JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #69 - November/December 2011 - 34

design
Fig.2 : Eco-Cycle and it’s Biofibre/fibreglass hybrid fuel tank

jec composites magazine / No69 November - December 2011
Fig.4: Hybrid composite/metallic transit passenger door

Fig.3: Composite firewall testing performed at NDSU

single composite firewall panel. It was estimated that the weight savings would be approximately 40% and that the new design would significantly reduce the required assembly time. This same concept is now in the process of being implemented on the flooring system of another bus that will potentially combine over twenty parts into a single unit. The firewall project also presented the exciting prospect of developing a composite system to provide protection from engine fires. Although the initial results were promising, further research is required to improve the fire performance of the system. A demonstrator of the hybridization process is a transit bus passenger door that the CIC helped develop. The door was primarily constructed from composite sandwich panels, however the attachment geometry required by the door seals would have resulted in undercuts in the mould that would have been nearly impossible to build. Instead, metallic rails were designed to bond to the edges of the sandwich panel and provide the seal attachment. This design resulted in a modest decrease in the weight of the part, and significantly reduced the cost and assembly time by decreasing the total part count. Composite materials have been used in ground transportation applications for many years, but recent trends in advanced composites research demonstrate that there is still plenty of opportunity for growth, especially in structural applications and expansion into creating lightweight modular assemblies. The emergence of biocomposite materials will help fuel this growth, along with changing design philosophies that include designing parts specifically for composite materials and the hybridization of different material systems. n More information: www.compositesinnovation.ca

braking loads. Specifically, the rear tub was analysed for a cargo load, while the front tub was analysed for the safetycritical seat pull load case. A design was developed that replaced polyurethane cored panels in the floor of the tubs with a soy-based urethane core. Strength and stiffness were provided by unidirectional and bidirectional fibreglass mats. Some of the fibreglass reinforcing mats were removed and replaced with nonwoven kenaf mats and flax-based woven fabrics from commercial sources. These same biomats were used to manufacture a rear fender and fuel tank for the Eco-Cycle, an ethanol-fuelled motorcycle that the CIC helped to develop in partnership with Chopper College, an organization based in Minnesota who specializes in unique motorcycle design and development and also provides training to others in their manufacture. The CIC has also worked with a transit bus manufacturer and North Dakota State University (NDSU) to explore the feasibility of replacing multiple metallic firewall panels in the rear compartment of a transit bus by a

http://www.compositesinnovation.ca

JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #69 - November/December 2011

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #69 - November/December 2011