There have been some recent discussions on whether an Australian design rule should be introduced requiring newly manufactured buses to be able to sustain a roll over accident. So far, it has been left up to the manufacturer to decide on the strength of the roof and walls of the vehicle. To determine the structural strength it is possible to test prototypes and/or use general purpose finite element computer programs. Unfortunately, these methods are time consuming, costly, and probably prohibitive for smaller bus manufacturing companies. This paper outlines a preliminary analysis of an alternative cheaper method, developed at Monash university, to determine the rollover strength of a truck cabin frame. Such a frame is very similar to those incorporated currently in buses. (A)
Samenvatting