MECH5500

MECHANICAL DESIGN PROJECT

Summer 2020

Professor Haifa El-Sadi

Associate Professor
Department of Mechanical Engineering
Wentworth Institute of Technology
550 Huntington Avenue
Boston, MA 02115

Professor El-Sadi,

Enclosed is the report regarding our capstone project “StoreBoard.” The report focuses on the
problem that our project will solve regarding the analysis and development of an easily
transportable and GPS trackable snowboard. The main goal identified for the project is to
construct a working system for dividing a snowboard in half and reattaching for successful riding
performance while being able to track and locate the board anywhere on the mountain. In order
to create a functioning snowboard, we first analyzed the extreme forces seen on a snowboard
while riding. Five different snowboard designs were then developed as methods of splitting the
board down the middle. Each design was then subject to the appropriate forces through
SolidWorks FEA simulation. The boards were then compared to a standard production board that
was also subject to the same FEA study.
Through further design, analysis, and concentration on the latching mechanism of the board, a
functionable split design will be developed. Through a thermal analysis, an electronics system
will be enclosed and implemented into the board to efficiently track the user through GPS
locating in cold winter conditions.

We look forward to your review of the report,

Sincerely,
Miranda Craig, Nicholas Fornaciari, Joshua Jackson, Casey McClay and Devin Pietz

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 StoreBoard

Submitted to:
Professor Haifa El-Sadi
Date: 8/7/20
By
Miranda Craig
Nicholas Fornaciari
Joshua Jackson
Casey McClay
Devin Pietz

WENTWORTH INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY

MECH5500
Mechanical Capstone Design

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Abstract
The goal of the project this semester is to create a working solution to solve the problem
snowboarders face when trying to travel with the board. Based on the results and research
completed last semester, the third design configuration representing a puzzle style joint was
chosen as the new base design. New latches were researched and analyzed under the original
conditions as before to develop a working functional design. A new addition to the board this
semester is a GPS system that can be implemented in worst case scenarios when a snowboarder
becomes lost on a mountain. To power this GPS system, research and analysis was completed on
batteries, a Raspberry Pi, and various insulation and plastics for the housing or casing.

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Table of Contents
Abstract ........................................................................................................................................... 3
Problem Definition.......................................................................................................................... 5
Background Research ..................................................................................................................... 6
Project Objective ............................................................................................................................. 8
Project Plan ..................................................................................................................................... 9
Qualifications .............................................................................................................................. 9
Budget ......................................................................................................................................... 9
Gantt Chart ................................................................................................................................ 10
Success ...................................................................................................................................... 10
Design Work ................................................................................................................................. 11
Board Geometry ........................................................................................................................ 11
Electronic Design ...................................................................................................................... 11
Constraints ................................................................................................................................. 12
Interface Based Design.............................................................................................................. 12
FEA Setup ..................................................................................................................................... 15
FEA Setup for the board............................................................................................................ 15
Results ........................................................................................................................................... 17
Base Board: ............................................................................................................................... 17
Redesign 1: ................................................................................................................................ 18
Redesign 2: ................................................................................................................................ 19
Heat Transfer for the Case and Electronics:.............................................................................. 20
Conclusions ................................................................................................................................... 23
References ..................................................................................................................................... 25
Appendix ....................................................................................................................................... 26

