Bike Crank Redesign
Individual Project, 92%
What?
The purpose of this project was to redesign this bicycle crank to have a factor of safety of 4.0 over an infinite fatigue life. The redesign effectiveness was judged based on manufacturability, cost, complexity and weight of the final product.
How?
SOLIDWORKS was used for the 3D modelling of the part while ANSYS was used for the FEA study. The deliverable for this project included a report outlining a convergence study, mesh testing, model verification and hand calculations to ensure the model is accurate to reality.
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This is the project that sparked my interest in finite element analysis and cemented my interest in machine component design.
Results
The final crank design fit all the design criteria as the fatigue life safety factor was extremely close to the goal of 4.0. This was important as over-engineering was also discouraged in this project as it results in adding unnecessary material and cost.