Structural design and experimental verification of a thin-walled plastic chairs based on the finite element method

Abstract This study focuses on the design and preparation of a thin-walled plastic chair, and its mechanical properties were investigated by high load, cyclic load and drop impact. The finite element method (FEM) was employed to accurately evaluate the chair’s safety under these forces. Additionally, the effects of important structural parameters on the loading process in different states were investigated. Furthermore, a solid plastic chair prototype was created for experimental analysis. The findings revealed that increasing the thickness of the key structural parameters enhanced the safety properties of the chair under various load conditions. Optimal results were obtained when both dimensions were set to 5 mm. The deformation errors in FEM, experimental strength analysis, fatigue analysis, and drop impact analysis were measured at 3.7%, 3.6%, and 11.7%, respectively. Similarly, the stress errors were determined to be 5.9%, 5.2%, and 6.5%. These results suggest that the structural design of the chair demonstrates excellent reliability. Studying the crucial structural parameters of a plastic chair can provide valuable insights for the scientific design and safety evaluation of thin-walled furniture.