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· On the basis of the shape-independent
selection method just used, six materials seem to meet the strength
criterion.
· Steel
(Reynolds
531), a common choice, is slightly below the criterion.
· The titanium
alloy is expensive and essentially
equivalent in performance to the aluminum alloy.
· The aluminum
alloy (7075-T6) is easily fabricated, and the
T6 heat treatment can be used to control its properties
· The carbon
fiber reinforced polymer is the best performer
but is expensive to fabricate and maintain dimension tolerances.
· Wood is an interesting possibility,
but tube fabrication is not easy and dimensional stability is an issue,
however bamboo bicycles have been fabricated.
· Among these possibilities, final selection can be made on the
basis of other criteria such as manufacturing and economics.
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