Structural Integrity Assessment of the Flexible 870 Advanced Design Bus

Orringer, Oscar; Tong, Pin; ,

Structural Integrity Assessment of the Flexible 870 Advanced Design Bus

by Oscar Orringer, DOT, Transportation Systems Cent, Structures & Dynamics Div, Cambridge, MA, USA,
Pin Tong, DOT, Transportation Systems Cent, Structures & Dynamics Div, Cambridge, MA, USA,

Document Type: Proceeding Paper

Part of: Fracture Problems in the Transportation Industry

Abstract:

The Grumman Flxible 870, a lightweight advanced design urban bus, entered service in Atlanta, GA in 1978, and some 2,800 of these buses were in service nationwide by 1980. In the autumn of 1980, several transit authorities reported discovery of cracks in the undercarriage structure, and some undercarriage structures had failed in service. The New York City Transit Authority (then the largest operator) removed its entire Flxible fleet from service pending structural modifications. The manufacturer had earlier agreed that the original undercarriage was inadequate, had designed and tested the needed modifications, and had accepted financial responsibility for the retrofit. This paper presents the case history as an example of the government role when the structural integrity of a civil transportation fleet or fixed structure is at issue.

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