600-FKM (FYP1-PP-Rev.

03)

FAKULTI KEJURUTERAAN MEKANIKAL

FINAL YEAR PROJECT

PROPOSAL

TITLE :

DESIGN AND ANALYSIS OF

ELECTRIC MOTORCYCLE FRAME
(DESIGN AND ANALYSIS)

STUDENT NAME : MUHAMMAD AFIQ DINIY BIN SABUDDIN

STUDENT ID : 2020452816

SUPERVISOR : PROF. MADYA IR. DR. AMIR RADZI AB. GHANI

FACULTY OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING

UNIVERSITI TEKNOLOGI MARA (UiTM)

SEMESTER 07 SESSION 2022-2023

 600-FKM (FYP1-PP-Rev.03)

1. PROJECT SUMMARY

Nowadays, the implementation of electric vehicle (EV) have been widely used in order to
cope with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) assisted by the advancement of Internet
of Things (IoT). Hence, a further research on electric vehicle must be done in order to
increase the safety of the electric vehicle utilization in the future. An electric motorcycle
frame is to be designed and analysed using simulation. The frame will be subjected to various
loading conditions. The frame must have sufficient strength and rigidity to ensure safe
handling and safety of the rider and pillion. The electric motorcycle frame will be design
using CATIA software and will be further analyzed using ANSYS software. Two variables
will be manipulated which are the the physical dimensions and the materials that will be use
for the frame in order to see the static and dynamic loading in this study.

2. INTRODUCTION/BACKGROUND

According to the statistics of road fatalities in the year between 2010 and 2019
collected by Ministry of Transportation (MOT) Malaysia, motorcycle casualties cases have a
staggering amount of 59 percent from the overall total cases. A lot of research and
development have been done towards the chassis of internal combustion engine motorcycle in
order to increase safe maneuver. However, there are not much of research and development
that have been done towards electric motorcycle. Nowadays, people have been utilizing
electric vehicle (EV) produced by company such as Tesla thanks to the advancement of
Internet of Things (IoT) technology. The main structure of a motorcycle is its chassis. The
chassis or frame of a motorcycle acts as its skeleton. The purposes of this research are to
design the chassis for the electric vehicle using CATIA software, and analyze the simulation
of the maneuver and crash of the chassis using ANSYS software. The chassis will be
subjected to myriad of loading conditions and should have sufficient strength in order to
ensure safe handling and safety of the rider and pillion. There are not much readily available
chassis design of electric motorcycle for improvement. Hence, the research scope is wide in
order to find the best chassis design for the electric motorcycle. The chassis of the internal
combustion engine motorcycle differs from electric motorcycle due to different parts and
components positioning. The design of the majority of these motorcycles is rather
straightforward, while some electric motorcycles have more unusual layouts, some of which
even have hollow rear wheels. Big lithium-ion batteries and an electric motor that propels the
rear tyre are used in place of the internal combustion engine that typically powers a

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motorcycle instead in electric models. Materials that will be used for the chassis in this
research are aluminum and steel with vary dimension and thickness in order to get the best
result with fully functional design. Deflection, maximum stress, and maximum equilateral
stress are crucial design factors for the chassis. Resources needed to operate the internal
combustion engine are depleting rapidly and the costs are getting higher. On top of that, these
internal combustion engines are badly affecting the climate changes. These advancement of
the electric vehicle (EV) technology will fulfil the 7th and 13th Sustainable Development
Goals (SDG) which are affordable and clean energy, and climate action respectively.

2.1 Literature review

One of the most important issues facing contemporary society globally is the issue of
greenhouse gas emissions. [1] We should all switch to green energy because of the high
pollution and global warming levels. The limited resources of conventional are another factor,
in addition to pollution and health concerns. More than 75% of the air pollution is brought on
by automobiles, and a third of it is brought on by the resources utilised by transportation
vehicles, such as fuel. [6] Motorcycles are a popular mode of transportation in developing
countries, not only because they are inexpensive to buy, but also because they allow for more
flexible mobility, with the electric approach being a promising solution. Electric motorcycles
are replacing ICE motorcycles in various parts of the world, resulting in environmental and
energy savings. [1] Every one of the electronic motorcycle's parts are measured and examined
for the simulation model's assessment. [8] To establish the limitations, requirements, and
objectives of the final design, benchmarking of the top electric motorcycles on the
marketplace was carried out throughout the research phase. The location of the donor
motorcycle's centre of gravity and the coordinates of significant three-dimensional spots were
identified in order to design for these objectives. [5] The frame of the motorcycle has six
degrees of freedom (DOF) since the positioning and orientation of each body in space are
completely determined by six factors, which are the three coordinates of a point (x,y,z) and
three angles (yaw, roll, pitch). [3] The frames support the maximal operating load, which is
made up of the maximum payload mass and the curb body mass. [2] The added weight of the
electrical parts (motor, controller, and battery) needs to be able to fit into the standard electric
motorcycle frames. [9] Motorcycle chassis are classified into two types: statics and dynamics.
In terms of statics, the chassis must be able to support the weight of the rider, engine,
transmission, and any necessary accessories such as fuel and oil tanks. In terms of dynamics,

