Crashworthiness analysis and design of a sandwich composite electric bus structure under full frontal impact

The transition toward sustainable transportation includes adopting ecofriendly electric vehicles in public transport, which reduces greenhouse gas emissions and increases energy efficiency. One of the critical features in fuel economy improvement of electric vehicles lies in lightweight structural design. Nevertheless, the crashworthiness of the structures of the vehicles and the safety of passengers must be guaranteed in the attempt of mass reduction because the crash of large vehicles such as buses usually costs many lives. This paper, therefore, aims to present an in-depth analysis of the impact behavior of a lightweight monocoque sandwich composite microbus body under full-frontal crash conditions. The bus structure, made of a high-density polyurethane foam core and woven glass fabric-epoxy face sheets, was modeled and simulated via LS-DYNA dynamic analysis using strength-based Chang-Chang criteria to characterize the failure mechanism of the structure and investigate intrusion into the passenger survival space. Under front collision, the front panel, A-pillars, and front sidewalls of the original bus were found to be extensively damaged in the compressive fiber mode. Based on the 50(th) percentile male dummy anthropometric parameters, injury indices of 0-5 intervals were proposed to evaluate occupant injury risks. The maximum front and side intrusion into the specified safety space under a maximum impact speed of 50 km/h is 208 mm at the front panel and 221 mm at the sidewall, indicating high injury indices of 3.59 and 4.81, respectively. The effects of stiffeners reinforced in the front panel and foam core thicknesses in the sidewalls, floor, and bottom parts on crashworthiness improvement were thoroughly discussed. The improved bus design can significantly enhance the safety of the occupants with a minimal increase in structural weight of merely 35.6 kg. An effective vehicle safety design under full frontal collision is presented.