Trusses go from bridges to bikes

April 1, 2005
Structures made up of reinforcing pyramids and triangles have long been used on towers and utility poles.

Now an engineering team at Brigham Young University have shrunk the truss system from 5 to 18 in. in diameter to just 1 in. in diameter to use as a bike frame. The team forms trusses out of carbon fiber intertwined with Kevlar string to create a frame that is lighter (3.25 lb), more aerodynamic, and more unbreakable than many topofthe-line composite counterparts.

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