Front-wheel drive two-wheeler
A two -wheeled vehicle with front-wheel drive is a single-track vehicle that is powered solely by muscle or engine power via the front wheel. In general, front-wheel drive two - wheelers are rarer than those with rear-wheel drive . Bicycles first had pedal drive on the front wheel ( Michauline and Hochrad ) before rear-wheel drive was invented and standard with the safety low wheel . Today, front-wheel drive is almost only available on the recumbent bike . Right from the start, motorcycles almost always had a motor drive for the rear wheel. Among the few front-wheel drive motorcycles was thatSolex most common.
Physics and design features
The physics of two-wheeling is complex. The effects of dynamic wheel load distribution and weight shift on inclines are particularly important for two-wheelers with front-wheel drive . As a result of this shift in the center of gravity, the possible propulsion of two-wheelers with front-wheel drive is always well below the propulsion values that can be achieved by two-wheelers with rear-wheel drive. With pedal crank wheels, there are also side forces that affect the steering. Studies on the effects of the rotating masses of motors on the front axle and studies on roll angle acceleration for front-wheel drive two-wheelers are not known.
Muscle-powered two-wheelers usually have cranks . For electrically powered bicycles with front-wheel drive ( pedelec or electric bike ), a wheel hub motor is the current state of the art . Two-wheeled vehicles with two driven wheels ( all-wheel drive / 2 WD) are relatively rare .
Advantages, disadvantages and differentiation
The advantages of front-wheel drive vary depending on the design. Noteworthy are:
- simple construction for crank wheels
- Possibility of combining auxiliary engines with conventional bicycles
- low technical effort with drive with friction rollers ( Vélosolex )
- additional traction with all-wheel drive
Disadvantages of front-wheel drive are:
- the lower maximum power transmission compared to rear-wheel drive
- the unfavorable weight distribution with regard to the dynamic wheel load distribution
- complex technology with direct drive with combustion engines
Differentiation from confusable drive technologies: Front-wheel drive has a vehicle whose front wheel is driven.
- Two-wheelers with front-mounted propellers do not count as front-wheel drive vehicles. A project was carried out by Ernest Archdeacon in 1906 with a front-mounted propeller and illustrates the differentiation to front-wheel drive.
- Single-axle vehicles cannot have front-wheel drive. The Segway Personal Transporter has two wheels, but it is not considered a two-wheeler, but is defined as a "two-wheeled, multi-lane motor vehicle" and is therefore not a front-wheel drive two-wheeler.
- Multi-lane vehicles do not count as two-wheelers. An example from the field of bicycle technology is the so-called "moonbuggy".
Cycles
overview
The first two-wheelers were the so-called draisines , invented by Karl Drais in 1817 . The Frenchman Pierre Michaux developed and built the first pedal crank wheels from 1861 - also called Michauline. In 1866 , Pierre Lallement patented improvements of this type under the name "Lallement Velociped" . The name Velociped is borrowed from Latin ; it indicates the "quick foot". James Starley designed in 1870 the penny-farthing "Ariel" with the currently known form. Around 1890 the safety low wheel ended the era of the high wheels. Reasons were the lower risk of falling and the technical progress of the low wheels, in particular the drive via a roller chain and the pneumatic tire , which was invented by Dunlop in 1888 and by Michelin in 1889 . Safety wheels of this type were further perfected and have proven themselves to this day. The development of the safety bike meant the end of front-wheel drive in bicycles for almost 100 years. It wasn't until the end of the twentieth century that front-wheel drive was used again for new bicycle designs.
technology
The first two-wheelers with front-wheel drive were pedal crank wheels (Velocipede) and high wheels , which were powered by muscle power using pedal cranks attached directly to the axles . The latest developments in front-wheel drive bicycles have spawned recumbent bicycles and models such as the articulated steering bicycle and four-wheel drive mountain bikes . Most bicycles are powered by cranks because people can develop more strength in their legs than in their arms. Bicycles to be driven by the arm muscles are Handbikes called.
Motorcycles
Front-wheel drive systems were among the first motorcycle developments around 1900. Initially, very simple solutions such as belt drives or friction rollers were used. Later models with wheel hub motors were technically considerably more demanding. With the test motorcycle Drysdale 2x2x2 , the Australian Ian Drysdale realized a two-wheeler that, in addition to front and rear drive, also had front and rear steering with hydraulics .
