IJSRD - International Journal for Scientific Research & Development| Vol.

6, Issue 02, 2018 | ISSN (online): 2321-0613

Automatic Stair Climbing Trolley

Sohan Kumawat1 Milind Sonawane2 Shubham Khadangle3 Omkar Chavan4 B. J. Vispute5
1,2,3,4,5
Department of Mechanical Engineering
1,2,3,4,5
Sandip Polytechnic, Nashik, India
Abstract— This project aims at developing a mechanism for
easy transportation of heavy loads over stairs. The need for III. EXPERIMENTAL SETUP
such a system arises from day-to-day requirements in our The elements used to prepare our model of Automatic Stair
society. Devices such as hand trolleys are used to relieve the Climbing Trolley are as follows:
stress of lifting while on flat ground; however, these devices
 DC Motor
usually fail when it comes to carrying the load over short fleet
The most important element of our model is the DC motor.
of stairs. In the light of this, the project attempts to design a
We used an old 12v wiper motor which we obtained from a
stair climbing hand cart which can carry heavy objects up the
car parts sales.
stairs with less effort compared to carrying them manually. It
 Battery
also endeavors to study the commercial viability and
We need a 12v Battery to run the DC motor in the whole
importance of such a product. Several designs were
setup.
conceived that would allow a non-industrial hand trolley to
travel over stairs, curbs, or uneven terrain while reducing the  MS Frame
strain on the user. In our project, the trolley is equipped with The foundation on which the whole mechanism is set up is
Tri-Star wheels which enable us to carry load up and down made out of mild steel. It is made out of welding MS plates.
the stairs. It also eases the movement of trolley in irregular
surfaces like holes, bumps, etc. IV. NEED FOR STAIR CLIMBER TROLLEY
Key words: Stair Climbing Lifting heavy objects to upper stories or lifting patients to
upper levels from the ground are not painless jobs, especially
I. INTRODUCTION where there are no lifting facilities (elevator, conveyer, etc.).
The Tri-Star wheel was designed in 1967 by Robert and Moreover, most of the buildings are structurally congested
John Forsyth of the Lockheed Aircraft Corporation. They and do not have elevators or escalators. This project can
were first developed as a module of the Lockheed introduce a new option for the transportation of loads over the
Terrastar, a commercially unsuccessful amphibious stairs. The stair climbing hand trolley can play an important
military vehicle. A Tri-Star wheel functions as an ordinary role in those areas to lift loads over a short height. After doing
wheel on flat ground, but has the ability to climb the above we were finally able to get our mechanism up and
automatically when an impediment to rolling is encountered. running smoothly and produce a continuous transfer of boxes
This wheel design consists of three tires, each mounted with required time delay.
to a separate shaft. These shafts are located at the vertices
of an equilateral triangle. The three shafts are geared to a V. NEW CONCEPT
fourth, central shaft (to which a motor may be attached). The stair-climbing hand truck is designed to reduce liability
When geared in this quasi-planetary fashion, these triangular rather than increase it. Conventional hand trucks work well
sets of wheels can negotiate many types of terrain, including on flat ground, but their usefulness decreases when it
sand and mud; they can also allow a vehicle to climb over becomes necessary to move an object over an irregular
small obstructions such as rocks, holes, and stairs. The surface. Package deliverymen, for example, often find it
wheel assembly may be gear-driven, with two wheels in necessary to drag loaded hand trucks up short flights of stairs
rolling contact with the ground. The third wheel idles at just to reach the front door of a building. The entire purpose
the top until the lower front wheel hits an obstruction. of using a conventional hand truck is to avoid having to lift
The obstruction prevents the lower front wheel from and carry heavy objects around.
moving forward but does not affect the motion of the Lifting a hand truck up the stairs defeats the purpose
driving axle. This causes the top wheel to roll forward into of the device, since the user must provide enough upward
position as the new front wheel. This wheel usually lands force to lift the entire weight of the cart and its contents.
on top of the obstruction and allows the rest of the assembly Furthermore, the geometry of a hand truck makes it nearly
to vault over the obstruction. impossible to lift with one's legs, as is the proper form.
Considerable strain is placed on the back muscles and the risk
II. OBJECTIVES of operator injury is sharply increased. The pulling up of a
Lifting heavy objects to upper stories or lifting heavy loads to standard hand truck up the stairs results in a bumpy and
upper level from the ground are not painful jobs, especially jarring motion. This motion may damage the items loaded on
where there are no lifting facility (elevator, conveyer, etc.). the hand truck or cause them to fall off entirely. A hand truck
This project can introduce a new option for the transportation that could climb stairs without requiring the user to lift would
of loads over the satirs. The stair climbing trolley can play an improve the safety of moving heavy objects over irregular
important role in those areas to lift load over a short height. surfaces. In our project, we are designing and fabricating
normal hand trolleys with Tri-Star wheel in order to enable
the trolley to move up or down the stairs.

