Fatigue testing for the GO-TRYKE hand-operated, back-pedalling system

The company GBY SA assigned the task of carrying out fatigue testing on a hand-operated, back-pedalling system to the SCI-Mobility lab. The tests proved the high resilience of the system.

Factsheet

Lead school(s) School of Engineering and Computer Science
Institute Institute for Energy and Mobility Research IEM
Duration (planned) 01.03.2021 - 31.05.2021
Project management Prof. Sebastian Tobler
Head of project Vincent Morier-Genoud
Keywords Fatigue testing, disability, rehabilitation, development

Background

As part of the development of the GO-TRYKE vehicle by the Fribourg-based company GBY SA, the SCI-Mobility lab has been assigned the task of carrying out fatigue testing on a hand-operated, back-pedalling system (Torpédo system). This testing aims to determine whether the size, materials used and assembly methods enable a long product lifespan to be achieved without causing plastic deformation of the system in the long-term, making it defective.

Procedure

In collaboration with DTC AG, a fatigue testing rig for e-bikes was modified and adapted to enable fitting to the front of a GO-TRYKE. It was then a question – as part of a student’s bachelor degree thesis – of developing an adequate fatigue test, carrying it out and comparing the results obtained using computer simulation (FEM).

Results

The tests proved the high resilience of the system which is currently at prototype stage with GBY SA. After several fatigue testing sequences, no damage or plastic deformation was observed. This project, which has now been completed, highlights the SCI-Mobility lab’s ability to collaborate with various partners to achieve common development and innovation goals.