Belts, chains, gears as drive elements
The brothers Werner presented in 1897 before their model "Motocyclette". The vehicle, which resembled a bicycle, had a belt drive. Numerous licenses have been granted for this model. The Cyklon Maschinenfabrik GmbH produced series motorcycles with front-wheel drive from 1900. A belt transmitted the power from the engine to the front wheel. The Zyklon model was discontinued in 1905. From 1919 on, Krupp produced the Krupp scooter in Essen , a small scooter ( called a motor runner ) with a motor attached to the side of the front wheel. The Rokon Trail-Breaker all-wheel drive motorcycle has been built since 1958. A special feature of the Rokon is the power distribution from the mid-engine, whose torque is transmitted to the wheels via chains and shafts. Other well-known models of these drive types are:
- NSU Motosulm , single-cylinder two-stroke engine, 63 cm³, 1.25 HP, top speed 35 km / h, drive (without gearbox) with chain; built as a ladies and gents bike (1931-1935)
- Flottweg , 98 cm³ (1918)
- Rex with belt drive, Possenhofen: FM31, FM32, FM50 49 cm³ (1947)
- Autoped Scooter, New York (USA), 155 cm³ (1915)
- Husqvarna Novolette, Sweden, belt drive
Friction drive with friction rollers
From a technical point of view, power transmission with friction rollers only makes sense in low-powered vehicles. Therefore, solutions for power transmission to the front wheel are mainly found in bicycle-like vehicles. The Ixion company produced one of the first motors with a friction roller drive. In 1903 the bicycle models Komet and Sigurd were presented with this motor. The Vélosolex brand moped (1946 to 1988, under license until today) is the most successful front-wheel drive two-wheeler to date with around 6 million units built. A friction roller transfers the power of the motor mounted directly above the front wheel to the tire. Other well-known models of this type are:
- Berini ( Be rnhard Neumann, Ri nus Bruynzeel, Ni co Groenendijk) M13 Rotterdam (1949 to 1961)
- Cymota, Motor Components Ltd., Birmingham
- Eilenriede, company Paffrath, Linz am Rhein (four-stroke engine with hanging cylinder)
- Flink, Motorenwerk Varel GmbH
- Ixion, auxiliary motor with friction roller drive
- Le Poulain, France
- Panther Baby, Pantherwerke Braunschweig , license production of the berini motor
- Topres, Landman & Co, Amsterdam, Netherlands
- WSK (similar to Velosolex), Poland
Wheel hub drives
Wheel hub drives are equipped with wheel hub motors. The wheel hub motor is an engine that is built directly into a wheel of a vehicle and at the same time supports the wheel hub so that part of the motor rotates with the wheel. In the field of two-wheelers with front-wheel drive, there are various technical solutions with and without gearbox.
With electric motors
Ferdinand Porsche applied for a patent for the first developments of wheel hub motors as early as 1896 . The latest developments are in the field of wheel hub motors for electric bikes . Depending on the drive power, they can be assigned to bicycles or motorcycles. In 2008, Panasonic introduced a wheel hub drive for bicycles that uses braking energy to recharge the batteries. This solution increases the range of electric bicycles. A system for the electric front-wheel drive of motorcycles was patented for KTM in 2008 . The system has few mechanics and can be adjusted to the driving operation using electronic control options. The concept of a motor scooter with front-wheel drive and articulated steering was granted a patent for Friedrich Grimm in 1999. New findings in electrical engineering make it possible to generate high torques using electric motors and new batteries with high capacities. The advances in these technologies are considerable and are documented by new world records for "Electrocross" and for top speeds.
With hydraulic motors
As a result of advances in hydraulic technology, hydraulic drives have been developed in the field of motorcycles. Systems have been developed for motocross that drive the front wheel in addition to the conventionally operated rear wheel. The Swedish company Öhlins developed a system of this kind in the early 1990s. These solutions are sometimes referred to as "2 WD" or "2 Trac" systems. Yamaha set corresponding models under the names YZ m 426 WR , WR450F and TT 600 R before. The Italian Antonio Colombo won the Sardinia Rallye 99 with a Yamaha TT 600 R 2WD equipped in this way. With these drive systems, a hydraulic pump , which is housed in the engine's gearbox, presses oil through flexible pressure lines to the front wheel. The oil drives a small hydraulic motor there, which takes over the front-wheel drive.
With combustion engines
The wheel hub motor of the Megola (from 1920) was a rotary motor that was part of the front wheel. About 2000 pieces were built. The Killinger & Freund motorcycle from 1938 was a further development of the Megola with three two-stroke engines in the front wheel connected via the transmission . The above models were the only motorcycles of this type. In the period that followed, direct drive with combustion engines was only used for bicycles with auxiliary motors . Well-known names of these models are “Velmo / Nordap” (wheel hub motor, Velmo Motoren GmbH, Hamburg 1951 to 1957) and “Wing Wheel” (wheel hub motor, Kromhout, Netherlands). The US American "RevoPower Inc." developed a new wheel hub two-stroke engine around 2005 for use as an auxiliary engine in bicycles. Only models and no production figures of this engine are known.
