Design Engineering: Folding Bicycle - Essay Example

Folding bicycle is bicycle that can be folded up. They are from 12 inch to 26 inch long, and 16-inch bicycle and 20-inch bicycle are the commonest types. They weigh from 8.5kg to 15kg, much lighter than common bicycles. They can be taken onto bus, into subway and train. You can fold or unfold them in 10 minutes. It is a unique and convenient vehicle, especially for short trips. Nowadays they are also used for entertainment in the park. An advantage of folding bicycle is that, you can fold it up and put it into a bag. It is easy to carry with when you take bus or subway. When you go out for a trip, you can also put it into your package. If you drive out, you can put it into your boot. Folding bicycle is a cool and fashionable vehicle. It has become a recreation tool for young people. It is also a good body-building tool. Most famous types of folding Bicycles: 1. Bike Friday : This high-end brand offers many types of folding bikes for those most concerned with performance. All Bike Fridays use 20" wheels and are built to fit into a suitcase for travel. Many also quick-fold and fit into a travel bag for use in commuting. A typical "stock" model (most Bike Fridays are custom made) quick-folds in 30 seconds to 27" X 27" X10" and weighs in at 24 pounds. Bike Fridays range in price from about $730 for a stock model to about $3400 for their best custom-made bikes. 2. Strida: The British Strida truly reinvents the concept of the bicycle. Its triangle frame is like nothing you have ever seen and its greaseless Kevlar belt drive (rated to last 100,000 miles) will never smudge your clothes. It folds in seven seconds (the shortest folding time of any model featured here) into a rolling, 22 pound walking stick with the dimensions of 44" X 20" X 20". This one is sure to turn heads. The Strida ranges in price from $430 to $680 (depending on accessories you get). 3. Montague This maker offers only full-size folding bikes that are fairly light (around 30 pounds) but have correspondingly large folding sizes (36" x 28" x 12") Prices range from $395 to $645, and a soft carrying bag is an option. If you are looking to avoid the small wheels of some brands and perhaps want a good full-size bike that just happens to fold, this may be a good choice. Montague fold in 30 seconds without tools. System used to make folding machine smaller: The main purpose of new design for a folding bicycle. To allow folding, some parts are hinged together. The main frame of the bicycle has several hinges at different folding points. The main frame has pivot connections with handlebars, stem of the seat, and reinforcement rods, to permit the bicycle to be easily and quickly folded into a compact package. The handlebars of the bicycle are made from special C-shaped pipes that make folding relatively easy. Special fold-up foot pedals are used on the bicycle. Thus allowing minimal space consumption and enable easy transportion handling and storage. 1. S and S Coupling An S and S Coupling also known as a Bicycle Torque Coupling (BTC) is a precision plug that is installed in a bicycle frame when it's manufactured to allow it to separate and pack for easy transportation. Some builders will even install or retrofit BTCs into an existing frame. With this system, a full size road or mountain bike will fit completely inside single frame. A special spanner is available for tightening and loosening the couplers.The couplers are usually installed in the top tube and down tube of a single-rider diamond frame. This enables the bicycle to be boxed small enough to avoid the extra fee most airlines charge to check a bicycle as luggage.They can also be installed in tandem and recumbent frames. Design Mechanism Note: Radius & Tip length is depend on the coupling size or frame tube diameter & socket depth. 2. Hinge A hinge is a type of bearing that connects two solid objects, typically allowing only a limited angle of rotation between them. Two objects connected by an ideal hinge rotate relative to each other about a fixed axis of rotation (the geometrical axis of the hinge). Hinges may be made of flexible material or of moving components. Basically, it is used in the connection of handlebars & stem of the seat. Design Mechanism Drawing architecture: Most impressive system: Folding bicycles often separate or fold in the middle of the frame, which, depending on the design, can weaken the frame and cause more energy-absorbing flexing. Folding bicycles often have elongated seatposts and stems. These longer components experience greater bending stresses where they meet the frame, compared to the shorter components of regular bikes. So, i think folding bicycles necessarily have more parts, to allow folding and to lock the frame when unfolded. This results in a more complicated design, with more parts that can be practically implement able. And as per the requirement of today, I think the strida is the most impressive design of today. Because Strida is pretty unique in the folding bike world due to its shape, simplicity and the fact that it can be wheeled along when folded. This makes it much easier to handle in the walking (i.e. non-riding) parts of a journey than conventional folding bikes, which get awfully heavy to carry. Simple Configuration Matrix Easily understandable folding sequence Verified specification with only 3 tubes & 3 joints. Safe architecture from all the sides Easily available assembly line Answer (Q. no. # 2) S & S Torque Couplings The Bicycle Torque Coupling System is designed to allow a design style bicycle frame to separate into two pieces without affecting a bicycle's rigidity or integrity. Through use of the BTC System, a professional quality bicycle can be easily put in a yacht, private plane, back of a car, subway, bus, taxi, train, or even on commercial airlines and cruise lines as a piece of regular luggage. However, unlike some travel bicycles that have a compromised ride, a bicycle with Torque Couplings will ride exactly like a bicycle that does not have couplings installed on it. Design Architecture: Read More