RO-TRIKE

DESIGN WORKSHOP
2020

G U I D E D BY-
P R O F . P. K U M A R E S A N

SU B M I T T ED BY-
C H I N M AY
VISHAL
SULAGNA
ROHAN
JAYSHR E E
CHITRANSHU
THE BRIEF
To design a hand-driven three wheeler with materials like steel sections and bamboo, inspired from archery and rowing of
boat and using the working principle of a freewheel.

MATERIAL WORKING PRINCIPLE (FREEWHEEL) INSPIRATION

OBJECTIVES

• Hand driven vehicle giving the experience of rowing on land

• Making the riding a fun and healthy experience.
• Using properties of materials to our advantage. Using steel for structural stability and bamboo for the mechanism.
• Safety, control, comfort, etc. are taken into consideration while designing.
DESIGN PROCESS

CONCEPT
DESIGN GENERATION
TESTING
BRIEF AND
IDEATIONS

LITERATURE
PROTOTYPING
STUDY
LITERATURE STUDY
Mechanism of a cycle – Bicycle contains a system known as power train. It consists of a pair of pedals, two sprockets
and a chain. The pedals are affixed to one sprocket — the front sprocket, which is mounted to the bike below the seat. The
second sprocket is connected to the hub of the rear wheel. The chain connects the two sprockets. When you turn the
pedals, the front sprocket turns. The chain transfers that rotation to the rear sprocket, which turns the rear wheel, and the
bicycle moves forward. The faster you turn the pedals, the faster the rear wheel goes, and the faster the bike goes.

Sprocket 2 Chain Sprocket 1

Pedal
LITERATURE STUDY
Mechanism of a freewheel – It is fixed to the rear wheel of a bicycle and helps it to turn faster than the pedals without
which riding it would be exhausting. Also going downhill would be downright dangerous, because the pedals would turn
on their own, faster than one could keep up with them.
The pawl allows the teeth to move in one direction but resists movement in the reverse direction as it gets locked in the
grooves of the rachet.

Teeth

Pawl

Rachet
LITERATURE STUDY
Different configurations in a tricycle – Tricycles have two different configurations based on stability, they are Tadpole
configuration and Delta configuration. The Tadpole configuration is superior to the Delta configurations in terms of –

Aerodynamics Steering and Weight Visibility

distribution

Tadpole configuration fits perfectly into
aerodynamic flow.
It is difficult to distribute the weight in
delta configuration for steering resulting
in overturning of the vehicle.
In case of tadpole configuration there are
more options on how one can balance the
weight.
The CG in case of tricycles is kept close to
the ground while designing so that greater
stability can be achieved.
Here the tadpole configuration provides
no obstruction as the driver can see
between the two wheels.
DISCUSSIONS

After doing the literature study it was

important to discuss our concepts and
understandings with our guide which
also in return resulted in a deeper
understanding of the ideas. These
periods of discussions happened
throughout the design process
whenever we had doubts and needed
guidance to solve the issues.
DISCUSSIONS
DISCUSSIONS
CONCEPT GENERATION AND IDEATIONS

In this phase of the design process, we

fixed the design of the chassis, steering
mechanism and the form of the tricycle.
After fixing the design, we made the bill
of materials in order to start prototyping.
ERGONOMIC CONSIDERATIONS
CONCEPT GENERATION AND IDEATIONS
FINAL CONCEPT
PROTOTYPING
Cutting or bending different steel sections of required dimensions to produce components for the chassis or frame.
PROTOTYPING

After the components are ready, the next step

is to assemble them using permanent joinery –
welding process or temporary joinery using nut
and bolt
PROTOTYPING
Welding certain components together and assembling the entire chassis using nuts and bolts.
PROTOTYPING

After the frame is assembled, now the bamboo

needs to be cut and bent to the required
curvature.
PROTOTYPING
Cutting the strips of bamboo and heat bending it.
PROTOTYPING

After heat bending the bamboo and obtaining the required

curvature, it was now time to integrate it with the steel chassis.
PROTOTYPING
After bending, tying them firmly to the steel chassis.
PROTOTYPING

The only components

remaining are the seat,
the suspension and
attaching pulleys for the
the mechanism to work.
PROTOTYPING
The seat is screwed to the frame and the suspensions are made using a bunch of thin strips of bamboo tied together.

Picture of fixing of seat

PROTOTYPING

A series of pulleys connect the rowing handle

with the bow and the freewheel. Hence when
Picture of the pulley
the driver pulls and releases, the bow
system (side elevation)
generates the torque that rotates the freewheel
resulting in the movement of the tricycle.
PROTOTYPING
FINAL PROTOTYPE

Picture of the prototype

TESTING

Video of the test ride

THANK YOU…