WAM | My Site

We have begun a new project in the 2022-2023 school year, in partnership with Collins Aerospace, Schroth, MGA, All Wheels Up, and the National Institute for Aviation Research, to build a mechanism to put wheelchairs on airplanes. We are tasked to create a floor-plinth that contains a locking mechanism

that will fit within the closet of a Boeing

737-800. This floor plinth will be tested on

two varying cases of WC-19 rated

Wheelchairs, after being virtually validated

and verified with Model-Based Systems

Engineering techniques. Joining this team

gives you the opportunity to be part of

real-life research and design.

Flying in a wheelchair is an uncomfortable and alienating experience. To those flying with wheelchairs there are often hidden cost. According to ABC News, airlines damage around 29 wheelchairs per day, that is a loss of close to $1,000,000 DAILY. That being said, the goal of this project is to use the preexisting version of a wheelchair suite. Wichita State University NIAR came up with a comprehensive dimensional analysis to prove feasibility of a wheelchair on a plane. This dimensional analysis is a 2022 Crystal Cabin award finalist, and M-SAAVE's current plan is to build and test a workable version of their design. The plan consists of the wheelchair and user will be on top of a floor plinth located in the FYWS and the floor plinth consists of mechanisms to lock and restrain the wheelchair. M-SAAVE's iteration of this design was shortlisted for the Crystal Cabin award in 2023.

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During the 2023-2024 school year, M-SAAVE WAM will reiterate on their design with a goal to successfully complete pitch and roll testing that was begun at the end of the previous year. The design will improve injury criteria considerations, and begin dynamic load assessment analysis.

WAM Subsystems

Certification

For our project to be feasible, we need to adhere to certain FAA regulations. In order to ensure we meet emergency conditions and loading, we are testing at MGA. Certification requires a technical understanding and an ability to communication professionally

Lead: Mitchell Kort

Risk Management

Keeps project safe, on-time, and on-budget by identifying, categorizing, and minimizing risk. We work on failure modes and effects analysis (FMEA), risk matrices, and a risk management plan. It also lets you work with subteams and officers from across the project

Lead: Sophia Troshynski

DEI Management

Tasked with encouraging a healthy environment, professionalism, and group diversity. Currently initiatives include: appropriate vocab, DEI Calendar – relevant events at UMich + volunteer opportunities, and assist the outreach + recruitment director. DEI is the most important initiatives in engineering and we hope to start that in M-SAAVE.

Lead: Molly Meengs

Feasibility

Sub team ensures that ensures that the project can actually be created. Works with cost, material procurement, and customers (boeing, collins, airlines etc) and also testing and verifying the design is filling our requirements. We help out the rest of the team to get what they need and ensure what we are building towards “works”

Lead: Rohan Patel

Structure & Design

This subteam encompasses the design portion of the project which includes: the honeycomb floor plinth, anchoring straps, seat track attachment(s). It also accounts for FAA regulations for seating which includes various loads on the system and how the system will withstand them. We must pass rigorous FAA tests, complete pitch and roll tests, deformation tests, static load tests, and dynamic load tests.

Leads: Honor Roberston and Collin Lightfoot

Accessibility

Studying human factors and injury criteria. Currently meeting with wheelchair users, flight crew, and caregivers to receive feedback and maintain our goal of human-centered design. We also work with Kinesiology Students to incorporate injury criteria and human factors

Lead: Rishika Mukherjee