The bus frame structures suffer serious deformation or fracture and then damage the survival space of passengers. The superstructure of a bus is a frame member that supports the vehicle's load and incorporates other parts for strength enhancement and impact absorption. Therefore, superstructures of bus play an essential role in protecting passengers in case of rollover accidents. Currently, the frames of large passenger vehicles are mostly manufactured using steel materials. The selection of a composite material that exhibits lightweight and outstanding structural strength has become an imperative topic in research on the reinforcement of large passenger vehicles' frames. This study examined a vehicle frame reinforced using steel coated with composite materials. According to the relevant regulations in ECE R66 on the superstructure strength of large passenger vehicles, the LS-DYNA simulation was employed to perform structural analysis. A composite-material-reinforced frame was employed to simulate the crush test, thereby evaluating the effect of such reinforcement on enhancing the strength of vehicle frames. Finally, a rollover simulation test was performed according to ECE R66 on a vehicle whose entire frame was constituted by composite-material-reinforced steel. This study's proposed vehicle frame material for design improvements can serve as references for manufacturers of large passenger vehicle bodies to improve the quality of their product development.
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