“BUCKLING” SPOKE BICYCLE WHEEL DESIGN AND STRUCTURAL ANALYSIS FOR BICYCLES
Open Access
- Author:
- Zhong, Wenhui
- Area of Honors:
- Mechanical Engineering
- Degree:
- Bachelor of Science
- Document Type:
- Thesis
- Thesis Supervisors:
- Md Amanul Haque, Thesis Supervisor
Dr. Daniel Humberto Cortes Correales, Thesis Honors Advisor - Keywords:
- design
wheel
buckling
FEA
modeling - Abstract:
- Bicycles have not been significantly changed in the past few decades, but engineers proposed many different designs of bicycle wheels. Some ideas focus on increasing the tire size while others change the mechanical structure of the wheel frames. The most common bicycle wheel in the market contains 36 rigid spokes to connect the hub to the rim of the wheel. In reality, the roads are always uneven which increase the intensity of the vibration. Using the traditional wheels would give the customers an unpleasant experience when the bike encounter energy shock due to the rigid body does not absorb energy. On the other hand, vibration also reduces momentum. The purpose of this research project is to design a new bicycle wheel by using ten deformable buckling beams which can be seen as springs to allow the riders to have a smoother ride and more pleasant experience. Some designs use strong spokes to maintain structural and rigidity, and some other ideas use the suspension to ensure the riders are comfortable. This design will combine the existing functionality into one single creation to advance current knowledge. Using the buckling beams will lower the cost while maintaining a strong structure on the wheel. This new technology will allow customers to enjoy their riding experience on rough roads and absorb energy from the vibration. On the rough roads, the buckling beams would slightly buckle to absorb the energy from the vibration.