Static fatigue analysis on the load container of a low-cost vehicle for Nigerian rural farmers

Abstract

Static fatigue analysis was done on the container of a model low cost vehicle for Nigerian rural farmers to determine how well the container has been designed and its resistance to notable deformation or damage, based on the load it was subjected to. The static analysis performed involved the fixing of the container in areas where it is made to rest on the chassis. Finite element analysis of the vehicle container was conducted in two loading conditions. The result from the analysis gave a factor of safety of 4.36 for the load container at a maximum displacement of 0.131 mm and a factor of safety of 4.65 for the load container and a maximum displacement of 0.136 respectively for the two loading conditions. These maximum displacements, which can be negligible shows that the load container is well designed as the maximum stresses are above the hand calculated maximum stresses.