Numerical analysis of the strength and stiffness of TRIGGO light electric vehicle body

Łukasz Stachowicz, Anna Boczkowska, Rafał Budweil

Pre-print pages 1-17

DOI: https://doi.org/10.62753/ctp.2025.01.1.1

keywords: TRIGGO electric car, automotive, FEM, GFRP, RTM, polymer matrix composites

abstract TRIGGO is one of the first vehicles to effectively combine the manoeuvrability and parking advantages of two-wheelers with the safety and comfort features comparable to those of small passenger cars. It is intended for use in a short-term rental network and should be characterised by low energy consumption. To this end, it is reasonable to optimise the vehicle\'s design towards minimising weight. The use of composites in the TRIGGO body structure enabled a reduction in the ready-to-drive vehicle weight and optimal utilisation of the available space. This choice makes it possible to keep the body weight low while ensuring appropriate mechanical properties. The subject of this paper is numerical analyses of the strength and stiffness of the TRIGGO light vehicle body made of glass-epoxy composites. The scope of the work includes the construction of a computational model of the TRIGGO vehicle body made by the RTM method with a double skin and foam core, in addition to calculations of the stiffness and strength of the structure during body load tests. For this purpose, an FEM computational model was built based on the 3D body model. The body of the RTM version of the TRIGGO vehicle consists of 27 separate components, which are connected to each other by rigid bonded contacts. The composite structures with foam cores were modelled as single-layer shell elements including all the layers of the composite, and a foam spacer. Three design cases were developed: P1.1 – vertical-transverse body loading, P1.2 – vertical-longitudinal body loading, P1.3 – vertical-longitudinal body loading with a horizontal force component. The calculation cases were determined based on \"Regulation (EU) No 168/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council with regard to requirements for the functional safety of vehicles for the approval of two- or three-wheel vehicles and quadricycles\", in particular Annex XI of this document. The calculations prove that the glass-epoxy body of the TRIGGO light vehicle meets the requirements for strength and stiffness.