The Structural Design, Validation, and Fabrication of an Electric Drift Trike

Abstract

Drift trikes are a type of entertainment vehicle used to perform power-on oversteer due to its low coefficient of friction at the rear tires. The design of these vehicles is optimized in such a way that allows drifting while maintaining stability. Characteristics such as frame geometry and weight distribution affect the overall performance of the vehicle. Functional requirements are set in order to ensure drift capability and rider safety. These design criteria inform the overall design and geometry of the frame, and preliminary finite element analysis is conducted to ensure structural rigidity is achieved. The fabrication of the drift trike commences once the structural design is validated through analysis, and the final physical vehicle is tested through experimentation and compared to initial predictions.