Speaker: J.P. Meijaard, UTwente, NL

Titel: The loop closure equation for the pitch angle in bicycle kinematics

Abstract: It has been shown by Psiaki in 1979 that the equation for the pitch angle in the non-linear kinematics of an ideal bicycle with rigid wheels having a knife-edged rims can be reduced to a quartic. In this presentation, it is explored how the assumptions can be relaxed and the problem can still be reduced to the solution of a quartic equation. The wheel rims can have a toroidal shape and the wheel and steer axes do not have to be perpendicular or exactly aligned in the reference configuration. A systematic way of deriving and reducing the loop closure equation will be presented.