Static Analysis of a Bike Frame – SolidWorks is Engineering, SolidWorks is Statics

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Bike Frame Static Analysis 
I know some readers have problems playing the videos.  I republished this post again by uploading the videos to YouTube.  I will continue to post videos on my teacher blog because some schools do not have access to YouTube.

Last year I spent a great deal of time with mechanical engineering students reviewing their senior design projects featuring SolidWorks, SolidWorks Simulaton, and SolidWorks Sustainability.  So I got to thinking back when I taught Engineering Mechanics – Statics.  What if I had SolidWorks as a tool, how would my lessons be different?  Certainly I felt my students were prepared for their next classes if they mastered problems from great authors such as Hibbler, Bedford and Fowler, Beers and Johnson.  But what if I could enhance the experience and tie Solid Mechanics as a second year student into the senior design capstone project that would come years later – and make it easier to understand with realistic problems? 

So I asked Artem, a mechanical engineering student,  to help me develop a collection of “SolidWorks is Engineering” examples that will take free body diagrams, differential equations, and Mechanical Engineering competencies and analyze a problem students would associate with – all in preparation for the Senior Capstone Design course.

We start first with my favorite, “SolidWorks is Statics”  Why?  You have to understand a Rigid Body at rest – before you move on to more difficult problems that would be faced in Dyanmics, Machine Design and Kinematics.     

SolidWorks Simulation is our Finite Element Analysis Tool.  You can use it for static analysis, fatigue, vibration, drop test, optimization, non-linear analysis and more.  But first we will start with a static analysis of a bicycle frame.  Apply material, loads and fixtures to joints, review axial stress, bending, displacement and strain.

This is a Engineering Mechanics Statics 3D problem.  The bicycle frame model  file and its solution are able for you to download.  I always liked when professors gave me the solution to look at.  The video is silent; it contains no audio.

Select Tools,  Add Ins, SolidWorks Simulation to run the bike frame analysis.

Bike Frame FEA Displacement 

Initial Model Download Bike_frame_

Final Model and Analysis Solution Download Bike_frame_solution

Video Download SolidWorks is Statics (Part 1)

Video Download SolidWorks is Statics (Part 2)

 

Marie Planchard

Marie Planchard

Senior Director, Early Engagement, 3DEXPERIENCE Works at Dassault Systemes
Marie Planchard is an education and engineering advocate. As Senior Director of Education & Early Engagement, SOLIDWORKS, she is responsible for global development of content and social outreach for the 3DEXPERIENCE Works products across all levels of learning including educational institutions, Fab Labs, and entrepreneurship.
Marie Planchard

@marieplanchard1