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Problem Definition
Modern snowboarding was first brought to light in 1965, which took a huge step into the
winter sports world. Although the snowboard was a huge success with consumers all over the
world, there remains the challenge of such a consumer transporting a large object across
countries, seas, or even up mountains.
Since snowboards are typically longer than 5ft for the average consumer, there rises
problems for transportation of the snowboard and travel. For a consumer that needs to travel far
distances to use their snowboard, they must first find a way to safely store it. For the snowboard
to safely travel, it is recommended to use a high-density polyethylene carrying case, so the board
does not get damaged. For the snowboard to fit correctly inside the case, the outer dimensions of
the case are usually around 12 inches in width and 62 inches in length. Weight is another concern
especially when traveling through airlines and having to pay extra for overweight checked bags.
Usually, the weight limit for airlines is 50lbs, which can easily be reached when a consumer is
putting boots, a snowboard, helmet, gloves, and other snowboarding equipment in one bag.
Another problem arises when snowboarders become lost or disoriented on the mountain.
Ski mountains can range from 5,000 to 10,000 acres in size with many areas of unmarked trail.
Outdoor enthusiasts can become lost when they are snowboarding alone, get caught in an
avalanche, or simply steer away from marked trails. Being able to quickly and efficiently track
someone on the mountain would also be very helpful in finding and transporting an injured
snowboarder to safety. According to research, about 600,000 people are injured annually from
skiing or snowboarding accidents in the United States [1]. A tracking or GPS system would be
very helpful in reducing the severity of or eliminating some of these injuries.
A design to assist in transporting a snowboard while locating the user on the mountain is
the goal of the project, with the ideal direction being to split a snowboard into two pieces. When
reducing the size of a snowboard to half its current length, the snowboard case is reduced to half
the current length as well. The reduction of length in the case would help in travel as the bag
itself is not as large or as heavy, which would allow it to always meet specifications at airlines.
With easier airline travel, on foot travel would become easier as well. A smaller bag or holstering
system could be used as the board is reduced in length. Currently, when a snowboarder wants to
cross-country snowboard, they must carry their boards on their shoulders or obtain a special
satchel for carrying the board. The new design could allow the consumer to focus more on
enjoying the outdoors rather than lugging a cumbersome board up a mountain. An electronic
assembly will be developed with a GPS tracking system to pinpoint the location of the person on
the mountain. The goal to make transporting a snowboard feel effortless is challenging but can
be achieved with the right design and integration, while keeping the consumer experience as the
number one priority. Electronics will be carefully configured onto the snowboard to ensure
discrete, efficient, and productive operation in a cold temperature setting.

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Background Research
Currently there are snowboards that split lengthwise down the middle which are called
splitboards. These boards are primarily for backcountry snowboarders. These splitboards
essentially become skis so the user can tour up backcountry ascents like a skier but then ride
back down as a snowboarder. By doing this, the split down the length of the board is not affected
by the stresses seen on the snowboard. Because we hope to split the board down the center
horizontally rather than lengthwise, we need to focus more on the typical stresses seen on a
snowboard during normal use and the extreme cases of coming out of a jump or grinding on a
rail.
In order to analyze the stresses, we need to understand how a normal production
snowboard handles stress under these circumstances. In a study down by Benoit Caillaud, Robert
Winkler, Michael Oberguggenberger, Marc Luger and Johannes Gerstmayer in Sports
Engineering, they analyze the static forces a snowboard undergoes during a carved turn. They
created a static load bench in order to see how the snowboard reacts during the different
conditions. This setup was then replicated and idealized in a finite element model. The board
they used was a simplified snowboard structure of a 5.55mm constant thickness wood core of ash
and poplar sandwiched between two composite skins made of a 0.665mm thick epoxy reinforced
fiberglass. The side cut had a radius of 7.05m. Figure 1 shows the free body diagram of the
forces on the side view of the board.

Figure 1: Free Body Diagram of Snowboard

Force P and Moment M are the induced forces caused by the applied weight (weight of the user).
The angle is the tilt angle to the horizontal contact plane and Force R is the reaction force to the
ground [2]. The average snowboarder is 5’10” and roughly 164lbs.
There is a trend of increasing stiffness towards the center of the snowboard which may cause a
problem for us due to the split down the middle weakening the structure. A study done by Patrick
Clifton shows the bending distribution which is shown in Figure 2.

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 Figure 2: Bending Stiffness of a Snowboard

Torsional stiffness is another aspect of a snowboard that is important. The same study also shows
the torsional stiffness distribution which is shown below in figure 3 [3].

