Development, fabrication and mechanical characterisation of auxetic bicycle handlebar grip

Abstract

Abstract The auxetic cellular structures are one of the most promising metamaterials for vibration damping and crash absorption applications. Therefore, their use in the bicycle handlebar grip was studied in this work. A preliminary computational design study was performed using various auxetic and non-auxetic geometries under four load cases, which can typically appear. The most representative geometries were then selected and fabricated using additive manufacturing. These geometries were then experimentally tested to validate the discrete and homogenised computational models. The homogenised computational model was then used to analyse the biomechanical behaviour of the handlebar grip. It was observed that handle grip made from auxetic cellular metamaterials reduce the high contact pressures, provide similar stability and hereby improve the handlebar ergonomics.