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New 'milk stool' design may save dollars, backs


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6/2/2011 - U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. (AFNS) -- A C-130 Hercules ramp support platform designed by four cadets here in May could save not only Air Force dollars but also the backs of the loadmasters who currently drag around 75-pound monstrosities, officials said.

The newly designed "milk stool," as the ramp support platform is called, would weigh 20 pounds, while supporting a load of up to 61 tons, according to a presentation May 5 by Cadets Aadit Patel, Zachary Peters, Jeremy Robben and Joshua Yeaste to the Air Force Academy's Department of Mechanical Engineering.

The department has begun discussions with the Air Force engineering authority at Robins Air Force Base, Ga., to determine testing requirements for the new milk stool, said Maj. Trent Greenwell, a mechanical engineering instructor who served as the cadets' adviser for the redesign project. The new design could be incorporated into a technical order supplement as early as 2012, depending on when the milk stool fulfills the test requirements.

The cadets began their project in the spring semester as part of their Mechanical Engineering 499 class, an independent study on one of several topics approved by the department head.

Cadet Peters, now a senior with Cadet Squadron 24, said the ramp support platform interested him because of its potential application to the operational Air Force.

"One day, a loadmaster could be using what we designed," Cadet Peters said. "This could help the C-130 community."

Major Greenwell guided the four through a systems engineering process that included preliminary and critical design reviews, development of a prototype and procedure validation and verification.

The cadets began their semester-long project by researching users' requirements. To find out what loadmasters needed from a milk stool, they visited the 52nd Airlift Squadron, part of Air Force Reserve Command's 302nd Airlift Wing at Peterson Air Force Base, Colo.

"While in a deployed environment, a loadmaster may lift the milk stool more than 10 times on a normal mission," said Master Sgt. A.K. Roberts, the loadmaster superintendent for the 52nd Airlift Squadron at Peterson AFB. "That may not sound like much, but when you take into account the heat and hydration issues that come with flying these missions, a lightweight design would help tremendously."

Loadmasters must also lift the milk stool over cargo or carry it outside the aircraft and in through the crew door due to the cargo configuration, a process that Sergeant Roberts described as "very cumbersome."

In their Feb. 15 preliminary design review, the cadets concluded the new milk stool must support at least 27,700 pounds without failing, and be durable enough to survive the rough working environments in which C-130s take off and land.

It must also weigh 50 pounds or less, and preferably less than 35 pounds, Cadet Peters said.

"It has to be quickly deployable for combat environments," Cadet Peters said. "And it has to function anywhere in the world, from deserts to tropical environments to the Antarctic, because C-130s fly to all of those locations."

The team brainstormed ideas, including an inflatable bag and a one-column support structure.

They faced both budgetary and time constraints, Cadet Peters said.

"We took our timeline and (asked), 'What's feasible?'" he said.

They presented their ideas in the preliminary design review and opened the floor to suggestions from mechanical engineering instructors and staff.

They got support from instructor Maj. Matthew Obenchain and materials scientist Megan LaBahn, along with others, Cadet Peters said.

After the first review, the cadets split their responsibilities into the categories of materials, manufacturing, modeling and analysis. Cadet Peters took charge of materials.

"I started out with 7075 aluminum for initial analysis," he said. "I used some information that Ms. LaBahn gave me."

Aluminum 7075 is an alloy of aluminum, zinc, magnesium and copper used in some airframes. Unfortunately, it turned out to be too rare for the cadets to procure it, and the second option was also out.

The group went back to the drawing board.

"We ended up going with 6061-T6 aluminum," Cadet Peters said. "It's lightweight, really cheap and readily available in sizes we could work with."

While the 6061-T6 metal has less tensile strength than 7075 aluminum, it proved to be sufficient for the cadets. Their design, which incorporates four columns with flat top and bottom surfaces, withstood nearly 4.5 times the required weight without permanent deformation, Major Greenwell said.

The team received the prototype just in time to present it at the Colorado Springs Undergraduate Research Forum, where it received glowing reviews, Cadet Peters said.

"People loved it. Everyone who was there for our presentations wanted to stay afterward and talk to us about it," he said.

One reason why visitors to CSURF liked the prototype might be the production cost, which is anywhere from $100 to $150 apiece, Major Greenwell said.

"A maintenance shop could build it from readily available parts," Cadet Peters said. "They could weld it together ... and put the wooden deck on top of it to fit the ramp if they needed a spare."

The simplicity and ease of construction would allow Air Force officials to bypass the process of seeking outside vendors or sourcing a contract to build the new ramp supports, Major Greenwell said.

Cadet Peters said he was pleased with the outcome of the project.

"I enjoyed the project a lot," he said. "Our team really worked well together, and Major Greenwell and the people in the (mechanical engineering) lab helped us out a lot. We worked hard, but we had fun, and we're happy with what we got out of it."

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You have GOT to be putting me on! In Southeast Asia the aerial port squadrons made the milk stools out of 2x4s and kept them on their forklifts. This has to be something that came out of Midnight Airlift Command and was passed on to the current mobility folks because the C-141 had installed loading supports.

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No, it is simply that people don't want to have to pick up heavy weights. We are very "safety conscious" now, and our ability to be on disability is all related to how we percieve pain.

We must avoid strain at work so that we can become members of a gymnasium so we can go lift weights.

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Hmmm. I used a wheel chock in SEA; and, more than once...Now, where are they going to store it on board? Wheel chocks were a big enough pain to stow when you had a full cargo floor...Also, as Sam said, in SEA, any place that had a fork lift had a adaquate field fabricated ramp stool. If they didn't have a fork lift, we speed offloaded, anyways; didn't need a milk stool for that, just the ramps. I would just leave the ramps hooked up/standin up and secured with a tie down strap...

