concept We sought to design a simple joint that could serve its function of connecting 4 fins angled differently from the middle. Before we came up with the design, we first looked at the design requirements in terms of lengths and the angles. From there, we went on to design the aluminium parts and the interlocking systems. We wanted to have minimal use of the screws, thus we went for the design that require no screws in the aluminium parts in the middle.
two pieces of metal pieces are interlocked toegether simply by slotting them into each other
with the shape of an ‘E”, the two pieces are interlocked together just by the gravity. The ’E’ shape prevents the pieces from sliding out
design explorations
We then came up with the locking system that combined the two of our concepts.
design assembly The three middle pieces are first inserted into the one of the metal pieces in the four wings.
The metal tabs are then added to each four sides to lock the centre middle pieces in place.
The wooden blocks are then added to each 4 metal pieces to form wings.
Different types of joints were considered to properly lock the joints without much assistance of the screws. The design of the fins that are attached to the screws are also modified to break out from the symmetry.
prototype 1
4 M8 screws are then added to each wing to secure the wooden pieces and the metal pieces together.