Bicycle Pedal Composite Body Bash Guard Design
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Solution Overview
Problem
Mountain bike flat pedals often suffer damage to their outer surfaces and corners during use, leading to costly replacements and potential loss of traction due to damaged traction pin supports.
Innovation Solution
A pedal design featuring a body composed of two components: a structural main component made of a strong material like aluminum, and a removable bash guard component made of a more slippery and impact-resistant material like injection molded plastic, which can be easily replaced when damaged.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If the pedal body is made of a single component material (aluminum or plastic), then the structure is simple and manufacturing is easy, but the outer surface lacks adequate protection against impacts and abrasions from rocks and obstacles
Solution Approach 1:
The pedal body combines aluminum material for the main structure and plastic material for the outer surface, creating a composite structure that leverages the strength of aluminum and the impact resistance of plastic. This resolves the contradiction by providing both structural integrity and protection against external harmful factors.
Solution Approach 2:
The pedal body is divided into two separate components: an aluminum main body and a plastic outer surface layer. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized for its specific function while being manufactured separately, then assembled together to form the complete protected pedal structure.
2Strength
If the outer surface material is made hard and strong for protection, then impact resistance improves, but the surface becomes less slippery when contacting rocks and obstacles
Solution Approach 1:
The plastic outer surface is specifically designed with localized properties that provide both protection and controlled slipperiness. The material composition and surface characteristics are optimized to be slippery on rock surfaces (reducing friction for easy clearance) while maintaining sufficient durability for impact protection.
3Strength
If damage to the outer surface requires replacement of the entire pedal, then structural integrity is maintained, but maintenance time and cost increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
By dividing the pedal into a permanent aluminum main body and a replaceable plastic outer surface component, the design enables selective replacement of only the damaged outer surface without replacing the entire pedal. This maintains overall structural integrity while dramatically simplifying repair procedures.
Solution Approach 2:
The plastic outer surface is designed as a consumable component that can be discarded when damaged and replaced independently. The valuable aluminum main body is retained and recovered, avoiding the waste of replacing the entire pedal when only the outer surface is damaged.
4Object-affected harmful factors
If the pedal uses heavier protective materials for impact resistance, then protection against obstacles improves, but the overall weight of the pedal increases
Solution Approach 1:
The combination of aluminum and plastic creates a composite structure that provides impact protection without the weight penalty of using solely heavy protective materials. The plastic outer layer provides sufficient protection against rock impacts while being lightweight, and the aluminum structure provides strength without excessive weight.
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention relates to a pedal for a bicycle having a body including at least two components, and a spindle assembly for the connection of the pedal to a crank arm of a bicycle.