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The scope of this project involves designing and constructing a semi-portable climbing structure to assist a child with redirecting dangerous behaviors in the home. The structure will be made for indoor use. The design will keep the safety of the child paramount, and the needs of the family will be addressed in accordance with factors such as age and the specific behavioral activity of the child.
The client has commissioned a semi-portable, indoor climbing wall/ climbing play set to help redirect dangerous behaviors in the home. The play set should be age appropriate for the 4 year old child and his 2 year old sister, with older ages in mind for longevity.
Our preliminary research involved comparing previous designs of indoor climbing walls, and although results that matched our specific constraints were sparse, this was useful to help brainstorm ideas. Additionally, we knew that a previous group worked on a similar project (Project 6 Spring 2024), which gave us a basic idea of what we needed to make.
Regarding child climbing walls, we found that a common average height is about 8 feet for children ranging from ages 5 to 10. This served as a baseline for the maximum allowed height within our designs. We also considered the fact that being able to move the design through door openings in a house would increase the portability, so we would settle on a height of about 6 feet for each of our concept designs.
This design is an A-frame structure with one side as a climbing wall and the other as an optional net/ rope ladder. The base offers adjustability to change the climbing incline angle and can collapse to be easily moved and stored.
Similar to design 1, this design is an A-frame structure with one side as a climbing wall and the other as an optional net/ rope ladder. The base is foldable for easy storage and can lock in place for structural support.
This design will consist of a combination of items requested from the family, including a slide, climbing wall, climbing net, and monkey bars. Two main sections are present, each with their own set of supports and legs. The child will be able to climb up the wall or net to a top platform. The two sections will be connected so that the top platform can act as one floor for the child to play on and reach the slide to go down. The top will have guardrails that extend around the perimeter except for the climbing area and the slide.
Based on the chosen criteria, the design selected was Concept Design 3, the playset with a slide, climbing area, and monkey bars. Of the three options, it had the best combination of portability, safety, cost, simplicity, creativity, longevity, and fun. It also satisfied the requests of the family for the indoor, semi-portable playset.
The final design will consist of a combination of items requested from the family, including a slide, climbing wall, climbing net, and monkey bars. Two main sections are present, each with their own set of supports and legs. The child will be able to climb up the wall or net to a top platform. The two sections will be connected so that the top platform can act as one floor for the child to play on and reach the slide to go down. The top will have guardrails that extend around the perimeter except for the climbing area and the slide.
The design will be contained within an approximately 8×8 space. It will contain two main frames, with one holding the monkey bars and the other holding the climbing area and slide. The height from ground to the top platform will be 54 inches plus the plywood and foam mat that the platform will consist of.
Frame
There are two main frames in the design. Rather than having one large connected frame for all components, the design was split in two so that the sections could be detached for transport purposes. Most of each of the frames consist of an array of 2×4 ‘s, with four legs and angled supports at each leg.
Climbing Wall and Net
The climbing wall and net will sit at an angle to the opening of the top platform. The climbing holds will be outsourced. The pack has 25, so up to that amount will be distributed across the wall, which will be 33×59.25 inches in area. The climbing net will also be outsourced, with the netting itself being 3×6 feet.
Monkey Bars
According to the Public Playground Safety Handbook, standard monkey bar spacing for children 4 to 5 years old is between 9 to 12 inches. The team decided on a 10-inch spacing, a comfortable balance in that range for a child at 4 years old. The monkey bars will be outsourced and will be purchased via Amazon. The chosen steel monkey bars are 15 1/8 inches in length and have square plates on the ends with a 2.25 inch squared area. To fit evenly within the allotted space and comply with the specified regulations, there are 8 monkey bars present in the design.
Slide
Based on the existing design constraints, the slide would need to be at least 54 inches in height, as that would be the minimum height of the top platform prior to adding the cover and a mat. Slides should not exceed an incline angle of about 50 degrees, and the average slide incline should be approximately 30 degrees. The slide will be outsourced, with the specific dimensions being 48” H X 20” W X 91.5” D. The angle between the given slide of length 91.5 inches and the ground length of 73.87 inches (found using right triangle trig and the 54 inch height) was calculated to be 36.17 degrees. This amount is slightly above average, but it is still within a safe usage range.
