Analysis of Longitudinal Beam Damage of a Container Chassis Semi-Trailer Using Finite Element Method – Case Study

Abstract

This study investigates the damage of a container chassis loaded with a container having a capacity of 22 thousand litres. The chassis was damaged during full-load operation. Based on the observed effects of damage induced in a longitudinal beam (longeron) of the container chassis, a hypothetical course of events was elaborated. An attempt was made to recreate the actual course of events by eliminating the reasons due to which the effects of damage significantly differed from those observed post factums. To this end, numerical finite element method (FEM) simulations were performed using the Abaqus software. The damaged longitudinal beam of the container chassis was modelled using three-dimensional (3D) solid elements. It was assumed that the beam had the same profile cross-section over its entire length. In the numerical model, the container chassis had a pinned support on the fifth wheel. Elastic elements were used to model the axle-supported regions of the container chassis with the wheels. The following three events were identified as the potential causes of container chassis damage: the container chassis was supported by the bumper on the ground when the wheels on the right side were in contact with the bottom of the road surface cavity; the container chassis was supported by the bumper on the ground when the wheels on the right side were not in contact with the bottom of the road surface cavity; the bumper was subjected to point impact during vehicle reversal. The numerical results demonstrated that for each of the proposed damage hypothesis, the highest reduced stresses were located in the very region where the container chassis damage was actually observed. It was found that the observed damage was most probably induced when the container chassis was supported on the bumper and there was no contact between the wheels and the road surface due to the presence of a cavity in the road surface. Moreover, analytical calculation results demonstrated that the force acting on the structural members of the container chassis in the analysed load case exceeded the force resulting from the static load of the structure by more than 2.5 times. The load-induced stress in the beam material significantly exceeded the strength of the structure.