Conception et fabrication d'un système d'aide à l'apprentissage du vélo

Details

Supervisors

Fisette, Paul

Faculty

Ecole polytechnique de Louvain

Degree label

Master [120] : ingénieur civil mécanicien

Abstract

enLearning to ride a bike is a symbolic step in childhood. During this one, the learner must appeal to his sense of balance, his control of the trajectory as well as the coordination of these 2 key points. Cycling brings the child to a new challenge and requires him to gain self-confidence. First of all, with small wheels attached to the back, most children move quickly to cycling without any outside help. Nevertheless, some of them may face learning difficulties that may seem insurmountable. These difficulties are regularly linked to a physical disability and can cause them to become discouraged and give up. In order to overcome this problem, apprenticeship schools have implemented a solution for stabilizing the bicycle using a curved roller system placed at the rear of the latter. This solution is faced with two imperfections namely : imperfect curvature in the center of the roller which brings dynamic instabilities and a lack of versatility because the system is only suitable for one bike size. The goal of this thesis is to propose an alternative solution solving these 2 problems. In order to overcome these, this work follows a design process ranging from the specifications to a proposal for the first prototype. Several solutions are described and evaluated. The solution selected is that applying the principle of friction wheels. This system makes it possible at the same time to avoid an imperfect curvature of the roll. It also allows, thanks to the good sizing of the centerpieces, to adapt to several bike sizes (from 16 to 26 inches). A dynamic stability analysis with the help of robotran then proposes a validation of the model and confirms the usefulness of such a system.