Date of Award

6-2018

Document Type

Thesis

Publisher

Santa Clara : Santa Clara University, 2018.

Department

Mechanical Engineering

First Advisor

Robert Marks

Abstract

3D printing of carbon fiber composites has been a developing technology for about 5 years, and in this time, Arevo Labs has established itself as a leader in the field. Our team joined forces with Arevo, who sponsored our project as we showcased their new, innovative carbon fiber manufacturing process. To do so, we focused on the conceptual design, analysis, assembly, and material testing of an electric mountain-bike frame printed with Arevo’s continuous carbon fiber printing technology. Our bike consists of the main frame and a chain stay subsystem, which connects the rear wheel to the rest of the frame and interfaces with a suspension system. Understanding how the capabilities of the printer, the properties of the materials, and the typical loading scenarios experienced by mountain bikes all worked together was paramount in analysis, simulation, and design optimization and iteration. Thus, the focus of this project is to design a mountain bike capable of withstanding typical loading patterns with a high level of safety. Further, the team aimed to optimize a bike frame which used the minimal amount of material necessary to reduce weight and cost for the user.

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