Design and experimental validation of a carbon fibre swingarm test rig
Date
2014-12-23
Authors
Chacko, Reno Kocheappen
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Abstract
The swingarm of a motorcycle is an important component of its suspension. In order to test the
durability of swingarms, a dedicated test rig was designed and realized. The test rig was designed
to load the swingarm in the same way the swingarm is loaded on the test track. The research
report structure is as follows: relevant literature related to automotive component testing, current
swingarm test rig models and composite swingarms were outlined. The Leyni bench, a rig
specifically developed by Ducati to test swingarm reliability was shown to be effective but
lacked the ability to apply variable loads. The objective of this research was to design and
experimentally validate a swingarm test rig to evaluate swingarm performance at different loads.
The methodology, the components of the test rig and the instrumentation required to achieve the
objectives of the research were presented. The elastic modulus of the carbon fibre swingarm
material was calculated using classical laminate theory. The strains and stresses within a
swingarm during testing were analysed. The test rig was shown to be versatile, accurate and
efficient, with potential for future application. This research has shown the benefit of test rigs for
testing motorcycle components.