Shock Absorber Made of Natural Rubber for Motorcycle

Abstract

The objective of this research is to design and fabricate the lightweight shock absorber made of natural rubber for motorcycle which has the stiffness and damping property like the commercial shock absorber. The study was carried out in four main steps. Firstly, the commercial shock absorber was tested for its damping and spring stiffness property. Secondly, the rubber material was formulated and tested to obtain the desired mechanical properties. Thirdly, the shock absorber made of natural rubber was designed and analyzed using the finite element method to investigate the corresponding to commercial shock absorber model. Finally, the prototype of the shock absorber made of natural rubber was fabricated and tested. The results of the prototype testing showed that the weight of the shock absorber made of natural rubber was lower than the commercial shock absorber about 25%. The damping and stiffness property of the shock absorber made of natural rubber was different from the commercial shock absorber around 11% and 9%, respectively. The implementation of the shock absorber made of natural rubber in the real motorcycle and its further fatigue life tested with different frequencies should be studied in the future.