Historic front-wheel drive motorcycles
Cyklon motorcycle around 1900
Megola engine
Krupp front-wheel drive scooter
Fast-paced bike (engine works Varel)
Vélosolex S3800
See also
- Kamm circle - physics of grip limits of tires
- Articulated handlebar bike
literature
- Michael Gressmann: Bicycle Physics and Biomechanics. Delius Klasing, Bielefeld 2005 (9th supplementary edition), ISBN 3-7688-5222-9 .
- Matthias Kielwein, Hans-Erhard Lessing: Kaleidoscope of early bicycle and motorcycle technology 1. Kutschera, Leipzig 2005, ISBN 3-931965-13-9 .
- Matthias Murko: motorcycle legends. Tümmels, Nuremberg 1994, ISBN 3-921590-27-2 .
- Manfred Nabinger: bicycle motors, chair wheels and scooter rarities. Podzun, Brilon 2006, ISBN 3-86133-392-9 .
- Erwin Tragatsch : All motorcycles - 1894 to 1981. Motorbuch, Stuttgart 1976, ISBN 978-3-87943-410-7 .
Individual evidence
- ↑ Hans Rudolf Zeller, "Physics of Cycling" (accessed May 30, 2009)
- ↑ Kolling, "Formulas for climbing performance of two-wheelers" (accessed on May 30, 2009) ( Memento of November 2, 2007 in the Internet Archive )
- ↑ Thomas Ihle "Formulas for Roll Angle Acceleration in Two-Wheelers", Biker Journal, September 7, 2007 (viewed on May 30, 2009) ( page no longer available , search in web archives ) Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ Ralf Roletschek, image Moonbuggy, two-lane bicycle technology with front-wheel drive (viewed on May 30, 2009)
- ↑ Velociped patent specification for Pierre Lallement, (accessed May 30, 2009)
- ↑ Mountain bike with four-wheel drive, Jeep® Rubicon ™ AWD, official product description (accessed May 30, 2009)
- ^ Personal developments of Ian Drysdale ( Memento of February 2, 2006 in the Internet Archive )
- ↑ "Drysdale's unique 2-wheel drive, 2-wheel steering motorcycle up for grabs" in: Gizmag, Australian technology magazine (viewed on June 3, 2016)
- ↑ Original representation of a motocyclette (Werner) ( Memento from July 8, 2012 in the web archive archive.today )
- ↑ a b c d Ixion and other front drives for two-wheelers (accessed on May 30, 2009) ( Memento from January 4, 2013 in the web archive archive.today )
- ↑ Rokon official company website. Retrieved August 30, 2013 .
- ↑ Rokon off-road motorcycle, history, technical drawings, data. Retrieved August 30, 2013 .
- ^ Rokon all-wheel-drive motorcycle , schematic drawing (accessed May 30, 2009)
- ↑ REX Fahrradmotor FM 40, 1954, description (German) (accessed May 30, 2009)
- ↑ Husqvarna Novolette (accessed May 30, 2009)
- ↑ Berini M13 Info (accessed May 30, 2009)
- ↑ Cymota, Swedish website (consulted on 30 May 2009)
- ↑ Eilenriede auxiliary engine description and picture (accessed on May 30, 2009)
- ↑ Flink Motoren Pictures (accessed May 30, 2009)
- ↑ Le Poulain, images (accessed May 30, 2009)
- ↑ Panther Baby Pictures (accessed May 30, 2009)
- ↑ Topres Landman & Co, Amsterdam, Netherlands (picture information) (accessed May 30, 2009)
- ↑ WSK image info (viewed on May 30, 2009)
- ↑ Patent for AWD with electric drive for motorcycles, KTM (accessed May 30, 2009)
- ↑ Development history of AWD for motorcycles KTM (viewed on May 30, 2009) ( Memento of the original from February 8, 2009 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ Patent specification "Einspuriges Zweirad" granted in 1999 to Friedrich Grimm (viewed on May 30, 2009)
- ↑ 24 Hours of Electriccross, The Auto Channel, (accessed May 31, 2009)
- ↑ Ulrich Hilgefort, "New electric speed record", c't, (accessed on May 31, 2009)
- ↑ Description of all-wheel drive technology for motorcycles (viewed on May 30, 2009) ( Memento of the original of February 8, 2009 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ "Secrets of Ohlins' 2-wheel drive R1 revealed" (accessed June 3, 2016)
- ↑ All- wheel-drive motorcycle YZM 426 WR "2 Trac" system from Yamaha (accessed June 3, 2016)
- ↑ WR450F "2 Trac" system from Yamaha ( accessed August 30, 2013)
- ↑ Sascha Zdrahal: Technology all-wheel drive Yamaha TT 600 R 2WD - motorcycles. In: motorradonline.de. February 28, 2000, accessed December 28, 2018 .
- ↑ Velmo Pictures (accessed May 30, 2009)
- ↑ Wing Wheel pictures (accessed May 30, 2009)
- ↑ Paul Crowe, RevoPower Wheel , in The Knees lids. (accessed June 3, 2016)
