Strain Analysis of a Bike Crank

A bike crank is a lever arm that gives the bicycle rider a mechanical advantage when pedaling. When the rider presses their feet on the pedals, the bike crank revolves and causes rotation of the sprocket wheel. This drives the chain, which in turn drives the rear wheel. Thus, a huge bending load acts on the bike crank. Analytical models such as beam theory can be used to simplify and estimate the stress in such bike cranks. For strain analysis, strain rosettes are mounted on the bike crank and strain values are experimentally calculated. Finite element method (FEM) models are used to verify these strain values.

This SimCafe Structural Course was developed by Dr. Rajesh Bhaskaran, Swanson Director of Engineering Simulation at Cornell University, and Sebastien Lachance-Barrett, in partnership with Ansys. It was last modified by Frances Zhu. It serves as an e-learning resource to integrate industry-standard simulation tools into courses and provides a resource for supplementary learning outside the classroom. This course shows how to simulate mechanical crank part to analyze the strain and compare the strain values with the analytical approach.

For more ways to learn, check out the Cornell edX course, A Hands-on Introduction to Engineering Simulations at ansys.com/cornell.

Cornell University also offers a Fluid Dynamics Simulations Using Ansys online certificate authored by Dr. Rajesh Bhaskaran. Learn more here: https://ecornell.cornell.edu/fluiddynamics

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