From a structural standpoint, motorbike forks must withstand the most diverse loading conditions that the normal use of the vehicle implies. By means of experimental analyses, the authors found out the emergency braking to be the most severe loading case. This contribution presents a novel analytical model that, given a few geometric parameters of the motorbike and of the fork, allows calculating the stress field on the legs under braking. The analytical model was designed to account for the unequal stress distribution on the two legs, that arises from the geometrical asymmetry of single brake disc architectures. The model accuracy was tested by comparison with FEA and experimental stress analyses. Finally, the possibility of balancing the loads on the legs of single disc architectures was examined and some structural optimization strategies were proposed.
An analytical approach to the structural design and optimization of motorbike forks
CROCCOLO, DARIO;DE AGOSTINIS, MASSIMILIANO;VINCENZI, NICOLÒ
2012
Abstract
From a structural standpoint, motorbike forks must withstand the most diverse loading conditions that the normal use of the vehicle implies. By means of experimental analyses, the authors found out the emergency braking to be the most severe loading case. This contribution presents a novel analytical model that, given a few geometric parameters of the motorbike and of the fork, allows calculating the stress field on the legs under braking. The analytical model was designed to account for the unequal stress distribution on the two legs, that arises from the geometrical asymmetry of single brake disc architectures. The model accuracy was tested by comparison with FEA and experimental stress analyses. Finally, the possibility of balancing the loads on the legs of single disc architectures was examined and some structural optimization strategies were proposed.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
