Application of Adhesion Technique to Motorcycles

As the material for the swing arms of motorcycles, aluminum is becoming popular to reduce their weight in recent years. Usually their cast body and pipe arms are welded together. The new “weld-free swing arms” introduced in this paper, the adhesive and bolts are adopted for joining, and forged arms are used instead of the pipe. As advantages of forged arms, engineers are capable to design freely and styling designers to take fine key elements in consideration. The adhesive coupling has many advantages listed below:

• *
  Better appearance:
  • No welding bead
• *
  Cost reduction:
  • Less man hour and simplified jigs
• *
  Improved dimensional precision:
  • No thermal strain caused by welding
• *
  Improved swing arm performance:
  • Light and strong
• *
  Upgraded work environment
  • Elimination of unpleasant elements
• *
  Easy work:
  • No special skills
• *
  Predictable strength:
  • No variation by welder's skill