Riassunto analitico
Microcars, also called heavy quadricycles, are inherently more stable and offer greater protection than scooters or motorcycles. This relatively new class of fuel-efficient vehicles brings functionality to transportation in urban areas. Electric microcars not only reduce gas emissions to zero but also, promise to solve the traffic problems of large cities. The compact design of electric motors and the possibility to bury the battery under the floor allow a suitable powertrain design for microcars. As a result, a low center of gravity is achieved, which gives better stability. According to regulations, the microcar category (L7e) is not required to carry the same strict crash tests. The limited budget of the manufacturer with the weight and dimensions constraints for the category restricts the effort for a durable design. Therefore, they are mostly unable to achieve excellent results in terms of the safety of the passengers in case of a crash with a larger car, respectively. As a result, safety concerns of microcars are still a considerable barrier to their development and become widespread around the world. Furthermore, research shows that downsizing vehicles influence greatly the safety of the vehicle so most of the customers are not willing to buy very small cars due to safety concerns. On the other hand, the introduction of innovative materials such as Sheet Molding Compound (SMC), which is a reinforced composite containing glass or carbon fibers, on automobile panels allows easy to produce lightweight designs without sacrificing strength and it is capable of resisting impact even at high speeds. Microcars can represent a permanent solution for mobility in residential areas because of their convenient design if they can provide adequate safety. In this thesis, considering the promising future of the microcar, a prototype microcar is analyzed. The focus of this study is given to the design of lateral doors. After carefully studying the economic aspects and feasibility of the material selection in terms of know-how of the company, SMC (sheet molding composites) is compared with the traditional solutions such as steel and aluminum that are used on the door panels. At the end of the design stage, structural analysis is held for the assembly of the door panel to have an idea of how composite behaves in case of a crash. Finally, the door is assessed to evaluate if both light-weighting and safety can be achieved in the design.
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