• Identify, review, and organize related work
  • Bicycle handling, dynamics, control, stability
  • Aircraft handling
    • classes: EAE 129, EAE 130A/B, MAE 275
  • Vehicle Handling (Motorcycles, cars)
    • classes: EME 134, MAE 234
  • Manual control
  • Human factors
  • Perception and psychophysics
  • Data acquisition
    • classes: MAE 276
  • Survey design
• Collect relevant and needed information
  • Types of bicycles (safety, recumbent, high wheeler, etc.)
  • Types of bicycle classes (i.e. touring, road, track, etc.)
  • Determine typical maneuvers for each class of bicycle
• Verify my basic bicycle model to the benchmark bicycle
  • Combine the two autolev files into one file
  • Linearize the equations of motion symbolically (the professional version of Autolev may be needed for more memory)
  • Put the equations of motion in the benchmark canonical form
  • Examine the associated eigenvectors of the system
  • Make the matlab program more robust so it can handle larger changes in frame geometry
  • De-couple the front wheel mass/inertia from the wheel diameter
  • Try to determine why my solution isn't closer to Schwab's (numerical differentiation: i.e. choice of epsilon, center differencing method)
  • Check whether my analytical solution for pitch as a function of steer and roll is equivalent to a numerical solution
  • Change coordinate system SAE standard
• Find out how frame builders design their bicycles to handle appropriately
  • develop "Design for Handling" survey
  • compile a list of bicycle designers
  • mail surveys/post to internet/announce in email lists
  • compile results (rank important parameters)
• Develop a bicycle model with characteristics important to handling (tire characteristics, rider motion, frame flex,...)
  • Create nominal models for types of bicycles of interest
  • Evaluate the dynamic effects of adding additional complexity to the model (elimate all but one addition)
  • Verify model against benchmark model (reduce my model to simplified model)
• Use model to evaluate parameter changes
  • Classify/rank important parameters by changes in eigenvalues
• Compare model results with designers' surveys
• Design and construct an adjustable parameter bicycle(s) with data acquisition
• Validate analytical model in various uncontrolled maneuvers
• Experiments in perception and control
  • minimum perceptible changes in parameters
• Develop bicycle handling rating system
  • design pertinent maneuvers to test
    • slalom, sharp cornering, no hands, straight line, long distance
  • develop a rating scale and commentary forms
• Conduct tests and surveys for handling qualities versus parameter changes
  • train riders
• Develop a mathematical controller to represent the manual control of the rider
• Map rating scale survey results to model
• Develop design criteria handling characteristics

Masters Thesis Proposal [doc] - December 13, 2006

This is short proposal for funding from my department. It has a basic explanation of what I plan to do for my master's research and a timeline.

Bicycle Handling Qualities: Correlation of Designer Opinion and Model Attributes

When manipulating bicycle design parameters to affect handling qualities, bicycle designers rely primarily on experience and pseudoscientific knowledge. Some of this knowledge has been verified and refuted over the years by experiments and analytical calculations, but this knowledge is still generally not based on verifiable scientific theory. There is a large void in the research of handling characteristics for single-track vehicles and this project will attempt to provide insight into this subject area.

The project will be made up of two major components: surveying bicycle designers and creating an analytical model to evaluate the subjective data. A survey will be designed to identify and rank important design parameters that affect handling characteristics. The survey will be conducted through mail, phone, and electronic means. The second component is to develop an analytical model of an uncontrolled bicycle in which the identified design parameters can be evaluated. The model will be used to quantify how the design parameters affect the dynamics of the system. Finally the design opinion data and the data produced from the model will be compared to see if there is any correlation. This should provide insight into what affects the handling characteristics of bicycles and how important each design parameter is relative to other parameters. The survey data will also provide a compilation of handling theories that can be verified or refuted in the future through experiments or theoretical means.

This project will be completed during the winter and spring quarters culminating in a completed masters thesis. An approximate timeline of twenty weeks is detailed in the table below. Thesis material will be written after each major step in the table and compiled in the final weeks.

Week(s)	Tasks
1-3	Verify benchmark bicycle model Survey design and implementation
4-8	Analytic model development
9	Compile survey results
10-11	Evaluate effects of model additions
12	Model verification
13-16	Rank design parameters using the analytical model
17-18	Compare designer data to model data
19-20	Compile thesis