[Rick205]

Right - this may be in the wrong section but anyway.

Need to pick my title for my mechanical engineering dissertation this year - I want to do something based around bicycles - Dh/Fr performance cycles in particular (where all inovation is based)

Any ideas anybody? - Anyone completed a cycling based dissertation before with tips?

Im looking at internal transmission systems - Possibly rear suspension system design or composite technonology in dh frames.

Ideas / opinions welcome guys....

 

[MMike]

Call it: "Cujo"....or "Of Mice and Men"....or "The Sun Also Rises".... or maybe keep it simple like " Steve"

 

[Rick205]

Hmm, ill rephrase myself, i need ideas for the actual project, not just the title iteslf....

 

[vpfree05]

I dont know what kind of resources you have but i think the internal transmission what be a great idea. God knows the Mountain bike industry could use some help in that area.

 

[FlyinPolack]

I dont know what kind of resources you have but i think the internal transmission what be a great idea. God knows the Mountain bike industry could use some help in that area.

I second that!!

 

[ire]

The internal transmission is a good idea. Does it have to be one specific topic, or could it be several? Hydraulic and electronic shifting are cool as well. Maybe you could do it on applying a new process for laying carbon fiber (or some other material) to bicycles?

<edit> what about electronics in downhill, electronic controlled suspension (did the K2 one suck?) and electronic shifting. We could run windows on our bikes and then when it crashed so would we!

 

[Kornphlake]

I'd pick something strictly academic, optimizing geometry of headtube gussets, elastic deformation of cranks arms, etc. If you try something that will be research based I have a feeling you'll be very dissapointed.

It would be really cool to do something along the lines of determining the actual stresses on a planetary geartrain for weight reduction purposes. It would be interesting to know if you could cut a few pounds off of a rolhoff hub by making the gears 25% thinner or using hard annodized PTFE impregnated aluminum instead of hardened steel. I think you'd quickly find that you would be making a lot of assumptions that you can't verify without making some very costly prototypes though.

 

[beaverbiker]

I think, for a dissertation, optimizing head tube gussets or analyzing elastic deformation of a crank arm is a bit trivial. Now planetary geartrains would be nice. How about working on making them as efficient as a regular chain/rear mech system. Before worrying about weight, we should worry about efficiency.

 

[ChrisKring]

Any thought of partering with a company to work on an actual issue? Maybee DW has something he hasn't had time to look into. Or maybe Yeti needs some help with optimizing the single sided swing arm. Of course, anything real will have a NDA (non-disclosure agreement) coming with it.

What kind of time frame are you talking about? How many hours is this project supposed to be? Is this senior level under grad or masters level work?

 

[Kornphlake]

I think, for a dissertation, optimizing head tube gussets or analyzing elastic deformation of a crank arm is a bit trivial. Now planetary geartrains would be nice. How about working on making them as efficient as a regular chain/rear mech system. Before worrying about weight, we should worry about efficiency.

Most of the boring dissertations I've read involve something very trivial like the optomization of a gusset or crank deformation. The purpose isn't to design a new product or improve an existing product, it is research and academic analysis of a specific entity to support the design or improvement of a product.

 

[jonKranked]

this thread reminds me of pinkshirtphotos asking for help with "Pride and Prejudice". But its not nearly as funny yet.

 

[sanjuro]

this thread reminds me of pinkshirtphotos asking for help with "Pride and Prejudice". But its not nearly as funny yet.

Is it because this is a legitimate thread and you can offer nothing to an engineering discussion?

I wonder if this how Dave Weagle got started?

 

[jonKranked]

Is it because this is a legitimate thread and you can offer nothing to an engineering discussion?

I wonder if this how Dave Weagle got started?

No it falls into the bucket of the "help me help myself" complaints. One thing I've been noticing over the last few years is how lazy people are getting. No offense to the original poster, but if you're having this much trouble deciding on a topic for a year-long dissertation, I don't think the internet is the best place to look. If I was in this position, and having trouble coming up with a topic for my dissertation, I might begin to question whether or not I chose the proper field. (Not to imply this in regards to the OP, just food for thought).


And a real response to the topic at hand:

I think gearboxes/internal transmissions are a great topic for a dissertation. You can get very in depth about it and cover several important areas as to how it relates to bikes and riding (especially in regards to dh and full suspension). Some of the points I'd think would be important to cover :

-drivetrain (how well does it work (and other points of comparison/differentiation) to a traditional drivetrain)

-suspension / frame characterstics (where will it be mounted, unsprung weight, CoG, etc). how will it compare? are other kinds of suspension possible with this setup?

-braking (feedback, etc)

these 3 things tie together very closely. by changing to a gearbox, how are they affected? what could be done with a IT that isn't possible with a traditional drivetrain? also, efficiencies over regular deraillers?

 

[sayndesyn]

Maybe something along the lines of improving the performance of a rear mountain bike shock using technology from other high performance vehicle areas. Seems to me that other vehicle sports collect and analyze data on a level that mountain biking doesn't try to approach. Some notable exceptions being BOS and Push. Surely improvements could even be made on the CK Double Barrel if price was not an issue.

 

[Rick205]

@ jonKranked - No offence taken, i do indeed have more than a few ideas for topics but there is no harm in me gaining some opinions or further imput, especially as i have seen that many engineers have made very informative and well educated posts on this forum.- Also, im from england, its nice to get an opinion and view from those overseas.

I would like to think im not lazy though, and afterall, im the one who will have to pour over 300hrs into this project, i want it to amount to something worthwhile.

Thanks for your reply jonKranked and others.

Rick

 

[Demomonkey]

What about that new fan dangled electronically charged magnetic suspension that is going into high performance cars and its application over into mountain bikes?

 

[EVRAC]

I just started my 2nd year of a 4yr mech eng degree program.

I think gearboxes are the future.

That would be my vote. Good luck.