Figure 3: Torsional Stiffness of a Snowboard

Using these distributions and free body diagrams, we will analyze the forces once applied to our
board that gets split in half horizontally.
The material composition of a snowboard is a composite made up of wood, plastic,
fiberglass, and epoxy resin. An ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene makes up the plastic
base of the snowboard and an aspen or maple-aspen hybrid wood core makes up most of the
board. The wood core is sandwiched in between two layers of fiberglass and epoxy with the
plastic on the bottom serving as the base. There are various methods of determining the material
properties of a composite including Instron testing or an analytical rule of mixtures application in
which the properties are calculated based on known properties and volume proportions of each
individual component of the mixture. A dog-bone sample of the material could be obtained to
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complete an Intron machine tensile test, or the properties could be closely approximated by hand
calculated. Although Instron testing would have produced the greatest representation of the
material properties, circumstances led us to research case studies to obtain the properties. In a
case study performed by Keith W. Buffinton of Bucknell University, the following properties of
the snowboard material were obtained; density of 1013 kg/m^3, Young’s elastic modulus of 16.6
GPa, and a shear modulus of 3.25 GPa [4].
In order to choose the electronics for the tracking system, research was needed on the
different types of batteries, insulation, and casing materials. As a whole; the electronics could not
be too large or heavy as they shouldn’t throw off the balance of the snowboarder. Therefore, a
small and light insulation is required to keep the electronics warm. The Aerogel Spaceloft
Insulation is a flexible composite blanket that was designed to insulate buildings and apparel. It
has a thermal conductivity of 14 mW m-1 K-1 and a density of 0.15 g cm-3. The insulation is
hydrophobic which is perfect for the application of keeping the electronics dry. It comes in two
different thicknesses of 5 mm or 10 mm. It is also physically robust and can withstand
mechanical abuse without compromising the thermal performance.
Once the thermal insulation is chosen, the limitations are set for what hardware can be
used for the GPS system and battery. Knowing the entire system needs to be as small as possible,
a Raspberry Pi computer board is chosen as the “motherboard”. Since a raspberry pi is being
used to transfer the data to the GPS, a lithium ion battery will be used to power the system.
The GPS utilizes a USB in order to transfer the data at a baud rate of 9600, with a data refresh
rate of between 1-10Hz. The lithium ion battery chosen is designed to last approximately 9
hours, having 3800mAh with an output current of 2A and output voltage of 5.1V ± 0.1V [5]. The
key benefits from using a raspberry pi with a lithium ion battery is size and weight. The overall
dimensions of the system do not exceed 4in x 2in x 2in and the overall weight is under 2 pounds.

Project Objective
The main objective of the capstone study is to build a snowboard, that is cut in half, that
can handle any stress a snowboarder could put on a regular snowboard. In order to execute the
project, different kinds of stresses that are inflicted on a snowboard are analyzed as it is
navigated down a mountain. With the original design intent in mind, every member of the team
develops their own method of splitting the board and each design is observed in a SolidWorks
FEA study. The sole design with the best stress distribution and capability of holding the weight
and forces of the rider is selected with the original plan to further develop a prototype. Given the
circumstances, the prototype will not be developed, and the new project objective will revolve
around refining the split design and designing a built-in GPS tracking system within the
snowboard. The main objective of the analysis is to refine the split design to successfully pass
the FEA study and to organize and design an electronics system that will function properly in
winter elements to track and locate a snowboarder on a mountain.
To ensure the original split design of the snowboard will operate successfully, the
SolidWorks FEA study must pass exceeding a factor of safety of at least 2. The original FEA
analysis for board strength will be utilized to measure this success. Furthermore, the electronics

8
must be organized, and the casing must be insulated such that the temperature of the electronics
are maintained at a working temperature. The electronics will be organized successfully if the
temperature inside the casing is maintained at working temperature for a normal playing duration
time of 4-6 hours. To measure this success, a thermal analysis will be conducted by both
SolidWorks simulation and hand calculations. Because the board and electronics will not be built
and prototyped, we will rely significantly on detailed and precise SolidWorks simulation to
measure the success of the design.

