Manufacture and deployment of a composite personal belongings carrier for the homeless community - Phase II

加拿大无家可归问题研究网络（CHRN）和加拿大结束无家可归问题联盟（Canadian Alliance to End Homelessness）最近的一份全国报告显示，每天晚上有近3万加拿大人无家可归。尽管在解决无家可归问题方面取得了阶段性的成功，但在更持久和可持续的解决方案方面进展甚微。为了帮助实现后一种解决方案，Okanagan地区的Metro社区与其他几个方面合作，包括Waterplay Solutions Corp作为当地领先的制造商，不列颠哥伦比亚大学Okanagan校区，基洛纳市RCMP，和无家可归者社区的成员发起了一项独特的倡议，设计和制造一个个人物品载体（PBC）这将是一个安全和移动的结构，为无家可归者管理他们的个人物品提供了一个开放的公共空间或购物车的替代方案。最终，这一工程产品的推出旨在增强无家可归者的安全感，并为他们提供储存物品的机会，同时管理他们生活的其他方面。作为上述产学研合作计划的第一阶段，大学团队和Waterplay Solutions Corp将通过NSERC项目评估玻璃纤维增强塑料（GFRP）作为PBC产品的有前途的候选材料类型，因为它重量轻，机械性能高，可制造性和耐用性。更具体地说，通过先进的多准则决策（MCDM）方法，期望最佳GFRP层压板能够满足PBC的所有设计要求，包括耐自然气候变化。层压板选择过程中要考虑的主要因素包括聚合物基体材料/固化动力学、纤维体积分数、层压板铺层和湿热性能。除了对PBC倡议的独家贡献外，从这项研究中获得的知识预计将为其他加拿大制造商提供最佳实践指南，以了解不同的GFRP层压板在户外应用中的环境耐久性标准。

A recent national report by the Canadian Homelessness Research Network (CHRN) and the Canadian Allianceto End Homelessness showed that nearly 30,000 Canadians are homeless every night. Despite periodic successin addressing homelessness problem, little progress has been made toward more permanent and sustainablesolution. To assist in moving toward the latter solution, the Metro Community in the Okanagan region incollaboration with several other parties, including Waterplay Solutions Corp as a leading local manufacture,the University of British Columbia-Okanagan Campus, City of Kelowna RCMP, and members from homelesscommunity has initiated a unique initiative to design and manufacture a Personal Belongings Carrier (PBC)which will be a secure and mobile structure providing an alternative to open public spaces or shopping carts forthe homeless to manage their personal belongings. Ultimately, the introduction of this engineering product isintended to foster an increased sense of security for the homeless and provide them with an opportunity to storetheir belongings, while managing other aspects of their lives. As the first phase of the above collaborativeindustry-university-community initiative, the university team and Waterplay Solutions Corp through thisNSERC project will assess the glass fiber reinforced plastic (GFRP) as a promising candidate material type forthe PBC product, owing to its light weights, high mechanical properties, manufacturability, and durability.More specifically, through an advanced multi-criteria decision making (MCDM) approach an optimum GFRPlaminate is desired which can meet all design requirements for the PBC, including resistance to naturalweathering variations. The main factors to be considered during laminate selection will include the polymermatrix material/cure kinetics, fibre volume fraction, laminate lay-up, and hygrothermal performance. Next toits exclusive contribution to the PBC initiative, the knowledge to be gained from this research is expected toresults in best-practice guidelines for other Canadian manufacturers as to how different GFRP laminates wouldscore against environmental durability criteria for outdoor applications.