Cardboard chair design
objective
The main idea of this project was actually pretty simple. The objective was to create a chair out of nothing but cardboard. We were not allowed to use any glue tape, or other fasteners. We could make the chairs in any shape and size that we desired. We had to start by doing a couple experiments to learn about tensile and compressive strength.
Key concepts
Tensile strength- The maximum stretching force a material can withstand before breaking.
Compressive strength- The maximum load that can be applied before it is crushed.
Center of Gravity- The focus of gravitational forces.
Compressive strength- The maximum load that can be applied before it is crushed.
Center of Gravity- The focus of gravitational forces.
Our Chair
Function:
Our chair was built for a toddler. We had originally planned on making the chair for an average sized person, but we had to scale down due to a lack of big pieces or cardboard. Our final chair can not support very much weight because of a couple main weak points. Because it can't actually hold anyone, our chair can serve as a "looking" chair.
Structure:
In our design we decided to use many triangle. Our group found that this shape was able to provide a lot of support and stability for our chair. While making our chair we had to find a way to connect all the pieces. We decided to use tabs and slits, however at first we made the slits too big. This led to having very little cardboard actually supporting certain pieces. Once we realized our mistake, we ended up redoing many tabs and slits.
Aesthetics:
Our chair was many geared towards its aesthetics. We tried to make it as appealing to the eye as possible. We went for a more modern look. We did this by using very clean cut and crisp lines. We also incorporated many triangles into the design. We made our connections smooth as possible. Since you can see through spaces in our chair, it gives it a very light and comfortable feeling.
Economy:
Even though we were making these chairs out of a very simple material, we still wanted to try and save money by using less material. Our original design was meant to use a very minimal amount of cardboard. Once we started building, we started to recognize that we needed to add a little bit more cardboard to provide any type of support. We still managed to use less cardboard than many other groups. Since we didn't use as much cardboard, our chair is relatively cheap.
Integrity:
We put a lot of effort into creating the best chair possible. Of course we recognize that if we had more time we would probably spend more time designing and fixing certain parts of our chair. I do believe that our effort shows in our chair because of how precise each cut is.
Trade-offs:
We decided to sacrifice function and structure for aesthetics. Once we found out that our chair had some weak points, we really tried to make the chair look amazing. We also decided to have a weaker structure but use less cardboard, therefore having a cheaper chair.
Our chair was built for a toddler. We had originally planned on making the chair for an average sized person, but we had to scale down due to a lack of big pieces or cardboard. Our final chair can not support very much weight because of a couple main weak points. Because it can't actually hold anyone, our chair can serve as a "looking" chair.
Structure:
In our design we decided to use many triangle. Our group found that this shape was able to provide a lot of support and stability for our chair. While making our chair we had to find a way to connect all the pieces. We decided to use tabs and slits, however at first we made the slits too big. This led to having very little cardboard actually supporting certain pieces. Once we realized our mistake, we ended up redoing many tabs and slits.
Aesthetics:
Our chair was many geared towards its aesthetics. We tried to make it as appealing to the eye as possible. We went for a more modern look. We did this by using very clean cut and crisp lines. We also incorporated many triangles into the design. We made our connections smooth as possible. Since you can see through spaces in our chair, it gives it a very light and comfortable feeling.
Economy:
Even though we were making these chairs out of a very simple material, we still wanted to try and save money by using less material. Our original design was meant to use a very minimal amount of cardboard. Once we started building, we started to recognize that we needed to add a little bit more cardboard to provide any type of support. We still managed to use less cardboard than many other groups. Since we didn't use as much cardboard, our chair is relatively cheap.
Integrity:
We put a lot of effort into creating the best chair possible. Of course we recognize that if we had more time we would probably spend more time designing and fixing certain parts of our chair. I do believe that our effort shows in our chair because of how precise each cut is.
Trade-offs:
We decided to sacrifice function and structure for aesthetics. Once we found out that our chair had some weak points, we really tried to make the chair look amazing. We also decided to have a weaker structure but use less cardboard, therefore having a cheaper chair.
Before actually building the full sized version or our chair we had to make a scale model.
As you can see our final chair looks much different than our scale model.
Reflection
I really enjoyed doing this project. Even though it was fun most of the time, we still an into many frustrating moments. For example, our tabs and slits kept ripping. Even though it was frustrating I think that one thing our group did very well was working through it. We never gave up, and we stuck with it. The second thing our group did extremely well was analyzing the problems. As soon as we detected an issue with the chair, we would find what the cause of it was. This allowed us to fix the chair easily and quickly. At one point the back supporter started to bend. We analyzed and decided to add a piece of cardboard in the back to support it. One thing our group could have done better was spend more time on creating our chair. This was difficult because we were trying to do several other project at the same time. The second thing we could have done better would be preparing our presentation before the day when we actually had to present. If we had done this our presentation would have been much more organized and clear. Overall I think this project was a success.