Ifsttar PhD subject

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Title : Cyclist's model for innovative bicycle design and for cycling infrastructure assessment

Main host Laboratory - Referent Advisor AME - EASE  -  VANDANJON Pierre-Olivier      tél. : +33 240845634

Director of the main host Laboratory DO Minh-Tan  -

PhD Speciality mécatronique

Axis of the performance contract 1 - COP2017 - Efficient transport and safe travel

Main location Nantes

Doctoral affiliation

PhD school Mathématiques, STIC

Planned PhD supervisor VANDANJON Pierre-Olivier  -  Université Gustave Eiffel  -  AME - SPLOTT

Planned financing Autre   - Estaca

Abstract

Faced with social, economic and ecological challenges, public urban mobility policies make cycling a major development axis for passenger transport and, more recently, for goods transport[European project FCCP].

This renewed interest in cycling leads to numerous innovations in bicycle, particularly for electrically-assisted bicycles: electrical assistance strategy, propulsion chain (architecture, mechanical components, energy storage systems (fuel cells, supercapacitors or new generations of batteries), infrastructure through the significant development of cycling tracks, are also one of the major elements improving bicycle use.

ESTACA'Lab, the research laboratory of ESTACA, School of Engineering in the field of transport and new mobility, has a strong competence in the development of vehicle propulsion system architecture and in particular on the hybridisation of energy sources[9]. This competence has been transposed and developed for the electrically assisted bicycle, where human energy is the main propulsion energy complemented by electrical energy. Traditionally, the electric-assisted bicycle is a parallel hybrid architecture where electrical energy is stored when stopped by the electrical grid and then spent on demand during the journey. The introduction of a serial hybrid architecture (pedal motorcycle + motorcycle wheel + buffer storage system not connectable to the electricity grid) allows only human energy to be used as the primary energy source[10][11]. In addition, this architecture decouples the pedalling speed from the forward speed of the bike. It therefore allows a much smoother management of the cyclist's effort, avoiding the appearance of premature fatigue, thus increasing the autonomy of movement[12]. The first studies were supported at the local level by the Laval metropolitan area and allowed the development of a static test bench, consisting of a tricycle and an interchangeable component allowing the study of various mechanical and electrical components, as well as the prototyping of an energy management control law. A second development phase was based on the implementation of a CIFRE thesis with the company STEE and the Laboratoire Ampère (CNRS). The scientific objective of this thesis is to dimension the electrical storage source by comparing two solutions: supercapacitors and Li-Ion batteries. Once chosen, the sizing of the propulsion chain (engine, generator and intelligent energy management system) can be developed. One of the first challenges was to show that the performance and cost of this architecture were not detrimental compared to conventional bicycles[11][12]. The industrial objective is the development of rolling prototypes to prove the concept, but also by taking into account performance and cost constraints from the design stage. The development of this new architecture was carried out with multi-domain models including that of the cyclist. However, this "simplistic" model needs to be developed to allow future improvements in the design and sizing of the series hybrid bike. It will allow comparisons to be made between different architectures with different components. To obtain this model, we will have to have an instrumented bike adapted to the dimensioning factors and do a riding campaign. It will also be interesting to be able to remove an average driving cycle, as there are currently some for the automotive industry (NEDC - WLTP). This allows cars to be sized and compared regardless of their propulsion mode.

