Evaluating and Comparing Bicycle Tubing Materials: a simplified FEM methodology
Evaluating and Comparing Bicycle Tubing Materials: a simplified FEM methodology
Joe Ganio-Mego (ORCHID ID = 0000-0001-6462-9842)1
ABSTRACT Material comparison will be carried out on popular down tube geometries with a fixed length of 300mm. The considered bicycle type will be the road race ultralight one. The limiting factor will be the fatigue limit strength. The pipe flexibility will be calculated. The flexibility of the steel tubing will be considered as a reference. The results will be used to predict the lowest weight potential of a complete road bicycle frame made with the relevant tubes and materials. A hypothetical 3D-printed PLA pipe will also be evaluated.
Keywords: Bicycle, 3D printing, carbon fiber, Bicycle frame, PLA, Aluminum Alloys, chromoly steel, Freecad, Calculix.
