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

这个小型企业创新研究的第一阶段项目是为了开发一种自动化制造工艺，用于生产由超高分子量聚乙烯（UHMWPE）和不锈钢混合结构组成的聚合物超轻型自行车辐条。使用创新的聚合物与金属连接，可以创造出比现代不锈钢辐条性能更好的自行车辐条。相比之下，钢辐条更重，不能有效地阻尼道路振动，并且更容易出现疲劳相关故障。这一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。大学里对新型高分子材料的研究正处于空前的高度。尽管如此，新材料的商业化仍存在差距，因为这些材料很难与其他常见的建筑材料（如不锈钢）相结合。这项工作将为新的先进聚合物产品的工艺开发提供基础知识和催化。它将使超高分子量聚乙烯和其他材料在新的应用中得以使用。该项目的智力优势在于开发了一种先进的制造工艺，能够进行复杂的操作，以生产新型聚合物-金属连接和整体眼接头。由于聚合物-金属连接的新颖性和眼接操作的复杂性，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uhmwpe -金属连接过程自动化和优化的关键步骤。这个第一阶段项目的预期结果是一个原型自动化辐条制造过程。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

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.