Project Plan
Qualifications
The team members setting out to complete the “Storeboard” project are Miranda Craig,
Nicholas Fornaciari, Joshua Jackson, Casey McClay, and Devin Pietz. As mechanical
engineering students, all team members share both a background in and knowledge of the areas
of analysis required to reach the objective. The success of this project will require an
understanding of the function and construction of a snowboard, an effective stress analysis using
SolidWorks FEA, and an application of materials science. To obtain an understanding of the
function and construction of a snowboard, the team visited and has developed a relationship with
a ski & snowboard builder. Experienced snowboard builder, Tyler Grees, helped in the early
project planning of next steps for Storeboard, allowing us to have a better understanding of the
manufacturing process of making a snowboard. If the team was able to build a prototype, they
would have access to the Parlor Skis manufacturing shop to develop the prototype. The facility
will provide access to a CNC router, a heat press, and a variety of other cutting, grinding, and
sanding tools.
Budget
The approximate cost of the project equates to $350. The budget assigns $200 to raw
materials including wood, fiberglass, resin, epoxy, plastic, and prefabricated metal edges.
Approximately $20 will be spent on the latching system that will hold the board together. The
Raspberry Pi is $40, the GPS is $16, and the lithium ion battery is $20; which brings us to a total
of $76 for the electronics. The remaining $54 will be used for the aerogel insulation and the
plastic for the casing.

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Gantt Chart
StoreBoard Gantt Chart
6 16 26 5 15 25 5 15 25 4
May May May Jun Jun Jun Jul Jul Jul Aug

Think of Ideas

Finalize Idea

Background Work for GPS

Redesign Cad

Mediterm Report

Thermal Design

Interface Based Design

Final Paper

Build Poster

Senior Showcase

Start Done Not Done

Figure 4: Gantt Chart of Estimated Progress

Success
The project will be deemed successful if the jointing mechanism of the split snowboard
passes the minimum stress and vibration analysis necessary to accommodate a regular user. The
board should also have similar capabilities to that of a standard production board such as carving
through a turn or grinding a rail. Success will also be measured by the thermal ability of the
electronics casing. The casing should be able to maintain a working temperature for the
electronics to operate effectively for a duration of 4-6 hours.

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 Design Work
Board Geometry
In order to fully understand the nominal stress, displacement, and
factor of safety of a generic snowboard, a Finite Element Analysis
(FEA) is conducted on a Base Board design. The base design is
modeled off the certain aspects the group wants to follow for the type
of snowboard, meaning the geometry is set to certain parameters. The
geometry is set to fit the same geometry of a board that was tested in
article, “Laboratory, computational and field studies of snowboard
dynamics”. In Figure 4, the labels of the dimensions of the Base
Board are shown. The Chord length used is 148.9 cm, the Contact
length used is 118.1 cm, the Width used is 29.2 cm, and the Waist
width used is 25.4 cm. With these base dimensions, the article
Figure 5: Reference Geometry from
Parlor Skis published results from the study of the material properties of the
snowboard. The study yielded the following properties;
Density is 1013 kg/m^3, the Young’s Modulus is 16.6 GPa,
and the Shear Modulus is 3.25 GPa [4]. Since the study does
not determine the yield strength of the material, another
source is used for yield strength. Understanding the lowest
yield strength would occur in the wood core section of the
snowboard, the yield strength was set to be that of hybrid
aspen wood, which is 45 MPa [6].

Figure 6: Reference Lengths for a Snowboard The thickness of the board is also a crucial design factor.
Because the study did not define the thickness of the boards
that were used, we took a design from Parlor skis for a common wood core thickness gradient
and then used ratios to determine the thickness for our base design. Figure 5 shows the thickness
gradient of the wood core, so in order to account for the resin, plastic, and fiberglass an addition
of 2 mm was added to all the measurements, i.e the 7 mm measurement in the center of the board
became 9mm.

Electronic Design
The electronic assembly for our GPS module
consists of a raspberry pi 3, VK-162 G-
Mouse USB GPS Dongle Navigation
Module External, and a Kuman UPS Battery
Pack Expansion Board Power Supply. Given
the configuration, which can be seen in
figure 7, and power consumption of each
component the GPS module can last around
8 hours.
Figure 7. Electronics Configuration

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Constraints
A new constraint that has been presented is the limitations of the electronics. The lithium
ion battery can only operate between -4°F and 140°F. The Raspberry Pi can operate in
temperatures lower, so this is not. However, the concern is with how many hours the
snowboarder can spend on the mountain with the proper temperature inside the casing for the
electronics to operate. To mitigate these constraints, different scenarios are analyzed with
varying levels of temperatures and insulation thicknesses.
Interface Based Design
In order to design, manufacture, and assemble a product or system correctly, the interface
of the design must be labelled correctly, showing points of tolerancing, assembly, interaction
types, materials, and part descriptions. Each assembly, sub-assembly, and component is labeled
and given a description for identification during manufacturing and assembly, as seen in Figure 8
below.

