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MONOCOQUE
CONSTRUCTION OF INTEGRAL
BUS BODY
(MONOCOQUE/UNIBODY)
Monocoque,
meaning
'single
shell'
in
French, is a construction technique that
utilizes the external skin to support some or
most of the load.
The technique may also be called structural
skin or stressed skin.
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The semi-monocoque is a hybrid of a mutually
reinforcing
tensile
shell
and
In integral bus construction, a base structure is
compressive
formed with 4 long Side members, cross
structure.
members, outriggers and wheel arch supports.
Unitary body / unit body - uses a system of box
Units like engine , gear box, axles etc are
sections, bulkheads and tubes to provide most
mounted on the flexible Under structure, which
of the strength of the vehicle, to which the
is fabricated by welding.
stressed skin adds relatively little strength or
stiffness
These under structures are painted with
suitable colors to prevent corrosion .
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DESIGN OF INTEGRAL BUS
Chassis under structure
The body pillars which are ring frames are
attached to the two extreme Side members
called sole bars by bolting.
The paneling is done as per specifications to
give good integral Structure.
The under and body structure act as a single
structure to carry the Load.
Thus for a given load the integral structure will
withstand more stress which indicates that
every member of the structure is sharing the
load.
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Unit weights like engine, gear box, radiator,
steering box, batteries and fuel tank acting as
point loads at the mounting points.
Weight of under structure considered
uniformly distributed load.
Considering the vertical and lateral bending,
moment is calculated and a section required to
carry the weights is decided allowing for a
reserve factor depending on the road conditions.
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CHASSIS AND BODY BUIDING TECHNIQUES
Chassis body structure
Body weight and Payload are considered as
uniformly distributed load.
The basic under structure is fabricated out of
thin mild steel cold rolled channel sections fully
Considering bending , torsion and combination
of both, the body structure is designed allowing
galvanized for corrosion protection.
The structure is provided with cross members
for a reserve factor depending in the road
and outriggers at specified intervals so that they
conditions.
will form complete ring frames along with body
side pillars and roof sticks.
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Pillars and roof sticks are made of sheet metal
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All inner panels and wheel arch truss panels are
pressed sections.
of sheet metal and solid steel riveted to the pillars
Pillars are bolted to the sole bar of the under
and longitudinal.
structure and the roof sticks are connected to
All outer panels and roof panels are of aluminum
and pop riveted.
the pillar by stiff pressed steel corner brackets
and the joining of them done using solid rivets.
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TESTING AND TEST RESULTS
The
prototype was tested under different
operating conditions for noise level , vibration and
easiness in passenger flow. The test values are
comparable with a conventional bus and are
tabulated:
OPERATING
FACILITIES
BOARDING AND
ALIGHTING
FACILITIES
INTEGRAL BUS
CONVENTIONAL BUS
1st step height from
ground
394 mm
470 mm
INTEGRAL BUS
CONVENTIONAL BUS
VISIBILITY LH SIDE
1310 mm
3023 mm
Passenger floor level
from ground
673 mm
1155 mm
VISIBILITY RH SIDE
1480 mm
2098 mm
No. of steps
Increase in drivers visibility is achieved by lowering the
windscreen level
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NOISE LEVEL
MEASURED IN
DRIVERS AREA
INTEGRAL BUS
Vehicle not moving,
engine under full throttle
condition
78.5 dB
Vehicle running, engine
under full throttle
condition
78.8 dB
CONVENTIONL BUS
VIBRATION LEVEL
INTEGRAL BUS
CONVENTIONAL BUS
Vehicle not moving ,
engine idling condition
0.2 m/s^2
0.6 m/s^2
Vehicle running @
50kmph
1.5 m/s^2
3 m/s^2
92 dB
87 dB
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ADVANTAGES
Reduction in weight when compared to conventional
design with similar specifications.
Easy entry / exit, lowered floor height resulting in better
stability.
Reduction in noise and heat in the drivers and
passengers area.
Lowered windscreen level, better visibility for driver.
Reduced fatigue for driver due to easy approach to
controls.
Low noise and vibration levels.
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Greater rigidity to weight ratio.
Stronger body with larger seating capacity for a
given weight than conventional bus body
construction.
Typically safer in the event of an accident and is
more likely to have better systems including
suspension.
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Can be economically driven from one to three
million
miles (50000
miles
for body on
frame)depending on model, manufacturer, and
quality of maintenance.
Better longevity and resale value compared to
conventional type.
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