For its part, Gustave Eiffel University has a strong skill in cycling studies and has initiated research on the energy and environmental assessment of cycling infrastructure through the targeted Cycleval initiative.
Major French cities have maps of pollutants, noise, traffic and a precise location of cycling equipment. This thesis will allow a coupling between these different sources of information with a cyclist's energy model in order to provide better localized information and better adapted to the preparation of bicycle trips (user) or to the planning of bicycle facilities (manager).
For the latter, surveys were proposed in order to assess macroscopically the potential for cycling and walking in a district[Pikora]. On the scale of a small network of cycling equipment, visual surveys are used instead[Gallanis]. On the scale of a larger network, Cerema has developed a device for inspecting cycling facilities disorders: the Vel'audit[3]. Ifsttar has recently developed an instrumented bicycle based on a versatile architecture that mainly allows the evaluation of the energy to be spent by a cyclist to cover a route. This research equipment benefits from skills acquired on road surfaces ([Coiret]).
For cyclists, there are a large number of smartphone navigation applications (for example, in France, the geovélo application). In addition to these tools developed specifically for cycling, environmental data are also freely available in major French cities: noise maps, maps of various regulated pollutants. Thus, the urban citizen has access on his smartphone to the pollution level of his city (for example, the French " plume " application on smartphone) and he can know when to practise sports, especially cycling.
However, while each of these tools is relevant to the target audience, they remain isolated. A combined approach would improve their performance. For example, pollution located on a point on the route where the cyclist is in the middle of an effort is considered more negative than pollution located at a point where the cyclist makes a normal effort. There is currently no tool to inform the cyclist and the contracting authority about these black spots.
This thesis will make it possible to link the available environmental data and cyclist models to propose a continuous multi-criteria evaluation of cycle routes. Thus, the cyclist has relevant information about his journey in terms of effort and exposure to noise and pollutants, and the planner has a vision of the use - or cyclability - of his cycling equipment in his environment. By building bridges between different fields: mechatronics, planning, civil engineering, sports medicine, chemistry, acoustics, instrumentation, this thesis is in the DNA of Gustave Eiffel University. It is a natural part of the Energy Transition Infrastructure federative project.

A common scientific lock to the propulsion architecture design approaches of the ESTACA'Lab et Infrastructures of the Gustave Eiffel University is a cyclist's model. This lock will be lifted during the thesis. This lock is the entry for each of these approaches. It makes it possible to design, develop and study new human energy vehicle propulsion architectures and the infrastructures used.

Subject :

Integrated design of a bicycle with Hybrid Series architecture including a cyclist's energy model

Candidate profile :
Engineer or Master in physical measurements, interested in comparing models with reality through experiments, sensitive to environmental issues. The doctoral student will be at the centre of a network of experts from different disciplines. Beyond technical skills, it is a question of having the necessary human qualities to interact with this network. The doctoral student will have to compare the experts' proposals with his objective. That is why experience in the field of bicycle studies is a plus.