Figure 8. Part Numbers

A Bill of Materials displays each component’s location relative to the assembly or sub-assembly,
allowing for a better understanding during the manufacturing and assembly process. Figure 9, 10,
and 11 express the Bill of Materials for the assembly, and sub-assemblies, respectively.

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 Figure 9. Storeboard Assembly BOM

Figure 10. Electrical Components Sub-Assembly BOM

13
 Figure 11. Electrical Housing Sub-Assembly BOM

The interferences display each sub-assembly and components interference to another component,
as seen in Figure 12 below. The type of interaction is shown to aid in understanding how to
assembly the components.

Figure 12. Interferences

The tolerancing displays each component to aid in the manufacturing process, as seen in Figure
13 below. Certain components need tolerancing to ensure ease of assembly, while others are
manufactured by a third party and therefore do not need tolerancing. With tolerancing comes
assembly and modeling notes, which help give understanding of how components will interact
with each other.

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 Figure 13: Tolerancing

FEA Setup
FEA Setup for the board
The FEA analysis boundary conditions are chosen to imitate the largest stress that the
board has to endure, an average rider grinding on a rail. To effectively simulate the event each
design is created with a split line down the middle of the board and split lines for the location of
the binding. In the simulation the split line is fixed on the bottom of the board, and 80 pounds of
force is applied to each binding location on the top of the board, as shown in Figure 14. With
these boundary conditions, the simulation can capture the instance which the board endure the
most stress. The electronics were not included in the FEA analysis, as they weigh under 1lb,
making the weight of the electronics negligible.
To accurately capture the stresses occurring in the board a global meshing of 0.5in. is
applied. Mesh control is used on the latch to ensure accurate results, which can be seen in Figure
15, resulting in 41,072 total nodes and 20,131 total elements.
The board assembly follows a no penetration component contact set, to ensure the
loading is applied correctly to each component. The latches are fixed to the board using
simulated AISI screws, simulated screws are used in order to reduce the complexity of the
simulation.

15
Figure 14: FEA Setup for all board testing

Figure 15: Initial Meshing of Snowboard

16
Results
Base Board:

Figure 16. Base Design Von-Mises Stress Plot (psi)

Figure 16 shows the Base Design, created in SolidWorks, which follows the dimensions
given in the board geometry section above. Also, the board thickness is altered throughout, this is
to mimic the geometry of a real snowboard. Then, the baseboard was given the properties to be
able to run the simulation. All the properties of a snowboard were found except for one. Since
the weakest material in a snowboard is the wood, any missing properties were just given the
properties of the aspen wood that will be used in the process of making the board.
By running the simulation, on the baseboard, the highest obtained stress was 2,965 psi.
This stress is shown to be right after the initial point of contact where the board is fixed in the
simulation, which is to be expected. Also, the lowest factor of safety from the board came out to
be 2.2. For the rest of the designs the goal was to try to come within reason to the baseboards
quantitative results. Every design was built from the same baseboard and the simulations were
ran the exact same way. With the baseboard being the staple, the goal is to have a board be
within 10% of the baseboards factor of safety, which would mean a board would need to have a
factor of safety above a 1.98.

17
Redesign 1:

Figure 177: Redesign 1 Von Mises Stress Plot (psi)

The above figure shows a redesign of the board. It is based off the original design 3
representing a puzzle like joint. The changes made to this board are that the latches are bigger
and able to withstand a stronger force. The bolts connecting the board to the latches are also
bigger and stronger than the ones used in the original design. These changes make the board
much stronger and as seen in the stress plot, the board undergoes much less stress than the
original design.

