American Chopper Modelling

Objective – Modelling and Assembly of an American Chopper in Solid works using surfacing and Part modelling workbenches.

Link to part and assembly files - https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1QiZS_CUoIxCGAffj9moV-4Yy1NqI4tQ2

List of parts which were modelled

1. Transmission belt
2. Rear Wheel
3. Rear Fender
4. Pedal
5. Oil Tank
6. Kickstand
7. Fuel Tank
8. Front Fork
9. Front Fender
10. Front Wheel
11. Engine
12. Chassis
13. Chain

Sketches were fully defined and appearance were provided to give realistic preview to the design.

Transmission Belt

It is a simple model. A sketch is drawn on the front plane and later on made into a 3d part using Boss Extrude. It connects the engine with the transmission.

Rear Wheel

It consists of mainly 5 solid bodies – Rim, tire, rotor, sprocket and caliper.

Circular part of the rim makes contact with tire is modelled using the revolve command, ribs were challenging but were created using boss extrude, cut extrude and circular pattern features.

Rotors and sprockets were created using offset boss extrude and holes for heat dissipation were made using circular pattern. Caliper were modelled on the face of the rotor.

Rear Fender

It is a simple part, after revolving the basic sketch into 3d, split command was used to consume the part to obtain the desired shape. Fender was hollowed in the inside face using shell command of 4mm thickness.

Pedal

Main structure of the pedal was sketched using spline, required relationships like tangency, spline handle dimensions were given so that required curvature of the pedal is obtained. Pedal position offers a really great riding posture to the rider.

Oil Tank

Two different sketches were drawn in two planes and later combine option with common as operation type was selected to obtain the required geometry. Shell was used to make the tank hollow.

Kick Stand

It is attached to the chassis, loft feature was used to join two different profiles into a solid with guidance of a centerline guide. Domes and fillet operations were done to keep the model ergonomically good.

Fuel Tank

Surface workbench was mainly used to create this model. Surface sweep operation to create the top part of the tank, sketch of the profile and guide curve were required to complete the sweep. Project curves used to project sketches on another sketches, i.e. sketches were drawn on different planes but the intersection of the projections were made into a curve. After mirroring the surfaces were knit together. Boundary surfaces were used to create surfaces in two different directions of the profiles. Later the model was shelled.

Front Forks

Basically contains forks, handle and headlights. Forks were created using revolve feature. Two fork plates keeps the forks and handle in single part. An axle is modelled between the two forks. Basic part features like extrude, linear pattern and cut extrude were used. New feature like body copy/ move was used to copy another headlight.

Project curves were used to sketch the handle as it a single sketch could not properly define it.

Front Fender

The modelling was done similar to the rear fender.

Front Wheel

The modelling was done similar to the rear wheel, sprockets are absent in this case

Engine

A blue print was used to create this model. First the crankcase and transmission box created using extrude and round fillets. The teeth’s for the transmissions belts were created using boss extrudes.

Starter motor was modelled and attached to the main body using boss extrude, convert entities were used in sketching stage of the motor.

The twin engine block were created by making a plane, at an angle. Fins were created cut extruding and then giving linear pattern with spacing and instances. Block was split into a separate body and then mirrored across the right plane.

Intake were created using sweep extrude. Exhaust pipes were created using composite curves by combining two project curves.

Chassis

It holds the all parts of the chopper together. It consists mainly of plates and pipes. Pipes and plates were tackled with sweep extrude. Where pipes needed curve it was done using project curves feature, they in turn were used to guide curve for sweep.

A design iteration had to be done as the rear plate intersected the chain.

Chain

Chain is made of rivets, inner plate and outer plate, they made into blocks. Circular pattern and boss extrude used to make this model. It connects the engine to the rear wheel via sprocket.

Assembly

Parts were mated together using standard mates like concentricity, tangent and advanced mates like limit angle to restrict the rotational movement certain like kickstand , front handle.

Rendering

Solidworks visualize was used for rendering. Scenes were applied to add more realistic look to the model.

Conclusion

Part modelling and surface modelling workbenches of solid works were put into use.The first model just after the ideation phase was modelled and rendered.