PSI - Issue 68

ScienceDirect Structural Integrity Procedia 00 (2025) 000–000 Structural Integrity Procedia 00 (2025) 000–000 Available online at www.sciencedirect.com Available online at www.sciencedirect.com ScienceDirect Available online at www.sciencedirect.com ScienceDirect

www.elsevier.com/locate/procedia www.elsevier.com/locate/procedia

Procedia Structural Integrity 68 (2025) 969–973

European Conference on Fracture 2024 Finite element analysis of a titanium bicycle frame Emanuele Vincenzo Arcieri a, *, Sergio Baragetti a a Department of Management, Information and Production Engineering, University of Bergamo, Viale Marconi 5, Dalmine 24044, Italy Abstract Bicycle has been emerging as an ideal means of transport thanks to its sustainability. This study investigates the structural integrity of a titanium bicycle frame using the finite element method. The analysis focuses on a loading condition based on the BS EN ISO 4210-6 standard and consists of a tensile force of 1200 N applied at the front axle, which corresponds to the maximum force specified in the standard for fatigue testing. The results revealed that the areas of the top and down tubes near the head tube are the most stressed, with the stresses exceeding the material ultimate tensile strength. The study highlights the potentiality of optimizing bicycle frame design by using finite element results for predicting both static and fatigue strength. © 2025 The Authors. Published by ELSEVIER B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0) Peer-review under responsibility of ECF24 organizers Keywords: sustainability; bicycle frame; titanium; finite element analysis 1. Introduction In an era marked by urgent concerns over climate change and continuous search for sustainable solutions, bicycle has been emerging as an ideal means of transport. Cycling reduces traffic congestion, is environmentally friendly and promotes human well-being (Zhao, 2014; Goodman et al., 2019; Nematchoua et al., 2020) since it transforms the rider muscular force into motion without requiring any use of fossil fuels, which are polluting and dangerous to human health (Chew, 2017). Given the growing importance of bicycle as a means of transport, the correct design of its components plays a strategic role. Nowadays, structural parts of bicycles are increasingly manufactured from materials with a high strength-to-density ratio, such as aluminum and titanium alloys and composite materials. Steel is still used due to its European Conference on Fracture 2024 Finite element analysis of a titanium bicycle frame Emanuele Vincenzo Arcieri a, *, Sergio Baragetti a a Department of Management, Information and Production Engineering, University of Bergamo, Viale Marconi 5, Dalmine 24044, Italy Abstract Bicycle has been emerging as an ideal means of transport thanks to its sustainability. This study investigates the structural integrity of a titanium bicycle frame using the finite element method. The analysis focuses on a loading condition based on the BS EN ISO 4210-6 standard and consists of a tensile force of 1200 N applied at the front axle, which corresponds to the maximum force specified in the standard for fatigue testing. The results revealed that the areas of the top and down tubes near the head tube are the most stressed, with the stresses exceeding the material ultimate tensile strength. The study highlights the potentiality of optimizing bicycle frame design by using finite element results for predicting both static and fatigue strength. © 2025 The Authors. Published by ELSEVIER B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0) Peer-review under responsibility of ECF24 organizers Keywords: sustainability; bicycle frame; titanium; finite element analysis 1. Introduction In an era marked by urgent concerns over climate change and continuous search for sustainable solutions, bicycle has been emerging as an ideal means of transport. Cycling reduces traffic congestion, is environmentally friendly and promotes human well-being (Zhao, 2014; Goodman et al., 2019; Nematchoua et al., 2020) since it transforms the rider muscular force into motion without requiring any use of fossil fuels, which are polluting and dangerous to human health (Chew, 2017). Given the growing importance of bicycle as a means of transport, the correct design of its components plays a strategic role. Nowadays, structural parts of bicycles are increasingly manufactured from materials with a high strength-to-density ratio, such as aluminum and titanium alloys and composite materials. Steel is still used due to its © 2025 The Authors. Published by ELSEVIER B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0) Peer-review under responsibility of ECF24 organizers

* Corresponding author. Tel.: Tel.: +39-035-205-2382; fax: +39-035-205-2221. E-mail address: emanuelevincenzo.arcieri@unibg.it * Corresponding author. Tel.: Tel.: +39-035-205-2382; fax: +39-035-205-2221. E-mail address: emanuelevincenzo.arcieri@unibg.it

2452-3216 © 2025 The Authors. Published by ELSEVIER B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0) Peer-review under responsibility of ECF24 organizers 2452-3216 © 2025 The Authors. Published by ELSEVIER B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0) Peer-review under responsibility of ECF24 organizers

2452-3216 © 2025 The Authors. Published by ELSEVIER B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0) Peer-review under responsibility of ECF24 organizers 10.1016/j.prostr.2025.06.158