Title: The design of bus and truck structures for passenger and crew safety

Authors: G.H. Tidbury

Addresses: Cranfield Impact Centre, Cranfield Institute of Technology, UK

Abstract: The current legal situation in Europe is reviewed, with a description of the work leading up to the proposed ECE Regulation on the strength of the superstructure of buses. Emphasis is given to the fact that this will be the first regulation of its kind that can be met by a calculation method. Correlation of full scale test, component tests and theory is demonstrated. A discussion of computer programs available to calculate the collapse properties of truck and bus structures is followed by examples of the proven accuracy of the CRASHD finite element program. The examples include buses, truck cabs and agricultural tractor cabs. Finally, examples of accident simulation are reported where both the motion of the vehicle and the structural deformation are included.

Keywords: bus design; truck design; finite element analysis; FEA; computer aided design; CAD; vehicle safety; bus superstructures.

DOI: 10.1504/IJVD.1984.061089

International Journal of Vehicle Design, 1984 Vol.5 No.1/2, pp.67 - 85

Published online: 25 May 2014 *

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