SBIR Phase I: Advanced Manufacturing of Ultra High Molecular Weight Polyethylene and Metal Hybrid Structures for Bicycle Spokes

该小型企业创新研究第一阶段项目旨在开发聚合物、超轻自行车辐条的自动化制造工艺，该辐条由超高分子量聚乙烯（UHMWPE）和不锈钢混合结构组成。使用创新的聚合物-金属连接允许创建一个自行车辐条，性能优于现代不锈钢辐条。相比之下，钢轮辐更重，不能有效地阻尼道路振动，并且更容易发生与疲劳相关的故障。这项创新的目标市场是高端自行车辐条市场，价值超过1亿美元。大学对新聚合物材料的研究正处于历史最高水平。尽管如此，在新材料的商业化方面存在差距，因为这些材料难以与其他常见的建筑材料（例如不锈钢）接合。这项工作将有助于基础知识，并促进新的先进聚合物产品的工艺开发。它将使UHMWPE和其他材料能够在新的应用中使用。该项目的智力价值是开发一种先进的制造工艺，能够进行生产新型聚合物-金属连接和整体孔眼接头所需的复杂操作。由于聚合物-金属连接的新奇和孔眼拼接操作的复杂性，这些类型的连接在今天的大批量纺织品制造中没有实践。研究目标包括验证过程自动化的关键步骤和金属连接的优化。该项目第一阶段的预期成果是一个原型自动化辐条制造过程。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并已被认为是值得通过评估使用基金会的智力价值和更广泛的影响审查标准的支持。

This Small Business Innovation Research Phase I project is for the development of an automated manufacturing process for polymeric, ultra-lightweight, bicycle spokes composed of an ultra high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) and stainless steel hybrid structure. The use of an innovative polymer-to-metal connection allows for the creation of a bicycle spoke that out-performs modern stainless steel spokes. In comparison, steel spokes are heavier, do not effectively damp road vibrations, and are more prone to fatigue related failure. The target market for this innovation is the high-end bicycle spoke market, which is valued at over $100M. The research of new polymeric materials at universities is at an all-time high. Despite this, there exists a gap in the commercialization of new materials because of the difficulty in interfacing these materials to other common construction materials, such as stainless steel. This work will contribute fundamental knowledge to and catalyze the development of processes for new advanced polymer products. It will enable the use of UHMWPE and other materials in new applications. The intellectual merit of this project is the development of an advanced manufacturing process capable of the complex manipulation necessary for the production of novel polymer-to-metal connections and integral eye splices. These types of connections are not practiced in high-volume textile manufacturing today due to the novelty of the polymer-to-metal connection and the complexity of the eye splice operation. The research objectives include validating the key steps for process automation and optimization of the UHMWPE-metal connection. The anticipated outcome of this Phase I project is a prototype automated spoke manufacturing process.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.