Application of comprehensive optimization into bus structure lightweight improvement in 3-section chassis frame

Abstract

This chapter presents the structural optimization and lightweight design of a bus chassis frame. Firstly, the static performance of the chassis frame is obtained using finite element analysis (FEA). A prototype of a chassis truss divided into three-sections is proposed based on the material distribution from the topology optimization. Comparative analysis between the optimized chassis structure and the original structure shows that the optimal chassis is superior to the original in terms of the rigidity, strength and mode performance. Compared to the results for the original frame, the maximum stress of the optimized chassis truss under the worst torsional loading case are reduced 23.4 MPa, the maximum stiffness increased 18.5%. Moreover, a mass-saving with 196 kg, i.e., 14% of the original chassis mass verifies the lightweight design performed in this study. © Springer-Verlag 2013.