Sensitivity analysis of stress distribution in bicycle frame

Abstract

ABSTRACT This paper presents sensitivity analysis of stress behaviour in the elements of bicycle frame having diamond structure with respect to design parameters. In order to achieve this goal stress on each element of the diamond frame have been derived in the form of analytical expression in terms of design parameters by imposing static equilibrium condition on 2D representation of the frame. Stresses on all the elements and reactionary forces on the frame are linear combination of two external loads on the frame with coefficients being trigonometric expressions. Stresses on all elements and reactionary forces have a common term which appear as denominator and is termed as Inter-element Interaction Common Factor (IICF). Analytical expressions for stresses on elements have the potential to provide insights into the set of values of design parameters for optimization of bicycle frame with respect to various criteria. Such insights, in addition to being valuable for designers using computer aided engineering softwares like ANSYS, are also helpful for comparative analysis among various design criteria.