Laboratory

The site

Located on the first floor of the Université de Sherbrooke's Engineering Faculty, the laboratory is mainly used to test bike components and full bike set-ups with or without a rider. There is also a test bench used to study bicycle comfort, a multi-purpose steel table, a specialized treadmill specifically designed and manufactured for research and bike testing and other specialized equipment (Click on picture below to enlarge).

The equipment

· Treadmill - This is a dynamic test bench that allows the bike to freely simulate an outdoor bike ride. The maximum speed is 40 km/h, which can be controlled automatically to guarantee bike stability. The dimensions are 30 in x 200 in (0.76 m x 5.08 m). The inclination of the treadmill can be adjusted from -10 degrees to +20 degrees.

· SOMAT eDAQ Data Acquisition System - This portable data acquisition system can record up to 32 channels simultaneously. Sixteen channels are used to measure strain gauges or low voltage signals. We can completely instrument a bike to measure several physical signals (loads, stress, speed, etc.).

· Electromechanical Vibration Exciter - These shakers are used to measure the dynamic mechanical properties (vibration response) of frames and components. Using different transducers such as force, accelerometer and displacement transducers, we are able to measure transfer function and frequency spectrum for the frequency analysis of frames and various bike parts.

· FaroArm Measurement System - This instrument allows us to obtain very accurate 3D measurements of objects within a radius of an 8-foot diameter. By moving the arm and by simply clicking on a button, the spatial coordinates are recorded and transferred to a computer. The accuracy is ±0.004 inches. Revworks software coupled with Solidworks drawing software offers an integrated approach for reverse engineering.

· Bike Component Static Stiffness Bench Test - This apparatus accurately measures the mechanical stiffness of frames and components along different degrees of freedom (axial and rotational).

· Life Fatigue Testing Bench - This equipment designed by VélUS engineers allows us to test the life fatigue limit of bike frames and components.

· ISAAC Instruments Data Recorder - This is a robust yet very lightweight and powerful portable data acquisition system (12 analog inputs, 4 digital inputs). It can measure signals provided by force transducers, potentiometers, Wheatstone bridges, voltages, rpms, etc. It can also be equipped with a GPS. This equipment is used by VélUS for in situ measurements on the road and on the track (velodrome).

· PowerTap Instrumented Rear Wheel Hub - The PowerTap is a rear wheel hub equipped with eight strain gauges that determine the torque applied to the wheel. Knowing the torque and the pedaling cadence allows us to calculate the power delivered by the rider. VélUS is also equipped with Tacx Elite, Tack Flow and an Elite Home Trainer.

· SRM Instrumented Crank - The SRM training system measures true power output in watts on a bike during training sessions and/or competitions in real conditions. The power is measured at the transition between the crank and the chainrings.