| Abstract [eng] |
Accidents are considered as one of the worst-case scenarios that can cause severe damage and injuries. Accidents do happen anywhere, anytime and are unpredictable in nature. However, accidents cannot be avoided but on the other hand can be prevented to a certain extent. While travelling in bus is considered as one of the safest mode of transportation for passengers whether in city or intercity lines, question arises whether bus structures could be safe enough to withstand the impact created during an accident. The severity of a bus accident is high because buses carry a huge number of passengers than cars and bikes. This is true in developing countries like India where many passengers travel by buses than cars. Rollover is a type of accident in which the vehicle tips over to its side or roof and it is considered as one of the most dangerous type of accidents since the number of passengers who are at risk is considerably high than other type of accidents like frontal impact or rear impact accidents. Also, the average fatality rate is about 35 to 40 passengers per accident which is higher than other cases with an average fatality rate of 5 to 10 passengers per accident. To increase the occupant safety during an accident it is much desired to develop a bus super structure that should have enough strength to withstand the impact. The Automotive Industry Standard ‘AIS031’ specifies the requirements and methods to calculate the strength of superstructures. This is also associated with the Economic Commission for Europe ‘ECE-R66’ regulations. In this study an intercity bus structure designed for India, specified as per the regulation norms of AIS031 and ECE R66 is chosen and modelled using CATIA software. The strength of the superstructure is calculated mathematically using the methods specified in the regulations and a new method of analytical calculation is done in which the rollover scenario is created with the help of ANSYS Workbench software. The results from the analytical method are compared with the mathematical calculations and a suitable recommendation to amend AIS031 regulation is suggested. |
