CONSTRUCTION OF A STEEL CUPBOARD
ABSTRACT

This project work was constructed to enable students of chemical engineering to learn how to carry out construction works.  This was done to acquire knowledge about metal properties and its fabrication.  It was also constructed to observe the various measures and operations carried out in the construction of a standard steel cupboard.
The construction was done using some equipment and tools to enhance the construction procedures.  The equipment are electric arc welding machine, guiltine, spraying machine and some tools like centre punch, hammer, hand saw and scriber.
Steps were taken to produce the dimensions of the cupboard on the metal sheet.  The dimensions of the different parts of the cupboard were marked and cut out as follows:
 Door    -           1ft 7 ¾ “          x          2ft 4 ¾ “
Back -  3ft 3 ½ “          x          3ft ¾ “
Base -  1ft 6 ½ “          x          3ft 3 ½ “
Body -             3ft 5 ½ “          x          3ft 6” x 1ft 8 ½ “
Partition-         1ft 2 ¼ “          x          3ft ½ “ x 1ft 6 ½ “
 These parts of the cupboard were welded to the body frame of the cupboard which was constructed with squire steel pipes.  The welding procedure was electric arc welding with gauge 10 electrode.  The cupboard was then filed, cleaned and was painted to have a good finishing.
 Precautions were taken during this construction toward errors during measurements and to ensure safety during the operations.  This helped us to produce a standard steel cupboard of high corrosion and chemical resistances which is also free from attack of temites.
The total cost of producing the cupboard is N12,700.00 which includes the cost of materials, labour cost and cost of transportation.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION                                                                
CHAPTER TWO
LITERATURE REVIEW                                                   
CHAPTER THREE
CONSTRUCTIONAL PROCEDURE                              
CHAPTER FOUR
DISCUSSION                                                                       
CHAPTER FIVE
CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION                
REFERENCES.                                                                   
            CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
Since human wants are practically unlimited and the resources for satisfaction are unlimited in supply, for this reasons, the creation of storage structure was initiated to preserve the available resources.  Thus the storage structure is the cupboard.
A cupboard is a set of shelves with doors in front either built into the wall of a room or as a separate piece of furniture.  There are so many kinds of cupboard such as office cupboard, kitchen cupboard, linen cupboard, laboratory cupboard and so on.  The general use of cupboard is for spring materials in the laboratory, homes, offices, kitchen.  These are used to store items like food, books, cloths, files, dishes, audio and video cassettes etc.  Cupboard can be constructed with materials like wood, steel and some other kinds of metals.
However, steel as a material of construction of this project has more advantage over wood.  Steel is not attacked by termites or insects and lasts longer than wood.  The steel cupboard is usually rectangular, square in shape and cannot be broken like wood cupboard.  This makes the materials kept inside very preserved and safe.  Though metals commode as a result of presence pf air, moisture and chemical, the corrosion can be prevented by painting and coating it.
In construction of a stall cupboard many factors are considered such as availability of the material of construction, its durability and quality.  Wide ranging research work is carried out to obtain the best possible design with the desired type of structural material for the cupboard being put to use.  This is because there are varieties of materials that could be used for construction.  Such varieties of materials are cast iron, wrought iron, low carbon steel, mild steel aluminum and aluminum alloy.  The classes of construction materials apart from wood has a very high range of advantages as they are stronger and more machinable.  They also have properties like thermal and electrical conductivity, high tensile strength, reflectibility and ductility.
Moreover, mild steel is usually most suitable for fabrication processes that involve cutting, bending, folding and other operations.  This is because it is easily machined and can be handled without risk of wear and tear.  The cost was also considered so much because it involves the quality of materials both in design and construction.  It is possible to produce a quality steel cupboard with reduced cost.
Finally, the steel cupboard has wide ranging application and importance.  It is necessary in the preservation and storage of documents, equipment, chemical species and laboratory equipment.