Development of an Internally-Driven Engine-Propelled Bicycle Wheel

An innovative pedal-assist system for bicycles has been designed and demonstrated by RevoPower Inc. This system incorporates a single-cylinder piston-ported two stroke engine, mounted radially within the front wheel hub of a bicycle. This design is light, compact, and easily adaptable to any common bicycle. However, this application presents some unique challenges for the engine and drivetrain. This paper describes a project undertaken to further develop this self-contained engine-driven bicycle wheel to improve its performance and reduce its noise emission. As described, a variety of computational end experimental techniques were used to analyze and improve the initial engine and wheel design. The work presented here resulted in a tripling of engine power over the baseline configuration, and a simultaneous overall sound reduction of nearly 20 dB(A).