Keywords : mechatronic, Bicycle, Energy

Main host Laboratory - Referent Advisor	AME - EASE - VANDANJON Pierre-Olivier tél. : +33 240845634
Director of the main host Laboratory	DO Minh-Tan -
PhD Speciality	mécatronique
Axis of the performance contract	1 - COP2017 - Efficient transport and safe travel
Main location	Nantes
Doctoral affiliation
PhD school	Mathématiques, STIC
Planned PhD supervisor	VANDANJON Pierre-Olivier - Université Gustave Eiffel - AME - SPLOTT
Planned financing	Autre - Estaca
Abstract Faced with social, economic and ecological challenges, public urban mobility policies make cycling a major development axis for passenger transport and, more recently, for goods transport[European project FCCP]. This renewed interest in cycling leads to numerous innovations in bicycle, particularly for electrically-assisted bicycles: electrical assistance strategy, propulsion chain (architecture, mechanical components, energy storage systems (fuel cells, supercapacitors or new generations of batteries), infrastructure through the significant development of cycling tracks, are also one of the major elements improving bicycle use. ESTACA'Lab, the research laboratory of ESTACA, School of Engineering in the field of transport and new mobility, has a strong competence in the development of vehicle propulsion system architecture and in particular on the hybridisation of energy sources[9]. This competence has been transposed and developed for the electrically assisted bicycle, where human energy is the main propulsion energy complemented by electrical energy. Traditionally, the electric-assisted bicycle is a parallel hybrid architecture where electrical energy is stored when stopped by the electrical grid and then spent on demand during the journey. The introduction of a serial hybrid architecture (pedal motorcycle + motorcycle wheel + buffer storage system not connectable to the electricity grid) allows only human energy to be used as the primary energy source[10][11]. In addition, this architecture decouples the pedalling speed from the forward speed of the bike. It therefore allows a much smoother management of the cyclist's effort, avoiding the appearance of premature fatigue, thus increasing the autonomy of movement[12]. The first studies were supported at the local level by the Laval metropolitan area and allowed the development of a static test bench, consisting of a tricycle and an interchangeable component allowing the study of various mechanical and electrical components, as well as the prototyping of an energy management control law. A second development phase was based on the implementation of a CIFRE thesis with the company STEE and the Laboratoire Ampère (CNRS). The scientific objective of this thesis is to dimension the electrical storage source by comparing two solutions: supercapacitors and Li-Ion batteries. Once chosen, the sizing of the propulsion chain (engine, generator and intelligent energy management system) can be developed. One of the first challenges was to show that the performance and cost of this architecture were not detrimental compared to conventional bicycles[11][12]. The industrial objective is the development of rolling prototypes to prove the concept, but also by taking into account performance and cost constraints from the design stage. The development of this new architecture was carried out with multi-domain models including that of the cyclist. However, this "simplistic" model needs to be developed to allow future improvements in the design and sizing of the series hybrid bike. It will allow comparisons to be made between different architectures with different components. To obtain this model, we will have to have an instrumented bike adapted to the dimensioning factors and do a riding campaign. It will also be interesting to be able to remove an average driving cycle, as there are currently some for the automotive industry (NEDC - WLTP). This allows cars to be sized and compared regardless of their propulsion mode. For its part, Gustave Eiffel University has a strong skill in cycling studies and has initiated research on the energy and environmental assessment of cycling infrastructure through the targeted Cycleval initiative. Major French cities have maps of pollutants, noise, traffic and a precise location of cycling equipment. This thesis will allow a coupling between these different sources of information with a cyclist's energy model in order to provide better localized information and better adapted to the preparation of bicycle trips (user) or to the planning of bicycle facilities (manager). For the latter, surveys were proposed in order to assess macroscopically the potential for cycling and walking in a district[Pikora]. On the scale of a small network of cycling equipment, visual surveys are used instead[Gallanis]. On the scale of a larger network, Cerema has developed a device for inspecting cycling facilities disorders: the Vel'audit[3]. Ifsttar has recently developed an instrumented bicycle based on a versatile architecture that mainly allows the evaluation of the energy to be spent by a cyclist to cover a route. This research equipment benefits from skills acquired on road surfaces ([Coiret]). For cyclists, there are a large number of smartphone navigation applications (for example, in France, the geovélo application). In addition to these tools developed specifically for cycling, environmental data are also freely available in major French cities: noise maps, maps of various regulated pollutants. Thus, the urban citizen has access on his smartphone to the pollution level of his city (for example, the French " plume " application on smartphone) and he can know when to practise sports, especially cycling. However, while each of these tools is relevant to the target audience, they remain isolated. A combined approach would improve their performance. For example, pollution located on a point on the route where the cyclist is in the middle of an effort is considered more negative than pollution located at a point where the cyclist makes a normal effort. There is currently no tool to inform the cyclist and the contracting authority about these black spots. This thesis will make it possible to link the available environmental data and cyclist models to propose a continuous multi-criteria evaluation of cycle routes. Thus, the cyclist has relevant information about his journey in terms of effort and exposure to noise and pollutants, and the planner has a vision of the use - or cyclability - of his cycling equipment in his environment. By building bridges between different fields: mechatronics, planning, civil engineering, sports medicine, chemistry, acoustics, instrumentation, this thesis is in the DNA of Gustave Eiffel University. It is a natural part of the Energy Transition Infrastructure federative project. A common scientific lock to the propulsion architecture design approaches of the ESTACA'Lab et Infrastructures of the Gustave Eiffel University is a cyclist's model. This lock will be lifted during the thesis. This lock is the entry for each of these approaches. It makes it possible to design, develop and study new human energy vehicle propulsion architectures and the infrastructures used. Subject : Integrated design of a bicycle with Hybrid Series architecture including a cyclist's energy model Candidate profile : Engineer or Master in physical measurements, interested in comparing models with reality through experiments, sensitive to environmental issues. The doctoral student will be at the centre of a network of experts from different disciplines. Beyond technical skills, it is a question of having the necessary human qualities to interact with this network. The doctoral student will have to compare the experts' proposals with his objective. That is why experience in the field of bicycle studies is a plus.
Keywords :	mechatronic, Bicycle, Energy

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