Abstract
Carbon fibre reinforced composite is one of the most commonly used materials for racing bicycle frames due to its interesting stiffness to weight ratio. Carbon fibre is a very stiff fibre but may influence the damping of the frame. This negative influence can result in lower comfort for the rider, which can lead to more fatigue of muscle and ultimately lower performance of the cyclist. Recently, flax fibre has been incorporated as a reinforcing material for bicycle racing frame due its economical and ecological advantage. Flax fibres also possess very good damping properties due to its molecular structure (weak Van der Waal force between cellulose and hemicellulose molecule). The objective of this study is to investigate the effect of flax fibre reinforcement on the general mechanical properties of the composite both in static and dynamic conditions. The test results will be compared with competing 100% carbon composite frames. The results will also be assessed by numerical simulation. A twoin-one static test set up has been designed. This static test setup can measure both the bracket stiffness and torsional stiffness of bicycle frame. For dynamic testing, a dynamic test set up has been designed, which can measure the damping of the frame. The initial test results have shown that flax fibre has a positive influence on damping of the racing frame.
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