Efficient design of a super mileage low cost vehicle frame using natural bamboo

Abstract

The purpose of the paper is to optimized design of a super-mileage low cost vehicle frame using layered laminate natural bamboo composite material incorporating front impact on road with stationary object for driver safety. The real assessment of bamboo tensile strength is difficult as fiber density is found to increase from inner core to outer core on any cross-section and same phenomena is observed from bottom to top side of a bamboo natural plant. The tensile properties of natural bamboo are predicted using rule of mixture of a ‘Representative Volume Element’ of laminate bamboo composite material in consideration of perfect bonding between fibers and matrix. Finite Element Simulation of number of possibly crash for driver safety is presented in the paper and accordingly bamboo joints are modified in the real fabrication of bamboo frame as bamboo cannot be joined using conventional welding techniques.