Publication Date

1995

Document Type

Dissertation/Thesis

First Advisor

Gupta, Abhijit

Degree Name

M.S. (Master of Science)

Legacy Department

Department of Mechanical Engineering

LCSH

All terrain bicycles--Shock absorbers; Composite materials; Bicycles--Design and construction

Abstract

This thesis examines the use of laminated composites as shock absorbing members of an off-road bicycle frame. An existing design, in which frame components absorb shock by bending, is analyzed to determine the amount of allowed motion. The loads associated with such deflections are also determined. A laminated composite tube is then designed to replace each shock-absorbing metallic component. Classical lamination theory is first utilized to estimate the required laminate properties. Using Finite Element Methods (FEM), the laminate stacking sequence and fiber orientation are refined until the bending stiffness equals that of the metallic component being replaced. FEM is also used to ensure that neither fiber nor matrix stresses exceed maximum allowable values.

Comments

Includes bibliographical references (leaf [42]).

Extent

vii, 56 pages

Language

eng

Publisher

Northern Illinois University

Rights Statement

In Copyright

Rights Statement 2

NIU theses are protected by copyright. They may be viewed from Huskie Commons for any purpose, but reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without the written permission of the authors.

Media Type

Text

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