Lightweight Composite Applications in the Structural Design of Quadricycles

Abstract

Due to the increasing number of internal combustion engine vehicles, fossil fuel sources have decreased drastically in the last century. In addition, the concerns about global warming caused by vehicle emissions have led automotive manufacturers to search for new alternatives to transport. Quadricycles have started to be seen as future transport vehicles due to their smaller design and lower energy consumption when compared to conventional vehicles. Furthermore, they are also considered to prevent increasing traffic jams in metropolitan areas. The lightweight design of a quadricycle is crucial since its weight would affect energy consumption. On the other hand, because of their minimalistic design, crashworthiness is another factor that must be considered in the structural design of quadricycles for the safety of occupants in case of a collision. Composites are one of the most promising materials for manufacturing lightweight structures due to having a high strength-to-weight ratio compared to conventional metals. In this study, different body designs and optimizations of quadricycles are introduced. Comparisons are made between conventional metals and composite materials used in quadricycles in terms of weight and stiffness.