Ribs N’ Grill
Designed and fabricated a custom heavy-gauge steel rib rack to resolve thermal airflow bottlenecks, capacity limitations, and structural instability common to consumer-grade grill accessories. The platform elevates and angles four full racks of pork ribs, optimizing convective airflow and thermal retention within the cook chamber for even heat distribution. Iterative refinement between V1 and V2 focused on weight reduction, user handling safety, and maximized inter-rack spacing.
Design for Sheet Metal Fabrication (DFM): Engineered the chassis to be cut from a single sheet of steel plate, utilizing tab-and-slot alignment features and minimal bend radii to streamline fit-up and ensure repeatable hand assembly prior to welding.
Fabrication & Joining: Assembled the primary load-bearing frame using MIG welding, balancing heat input to avoid thermal warping across the flat sheet surfaces while maintaining structural integrity under high heat and heavy loads.
Surface Treatment & Material Selection: Passivated the raw steel using a traditional polymerizing seasoning process—applying grapeseed oil and high-heat curing to create a non-toxic, corrosion-resistant hydrophobic coating similar to cast iron.
Design Iteration (V1 to V2): Reduced total mass in V2 through strategic material removal (pocketing) and deburred edge profiles, improving hand-safety during transit while increasing passive airflow channels between adjacent ribs.
