Bicycle frame
This simulation tutorial will guide you through:
- Applying a force load to a bicycle frame.
- Running a simulation.
- Viewing the stress in the simulation results to determine if the bicycle frame can support a passenger weight of 181 pounds.
Import the CAD file
- From the Projects tab of the dashboard, create a new project.
- In the ToolBar, click (+) and then Library. Within the OnScale Library, Select Bicycle Frame.
- In the Initial Contact dialogue, select Unbonded.
Assign a material
- Using either the Model tree or the 3D viewer, select Body Frame.
- Using the Material dropdown in the properties panel, assign Structural Steel to this part.
Add a fixture
- Select the
tab.
- In the toolbar, ensure that the Mechanical Physics tab is on.
- Select Restraint as the constraint to fix the appropriate surfaces for the study.
- Using either the Model tree or the 3D viewer, select the Right Inner Dropout.
- Ensure that the restraint type is a fixture in the properties panel.
- Select Done in the properties panel.
- Repeat steps 4 - 6 for the Left Inner Dropout, Inner Bottom Bracket Shell and Inner Head tube.
Add a force load
- Select Force in the toolbar to add a force load.
- Using either the Model tree or the 3D viewer, select the Top Outer Seat tube which represents the location where the passenger would be sited.
- In the properties panel, for Force, enter 1780 N and then select Done.
Run a simulation
- Select the Simulator tab.
- Click on the Launcher to run the simulation.
- Once the meshing and estimation is complete, Select Launch to run the simulation study.
Analyze the results
- Once the simulation has finished, select Open results to open the results in the Results tab.
- There’s a wide range of output categories to choose from. Select Von Mises Stress from the options.
- Analysis:
- To determine if the design would support a passenger weight of 181 pounds, We need to compute the factor of Safety using the formula below:
\text{factor of safety} = \frac{\text{Actual Strength}}{\text{Required Strength}}
- The actual strength is the yield stress of the material which is \text{0.35~GPa}.
- The required strength to support the current loading is represented by the Von Mises Stress which has a maximum value of \text{4.32~MPa}.
- Therefore, the safety factor is \text{8.1} and the design would need to be revisited.
- Designing for a safety factor greater than \text{1.2} would serve as a good design practice to follow.
