Abstract
KEY WORDS Lightweight; Car transporter; Niobium; Steel; Design
ABSTRACT
Reducing the curb mass of commercial vehicles can save energy and reduce emission, what’s more, it can enhance the profits for logistics companies. The current curb mass of frame-type car transporter (carrying 12 cars) is about 14.5 tons, and we need to reduce the curb weight about 10% using high strength steel and modern design method, and the lightweight frame-type car transporter should has acceptable vehicle performance and corrosion resistance performance. In order to reduce the curb weight, the Nb-bearing 750MPa (TS) high strength steel have been developed to replace the 235MPa (YS) and 345MPa (YS) steel, and welding materials and welding process of these steel have been studied to support the industry application. And lightweight structure optimization design is performed by topology optimization technology and finite element methods to check the performance of trailers in different working conditions. The curb mass of lightweight frame-type car transporter is reduced to about 13.0 tons, and the max stress and max displacement of lightweight trailer are acceptable under the bending working condition, acceleration condition and braking working conditions. Considering the cost and profits, it’s a good solution to use Nb-bearing 700MPa and 750MPa high strength steel to design and to manufacture the lightweight car transporter.