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the chassis should be capable of providing precise steering, good road holding, vehicle
manoeuvrability, and riding comfort. [10] Using numerical simulations, how the integrated
motion control, trajectory tracking, and balance control of the automated motorcycle is shown.
The proposed algorithms are currently being experimentally tested on an actual motorcycle
prototype. [11] For various loading situations, its structural analysis, modal analysis, side
impact, and front impact analyses in CAE software will be carried out. [6] To determine the
optimal materials for the chassis in terms of strength, price, and chassis mass, the simulation
analysed the stress, safety factor, and deformation of a similar structure made of various
materials. [7]

2.2 Problem statement and objectives

Problem Statement
Motorcycle is a vehicle that is mostly used by road users and have the highest casualties rate
among other vehicle. Implementation of electric vehicle (EV) like electric motorcycle on the
road is escalating gradually. However, there are not much research on the electric vehicle
compared to interal combustion engine vehicle. Therefore, research regarding safety and
performance of the electric motorcycle especially on the frame must be done thoroughly to
ensure safe utilization for the rider and pillion. Hence, this study will disclose the effect of
static and dynamic loading on the frame of the electric motorcycle.

Objectives

The main objectives of this study are:

1) To design the frame of the electric motorcycle using CATIA software.
2) To simulate the effect of static and dynamic loading of the electric motorcycle using
ANSYS software.
3) To analyze the effect of static and dynamic loading static and dynamic loading
towards the frame of the electric motorcycle.

2.3 Scope and limitation of the project

This research will employ two phases which are designing and analysis of the electric
motorcycle frame. Statics and dynamics are the main aspect to be analyzed through this
research. The design will be done by using computer aided design (CAD) which is CATIA
software. Meanwhile, The simulation and analysis will be done using ANSYS software. The
electric motorcycle frame will be subjected to various loading conditions and crash

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simulation will be run on the subject. The finite element analysis results will be taken for data
comparison between the manipulated variables.
There are few limitations of the project which are the materials used for the built of the
frame and physical dimension of the frame. The materials that will be used are aluminum and
steel. Meanwhile, the physical dimensions variables are the thickness and diameter. Apart
from that, this study does not include the study of the chassis of the internal combustion
engine chassis.

3. METHODOLOGY

Figure 1: Research method for design and analysis of electric motorcycle frame

First and foremost of this research, literature review on the electric motorcycle frame must be
done in terms of frame design and static and dynamic analysis. Then, the electric motorcycle
is to be designed using computer aided design (CAD) software which CATIA software will
be put into work, Next, the electric motorcycle frame will be subjected to static and dynamic
loading simulation with various loading conditions. Finite element analysis using ANSYS
software will be conducted to the frame of the electric motorcycle with static and dynamic
loading conditions. The variables of this research are the materials of the frame that will be
used which are aluminum and steel, and another variable of the analysis simulation would be
the physical dimensions of the chassis which are the thickness and diameter of the frame. The
result for the simulation will be reviewed and compared to find the best material and physical
dimension. These result will be compared to the standard of the automotive vehicle safety.

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4. EXPECTED RESULTS

Figure 2: Total deformation of electric motorcycle frame (expected)

Figure 3: Maximum principal stress of electric motorcycle frame (expected)

The entire structure is trustworthy for the requirements, safe, and light-weight. Although
many analyses, including fatigue tests and buckling, can be performed to uncover our
harmful or unreliable outcomes, analysis results also show to be significantly safer.

