Abstract

During the revolutionary for eco-friendly technologies human powered vehicle were
the most depended modes of transportation, along with this the consideration of the
increase in fuel price and the environmental factors, we must admit that it is far more
better to use a bicycle over motor vehicle for a short distance traveling.
As steel being indigenous material in our locality compared to other materials
like aluminum, carbon fiber that could be used for manufacturing a human
powered vehicle(HPV). The ease with which a HPV can be manufactured using steel
and its higher resilience- this property is as there are no suspensions in our HPV;
compared to aluminum; were the primary reasons we opted steel for manufacturing the
main frame of our HPV. Though steel has its own advantages, the density is bit higher
compared to the materials mentioned above, to compensate this we have
emphasized of reducing the structural members. Considering this criteria and other
factors which are mentioned in the report and to exploit the aerodynamic advantage of
semi recumbent configuration we chose to manufacture a fully faired semi
recumbent bicycle. Fiber reinforced plastic is used for manufacturing the fairing. The
analysis conducted on various aspects of HPV have been documented in this report
along with the concept and selection methods.
1 Introduction

The preparation for fabrication of HPV began by assessing our design and analysis results of
HPV. During the assessment it has been found that we neglected certain areas which were not
subtle such as selection of tyres, effective drivetrain routing and other areas which include the
selection of components for assembly. In order to broaden our horizon regarding the cycle
equipment we visited ‘The Bike Affairs’ – a bike shop which gives professional support, and a
bicycle outlet. Interacting with the professionals gave us a better insight on wheel selection and
various components of a drivetrain.

Though we covered most of our bases during preliminary research and design planning, the
team always felt that exploiting the aerodynamic advantage was pivotal for the success of the
vehicle. The aerodynamics team referred ‘Race Car Aerodynamics by Joseph Catz’ to get
familiar with the fundamentals of aerodynamics and for design process various air foils have
been studied. However, the team has faced quite a challenge to select the fairing material and
its fabrication. The team visited ‘Yen Plast Industries’ to study various materials and fabrication
patterns.

2 Design Specifications

Design Goals Specifications/Methodology

Performance  Vehicle should stop within
6m while travelling at a speed
of 25 kmph
 Minimum of 8m radius of
turning
 Should travel for 30m at a
speed of 5 – 8 kmph
 Top speed >50 kmph
 Exploit aerodynamic
advantage
Safety  To include RPS to protect the Roll bar has been incorporated
rider during accident.
 RPS : It should withstand top
load of 2670N and side load
of 1330N with maximum
deformation of 5.1cm and
3.8cm respectively
Front and rear rim braking
system
 Direct steering with steering
angle of 10.53 deg.
 Stability maintained at 5
kmph by using effecting
steering system and
drivetrain.
 Top speed of 55 kmph
- drivetrain analysis.
 Full fairing; Cd – 0.2
  Should include necessary  Seat belt
safety harnesses and  Horn
accessories to ensure safety  Headlight
of rider and bystanders  Taillight
 Rear view mirrors
 Side reflectors
Other  Short wheelbase  Wheelbase -1.82m
 The weight of the vehicle  Estimated weight – 23 kg
should be 20kg ideally.
 Should be able to transport  Storage space of 42x37x24
package sized 38x33x20cm cm that withstand load up to
weighing 20kg 40kg
 Should maneuver a bump of  Ground clearance 10cm
size 5cm
Table: Design Goals and Specifications

3 Testing

3.1 Frame Material Testing

The material was tested in M/s. Pennar Industries Ltd., Hyderabad, India under the guidance of
industrial experts. For the bicycle frame, we used different types of hollow sections and the tests
were carried out for the sections using Universal Testing Machine. The ends of the hollow
sections were first compressed using a die so that the section can fit into the UTM. Now tensile
load was applied on the section and the tensile strength, yield strength, poisons ratio, elongation
were obtained. The results are tabulated below.

Rectangular Hollow Section Circular Pipe

(IS 4923) (IS 3074)

Dimensions(mm) 50X25X1.35 15.88X2

Yield Strength in MPa 392 459

Ultimate Tensile 458 553.67

Strength MPa
Poisons Ratio 0.85 0.85
Elongation 36% 12%
Table: Material testing results
3.2 Developmental Testing

3.2.1 Ergonomics Testing

Objective Method Result

To find the optimum seat Mock setup of frame and Seat Angle – 64 degrees
angle to locate crank prototype with horizontal axis
mounting point Crank height – 475 mm
Crank distance - 885 mm

Initially a mock setup of the frame was used to get the optimum seat angle and approximate
mounting point of crank. Once the seat angle was finalized, the optimum distance of crank
mounting point was attained by taking the aid prototype.

Rider height Optimum seat Crank distance Crank height

angle in degree from hip hinge from ground
point in mm in mm
5’6” 60 870 475
5’11’’ 66 890 475
5’10’’ 63 890 475
5’8’’ 68 890 475
Mean 64 885 475
Table: Ergonomic observation and results

Figure: Frame mock up Figure: Prototype to get crank mounting

As shown in the figure the prototype (with ground clearance, exact seat length) was
constructed from the scrap available and the crank mounting point was clamped to the bar so
that distance of mounting point can be varied for different riders to get the optimum value.
3.2.2 RPS dimensions

The RPS dimensions were taken with reference to the tallest rider (5’11’’) of the team and in
addition to that necessary clearances were given in the view of maximum elastic deformation.
The length of RPS member along riders body is 890mm and the cross member length is 550mm.

Figure: Depicting RPS dimensions

3.2.3 Fairing Dimensions

To get the final fairing, the mold is prepared by stacking the layers horizontally. So the accurate
dimensions were taken from the frame by giving necessary clearances

Figure: Taking fairing clearances at critical points

4 Fabrication

4.1 Frame

4.2 Powertrain
4.3 Fairing Pattern

4.4 Fairing
4.4 HPV
5 Cost Analysis

Vehicle Chassis and Assembly

SPECIFICATION QUANTITY RATE(INR) AMOUNT(INR)
700 Dual wall rear wheel rim 1 1,799 1,799
20" Silver rim 1 1,099 1,099
28'' Tyre with tube 1 899 899
700X25/32 tube 1 199 199
Chain 3/32" 106links 2 399 798
Brake cable 2 99 198
Chain tool 1 99 99
Crankset 3 rings 1 1000 1,000
Alloy Pedals 1 499 499
V Brake lever set 1 599 599
7 Speed shifter 1 399 399
V Brake 2 249 498
Brake housing 1 129 129
V Brake guide pipe 2 149 298
Brake housing grey 2 249 498
Front hub 1 179 179
Freewheel Cassette 1 499 499
Derailleur rear 1 599 599
Derailleur housing 2 99 198
Handle Stem 1 99 99
Fork Assembly 1 500 500
Seat 1 800 800
Material Sponsored
Sub Total 11,885

Fairing
SPECIFICATION QUANTITY RATE(INR) AMOUNT(INR)
EPS foam 20 600 12,000
Fairing section printing 20 100 2,000
Attachments 1 500 500
Sub Total 14,500