Paper on Manufacture and Assembly of Bicycle Products
Added on 2020-04-15
27 Pages10159 Words98 Views
Business DevelopmentFinanceMechanical EngineeringMaterials Science and EngineeringCalculus and AnalysisEnvironmental Science
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ECO DESIGN AND IPR: DESIGN FOR BICYCLE COMPONENTS NAMELY THE FRAME,SADDLE, AND SPROCKETS 1Eco Design And IPR: Design For Bicycle Components Namely The Frame,Saddle, And SprocketsNameCourse and Unit NameDate
ECO DESIGN AND IPR: DESIGN FOR BICYCLE COMPONENTS NAMELY THE FRAME,SADDLE, AND SPROCKETS 2Table of ContentsExecutive Summary..............................................................................................................................3Introduction..........................................................................................................................................4Research on Present Techniques...........................................................................................................4Evaluation of Approaches.....................................................................................................................8Energy management.........................................................................................................................8Materials........................................................................................................................................12Manufacturing Process..................................................................................................................14Recommendations..............................................................................................................................18Recommendations for Further Research........................................................................................20References..........................................................................................................................................21
ECO DESIGN AND IPR: DESIGN FOR BICYCLE COMPONENTS NAMELY THE FRAME,SADDLE, AND SPROCKETS 3Executive Summary This paper evaluated the process of manufacture and assembly of three bicycle products, namely theframe, the saddle (seat), and the sprocket (gearing system). This is in light of the increased use of bicycles and calls for greater use of bicycles as a means for transportation as a response to increasing concerns over environmental pollution, congestion in urban areas, and the emission of greenhouse gases, as well a sustainability issues. However, using case study of a bicycle manufacturer, the process of manufacturing the bicycles and bicycle parts is considered in depth in the context of embodied energy. Present approaches are evaluated , as well as new approaches and their merits and demerits. Based on the analysis of new approaches and with the help of engineeringplanning software, the paper recommends that composite materials be used in place of the traditional metals. Further, the paper recommends these composite materials based on the life cycle management and proposes a shift from traditional forging and heat manufacturing and machining tobe replaced by additive manufacturing. It is also proposed that the design phase incorporates the energy principles with a view to monitoring and reducing embodied energy in the products life cycle. The proposed method will enable easy servicing of the parts because in case of breakage, a new part can be produced quickly using additive manufacturing and the broken part recycled. The paper proposed composite materials such as polyamide with infused glass because while they are not biodegradable, they have little embodied energy and can be easily and quickly recycled with minimal energy use. Future research should consider renewable materials such as bamboo and bamboo fiber as a structural component in manufacturing and the use of renewable energy sources such as solar and wind
ECO DESIGN AND IPR: DESIGN FOR BICYCLE COMPONENTS NAMELY THE FRAME,SADDLE, AND SPROCKETS 4IntroductionThe increasing awareness and concern over energy use and pollution in cities as well as congestion factors have led to other alternative modes of transport being used. One common method that is gaining increasing acceptance and use in urban centers is the use of bicycles. The bicycle has remained almost the same in its operation ever since the first bicycle was produced (Jacqueline, 2015). Using a bicycle generates minimal wastes that can adversely impact the environment (maybe just the grease and oil used in lubrication), wear and tear of rubber components, the use of petroleum based products such as plastics and foam for seats. Otherwise, its operation requires human energy to physically pedal the bicycle to generate motion. While its use generates comparatively low or even negligible emissions and wastes; its life-cycle is associated with energy consumption, especially during manufacture/ production and end of life wastes. For bicycles to be considered as a contributor to reduced fossil fuel use and reduced emissions, its production must likewise contribute to the same by using as little energy as possible. The efficiency of production results in reduced energy use, which ultimately, leads to a better environment (McCamy, 2015). This paper looks at the production process for a bicycle, specifically the production of the bicycle frame, the bicycle seat, and the bicycle transmission system (the sprockets). Road racing with bicycles has also become an important sport; however, this requires very light bicycles designed specifically for road racing. Such a bicycle requires special materials, which have a lot of embodied energy throughout its life cycle. This paper begins by a detailed product exploration and identification of the problem and constraints, which are then defined. The research extends to identifying the present good and bad manufacturing practices for bicycles and then evaluates various approaches. For each of the three components, the present production processes are reviewed, and choices made, with justification on the best approaches to use. The criteria for numerical analysis is then specified and the effect of the applied Ecotechniques for production are then analyzed, with the help of Edupack software to quantify the benefits of the proposed benefits and their consequences (Eco-production) to a manufacturer. The paper then makes proposals on how the embedded energy of production can be reduced as well as the cost benefit analysis and the implications of the recommendations. The outcome for each component is then explained, and an overall assessment of the changes and recommendations discussed, as part ofconcluding remarks.
