STRUCTURAL ANALYSIS OF BODY UNDER 3-POINTS SUPPORTING FOR BI-MODAL TRAM

초록

A bi-modal tram can travel on not only dedicated track (lane) but also conventional roadway, whose passenger capacity is 2,500 to 7,000 person/direction/hour. A bi-modal tram has low-floor bodies (no steps to get on or get off the main cabin) to provide the old and the handicapped with easy access. The body for the Korean bi-modal tram to consist of articulated-two bodies, which has been developing in Korea since 2003, has been designed to consider Korean physical standard, passenger capacity (standee, seated, handicapped), arrangement of vehicle components, and bus and urban railway laws or regulations. For the designed body composed of composite materials (light-weight sandwich constructions) with glass epoxy skins, aluminum honeycomb cores and aluminum inner-frames, this paper was aimed to analyze structural safety under the condition of 3-points supporting (one of four wheels will be failed) by FEA (finite element Analysis), which is the most serious condition during the bi-modal tram will be operating. Structural safety of the body was also evaluated under the same condition whether reinforcement armatures in the cabin will be installed or not, which can estimate effects of reinforcement armatures in the cabin of the body.