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 Automatic Stair Climbing Trolley
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VI. PRINCIPLE two handles on its support frame. These handles are used to
The principle of Automatic Stair Climbing Trolley is reduce push, pull and maneuver the device. The handles may extend
human effort for handling of materials in industries for from the top rear of the frame, or one handle may curve from
material shifting of ground floor to first floor where litf or any the back. An empty hand trolley usually stands upright in an
equipment is not available. L-shape, and products are usually stacked on top of the
platform. When the goods are in place, it is tilted backward
A. Application so that the load is balanced between the platform and the
In our project, we are using this Tri-Star wheel arrangement support frame. Especially if heavy or fragile materials are
in a hand trolley in the place of normal wheels setup to enable moved, the person operating the trolley should return it to an
the trolley to climb up and down the stair cases and also to up upright position carefully, to insure nothing falls off the
come small obstacles like holes and bumps on its path. platform. The front of the frame may be squared off for boxes
or curved for drums and barrels. Sometimes, a hand truck also
VII. MATERIAL SELECTION has straps for securing loose freight during transport.
Professional material handlers prefer to use a hand
Material selection is a step in the process of designing any
truck when moving stackable items such as boxes, crates or
physical object. In the context of product design, the main
packages. Heavier items are usually stacked on the bottom of
goal of material selection is to minimize cost while meeting
the hand truck, with lighter objects saved for the top.Hand
product performance goals. Systematic selection of the best
truck users must be careful not to stack it so high that their
material for a given application begins with properties and
vision is blocked or the load becomes unstable. Generally, it
costs of candidate materials.
is safe to load a hand truck to the level of its handles or the
A. Stainless Steel Grade 304: top of the frame. The load is then shifted onto the wheels with
Steel Type 304 is a variation of the basic 18-8 grade, Type a backwards lifting motion. The user can maneuver the cargo
302, with a higher chromium and lower carbon content. by steering it left, right or forward.
Lower carbon minimizes chromium carbide precipitation due A. Wheel Selection
to welding and its susceptibility to inter-granular corrosion.
Wheel material selected – Filled rubber
In many instances, it can be used in the “as-welded”
Types of Wheel Material
condition, while Type 302 must be annealed in order to retain
1) Filled rubbers
adequate corrosion resistance. Type 304L is an extra low-
In tyres rubbers are usually filled with particles like carbon
carbon variation of Type 304 with a 0.03% maximum carbon
black or silica. They consist of a tread and a body. The tread
content that eliminates carbide precipitation due to welding.
is the part of the tire that comes in contact with the road
As a result, this alloy can be used in the”as-welded“condition,
surface. The portion that is in contact with the road at a given
even in severe corrosive conditions. It often eliminates the
instant in time is the contact. Treads are often designed to
necessity of annealing weldments except for applications
meet specific product marketing positions.
specifying stress relief. It has slightly lower mechanical
2) Polyurethane
properties than Type 304.
Polyurethane (PUR and PU) is a polymer composed of a hain
B. Stainless Steel Grade 304 of organic units joined by carbamate (urethane) links. While
Steel Type 304 is a variation of the basic 18-8 grade, Type most polyurethanes are thermosetting polymers that do not
302, with a higher chromium and lower carbon content. melt when heated, thermoplastic polyurethanes are also
Lower carbon minimizes chromium carbide precipitation due available. The main ingredients to make a polyurethane are
to welding and its susceptibility to inter-granular corrosion. isocyanates and polyols. Other materials are added to help
In many instances, it can be used in the “as-welded” processing the polymer or to change the properties of the
condition, while Type 302 must be annealed in order to retain polymer.
adequate corrosion resistance. Type 304L is an extra low- 3) Steel
carbon variation of Type 304 with a 0.03% maximum carbon Steel is an alloy of iron, with carbon being the primary
content that eliminates carbide precipitation due to welding. alloying element, up to 2.1% by weight. Carbon, other
As a result, this alloy can be used in the”as-welded“condition, elements, and inclusions within iron act as hardening agents
even in severe corrosive conditions. It often eliminates the that prevent the movement of dislocations that naturally exist
necessity of annealing weldments except for applications in the iron atom crystal lattices.
specifying stress relief. It has slightly lower mechanical 4) Static friction
properties than Type 304. The surface of the wheel and what it is rolling on are not
 DC Motor Speed: 60 RPM perfectly smooth.
 Trolley Size: 220mmx220mmx80mm In sliding friction, this surface roughness is the
reason for the static and kinetic resistance to motion.
 Mechanism: Chain & Spocket
Although the wheel is not sliding, the surface roughness
 Materials: MS (Mild Steel) and Wood
causes a "jiggle" when the wheel is rolling.
 Total mechanism weight: 25 Kg (approx.)
B. Wheel Frame
VIII. DESCRIPTION OF THE PROJECT A specially designed wheel frame is required to hold the three
A typical hand trolley consists of two small wheels located wheels together on each side of the shaft. In the existing
beneath load-bearing platform, the hand trolley usually has design, the power transmission to the single or double wheel