ECO DESIGN AND IPR: DESIGN FOR BICYCLE COMPONENTS NAMELY THE FRAME,SADDLE, AND SPROCKETS 5Research on Present Techniques This section looks at the usual design life cycle for a road bicycle, starting from the raw materials wastes generated. For an Aluminum road bike, the raw materials needed in its production include Aluminum, natural rubber, steel, synthetic rubber, manganese, silicon, iron, zinc, chromium,magnesium, coper, titanium, sulfur, mineral oil, nylon mesh, and carbon black. For this bicycle, the primary materials are of major concern and include steel, aluminum, synthetic rubber, and natural rubber (Chang, Schau, & Finkbeiner, 2012). The embodied energy in this phase includes materials and machinery used for mining steel and aluminum from the earth. The natural rubber used in the manufacture starts as latex from plants or the petroleum based synthetic rubber. During this stage, there are emissions and wastes; red mud is produced from the process f mining and processing bauxite; the red mud (bauxite residue) contains iron, silicone, titanium and some other compounds (Voet, 2013). Once extracted, the raw materials must be turned into a form that can be used industrially. Aluminum is smelted by dissolving in a molten electrolyte made up of aluminum, sodium, and flourine compound (Anderson, Shiers, & Steele, 2009). Hydroforming is also used when processing the raw materials and anodizing is done by dipping the bicycle frame by being dipped in sulphuric acid as a way of preventing rusting. The sprocket is polished using a mixture of silica, ceramic powder, and water. The embodied energy in this process include the high energy intensive processes of heat treatment of aluminum, rubber, and steel (Bordigoni, Hita, & Le, 2012). The main embodied energy in this process comes from smelting, hydroforming, shaping, and welding. The emissions and waste at this stage depend on location of the factory, but most factories are powered using coal, hydro electric power with emissions of 21.6 tons and 4 tons of carbon dioxide; respectively. Materials have to be sourced and transported to their various destinations (supply chain management) using trucks, ships, airplanes that consume fossil fuel before the bicycles can be assembled. The bicycles must be transported to their destination, a process that can consume up to 3150 tons of fuel, which cause emissions (Coelho & Almeida, 2015). The embodied energy in this process is the fossil fuel used by the various modes of transport. The emissions and wastes in this stage includes carbon dioxide and other traces of green house gases (nitrous oxide and methane) emitted from internal combustion engines that use fossil fuel during transport. The bicycle must be maintained, by replacing tires, the sprocket, greasing the sprockets and cleaned until it is disposed of; this process carries the embodied energy (Schramm, 2012).
ECO DESIGN AND IPR: DESIGN FOR BICYCLE COMPONENTS NAMELY THE FRAME,SADDLE, AND SPROCKETS 6The bicycle frame is the most significant component of the bicycle; the diamond shaped frame links other components together while also providing it with strength and rigidness. The frame is made up of the rear triangle (made up of the chain stay, rear wheel dropouts, and the seat stay) and front triangle (made up of four tubes -head, top, seat, and down tubes) as shown below;The manufacturing process, as is currently common, begins with seamless frame tubes beingconstructed from solid steel blocks through piercing and ‘drawing’ to form tubes in many stages. The thickness of the tube walls can be altered to increase their strength and lower their weight during this process. Butting, which entails increasing the tube thickness at the ends or joints and decreasing thickness where these is less stress compared to the joints and ends. The tubes are then assembled into a single frame automatically through hand brazing or through machine welding (hand brazing is more expensive as its highly labor intensive) (Coller, 2009). Components are machine made and attached to the frame using plastic binders or with glue and attached using machines or by hand. Once the frame parts have been made, they are then assembled. Heat is used to anneal the tubes to make them soft and hollowed to form blooms, that are again heated and pickled with acid for scale removal and then lubricated. The hollows are then measured, then cut and mitered precisely to the desired dimensions and the hollows fitted over a rod that is attached to a draw bench. The hollows are passed through dies that stretch them into tubes that are longer and thinner to obtain the right gauge; this process is termed cold drawing. The tubes can be tapered into various lengths and designs.
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