Rollover Crashworthiness of a New Coach Structure 2000-01-3520
In the UK it is a requirement for all newly registered coaches to be Type Approved for rollover crashworthiness in accordance with ECE Regulation 66 (R66). This regulation ensures the stability of the coach structure during rollover accidents in order to maintain a passenger survival space.
This paper details the approval of a new coach that used two composite rollbars (front and rear) to absorb the majority of the energy during rollover. The coach was subjected to a full-scale rollover test in order to gain the necessary approval.
Additionally to the Type Approval, a computer model was developed to help predict the full-scale rollover test. The model consisted of a detailed finite element mesh and was analysed dynamically using the LS-Dyna3D software. The computer model was calibrated using the full-scale test data so that it could be used to gain future Type Approvals for modifications to the coach structure.
