Concept design in virtual reality of a forestry trailer using a QFD-TRIZ based approach

Trailers are used to carry logs having specific dimensions for logging extraction operations, secondary transportation, and agricultural activities. The main objective of this study was the design of a timber trailer capable of manual loading operations and suitable for rough terrain conditions to be used in combination with a farm tractor in the western Black Sea region of Turkey. In the proposed methodology, a House of Quality diagram was used to transfer customer requirements into quality characteristics, and focus the development of the product toward customer satisfaction. Negative correlations between quality characteristics were solved using the TRIZ contradiction toolkit and generating different concepts. Inventive solutions provided by TRIZ were designed with parametric CAD software. Several concepts were compared in a participative design review session in an immersive virtual reality environment. To choose an optimal concept, the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) was used. The final concept has a total length of 3.35 m, width of 1.34 m, and height of 1.8 m. The mass is 2700 kg, the payload capacity is about 2.33 m3, and the total volume of the chassis is 2.68 m3 The angle of rollover is 26.9°, the door is reachable by 90% of the population, and the lower back analysis performed for the loading operation showed a maximum value of 2597 N. The final concept is capable of movement in steep terrain and with the presence of obstacles, carrying logs up to 3-m long. It is more productive among high-density stand trees, allows for ergonomic loading operations, and reduces environmental damage to soil and vegetation.