Modal, Structural, and Comfort Analyses for Improving Customized Bicycles for Recreational Ridings of People with Disabilities

Abstract

Leisure activities are known to be especially important for the health of people with disabilities. In Belém, PA, an Amazonian city in Brazil, a nonprofitable organization has promoted leisure ridings in bicycles for those people in Utinga State Park, a large green area for physical and leisure activities. The handcrafted bikes have a sidecar attached for users with disabilities which are ridden by trained volunteers. Since such bikes have been empirically manufactured, they require some minor improvements in safety, comfort, and handling, and verification of structural strength. Therefore, ergonomic, modal, and forced vibration analyses assessed the user’s comfort and safety and a structural analysis with the use of strain gauges evaluated the bicycle’s structural strength. Initially, a numerical modal analysis was performed using the finite element method, and the modal model obtained was validated by an experimental modal analysis employing shaker excitation. ISO-2631-based evaluations of forced vibration and human body comfort were conducted regarding whole-body vibration in vehicles and mechanical equipment. Vibration measurements at the position of the rider and sidecar occupant were obtained during rides on the bicycle and, according to the results, in general, when subjected to loads, the bicycle showed low stress levels far from the yield stress of the material, promoting an excellent safety factor in relation to its structural integrity. The modal, comfort, and forced vibration analyses revealed a mode of vibration in the sidecar that caused discomfort to the back of the users. Ergonomics analysis pointed out changes in the handlebars, the bicycle seat, the coupling between the sidecar and the bike, and the dimensions of the sidecar will provide greater comfort and safety. This paper presents and discusses the proposed modifications to both bicycle and sidecar.