Finite Element Analysis of a Commuter Car Roof Failure

A major remanufacturer of light rail transit vehicles requested that Starfire analyze a portion of the roof section of a previously modified light weight stainless steel commuter car to determine the cause of a series of cracks appearing longitudinally next to a modified electrical box. The car was modeled using Finite Element Analysis techniques to determine the stresses exerted on the car caused by the previous modification. Starfire developed the appropriate reinforcements to the roof panels to decrease the stresses on the modified electrical box.