SBIR Phase I: Advanced Manufacturing of Ultra High Molecular Weight Polyethylene and Metal Hybrid Structures for Bicycle Spokes

SBIR 第一阶段：自行车辐条超高分子量聚乙烯和金属混合结构的先进制造

• 批准号: 1819577
• 负责人: Brad Guertin
• 金额: $ 22.5万
• 依托单位: BERD LLC
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2018
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2018-06-15 至 2019-08-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1819577&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: SBIR; Phase; Advanced; Manufacturing; Ultra

This Small Business Innovation Research Phase I project is for the development of an automated manufacturing process for polymeric, ultra-lightweight, bicycle spokes composed of an ultra high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) and stainless steel hybrid structure. The use of an innovative polymer-to-metal connection allows for the creation of a bicycle spoke that out-performs modern stainless steel spokes. In comparison, steel spokes are heavier, do not effectively damp road vibrations, and are more prone to fatigue related failure. The target market for this innovation is the high-end bicycle spoke market, which is valued at over $100M. The research of new polymeric materials at universities is at an all-time high. Despite this, there exists a gap in the commercialization of new materials because of the difficulty in interfacing these materials to other common construction materials, such as stainless steel. This work will contribute fundamental knowledge to and catalyze the development of processes for new advanced polymer products. It will enable the use of UHMWPE and other materials in new applications. The intellectual merit of this project is the development of an advanced manufacturing process capable of the complex manipulation necessary for the production of novel polymer-to-metal connections and integral eye splices. These types of connections are not practiced in high-volume textile manufacturing today due to the novelty of the polymer-to-metal connection and the complexity of the eye splice operation. The research objectives include validating the key steps for process automation and optimization of the UHMWPE-metal connection. The anticipated outcome of this Phase I project is a prototype automated spoke manufacturing process.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

这个小型企业创新研究阶段I项目是为了开发由超高分子重量聚乙烯（UHMWPE）和不锈钢混合型混合型组成的聚合物，超轻质，自行车辐条的自动制造工艺。使用创新的聚合物与金属连接的使用可以创建自行车的说话，从而超过现代不锈钢辐条。相比之下，钢辐条较重，没有有效地潮湿的道路振动，并且更容易出现相关的与疲劳相关的故障。这项创新的目标市场是高端自行车座市场，价值超过1亿美元。大学对新聚合物材料的研究一直处于历史最高水平。尽管如此，由于难以将这些材料连接到其他常见的建筑材料，例如不锈钢，因此存在新材料商业化的差距。这项工作将为新的高级聚合物产品的流程发展提供基本知识，并促进开发。它将在新应用中使用UHMWPE和其他材料。该项目的智力优点是开发了一种先进的制造过程，能够生产新型聚合物到金属连接和整体眼镜的复杂操作。由于聚合物到金属连接的新颖性和眼剪接操作的复杂性，今天在高体积纺织品制造中不实行这些类型的连接。研究目标包括验证过程自动化的关键步骤和UHMWPE金属连接的优化。该阶段项目的预期结果是原型自动化的制造过程。该奖项反映了NSF的法定任务，并使用基金会的知识分子优点和更广泛的影响审查标准，被认为值得通过评估来获得支持。