Efficient Luxury Motor Coach Floor Tile Removal System

1. Aries Engineering Design Team Aries Engineering Design Team Final Report Final Report Matt Baker Pete Levno Zach Perryman Jessica Pierry 06/06/2008 Industry Advisor: Ken Millard, P.E. Faculty Advisor: David Sailor, Ph.D.

2. Project Overview Design a system to efficiently and safely remove floor tiles from heated floor systems in luxury motor coaches without damaging the heating elements

3. Product Design Specifications • Original customer request was for a “heated scraper” • Still required use of open flame for initial heating • Final design request was for tile removal system • Heat tile to break down adhesive • Remove tile • Remove adhesive Old process in action…

4. Product Design Specifications • Critical to Quality • Safety • Eliminate open flame • Control heat sources and surfaces • Cost • Entire tool kit must cost less than $400 • Resulting Process Time • Trained operator must be able to remove tile and adhesive in less than 30 min • Electricity Usage • Must run at less than 10 amps

5. External Search & Concept Evaluation Tile Preparation • Heat tile using flame • Dangerous • Heat tile using infrared • Time consuming • Hot exposed surfaces • Super chill tile using dry ice • Wouldn’t work • Heat tile using heat pad • Plausible Heated Pad Chosen

6. External Search & Concept Evaluation Tile Removal • Hammer & crowbar • Can be dangerous • Suction device • Expensive and complicated • Scoring device (glass cutter) • Will help make hammer and crowbar less dangerous Combination of prying device and scoring device chosen

7. External Search & Concept Evaluation Adhesive Removal • Heat adhesive with flame & scrape with unheated scraper • Dangerous • Adhesive cools while scraping • Heat scraper using infrared • Impractical • Resistance Heated Scraper • Plausible Resistance heated scraper chosen

8. Material Testing • Strength of Adhesive Bond • Measure strength of adhesive bond at various temperatures • Establish temperature that adhesive breaks down • Samples heated to several temperatures • Sample pulled apart in tensile tester • Data collected • Results plotted for target temperature selection

9. Material Testing At 150°F The adhesive material became un-testable using this method By targeting 200°F, the tile removal should be easiest

10. Material Testing • Heat Transfer Properties • Need to relate heat applied at surface to temperature under tile thermocouples buried underneath tile on “test board” Data collected using Labview Heat applied in W/m^2 with a heat pad

11. Material Testing Adhesive directly under pad reaches 200°F At approximately 10 minutes after heat pad is turned on Pad temperature is offset from adhesive temperature by 100°F

12. Final Design Tile Preparation • Heat pad • Support Frame & Handle • Heating elements • Temperature Controller • Selected temperature controller to maintain pad temperature at 100°F above adhesive target temperature • Insulating layer • Protects operator (safety)

13. Final Design Tile Removal • Tile Removal • Scoring Device • Handheld tile cutter • Breaking Device • Heavy steel hammer • Simple yet effective • Removal Facilitator… • 1” wide pry bar

14. Final Design Adhesive Removal • Adhesive Removal • The heated scraper… • Scraping blade • Embedded 150 Watt heating element for quick heat up • Ergonomic handle • Temperature controller • Bimetal disc thermostat • Set at 300°F to cut through adhesive as fast as possible

15. Results • Time for tile and adhesive removal: • 25 minutes • Cost: • >$300 • Electricity usage: • 7.25 amps

16. Questions & Answers Thanks To: Ken Millard Dr Sailor Selco Products