad31@humboldt.edu Merissa Coello - mlc633@humboldt.edu Erin McDannold - emm614@humboldt.edu Brent Davis - bad67@humboldt.edu

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