Welding is the primary method of fabrication of bicycle forks. When used to join heat treated materials, welding creates areas of degraded material properties known as heat affected zones (HAZ). As a result, an integrated mechanical-metallurgical analysis and validation of a given fork or frame design is required. This is accomplished by the characterization of the material properties including the HAZ and geometry of the fork, development of a fatigue life prediction model, fatigue testing of physical samples, a microstructural fatigue crack growth model to validate the FEA predictions, and ultimately a design iteration leading to an optimal solution that passes ASTM and CEN bending fatigue testing. Additional material treatment solutions and geometry iterations are also explored.

• This report represents the work of one or more WPI undergraduate students submitted to the faculty as evidence of completion of a degree requirement. WPI routinely publishes these reports on its website without editorial or peer review.

Creator

• Lynch, Bradford L.
• Jannetti, Nathaniel Austin

Publisher

• Worcester Polytechnic Institute

Identifier

• E-project-042910-084057

Advisor

• Lados, Diana A.
• Van de Ven, James D.

Year

• 2010

Sponsor

• Anonymous

Date created

• 2010-04-29

Location

• Boston

Resource type

• Major Qualifying Project

Major

• Mechanical Engineering

Rights statement

• In Copyright

Last modified

• 2020-12-29