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 Automatic Stair Climbing Trolley
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trolley is useless to climb the stairs due to height factor of that constrains relative motion between moving parts to only
stairs. The design of the straight wheel frame became more the desired motion. The design of the bearing may, for
complicated and was needed to be modified with its curved- example, provide for free linear movement of the moving part
spherical shape to give proper drive, which creates more or for free rotation around a fixed axis; or, it may prevent a
frictional force. For these reason, three wheel set on each side motion by controlling the vectors of normal forces that bear
of vehicle attached with frame was introduced to provide on the moving parts. Bearings are classified broadly
smooth power transmission in order to climb stairs without according to the type of operation, the motions allowed, or to
much difficulty. Frame arrangement is suitable to transmit the directions of the loads (forces) applied to the parts.
exact velocity ratio also. It provided higher efficiency and Environment, lubricant cleanliness and electrical currents
compact layout with reliable service. Easier maintenance was through bearings etc.
possible in case of replacing any defective parts such as nut, 4) Components of the System
bolt, washer, etc. CNC system CNC system is an important part of the cutting
machine, which consists of a computer system, servo system,
C. Processes Involved In Fabrication
the control unit, and the executive agencies. The computer
1) Gas Cutting (Oxy-Fuel Cutting) system is made up of a keyboard, a monitor, and the unit.
Oxy-fuel cutting is a cost-effective method of plate edge Servo system exploits a computer to implement a closed-loop
preparation for bevel and groove welding. It can be used to control of the motor and to achieve its variable speed. Now it
easily cut rusty and scaled plates and only requires moderate usually adopts communicate servo system. The control unit is
skill to produce successful results. The oxy-fuel gas cutting central of sending a control signal to realize the control of the
process creates a chemical reaction of oxygen with the base computer, the motor and the solenoid valve. The executive
metal at elevated temperatures to sever the metal. agencies include the electric motor and the solenoid valves
We have used this cutting to cut the measured and so on Programming system Programming system is parts
lengths of hollow mild steel pipes and flat bottom plate as per of auxiliary programming and nesting system for developing
our design. CNC cutting machine. It can make the entire production
Tube bending as a process starts with loading a tube process to form a whole, and to organize systematically. After
into a pipe bender and clamping it into place between two the programmed machine compiles the program on the floppy
dies, the clamping block and the forming die. The tube is also disk, enter the cutting machine and start cutting, it can also be
loosely held by two other dies, the wiper die and the pressure programmed in a simple cutter. Gas system Gas system
die. The process of tube bending involves using mechanical include the gas pipeline, pressure gauge, regulator, etc.,
force to push stock material pipe or tubing against a die, which can be controlled by the control system to realize the
forcing the pipe or tube to conform to the shape of the die. automatic on-off road of the gas. Mechanical operation
Often, stock tubing is held firmly in place while the end is system Mechanical operation system consists of the beam,
rotated and rolled around the die. For some tube bending gear box, chassis, lifting mechanism and other components.
processing, a mandrel is placed inside the tube to prevent 5) Problems faced by the equipment
collapsing. Much of the tooling is made of hardened steel or Due to the high frequency of CPU and large power and high
tooled steel to maintain and prolong the tools life. However heat of hard drive, the internal parts of the system is subjected
wherever there is a concern of scratching or gouging the work to overheating, making the CNC system and cutting machine
piece, a softer material such as aluminium or bronze is unable to work normally and increases the requirement of
utilized. Pipe bending machines are typically human industrial fans for cooling. When each part is not used
powered, pneumatic powered, hydraulic assisted, hydraulic efficiently during cutting edges, taking sides, linking bridge
driven, or electric servomotor. etc., it results in thermal deformation of the various parts
We have employed human powered-tube bending consequently results in low efficiency. Automatic cutting
process to bend two mild steel hollow pipes to make 60 bent cannot be achieved. There are no automatic cutting on CNC
handles. system and parameter libraries, workers can only speak of
2) Plasma Arc Cutting their own experience and observation of the eye, manually
Plasma cutting is a process that is used to cut steel and other adjusting and controlling, thus it cannot effectively play
metals of different thickness and sometimes other materials, productivity of the CNC cutting machine
using a plasma torch. In this process, an inert gas is blown at
high speed out of a nozzle; at the same time an electrical arc D. Welding
is formed through that gas from the nozzle to the surface Welding is a fabrication process that joins materials, usually
being cut, turning some of that gas to plasma. The plasma is metals or thermoplastics, by causing coalescence. This is
sufficiently hot to melt the metal being cut and moves often done by melting the work pieces and adding a filler
sufficiently fast to blow molten metal away from the cut. material to form a pool of molten material (the weld pool) that
Through the application of CNC technology in industrial cools to become a strong joint, with pressure sometimes used
production, the technology cut a wide range of high accuracy, in conjunction with heat, or by itself, to produce the weld.
low-cost and high efficiency. It gradually achieves its purpose This is in contrast with soldering and brazing, which involve
of high- tech computer numerical control cutting, with both melting a lower-melting-point material between the work
computer- controlled and plasma arc characteristics. pieces to form a bond between them, without melting the
3) Dc Motor work pieces.
A windscreen wiper or windshield wiper is a device used to
remove rain and debris from a bearing is a machine element

