Title: A new design approach to the use of composite materials for heavy transport vehicles

Authors: Tommaso Ingrassia, Gianluca Alaimo, Francesco Cappello, Antonio Mancuso, Vincenzo Nigrelli

Addresses: Department of Mechanics, University of Palermo, Viale delle Scienze, Palermo 90128, Italy. ' Department of Mechanics, University of Palermo, Viale delle Scienze, Palermo 90128, Italy. ' Department of Mechanics, University of Palermo, Viale delle Scienze, Palermo 90128, Italy. ' Department of Mechanics, University of Palermo, Viale delle Scienze, Palermo 90128, Italy. ' Department of Mechanics, University of Palermo, Viale delle Scienze, Palermo 90128, Italy

Abstract: In order to keep or to reach a high level of competitiveness and performance of a product, it is necessary to explore all the possible solutions that allow the best compromise between costs and project requirements. By this point of view the study of alternative designs and/or materials to use, is an important aspect that can identify a new concept or way of thinking about a product. This paper presents how to make use of composite materials in the field of heavy vehicles transportation. A new semitrailer in composite material has been designed, using a methodical redesign approach and an optimisation process. The main innovation in this project is, besides the use of the Glass Fibre Reinforced Plastics (GFRPs), also a new topology of the vehicle frame; the designed semitrailer, in fact, has a monocoque structure.

Keywords: redesign process; semitrailer; structural frame; composite material.

DOI: 10.1504/IJVD.2007.013646

International Journal of Vehicle Design, 2007 Vol.44 No.3/4, pp.311 - 325

Published online: 10 May 2007 *

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