Methodology for Effective Design of Motorcycle Structures

Abstract

One of the important tasks that goes before the main stage of motorcycle design is the choice of the motorcycle type. This paper discusses the main types of motorcycles, their characteristics, design features, and geometric parameters that need to be taken into account at the very first stage of product development – the technical proposal. This paper also discusses the forces acting on various parts and components of the motorcycle, and various load cases (when braking/accelerating sharply or turning). Determining the external forces that act on the motorcycle is very important for setting input parameters for calculating topological optimization and generative design. Topological optimization and generative design are the most important technologies for effective design of various motorcycle structures. They are embedded in separate calculation modules of modern CAE programs. Without knowledge of the load conditions and forces that act on various elements of the motorcycle, it is impossible to make an accurate calculation to optimize the mass of the structure or to conduct a generative design for parts and components of the motorcycle. Therefore, the method of effective design consists not only in the application of topological optimization and generative design, but also mainly in the knowledge of design features, geometric parameters, external forces, and load conditions of various types of motorcycles.