Grant: Engage Plus Grants for Universities

A recent national report by the Canadian Homelessness Research Network (CHRN) and the Canadian Alliance_x000D_ to End Homelessness showed that nearly 30,000 Canadians are homeless every night. Despite periodic success_x000D_ in addressing homelessness problem, little progress has been made toward more permanent and sustainable_x000D_ solution. To assist in moving toward the latter solution, the Metro Community in the Okanagan region in_x000D_ collaboration with several other parties, including Waterplay Solutions Corp as a leading local manufacture,_x000D_ the University of British Columbia-Okanagan Campus, City of Kelowna RCMP, and members from homeless_x000D_ community has initiated a unique initiative to design and manufacture a Personal Belongings Carrier (PBC)_x000D_ which will be a secure and mobile structure providing an alternative to open public spaces or shopping carts for_x000D_ the homeless to manage their personal belongings. Ultimately, the introduction of this engineering product is_x000D_ intended to foster an increased sense of security for the homeless and provide them with an opportunity to store_x000D_ their belongings, while managing other aspects of their lives. As the first phase of the above collaborative_x000D_ industry-university-community initiative, the university team and Waterplay Solutions Corp through this_x000D_ NSERC project will assess the glass fiber reinforced plastic (GFRP) as a promising candidate material type for_x000D_ the PBC product, owing to its light weights, high mechanical properties, manufacturability, and durability._x000D_ More specifically, through an advanced multi-criteria decision making (MCDM) approach an optimum GFRP_x000D_ laminate is desired which can meet all design requirements for the PBC, including resistance to natural_x000D_ weathering variations. The main factors to be considered during laminate selection will include the polymer_x000D_ matrix material/cure kinetics, fibre volume fraction, laminate lay-up, and hygrothermal performance. Next to_x000D_ its exclusive contribution to the PBC initiative, the knowledge to be gained from this research is expected to_x000D_ results in best-practice guidelines for other Canadian manufacturers as to how different GFRP laminates would_x000D_ score against environmental durability criteria for outdoor applications.