Question: 1 ) Replacing a super - lightweight alloy seatpost on a bicycle with a polymer - composite seatpost can save up to 1 4 pound

1)Replacing a super-lightweight alloy seatpost on a bicycle with a polymer-composite
seatpost can save up to 14 pound of weight for a bicycle (but costs about 3x more). I broke several
polymer-composite seatposts on my mountain bike (shown in photos below) and did some analysis to
better understand the way the stresses are applied.
If we use a continuous and aligned fiber-reinforced polymer composite, we can meet the minimum
strength requirements if the elastic modulus along the fiber direction is 60 GPa and perpendicular to the
fiber direction is 8.5 GPa . One seatpost manufacturer (AX Lightness Europa) uses Kevlar KM2 aramid
fibers in a West Systems 105/209 epoxy matrix. The properties of the materials in the AX Lightness
Europa seatpost and other available materials are in the table below. Some important questions arise:
a. If I purchase this AX Lightness Europa seatpost, am I likely to break it?(That is, will the elastic
modulus criteria described above be met? Justify your response with a calculation or series of
calculations in a spreadsheet).
b. If the AX Lightness Europa composite seatpost is expected to break, please select the combination of
available materials from the table below meeting the modulus requirements and minimizing the weight.
Again, use calculations and/or a spreadsheet to justify your selection and include these in your
response. *a medicinal plant native to the Amazon.
The both slides consists of same question one continued by another please keep it in mind and answer properly
1 ) Replacing a super - lightweight alloy

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