The Library
Design & manufacture of a high-performance bicycle crank by additive manufacturing
Tools
McEwen, Iain, Cooper, David E., Warnett, Jason M., Kourra, Nadia, Williams, M. A. and Gibbons, Gregory John (2018) Design & manufacture of a high-performance bicycle crank by additive manufacturing. Applied Sciences, 8 (8). 1360. doi:10.3390/app8081360 ISSN 2076-3417.
PDF
WRAP-design-manufacture-high-performance-bicycle-Gibbons-2018 - Published Version - Requires a PDF viewer. Available under License Creative Commons Attribution 4.0. Download (6Mb) |
Official URL: https://doi.org/10.3390/app8081360
Abstract
A new practical workflow for the laser Powder Bed Fusion (PBF) process, incorporating topological design, mechanical simulation, manufacture, and validation by computed tomography is presented, uniquely applied to a consumer product (crank for a high-performance racing bicycle), an approach that is tangible and adoptable by industry. The lightweight crank design was realised using topology optimisation software, developing an optimal design iteratively from a simple primitive within a design space and with the addition of load boundary conditions (obtained from prior biomechanical crank force–angle models) and constraints. Parametric design modification was necessary to meet the Design for Additive Manufacturing (DfAM)considerations for PBF to reduce build time, material usage, and post-processing labour. Static testing proved performance close to current market leaders with the PBF manufactured crank found to be stiffer than the benchmark design (static load deflection of 7.0±0.5 mm c.f. 7.67mm for a Shimano crank at a competitive mass (155g vs. 175g). Dynamic mechanical performance proved inadequate, with failure at 2495±125cycles; the failure mechanism was consistent in both its form and location. This research is valuable and novel as it demonstrates a complete work flow from design, manufacture, post-treatment, and validation of a highly loaded PBF manufactured consumer component, offering practitioners a validated approach to the application of PBF for components with application outside of the accepted sectors (aerospace, biomedical, autosports, space, and power generation).
Item Type: | Journal Article | ||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Subjects: | T Technology > TJ Mechanical engineering and machinery | ||||||||||
Divisions: | Faculty of Science, Engineering and Medicine > Engineering > WMG (Formerly the Warwick Manufacturing Group) | ||||||||||
Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH): | Three-dimensional printing, Cranks and crankshafts, Tomography, Bicycles, Mathematical optimization, Topology, Structural optimization | ||||||||||
Journal or Publication Title: | Applied Sciences | ||||||||||
Publisher: | MDPI | ||||||||||
ISSN: | 2076-3417 | ||||||||||
Official Date: | 13 August 2018 | ||||||||||
Dates: |
|
||||||||||
Volume: | 8 | ||||||||||
Number: | 8 | ||||||||||
Article Number: | 1360 | ||||||||||
DOI: | 10.3390/app8081360 | ||||||||||
Status: | Peer Reviewed | ||||||||||
Publication Status: | Published | ||||||||||
Access rights to Published version: | Open Access (Creative Commons) | ||||||||||
Copyright Holders: | MDPI | ||||||||||
Date of first compliant deposit: | 20 September 2018 | ||||||||||
Date of first compliant Open Access: | 21 September 2018 | ||||||||||
Open Access Version: |
Request changes or add full text files to a record
Repository staff actions (login required)
View Item |
Downloads
Downloads per month over past year