Vertical Boat Parking System - ME459 Project Presentation (Dr. Alfares)
Mechanical Engineering Department
Boat parking, a critical aspect of maritime infrastructure, is experiencing significant challenges in Kuwait due to high demand and limited availability of berths. With over 20,000 registered boats and only 3000 berths, the imbalance between supply and demand has led to extremely high berth prices and the unauthorized parking of boats in residential areas. To address this pressing issue, this study proposes the implementation of a Vertical Boat Parking System (VBPS) to optimize space utilization and enhance accessibility. Through thorough research and interviews with boat and yacht companies, it was determined that while boat manufacturers have sufficient storage facilities, marinas face constraints in accommodating the growing number of boats. Thus, the VBPS emerges as a potential solution to alleviate parking shortages and streamline boat storage operations. This system promises to provide a cost-effective and efficient alternative to traditional boat parking methods, mitigating congestion, and improving overall organization in Kuwait's maritime sector. The market requirements to be met and constraints to be faced were identified and the product design specifications were set up considering the requirements and constraints. A Ferris wheel parking system that carries 8 boats was designed using SolidWorks CAD software and tested using finite element analysis. The system obtained is an overall safe and accepted system and a prototype will be developed using the obtained design.
Supervisor: Dr. Mohammed Alfares
Semester: Spring 2024