Ultralight Stainless Steel Urban Bus Concept

摘要

While stainless steel buses are certainly not new, this study reveals opportunities for substantial improvements in structural performance. The objective of this project was to investigate the mass saving potential of ultra-high strength stainless steel as applied to the structure of a full size urban transit bus. The resulting design for a low floor, hybrid bus has an empty weight less than half that of a conventional transit bus. The reduced curb weight allows for a greater payload, without exceeding legal axle limits. A combination of finite element modeling and dynamic testing of scale models was used to predict structural performance.