Bicycle Structural Dynamics - Sound and Vibration（自行车结构动力学-声音和振动）.pdf

Bicycle Structural Dynamics Y. Champoux, S. Richard and J.-M. Drouet, VélUS, Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, Québec, Canada The joy of riding a bicycle is enhanced with the advent of new materials, the development of new technologies and design procedures that improve comfort and durability. This article looks at the commitment of the research group VélUS to help the industry keep developing this incomparable machine by studying its dynamic behavior. A bicycle is a transport vehicle with unsurpassed efficiency and among the most used on the planet. Several million new bikes are sold each year, and this generates an important commercial activ- ity. As shown in Figure 1, a bike is a surprisingly simple structure made of a frame built from a few tubes assembled to create two triangles on which several components are attached. This simple structure allows custom frame builders to make a living with an annual production of a few hundred bikes as well as allowing large companies to sell millions of bikes a year. Cost and marketing are obviously key factors in the business. On the technical side, the weight, stiffness and comfort of a bike are three important char- Figure 1. Bike frame and components. acteristics that still drive most new developments Steel, titanium and aluminum are materials still used in the industry but carbon fiber is becoming the most popular material for frames and for almost all bike components. A bicycle is a light structure that has to support a much heavier weight (the cyclist). The components and the frame are subjected to time-varying force excitations imposed by the cyclist and by the road. Its dynamic behavior becomes an important issue, because it is directly linked to the bike lifetime, maneuverability, efficiency and comfort. Few studies have addressed the dynamic behavior of a bike in real operating conditions, and o