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Hmmm. I used a wheel chock in SEA; and, more than once...Now, where are they going to store it on board? Wheel chocks were a big enough pain to stow when you had a full cargo floor...Also, as Sam said, in SEA, any place that had a fork lift had a adaquate field fabricated ramp stool. If they didn't have a fork lift, we speed offloaded, anyways; didn't need a milk stool for that, just the ramps. I would just leave the ramps hooked up/standin up and secured with a tie down strap...

Me, too, Chuck, me too. I remember seein' in another thread a while back about carryin' a milk stool on board. I NEVER, to the best of my memory, ever flew with one on board, but we always had four chocks, at least.........Never put a bird on its tail

load clear

giz

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We are required to carry milkstools on the airplane. Makes sense because we end up in a lot of places where there would be nothing to support the ramp with. Chalks would do in a pinch, but I'd rather have the milkstool.

Ours weigh more like 85 lbs and are a royal pain in the back. There's even a diagram on how it should be built in the -9. There is a disclaimer there about how some variations are authorized, but it's pretty vaigue. With some units airplanes, we've had to use their milkstool plus some chalks to get the desired height out of them because they weren't properly built.

I know a while ago they were talking about using a kevlar milkstool.

I think on the J-model, Lockheed was requested to put in a self-preloading milkstool that came out of the ramp. I'm curious as to why it didn't happen. I suspect $$.

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I kind of always looked at the milk stool and thought it would be better if it were designed more like a motorcycle lift (the scissor type). That way it would be small, adjustable, probably a bit lighter than wood, maneuverable, and support (I think) 2000 pounds.

I know the one I have supports at least 1000.

buuuuut - I dont know jack sooo..

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I kind of always looked at the milk stool and thought it would be better if it were designed more like a motorcycle lift (the scissor type). That way it would be small, adjustable, probably a bit lighter than wood, maneuverable, and support (I think) 2000 pounds.

I know the one I have supports at least 1000.

buuuuut - I dont know jack sooo..

You don't know Jack Sooo? Wasn't he on "Barney Miller" a couple decades ago? :cool:

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What is being called a "Milk Stool" is a Ramp support...

We called the Aft Fusalage support the milk stool because it looked like a real milk stool and was kinda short...(sat under the little round pad located just forward of the ramp hinge) The pad is still installed on our aircraft.

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Milk stools were placed under the aft end of the ramp when it was lowered to take cargo from K-Loaders and fork-lifts. We carried them at EDF. They were used all the time. It helped support the weight as the load went across the ramp and took the weight off of the ADS arms. Even as a FE I understood this! The milk stool in this pic is still strapped to the ramp.

[ATTACH]2158[/ATTACH]

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Anyone have any pictures of this new design? I'm curious now. I remember we always had the milk stool on board, it was part of our -21 inventory. It was either strapped down at 737 or 245 depending on cargo.

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Milk stools were placed under the aft end of the ramp when it was lowered to take cargo from K-Loaders and fork-lifts. We carried them at EDF. They were used all the time. It helped support the weight as the load went across the ramp and took the weight off of the ADS arms. Even as a FE I understood this! The milk stool in this pic is still strapped to the ramp.

[ATTACH]2158[/ATTACH]

The Aft Fusalage support has never been replaced as they were never used..... well almost never.

The Ramp support was a POS that was a pain in the ar$e so the wood version (of the "ramp support") was introduced.

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The milk stool is technically called the "alternate ramp support".

The top illustration I've never seen before and is slightly confusing me. I think what it's for is to support the fuselage while the airplane is parked. It would have to contact the aircraft at the skid plate at FS737 as illustrated here.

What we are talking about is for loading and unloading cargo across the ramp that weighs more than 2000 lbs. It would be used at FS880 or so under the aft center end. There is a pad there, but don't recall the name of it offhand.

The adjustable screw jack ramp support I believe was delivered with the aircraft. I haven't seen any in a while, but I think they look slightly different. I'm thinking that perhaps the ramp support was designed to go at both locations. Please set me straight if I'm wrong on that point.

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When and where did it become common practice to carry one of these things on board??????????? I checked with a couple other guys who flew the same time I did, and best we can recall it was either use one from freight, improvise, or worst case, in certain areas, do whatcha had to do................... i remember havin' the horizontal wheel chock fall off the vertical once and land on the top of my foot. punishment I guess for violating procedures!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! BTW, weren't the aft supports on the C-141 operated by fuel instead of hydraulic fluid?????? I seem to remember soemthin' about that, but then again, where the hell are my truck keys?????????

Giz

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The "Milk Stool" (Aft Fuse Support) is "SUPPORT EQUIPMENT" used druing maintenance.

The Ramp support is used for cargo. (Discussed in the -9)

The original support sucked was heavy and labor intensive, awkward to handle (had a "floppy" top plate).

The -9 labels the Cargo Ramp Support Platform as "MILK STOOL" ... The wooden one is easy to use, has three height levels. Just strap it to the deck and go... We carried one (and still do).

So Milk stool or Ramp support? The current use of the name is well established... The origination of the name a bit obscure....

We call it a "Milk Stool" also.... just pointing out a difference in terms.

I bet the "New" Milk Stool looks like the Aft Fuse Support... only square.

I also bet you have to put chocks on top of it.....

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As an Aerial Porter in the 1990s, our Herks always had them. As a Loadmaster now, I really want a new one. These suck! I broke one today as a matter of fact. My foot wasn't happy with the results either....

From talking with the old-time Loadmasters, they've had them and carried them for quite a while.

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