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Preliminary result

Figure 4: Meshing of electric motorcycle frame (preliminary)

Figure 5: Loading conditions of electric motorcycle frame (preliminary)

Figure 6: Total deformation of electric motorcycle frame (preliminary)

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Figure 7: Maximum principal stress of electric motorcycle frame (preliminary)

Figure 8: Maximum principal strain of electric motorcycle frame (preliminary)

The meshing were done and obtained as in Figure 4 and various boundary and loading
conditions were setup as in Figure 5. The total deformation was accumulated as in Figure 6
which is 8.6367 mm. The total deformation of the preliminary result in higher compared to
the expected result. Maximum principal stress was 88.78 MPa as in Figure 7 and maximum
principal strain was 0.0012113 m/m as in Figure 8.

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5. REFERENCES

[1] Afonso JL, Cardoso LAL, Pedrosa D, Sousa TJC, Machado L, Tanta M, et al. A
review on power electronics technologies for electric mobility. Energies [Internet].
2020;13(23):6343. Available from: http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/en13236343

[2] Arifurrahman F, Indrawanto, Budiman BA, Santosa SP. Static analysis of an electric
three-wheel vehicle. In: 2018 5th International Conference on Electric Vehicular
Technology (ICEVT). IEEE; 2018.

[3] Cossalter V, Lot R, Massaro M. Motorcycle Dynamics. Modelling, Simulation and

Control of Two-Wheeled Vehicles. 2014;1–42. Available from:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/9781118536391.ch1

[4] Cossalter V, Torre D, Lot G, Massaro R. An advanced multibody model for the
analysis of motorcycle dynamics. InInternational conference on mechanical
engineering and mechanics. 2009;

[5] Drummond E, Condro P, Cotton B, Cox C, Pinegar A, Vickery K, et al. Design and
construction of an electric motorcycle. In: 2019 Systems and Information Engineering
Design Symposium (SIEDS). IEEE; 2019.

[6] International journal of advanced research in science, communication and technology.

Naksh Solutions; 2020.

[7] Jeyapandiarajan P, Kalaiarassan G, Joel J, Shirbhate R, Felix Telare F, Bhagat A.

Design and analysis of chassis for an electric motorcycle. Mater Today [Internet].
2018;5(5):13563–73. Available from: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.matpr.2018.02.352

[8] Pirker F, Simic D, Bäuml T, Noll M. Modeling, optimization and realization of an

electrical off-road motorbike. In Unpublished; 2008.

[9] Sumbodo W, Wahyudi W, Setiadi R, Kriswanto K, Arif B Febrian. Design and

fabrication of electric bike with sliding frame. Istraz Proj Za Privredu [Internet].
2021;19(4):948–53. Available from: http://dx.doi.org/10.5937/jaes0-28957

[10] Wong YJ, Hashim MSM, Shahriman AB, Rahman A, Azizul Aziz I, Saad MAM, et al.
Study on modal and harmonic response analysis by modifying motorcycle chassis
using finite element method. J Phys Conf Ser [Internet]. 2021;2051(1):012004.
Available from: http://dx.doi.org/10.1088/1742-6596/2051/1/012004

[11] Yi J, Song D, Levandowski A, Jayasuriya S. Trajectory tracking and balance

stabilization control of autonomous motorcycles. In: Proceedings 2006 IEEE
International Conference on Robotics and Automation, 2006 ICRA 2006. IEEE; 2006.

[12] Zorko D, Černe B, Tavčar J, Demšar I. Towards agile product development – an

empirical study on an e-bike drive. Proc Des Soc [Internet]. 2021;1:3209–18.
Available from: http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/pds.2021.582

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Appendix 1 (GANTT CHART FOR PROJECT PLANNING)

Plan
PROJECT PLANNING
DESIGN AND ANALYSIS OF ELECTRIC MOTORCYCLE FRAME Actual

YEAR 2022 2023

Final Year Project 1 Final Year Project 2
PROJECT ACTIVITIES 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14

FINDING ARTICLE

LITERATURE REVIEW

DESIGN ELECTRIC
MOTORCYCLE FRAME
SIMULATION OF FINITE
ELEMENT ANALYSIS
REPORT AND PRESENTATION
PREPARATION
MEASURING THE ACTUAL
ELECTRIC MOTORCYCLE
REDESIGN THE FRAME USING
ACTUAL MEASUREMENT
SIMULATION USING FINITE
ELEMENT ANALYSIS
RESULT FOR SIMULATION
ANALYSIS
PREPARING REPORT

PREPARING POSTER

PREPARING PRESENTATION

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