Amar Malhi

My Role & Contributions

Personally designed the modular attachment geometry in Fusion 360 for five ITA / ISO 2328 fork-carriage mounting classes (carriage-height pin holes Class I–V).

Ran linear-static FEA at 12,500 lb per hook; added fillets and web stiffeners after early stress concentrations at the hook-to-plate junction.

Completed a material trade recommending Ti-8Al-1Mo-1V (FoS 5.10) over AISI 4340 (FoS 3.99) under ANSI/ITSDF B56.1 load assumptions; drawings retained steel for the modeled baseline.

Produced the competition drawing package and 24-page technical design portfolio.

Design Summary

Three-component architecture: base clamp, height-adaptor shell, and attachment mounting plate.

Competition scope: five ITA / ISO 2328 carriage-height pin-hole classes (Class I ~13 in through Class V ~28.66 in).

12,500 lb load per hook in linear-static FEA — half of Class V carriage lifting capacity per hook.

Material trade: Ti-8Al-1Mo-1V FoS 5.10 vs. AISI 4340 FoS 3.99 at the same peak stress (CAD/BOM still show steel as the modeled baseline).

Mechanical quick-release — no hydraulics, pneumatics, or external power; 14-sheet drawing package.

EDDC Design Requirements

Requirement	Specification
Competition	CSUN × Autodesk × Toyota Materials Handling EDDC
Objective	Universal modular attachment for counterbalanced forklifts
Mounting range modeled	Five ITA / ISO 2328 carriage-height classes (I–V pin holes)
Power source	None — fully mechanical quick-release system
Structural reference	ANSI/ITSDF B56.1 load assumptions for FEA
Design tool	Autodesk Fusion 360

Carriage “Class I–V” here means ITA / ISO 2328 fork-carriage mounting heights (pin-hole spacing), not OSHA powered-industrial-truck type Classes I–V (electric rider, IC truck, etc.). ISO 2328 also defines related hook-on fork arm carriage interfaces (commonly discussed as Classes II–IV); this design’s adjustable bracket targets the five carriage-height pin positions used in the competition brief.

ITA / ISO 2328 Carriage Compatibility (Modeled)

Carriage Class	Approx. Carriage Height	Reference Capacity Band
Class I	13 in	< 2,200 lb
Class V	28.66 in	17,602 – 24,198 lb

Component 2 uses five spaced pin holes matching each carriage height. One locking geometry works across classes once the bracket is pinned to the correct hole. Classes I and V are shown as the envelope; intermediate classes use the intermediate pin holes.

Three-Component System Architecture

Component	Function	Key Feature
Component 1 — Base Clamp	Mounts to forklift mast	Top clamp bracket; primary structural interface
Component 2 — Height Adaptor Shell	Carriage-height adjustment	5 pin holes spanning Class I (13") to Class V (28.66")
Component 3 — Attachment Plate	Tool mounting surface	Hook-lock + spring-actuated sliding lock

Attachments interlock via top hooks first, then a spring-actuated sliding lock engages a rectangular slot at the bottom — no hydraulics required.

Static FEA — Material Trade Study

Material	Yield (psi)	Max Von Mises (psi)	Safety Factor	Trade Result
Titanium Ti-8Al-1Mo-1V	131,984	25,837	5.10	Recommended — best strength-to-weight
AISI 4340 Steel (normalized)	102,976	25,837	3.99	Strong; heavier / more corrosive
Alloy Steel	89,984	25,640	3.51	Lowest FoS in trade set

Load case: 12,500 lb per hook (50% of Class V max per hook). Linear static FEA only — same peak stress across materials, so FoS follows yield strength; no mesh-convergence, contact, fatigue, buckling, fastener, or cost study is claimed. Drawing BOM still lists steel for the modeled CAD baseline — titanium was the recommended trade result, not a fabrication release.

Design Evolution & Testing

Iteration	Change	Result
V1 — Hook geometry	Sharp hook-to-plate intersection	Low safety factor; stress concentration
V2 — Fillets	Radius at hook-plate intersections	Reduced peak Von Mises stress
V3 — Web structures	Added support webs on hooks	Further load distribution off hooks
V4 — Material trade study	Steel vs. titanium vs. alloy steel	Ti-8Al-1Mo-1V recommended at FoS 5.10
Rejected — Hydraulics	Extra connections & maintenance	Weight penalty; descoped
Rejected — Pneumatics	Air-powered actuators	Requires compressed air source