Applied Virtual Technology (VT) on Bus Superstructure Roll-Over Tests

Abstract

The crashworthiness of buses and coaches largely depends on the energy absorbing capability of the rectangular tubes not neglecting the importance of the new shape-design and the manufacturing technology. The vehicle industry, in the development process, expansively uses the virtual techniques. In spite of that the final qualification or approval procedure does not allow the usage of this kind of methods widely till now. (The European ECE R66 is the only vehicle regulation in the subject of passive safety due to the virtual methods.) For improving and checking the rollover safety, many Hungarian achievements can be found from the beginning. This paper tries to set up précised analysis of virtual procedure, detailed initial condition-system for rollover simulation and possible virtual methods are presented too. The ECE R66 regards to the adequacy of bus superstructure strength and this regulation specially allows not only real roll-over test but the usage of different computer techniques, virtual technologies too. The future trend in the vehicle regulations is to widen the possible applications of virtual (VT) technology and it is a very sensitive question both for test centres and approval authorities. There are many test centres and engineering offices in Europe which carry out computer control calculations on partials or full-scale bus structure for determining the bus roof strength conformity due to the official ECE 66.01 regulation. In spite of the excellent virtual techniques the test procedures are not adequately validated and controlled; the condition of VT procedures are not clarified.