Design of a single–sided composite swing arm for racing motorcycles

The single–sided rear swing arm for a racing motorcycle is redesigned with composite materials to further improve on an existing successful cast metal version. Capitalizing on the distinguished properties of carbon–epoxy laminates and sandwich constructions, the new design is optimized numerically for reduced weight and like stiffness in comparison with the metal counterpart. The goal is achieved with the best composite arm leading to slightly increased torsional stiffness (+l0%) and substantially reduced mass (–30%) and mass moment of inertia (40%). The construction of a non–structural fibreglass model is finally described which provides considerable insight into the actual fabrication process.