Numerical and Experimental Correlation of a Survival Cell Designed for a Bus Body Structure

The behavior of mechanical structures, when subjected to impact load, is a matter of great relevance and its applications in terms of vehicle collision. When we analyze the superstructure of a bus, those vehicles must be tested according to prerequisites established in standards such as UNECE ECE 29 (European standard) or CONTRAN 629/2016 (Brazilian standard). The standards prescribe to use a pendular system to evaluate the frontal structure of the vehicle. In this regulation is defined the height and the mass that will collide with the structural modulus. However, the procedures described in these standards do not represent the real collisions involving these types of vehicles. This can be seen when comparing the energy imposed on the test module, detailed in CONTRAN 629/2016, where the energy imposed on the vehicle is approximately 20 kJ on each side of the test module, this corresponds to a collision of a 5 tons vehicle at 10 km/h or a 20 tons bus at 5 km/h.