Numerical Analysis of Material Fatigue Impact on Bicycle Frame Safety in Accordance with EN 14764

Abstract

Bicycles represent the most widespread means of transport today. The basis for a large bike usage is its relatively simple construction. There are many different types and shapes of bicycles on the market. In order to protect buyers and users from low quality and unstable bicycles, standards have been developed that prescribe minimum safety requirements and test methods before placing the bicycle on the market. The European standard for urban and recreational bicycles has the designation EN 14764 and prescribes, inter alia, the procedure for testing the impact of material fatigue on the safety of the bicycle frame. The study of how the impact of material fatigue affects the appearance of bicycle crack is carried out using numerical simulations. Simulations were performed on a concrete sample of BASMAN’s bicycle manufacturer GS-TMT Travnik. The research carried out has shown that numerical simulations can help to determine the direction in which the designer creates a solution meeting the requirements of the standards at the very beginning of the bicycle design. The results of the numerical simulations have shown what needs to be done to make the analysed bicycle frame fulfilled the test requirements prescribed by EN 14764. Analysis also showed the concentration of stresses in certain zones on the examined bicycle frame, which coincide with the point at which a cracking occurred at one used bicycle.