Senior Design
Ergonomic
Brassiere
Comfort and Quality
Objective
The modern brassiere is an undergarment used to cover and support the breasts, however, the majority of women who wear brassieres report brassiere discomfort. Research done by the previous team shows that the current brassiere design is based on incorrect load information and, thus, displaces the load poorly. This causes pain in the shoulders and torso due to excessive stress on the straps and band. When a person must compensate for the weight of the breasts due to the improper support, negative consequences includes bad posture and back pain.
The Ergonomic Brassiere Senior Design Team is conducting the “Ergonomic Brassiere” project to determine the best method for improving these issues. The team has two end goals: design a new brassiere to properly support the breasts, and design a new sizing method to increase the number of women wearing the correct size.
Maria Almanza
Bianca Dagostino
Taniwa Ndebele
Andrea Chiari
The treasurer of the team was responsible for managing the team's budget.
the Secretary was responsible for coordinating meetings.
sTAKEHOLDERS
tHE Data analyst WAS responsible FOR THE ADQUICITION AND ANALYZIS OF PREVIOUS GROUP DATA.
The webmaster of the team was responsible for the creation of the team web page.
Dr. Okenwa Okoli
Dr. Okenwa Okoli is our team sponsor and as our leading stakeholder was involved in the day-to- day decisions made about the project.
Yourri Dessureault
Our supporting stakeholder and Senior Design TA received brief updates every two weeks summarizing progress, setbacks, and inquiries involving the project’s progression and timeline.
Mr. John Taylor
Our neutral stakeholder received final submissions for each phase and will be invited to formal presentations.
Phase SUmmary
Team Members
The team consists of 4 members, each tasked with a different job and a team leader per phase chosen to ensure that workload is distributed evenly between the team members.
define phase is the first of five phases following the six sigma methodology of "define, Measure, analyze, Improve, Control"(DMaic). During this phase the team defined the opportunities and constraints of developing an ergonomic brassiere and a new sizing method. The team was able to determined the approach to the project and two solutions where proposed.
Brassiere Design: Foam within wider straps and adjustable band.
Sizing: New mathematical equation, separating cup from band size.
Measure Phase discusses the initial measurements involved with developing an ergonomic brassiere and new sizing method.
During this phase, the team acquired baseline data from previous senior design teams on customer requirements for the brassiere and the SolidWorks models created by the previous senior design teams. The team CREATED a NEW DESIGN USING A 3d design of A BRA, INCORPORATING THE NEW STRAP DESIGN FROM PREVIOUS YEAR AND ADDING AUXETIC FOAM MATERIAL PROPERTIES TO THE STRAP.
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During the Analyze phase, the team used this data along with independent research to
design and propose two potential ergonomic brassiere designs and one potential sizing system.
During Improve Phase the team focused on Developing an implementation plan for the Design, with the help of data acquired from running engineering experiments. The team tested the bra using pressure sensors and strain gauges. The tests consisted of different weights with different material straps being tested at three different positions. The team estimated that our new proposed material, auxetic foam, will lower the pressure on the pain points, due to its negative Poisson’s ratio property causing expansion upon strain, rather than contraction.
Finally during Control phase the team verified improvement metrics and benefits ensuring quality levels. Based on the tests done by previous groups using a corrected mass standard, the team estimates that the straps being closer together in the back will lower pressure on the pain points. Finally, the team believes that the strap length and strap placement in the front will not affect the pressure on the pain points, because the strap length should depend on breast size.