Figure 188: Redesign 1 FOS Plot

The factor of safety plot seen above observes a great increase showing the factor of safety
far exceeds the required and acceptable factor of safety of 2.
Based on the Von Mises stress plot and the FOS plot, Redesign 1 passes all the
requirements set forth by the team to be a “success.”

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Redesign 2:

Figure 19. Redesign 2 Von-Mises Stress Plot

The above figure shows a redesign of the board. It is based off the original puzzle like
design 3. The changes made to this board are that the latches are bigger and able to withstand a
stronger force. The bolts connecting the board to the latches are approximately the same size as
the previous design. The intersecting plates are also thickened, which means the outer layers are
slimmed down a little as well. These changes do not accomplish the goal of making a stronger
board as the results show it has a much smaller minimum FOS.

Figure 190. Redesign 2 FOS Plot

19
The factor of safety plot seen above shows that the factor of safety has greatly decreased as well
and is well below the requirements set by the base design of 2.
Based on the Von Mises stress plot and the FOS plot, Redesign 2 fails all the
requirements set forth by the team to be a “failure.”

Heat Transfer for the Case and Electronics:

A major consideration for the electronics functionality and reliability is whether the
components are within their operating temperatures. As shown in Table 1, the Kuman lithium
battery is the most sensitive to cold which after hours in freezing conditions could pose major
problems to the functionality of the entire GPS module. To determine whether the battery will
maintain its operating temperature after four hours of use in average slope conditions, a transient
thermal simulation was executed.
Table 1. Electrical Component's Operating Temperatures

Component Operating Temperature

Raspberry pi 3 -40°F to 158°F
VK-162 G-Mouse USB GPS Dongle -40°F to 176°F
Navigation Module External
Kuman UPS Battery Pack Expansion Board 32°F to 113°F
Power Supply

The main loss of heat from the electronic casing would be the forced convection caused
by the rider’s velocity. In order to accurately compute the convection coefficient over the casing
of the electronics, SolidWorks flow simulation was utilized with an air velocity of 20 mph, an
initial temperature of 70°F, and a bulk ambient temperature of 32 °F. To further increase the
accuracy of the numerical solution mesh refining was used on the solid’s surfaces and around the
casing as shown in figure 21. The mesh refinement resulted in 1233382 total cells, 1102941 fluid
cells, 130441 solid cells, 58680 Fluid cells contacting solids. The results from the CFD showed
𝑊
that the convection coefficient for the given conditions is 55.5 𝑚2∗𝐾.

20
 Figure 201. Electronics Case CFD Meshing

Figure 212. Flow Simulation of Electronics Case with 20 mph in the Positive X-Direction and a Bulk Ambient Temperature of
32F

The simulated convection coefficient was used as a thermal load in the transient thermal
analysis with the initial conditions outlined in Table 2, two analyses were carried out using the
same initial conditions only vary in time duration (4 hours and 6 hours). To improve the
accuracy of the results mesh refinement was utilized resulting in 60864 total nodes, total
elements 39504, 4 Jacobian points, and an element size of 0.222066 in.
Table 2. Loading Conditions for the Transient Thermal Analysis

Condition Value
Total Time 4 Hours and 6 Hours
Time Increment 30 Minutes
Convection Coefficient 55.5 W/m^2*K
Bulk Ambient Temperature 32°F

Initial Temperature 70°F

21
 Figure 223. Meshing of the Housing for the Thermal Analysis

Figure 234. Meshing of the Electronics for the Thermal Analysis

Figure 245. Temperature of Assembly After Four Hours with Convection Determined from Flow Simulation

22
 Figure 256. Temperature of Assembly After Six Hours with Convection Determined from Flow Simulation

The results from the thermal analysis show that after four hours the minimum
temperature that the electronics reach is 52.2°F and after six hours the minimum temperature that
the electronics reach is 34.4°F.

