UK Students Produce Folding Composite Bike Prototype
by RL Policar
Students involved in a joint project between South East Derbyshire College and Nottingham Trent University have produced a carbon/glass fibre folding bicycle using the college’s composite centre.
The joint project was orchestrated by the tutors at South East Derbyshire College’s purpose-built Composites training centre and a group of Mechanical Engineering students from Nottingham Trent University. The project was part-funded by Polymer Sector Developments (PSD) as part of an initiative to enhance training opportunities in the composites industry.The five students were set the task of constructing a folding bike with a budget of 80 GBP. Some of the students opted to construct the bike from traditional aluminium materials with the addition of hinges, but one group opted to utilise the centres composite materials and facilities and construct the frame from a one-piece carbon/glass fibre construction.
