Stairs
Design and modelling
This project involves designing a custom steel staircase for a friend. The entire structure is modelled in FreeCAD and OpenSCAD, allowing me to work on the geometry, dimensions and structural arrangement before moving on to fabrication.
The staircase is designed as a welded steel structure. The different components will be cut, positioned and welded together to form a rigid assembly.
Here is an interactive 3D model of the designed structure. You can left-click to adjust the viewing angle, right-click to pan, and scroll to zoom.
Structural analysis
To get an initial understanding of the structure’s mechanical behaviour, I performed a Finite Element Method (FEM) analysis in FreeCAD.
For this simulation, I deliberately considered a worst-case boundary condition: only one side of the supporting pillar was considered attached.
In the actual installation, the pillar will be secured at both the ground floor and the second floor. Additionally, the structure will be supported laterally by its connections to the walls through the steps.
This simplified and conservative assumption helps evaluate the structure under less favourable support conditions than those expected in the final installation.
Project status
The design and preliminary structural analysis are underway. However, fabrication and installation are currently on hold while my friend finishes some other renovation work.
Once the surrounding work is completed, we will be able to move forward with the steel fabrication, welding and final installation.
To be continued…