Conclusions
StoreBoard is the snowboard that can travel with ease and has the safety of always being
found. The first step of the StoreBoard project was finding a way to cut a board in half while
maintaining its structural integrity. One of the larger issues with this was finding a latch that
could withhold the max stress needed. For this project to be considered a success, a regular
snowboard was put through the same simulation that the StoreBoard went through. The regular
snowboard in this scenario yielded a 2.2 factor of safety of and a max Von Mises stress of 2,965
psi. Therefore, the goal of StoreBoard was to meet those same numbers or come within reason to
them. While designing the final design (image above), larger latches were added that could
withstand a higher stress. With the new latches and the final board design the goal was surpassed
with ease. The final factor of safety was 5.7 and only had a max Von Mises stress of 1,799.15
psi. A major contributing factor to the reduced stress was the strength of the latches which are
made from 316 stainless steel. In conclusion, the design of the StoreBoard was a success.
The other feature of StoreBoard is that it has a battery charged GPS. In creating the
specifications of the GPS, many qualifications were considered. The main qualifications
consisted of battery life, loss of heat, overall size, and location. The average hours of someone
snowboarding is about 4-6 hours in one day. The battery life for the GPS is 3,800mAh, which
translates to around 8 hours. The next large process was depicting how to maintain heat for the
internal components. Inside the ABS plastic casing containing the components of GPS, an
insulator called Aerogel was applied. After running both 4-hour and 6-hour transient thermal
analyses, with the initial conditions outlined in table 2, it was determined that the lowest

23
temperature the electronics will fall to are 52.2°F and 34.4°F, respectively. Based on these
results, it is strongly recommended that the GPS system should not be used on the slopes for
longer than six hours. If the GPS exceeds six hours on the slopes and the battery reaches
freezing, it will release energy while in use and permanently deteriorate the health of the battery.

The overall size of the casing was condensed as much as possible so it would not affect
the performance of the board. The location of the GPS on the board was decided on for the shear
protection of it. By putting it in the middle it guarantees the highest percentage of it not being
broken. In conclusion the critical aspects of the GPS, the battery life and internal temperature,
are a clear success.

24
References

[1] Mueller, Beth A., et al. “Injuries of the Head, Face, and Neck in Relation to Ski Helmet
Use.” Epidemiology, 19, (2), 2008, pp. 270–276. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/20486536.
[2] Caillaud, B., Winkler, R., Oberguggenberger, M. et al. Static model of a snowboard
undergoing a carved turn: validation by full-scale test. Sports Eng 22, 15 (2019).
https://doi.org/10.1007/s12283-019-0307-4
[3] Clifton, Patrick Michael. “Investigation and Customization of Snowboard Performance
Characteristics for Different Riding Styles.” RMIT Research Repository , RMIT
University, 2011, researchbank.rmit.edu.au/eserv/rmit:11220/Clifton.pdf.
[4] Buffinton, Keith W, et al. Laboratory, Computational and Field Studies of Snowboard
Dynamics. Bucknell University, 2003,
mywentworth.sharepoint.com/sites/Capstone2020xwing/Shared%20Documents/SportsEn
gineeringSnowboardPaper.pdf.
[5] Kuman UPS Battery Pack Expansion Board Power Supply for Raspberry Pi 3 Model B,
B+,Pi 2 Model B & Pi 1 Model B+ A+ A (New Version Raspberry Pi
Battery.” Www.kumantech.com, www.kumantech.com/kuman-lithium-battery-pack-
power-expansion-board-with-switch-micro-usb-cable-for-raspberry-pi-3-model-b-pi-2-
model-b-amp-pi-1-model-b-a-a-ky68_p0287.html.
[6] Green, David W, et al. “Mechanical Properties of Wood.” Wood Handbook,
www.fpl.fs.fed.us/documnts/fplgtr/fplgtr113/ch04.pdf.
[7] Mini Gmouse VK-162 (GPS Receiver USB). ww.rhydolabz.com,
https://www.rhydolabz.com/wireless-gps-c-130_186/mini-gmouse-vk162-gps-receiver-
usb-p-2026.html

25
Appendix

Figure 267: Design 1

Figure 278: Design 1 FOS

26
 Figure 289: Design 2

Figure 290: Design 2 FOS Plot

27
 Figure 301: Design 3

Figure 31: Design 3 FOS Plot

28
 Figure 323: Design 4

Figure 334: Design 4 FOS Plot

29
 Figure 345: Design 5

Figure 356: Design 5 FOS Plot

30