Top Platform
The top platform covers the two sections of the design: the monkey bars and the slide/climbing wall/climbing net. The platform will be surrounded by guardrails that comply with recommended constraints set by the National Program for Playground Safety. Guardrails should have openings that are less than 3.5 inches apart and should be at least 29 inches high for children at preschool age. The present design accomplishes these objectives, providing sufficient perimeter protection that is also customizable using holes for fitting the guardrails onto.
The goal of this analysis was to find out if the vertical beams could support the expected load. An estimate of the total weight of a child, adult, and the playset itself was calculated and assumed to be acting on a single beam. The beam was modeled as a short column based on the slenderness ratio, and thus it was analyzed for compressive failure. Based on the material properties of pine wood, it was found that the design allows for a factor of safety of about 50. Since the estimation is based on the worst case scenario, and since the safety factor is so large, we can conclude that the beams can safely support the playset.
The aim of this analysis was to estimate the total weight of each modular section of the playset, consisting of the monkey bar section and the large platform. Both platforms were estimated to be around or less than 300 lbs. Our estimate assumes the maximum density for pine wood, however the actual density will be much less due to the dry indoor conditions where the playset will be located. Factoring this in, both sections of the playset will be able to be moved by two adults if need be.
The goal of this analysis was to find the maximum force a single fence post could sustain, assuming the force is applied to the end of the post. It was calculated that the post could hold up to 347 pounds before yielding. Since each fence section includes two posts, it is safe to conclude that a 60 lb child could not apply enough force to the fence to break it.
The fabrication process consisted of wood cutting and sanding. The entire structure is comprised of wood. The majority of the tools used included the handsaw and jigsaw while some parts were laser cut to maintain perfect shape. The next process was cutting screw holes and make slots in the wood to fit into place. After, the wood was sanded to be smooth and splinter free.
The structure was then put together with screws and wood glue to ensure support and stability. The next step was installing any extras onto the main platform including the monkey bars, climbing walls and slide.
The final fabrication task was to finalize sanding and painting of the structure to ensure both a smooth finish and splinter free.
Testing comprised of testing the stresses by jumping and climbing on the platform. Testing any sharp corners or pieces as well as shaking the platform to ensure leg stability. Any sharp corners or rough pieces of wood found were sanded till smooth, then the entire structure was painted with two coats of oil-enriched furniture paint ensuring a smooth finish surface.
The next steps to ensure safety were to test the monkey bars and climbing walls consisting of hanging, jumping, kicking and standing on said items.
The results from these testing proved the calculations to be precise and the structure, as well as the attachments, are able to withstand enough weight and force to provide a safe and care-free play environment.
Observe capacity limitations of your play-set. Set at a capacity of 6 personnes and 250 lbs. Dress children with well fitting and full foot enclosing footwear. Do not allow children to wear open toe or heel footwear like sandals, flip–flops or clogs. Check for splintered, broken or cracked wood; missing, loose, or sharp edged hardware. Replace, tighten and or sand smooth as required prior to playing. Verify that suspended climbing ropes, rope ladders, chain or cable are secured at both ends and cannot be looped back on itself as to create an entanglement hazard. Standing on or jumping from the railings, elevated platforms, climbers, ladders or slide can be dangerous. Do not permit rough play or use of equipment in a manner for which it was not intended.
The finalized design and construction that was chosen ensured the most safety to fun ratio that was approved by the family and the Instructor of the course Dr. Canfield. The project was a semester (16-weeks) assignment that began with simple design ideas and flourished into the finished project that the family can enjoy. Throughout the semester, errors such as miscuts of the wood and lack of time proved to be an issue. During the last few weeks of the semester, the team was able to get the whole playset together and ensure it was safe to use for the family. Overall, the team and the family are very happy with the project and there are no major issues with the design choice.