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 Automatic Stair Climbing Trolley
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Many different energy sources can be used for Power Supply) is the Power Supply with Rectification,
welding, including a gas flame, an electric arc, a laser, an Filtering and Regulation being done on the AC mains to get
electron beam, friction, and ultrasound. a Regulated power supply for the devices being used. The
While often an industrial process, welding may be motor used requires a supply of +12V DC, which is derived
performed in many different environments, including open from the single phase supply of 230V AC.A power supply
air, under water and in outer space. Welding is a potentially unit can by broken down into a series of blocks, each of which
hazardous undertaking and precautions are required to avoid performs a particular function. A DC power supply which
burns, electric shock, vision damage, inhalation of poisonous maintains the output voltage constant irrespective of AC
gases and fumes, and exposure to radiation. The main Types mains fluctuations or load variations is known as “Regulated
of welding used in industry and by home engineers are D.C Power Supply”.
commonly referred to as MIG welding, Arc welding, Gas
F. Inference
welding and TIG welding.
1) Arc welding After its fabrication, we inferred few limitations like large
These processes use a welding power supply to create and noise production while moving the trolley up and down the
maintain an electric arc between an electrode and the base stairs. In order to reduce the noise production the design of
material to melt metals at the welding point. They can use the wheel frame is to be modified such that line passing
either direct (DC) or alternating (AC) current, and through the mid-point of the trolley wheel should pass
consumable or non-consumable electrodes. The welding through the mid-point of the step.
region is sometimes protected by some type of inert or semi-
inert gas, known as a shielding gas, and filler material is IX. CONCLUSION
sometimes used as well. Though this project had some limitations regarding the
E. Fabrication of the Machine strength and built of the structure, it can be considered to be
a small step forward, as far as Stair Climbing Vehicles are
There are few types of fabrication methods are done on the concerned. During the test run of this project, it was realized
machine. They are: that it wouldn’t be a bad idea to consider this design for
1) Arc cutting. carrying heavy loads up the stairs. This product will be well
2) Drilling. acclaimed if it can be commercialized to suit the needs.
3) Grinding. Though the initial cost of the project seemed to be higher but
 Further Operation more accurate manufacturing would shorten this.
Cleaning. As far the commercial aspects of this product are
Assembling. concerned, if this product can be fully automated and
 Machining Operations produced at a lower cost the acceptance will be unimaginable.
In this project it is used to cut the raw material such as plates, Presently, there are no competitors for such a kind of product
rod. This is done by arc cutting machine. in our market.
 Drilling
Drilling is used to produce holes in objects. In this project the REFERENCES
square type pipe required the holes for making rake assembly.
These holes are done by vertical type drilling machine. [1] Dr. R.K. Bansal, A text book of Strength of Materials,
Laxmi Publications (P) Ltd.
 Fine Grinding
[2] http://googleweblight.com/i?u=http://learnmech.com/sta
It is nothing but a grinding process, which is done as smooth
ir-climber-trolley- projec/&grqid=R4J2t1e0&hl=en-IN
with fine grains. It is done by convention grinding machine.
[3] R.S. Khurmi, J.K. Gupta, A textbook of Machine Design,
 Cleaning
S.Chand Publishing House (P) Ltd.
It is the operation to clean the all machined parts without
[4] www.wikipedia.com
burrs, dust and chip formals. By meaning the parts they are
[5] www.mit.edu
brightened and good looking.
 Electric Motors – An Over View
Electric motors, both ac & dc motors, come in many shapes
and sizes. Some are standardized electric motors for general-
purpose applications. Other electric motors are intended for
specific tasks. In any case, electric motors should be selected
to satisfy the dynamic requirements of the machines on which
they are applied without exceeding rated electric motor
temperature. Thus, the first and most important step in
electric motor selection is determining load characteristics --
torque and speed versus time. Electric motor selection is also
based on mission goals, power available, and cost.
 Power Source Description
The power supplies are designed to convert high voltage AC
mains electricity to a suitable low voltage supply for
electronic circuits and other devices. A RPS (Regulated

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