EGGP-101-02 Introduction to Engineering Design /fall 2003

Mini-Design Project

Professor Dah-Nien Fan

Department of Mechanical Engineering

Objective

To conceptually design a kit that when installed on a parked sedan under the summer sun can significantly reduce the temperature of its passenger��s compartment.

Constraints

The add-on kit must be

• Passive (That is, it requires no power for its operation once installed.)
• Low cost (Less than $25.00 for materials and labor.)
• User friendly (That is, easy to install and remove.}
• Safe and secure (No compromise on the safety and security of the automobile)
• Non-invasive (No modifications on the automobile)
• Appealing to the eyes

Background

There exists an opportunity to develop and market an add-on passive kit to existing passenger cars, which is cost effective in eliminating excessive hotness in the passenger��s compartment of a parked sedan caused by the intense radiative heat from the summer sun. Undertaking the mini-design project by your team marks the first step in the development of this consumer product.

There are clearly needs for such a kit. Entering the passenger compartment of a parked car, which has been baked under the summer sun, is a tooth-clenching, burning experience. The high temperature in the compartment not only causes great discomfort but can lead to the deaths of infants and pets if left unattended there over an extended period of time.

None of the automobile manufacturers have paid adequate attentions to this particular problem in their products. The meager roof insulation and tinted glass in cars today do not even begin to address the concern here.

Though there has been commercially available a number of low-cost add-ons, they are hardly effective. The most common is the reflective sun shade to be placed across the front windshield on t he dashboard of parked cars. Also some motorists deploy transparent curtains attached to side windows with sucking cups. These devices fail to reduce the temperature in the passenger compartment significantly.

Being passive, a kit would be 100% effective if the temperature in the compartment could be lowered to that of the ambient air.