Development of Friction Drive Mechanism for a Bicycle

In the last several decades, the spatial patterns and rapid expansion of metropolitan areas have been shaped by transportation policies focusing on automobiles and highways. However, due to rising issues in the environment, energy, and sustainability, fundamental paradigm changes in transportation planning have been sought, especially in alternative transportation modes. Although it has numerous environmental and social advantages, bicycling as an alternative transportation mode has been underutilized for a long time. Bicycling, a convenient means of transport and a healthier alternative to the single occupant vehicle has great potential to share a higher number of passenger trip with automobiles and public transit. This project aims to facilitate bicycling as a transportation mode for everyday life activities including commuting by attaching a power drive system to it and reducing the human cycling effort whenever required. The Friction drive mechanism is designed, developed and fabricated to mount on commercially available bicycles. The book explains parameters considered in designing and developing the mechanism and the test frame to test the performance of the engine.