Dynamic Analysis of Electric Bus Chassis Using Finite Element Method

This paper deals with the investigation of vibrational characteristic of electric bus chassis including natural frequency and mode shapes. Chassis protects the passenger from the external impact force and gives the strength and flexibility of the bus in a changing condition. The chassis is subjected to load which are static, dynamic and cyclic loading, therefore the chassis should have good properties that can withstand those types of load. During the travel, chassis was excited by road roughness, engine, transmission and more. Natural frequencies and mode shapes can be obtained by using finite element method. Simulation was carried out by using commercial finite element packages Abaqus in order to find the optimum design that has good dynamic characteristic. Three materials were used in simulation with various of thicknesses. Based on the result of simulation, the AISI 4130 Alloy steel with 6 mm thickness has been chosen as the best model that has less possibility to resonance.