Analytical Update

The way we analyzed our bike rack is by using finite element analysis (FEA). This is done in order to test the structural stability and durability of the design by using Creo Simulate, a program that can model the effects of forces on the bike rack. This is incredibly important because it allowed for us to efficiently test the viability of our design without having to spend money building a prototype to specifically test the whole design. This allowed us to use the prototype to test specific subsystems of the design, instead of building the design in its totality. Along with the software, we also did hand calculations to show how the forces and stresses will affect the design. This worked as a way of checking if the computer analysis is correct.

Another important aspect that was tested is how the welds we used on this design fair. This is highly important because the main method we used to fasten parts to each other in our design is welding. Therefore, we will needed to perform analysis on how strong the joints are using the parameters specific to our design.

Another type of analysis that was done is testing how weather is going to affect this design. We expect that this bike rack will be used in environments that can range in temperatures 20 to 100 degrees Fahrenheit. This type of weather can be accompanied by many other different weather conditions such as wind, snow, and rain. These various weather conditions come with their own difficulties.

The first one of these weather conditions is wind, which can vary significantly, so it was very important to test how much force the wind can impose of the rack from the side. This was important to test because predominantly we will be testing how Y- directional forces, such as the weight of the bike, affect the bike rack, while neglecting X- directional forces which the wind will predominantly be. The second weather condition we are wary of is rain. It is an issue since it causes metals to corrode. Since our design is predominantly made of metal, we must test for how corrosion resistant they are. We chose a material that will not corrode under normal weather conditions such as rain. The final weather condition we were concerned about is snow, which has several issues associated with it. The first, being the same as with rain, is corrosion resistance. The second is that as snowfall accumulates on the rack, the forces acting in the Y- direction increase, leading to possible failure. The final issue that was accounted for is that when snow is falling, the temperature of the bike rack will decrease. This will result in the rack becoming less elastic and more brittle. This is a problem due to it lowering the forces the rack can take before failure. All of these conditions were tested and accounted for in our design.