Electric Cargo Bike Shaft Design & Optimisation
Project Overview
Designed and optimised a drivetrain shaft for an electric cargo trike, focusing on improving structural integrity, transmission efficiency, safety, and long-term durability through an iterative engineering design process.
Tools & Methods
- Stress Analysis
- Material Selection
- Bearing Life Evaluation
- Transmission Design
- Design Iteration
- Engineering Calculations
Project Details
First iteration focused on shaft geometry, material selection and diameter optimisation to minimise stress concentrations, cost and embodied carbon.
Second iteration evaluated materials via stress analysis, selecting manganese-molybdenum steel as the optimal balance between strength, cost and sustainability.
Third iteration developed a chain drive system to improve efficiency, reliability and contamination resistance compared to alternative belt systems.
Fourth iteration optimised chain length and sprocket selection to minimise mass and energy consumption.
Final iteration improved safety by increasing shaft length, introducing threaded ends, and replacing circlips with locking nuts to enhance wheel retention and overall structural security.
Key Results
- Optimised shaft design achieved improved structural performance while reducing unnecessary material usage.
- Material selection improved cost efficiency while maintaining sufficient strength under peak loading conditions.
- Chain drive system improved long-term reliability and reduced maintenance requirements.
- Bearing and housing selection ensured decade-long fatigue life under expected operating conditions.
- Final design iteration significantly improved assembly safety and wheel retention security.
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