BYCYCLE FLYWHEEL STABILIZER

RECLAIMING ANGULAR MOMENTUM

For an advanced mechanical design course, teams were challenged to come up with a novel, patentable idea that uses just mechanical systems with no controllers or electronics. My team of four designed, analyzed, and prototyped this flywheel stabilization kit, which allows angular momentum from pedaling to be stored in a flywheel. The idea is that as the bicycle decelerates, the bicyclist can engage a clutch to transfer rotational energy to the flywheel so that the bicycle remains balanced even while the bicycle itself is moving at a low speed.

HAND CALCULATIONS AND CAD

Using material properties and free body diagrams, we were able to determine parameters for the flywheel size, its required rotational speed, and the transmission ratio for several different flywheel material choices. After this, CAD assemblies were built to understand the relationship between parts. Because we wished to fit the flywheel within the frame, the flywheel would need to comply with a standard bicycle frame.

SIMULATION AND ANALYSIS

Stress and fatigue analysis were completed in Solidworks. The high tension of the chain onto the flywheel sprocket was an important concern which determined material choices.