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Cliffhanger: A Dynamically Stable Mechanical Mountain Climbing Aid by Design

CSEF · 2023 Applied Mechanics & Structures Honorable_mention Award

Cheong Adam · 8

Overview

Imagine a new mechanical advantage in mountain climbing from a simple lever mechanism. I envision a mountain climber enjoying a brief rest stop by simply hanging off a natural ledge when ascending a big wall. This new-to-the-world contraption I call a cliffhanger. Using a toy figure as payload, I studied the static mechanics of cliffhanger configurations at toy scale. I minimized testing non-viable designs at human scale by screening out unstable configurations. This technique helps build intuition about a cliffhanger’s range of dynamic stability. I adjusted toy figure poses based on observing the cliffhanger’s up-and-down rocking motion at the ledge. The cliffhanger is a second-class lever that works like a self-suspending wheelbarrow. I constructed the cliffhanger prototype using off-the-shelf parts, and tested for design viability on the playground under the monkey bars. I assessed cliffhanger stability by trying out various poses. The unexpected sideway swivels of the top beam came as a surprise. Unlike a toy figure, a human payload is seldom stationary. It took four sessions of testing at the playground, each over an hour long, before I succeeded in balancing a cliffhanger after some initial practice. Mountain climbing has always been a strenuous activity requiring great endurance and forearm muscle strength. I hope to change that with a simple mechanical climbing aid like the cliffhanger so it can be safely enjoyed by more people. This is my first step towards building a portable mechanical climbing aid that one day will help climbers ascend a big wall with ease.

Source coverage

This record comes from a published award list, not a complete project archive. Its abstract comes from CSEF's public project showcase as archived by the Internet Archive before judging (https://web.archive.org/web/20230401224130/https://ca-csef.zfairs.com/showcase/ShowcaseInfo?f=838e60b7-ea75-46e8-865c-fde4864244b3); the version presented may differ.

Awards (1)

  • Category Award: HM

Competition history

  • CSEF 2023 Applied Mechanics & Structures · Entry J0302

Resources

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