Composite bicycle frames and methods of making same
OwnerBrent J. Trimbleinventor
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Disclosed is an improved bicycle frame of composite materials and a method of molding generally hollow components and assemblies for such a bicycle frame. The entire bicycle frame may be one integrally united piece of molded composite materials, such as unidirectional structural fibers impregnated with a heat curable synthetic resin. Layers of the composite material may be shaped to form an uncured frame shell. This shell is compressed against the surfaces of a mold by an internal pressing member, such as an inflatable bladder routed to the outside through a passageway passing through a modified bottom bracket sleeve or a modified head tube sleeve. The shell is then cured while under compression in the mold.
Claims72
A bicycle frame comprising a generally hollow unitary frame component extending longitudinally between and connecting at least two of a steering support means for rotatably supporting a front fork assembly for carrying handle bars and a front wheel assembly, a seat support means for supporting a seat assembly, a pedal support means for supporting a pedal assembly, and a rear wheel support means for supporting a rear wheel assembly;
- said generally hollow unitary frame component comprising at least two adjacent wall sections each of which comprises at least one molded layer of fibrous material impregnated with a synthetic resin, said adjacent wall sections being integrally united by at least one integrally uniting juncture comprising a pair of overlapping edges of said adjacent wall sections, said overlapping edges being integrally united together to provide sufficiently intimate contact between the fibrous material of one of said overlapping edges and the fibrous material of the other of said overlapping edges for stress loadings to be transferred from fiber to fiber across said juncture, and said juncture thereby providing a substantially continuous wall of said resin impregnated fibrous material around an interior cavity of said generally hollow unitary frame component.
A bicycle frame having a steering support means for rotatably supporting a front fork assembly for carrying handle bars and a front wheel assembly, a seat support means for supporting a seat assembly, a pedal support means for supporting a pedal assembly, and a rear wheel support means for supporting a rear wheel assembly, said frame including:
- a hollow tubular top portion connecting and extending between said steering support means and said seat support means;
- a hollow tubular down tube portion connecting and extending between said steering support means and said pedal support means;
- a hollow tubular seat column portion connecting and extending between said seat support means and said pedal support means;
- a pair of hollow chain stay portions connecting and extending between said pedal support means and said rear wheel support means;
- and
- a pair of hollow seat stay portions connecting and extending between said seat support means and said rear wheel support means;
- said top portion, said down portion and said seat column portion forming an open front triangle,
- said seat column portion, said chain stay portions and said seat stay portions forming an open rear triangle with one of said chain stay portions and a corresponding one of said seat stay portions on either side of said rear wheel assembly,
- said seat column portion providing a hollow common portion of said front and rear triangles and the other edges of the other two sides of said front triangle and the other two sides of said rear triangle substantially defining an outline of the geometry of said frame as viewed from one side thereof,
- and said tubular portions being integrally united by a plurality of common junctions and integrally uniting junctures to form a hollow unitary bicycle frame having two generally triangular shapes defined by said hollow portions and with said hollow common portion forming a side of each of said generally triangular shapes, said unitary bicycle frame comprising at least two adjacent wall sections each of which comprises at least one molded layer of fibrous material impregnated with a synthetic resin, each of said integrally uniting junctures comprising overlapping edges of adjacent wall sections, said overlapping edges being integrally united together to provide sufficiently intimate contact between the fibrous material of one of said overlapping edges and the fibrous material of the other of said overlapping edges for stress loadings to be transferred from fiber to fiber across each of said junctures, and said junctures and said adjacent wall sections providing a substantially continuous hollow shell of said resin impregnated fibrous material without abutting joints.
A cycle frame comprising a generally hollow unitary frame component extending longitudinally between and connecting at least two of a steering support means for supporting a fork assembly, a seat support means for supporting a seat assembly, a pedal support means for supporting a pedal assembly, and a wheel support means for supporting a wheel assembly;
- said generally hollow unitary frame component comprising at least two adjacent wall sections each of which comprises at least one molded layer of fibrous material impregnated with a synthetic resin, said adjacent wall sections being integrally united by at least one integrally uniting juncture comprising a pair of overlapping edges of said adjacent wall sections, said overlapping edges being integrally united together to provide sufficiently intimate contact between the fibrous material of one of said overlapping edges and the fibrous material of the other of said overlapping edges for stress loadings to be transferred from fiber to fiber across said juncture, and said juncture thereby providing a substantially continuous wall of said resin impregnated fibrous material around an interior cavity of said generally hollow unitary frame component.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.