On the Use of Carbon Fiber Composites for the Enhancement of the Rollover Resistance of Steel Buses

Abstract

The increasing use of composites in vehicles in recent years is one of the current trends in the automotive industry. In particular, fiber composites are being used as reinforcements for the main structural elements of vehicles, due to their outstanding specific mechanical properties and low weight. When combined with metal parts, fiber composites can significantly enhance the crashworthiness of vehicle structures, by increasing their energy absorption capabilities and resistance to plastic deformations and permanent damage. This work presents CFRP reinforcements as a case study for enhancing the bending collapse behavior and crashworthiness of bus structures. The required calculations are based on a simplified “concept model” that includes the bending collapse behavior of the structural components, based on theoretical models calibrated with experimental results. The results demonstrate that the use of CFRP reinforcements improves the rollover crashworthiness of a bus structure, and need not be applied to the entire structure, but only to the critical parts where bending collapse is most likely to occur in a rollover accident.