F2010D023
Non-Linear Simulation Modeling of Flexural Bending for Bus and Coach Structural Joints
International regulations on motor vehicles are undergoing a significant trend towards acceptance of virtual testing as a demonstration tool of the fulfillment of vehicles and components of their technical requirements. Geneva Regulation 66, currently under its review, is one of the first international standards allowing this approach. One of the critical points of the resistance verification process to rollover of buses and coaches is the behavior characterization of their structural joints. The above-mentioned regulation authorizes the technical services to request a verification of this behavior by physical tests. In this paper we show a validated methodology for verifying the flexural behavior of these joints by applying non-linear finite element models. These detailed models allow the reproduction of local failures (plastic hinges) in the walls of the rectangular hollow section profiles, typical of the structures under study, the location of such failures and the final characterization of the plastic hinge behavior. This will complete the verification procedure for calculating the strength of these structures in a roll-over test and allows making simplified whole vehicle models that only need to take into account the joints behavior. Therefore, a significant cost saving is encouraged, firstly, in the verification process by reducing the number of necessary tests, and secondly, in the computing time and computing resources needed.
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Session: Buses