Electric green machine
The RGV-E bike, designed, developed by engineers Brendan Rice and Matt Bagshawe and rider/mechanic Russell Licence, is of light weight construction (total weight 110Kg) and with a top speed of 90mph
Its was a case of green meets green when energy-efficient surface heat treatment proved to be the ideal way of strengthening a critical component on an environmentally-friendly electric motorbike.
Specialist subcontractor Flame Harderners had the answer when engineers Brendan Rice and Matt Bagshawe and rider/mechanic Russell Licence wanted to harden a critical steel sprockett on their RGV-E bike. The light weight electric bike weighs just 110kg and has a top speed of 90mph. Their plan is to enter it in the eGrandPrix, an international series of zero carbon, clean emission races for electric motorcycles.
“We’re just three mates having a go,” says Brendan. “We all ride motorbikes and Matt is a bit of a technical boffin. What started as a passing remark has now turned us to actually building a bike.”
The front drive sprocket, which is mounted directly to the electric motor, is manufactured from EN8 steel.“It’s a critical component, which was bespoke manufactured for the bike, so it’s important that it lasts well.”
Surface heat treatment is a particularly energy efficient and versatile hardening process for both large and small batches of components as heat is applied only to the specific area that requires hardening, whereas other forms of heat treatment usually heat the total volume of the component. In the case of the motorcycle sprocket, only the teeth were hardened.
The techniques give wear resistant surfaces, which improves the fatigue strength. In addition, it permits the use of cheaper alloy steels, and produces less distortion that other forms of heat treatment, resulting in reduced finishing operations and shorter processing times.
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