Single-Wall Composite Bicycle Rim for Impact-Resilient Stiffness
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Solution Overview
Problem
Bicycle rims made from composite materials face challenges in achieving the strength and resilience needed for aggressive riding environments, such as mountain biking, while maintaining weight benefits and traditional rim strength levels.
Innovation Solution
A bicycle rim with a single-wall composite construction using multiple layers of different reinforcement materials, including carbon fiber, to provide enhanced strength and resilience, featuring asymmetric cross-sectional profiles and varying laminate properties for balanced radial and lateral stiffness.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If hollow composite construction is used to achieve traditional rim strength levels, then strength is improved, but the rim becomes very stiff resulting in damage in aggressive environments
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the structural parameters of the composite rim by transitioning from a hollow box construction to a single-wall construction with variable thickness. The rim wall thickness varies from approximately 3mm at the brake track to 6mm at the spoke attachment area, optimizing both strength and resilience. This parameter change allows the rim to maintain traditional strength levels while improving reliability in aggressive environments by reducing excessive stiffness.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs composite materials with multiple fiber orientations and types (carbon fiber, Kevlar, glass fiber) in a single-wall construction. This composite approach provides both the strength needed for traditional rim performance and the resilience required for aggressive environments, resolving the contradiction between strength and reliability.
2Weight of moving object
If composite materials are used to reduce rim weight, then weight is improved, but strength and resilience are insufficient for aggressive riding environments
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by varying the composite material composition and wall thickness at different locations around the rim. The rim features thicker sections (up to 6mm) at high-stress areas like spoke attachment points and brake tracks, while maintaining thinner sections (3mm) in less critical areas. This localized variation maintains overall weight reduction while providing sufficient strength where needed.
Solution Approach 2:
The use of advanced composite materials with multiple fiber types and orientations enables weight reduction while maintaining or exceeding the strength of traditional metal rims. The composite construction provides both lightweight properties and the necessary strength for aggressive riding environments.
3Reliability
If single-wall construction is used instead of hollow construction, then resilience is improved, but manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple functions into a single-wall construction, eliminating the need for separate hollow chambers and internal structures. The single wall incorporates variable thickness and multiple composite layers to simultaneously achieve strength, resilience, and weight reduction. This merging simplifies the overall structure while maintaining manufacturing feasibility through automated composite forming processes.
Data Source
AI summary
A bicycle rim and/or wheel are provided. The bicycle rim and/or wheel includes a single wall formed into the bicycle rim. The wall is formed of composite material having a spoke attachment portion and a tire attachment portion formed therein. The composite material may include at least two different materials, or fibers used as reinforcement material, forming layers of a thickness of the rim.