Remove roof glass for camper to cab access ?

[cybercricket]

Folks,

Has anyone looked into removing roof glass ? Seems like that would open up (pun) the possibilities for making a cool camper with the cab access...

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[DFWBrad]

Hmmm that would also make a SICK sunroof if you could make it removeable, but curious what the "cons" would be with doing such a thing.

 

[HaulingAss]

Folks,

Has anyone looked into removing roof glass ? Seems like that would open up (pun) the possibilities for making a cool camper with the cab access...

The roof glass is structural, both for driving dynamics and crash safety. It's better than a steel roof at side impact protection, it prevents intrusion of telephone and light poles, trees, etc. in a side impact It does this better than a traditional steel roof because it holds together more, it doesn't buckle like a steel roof does.

 

[ARMANDO PADILLA]

Removing glass roof intentionally? not a good idea
Because that sounds like something a person would say if they already broke it.
I meant to do that! shut up you don't know what I'm doing! you see this tent? well how am I going to jump into sky pad from the truck cab? while i set up the dummy and put it on FSD turn on the jams and put my birthday suit on then drive down the beach into the sunset. I have to remove the glass and the only way to remove it is by breaking it first. come on babe use your head I have to explain everything to you. Now give me the trash can. Not that one the big one and the vacuum some safety glasses and gloves.

 

[cybercricket]

not a good idea
Because that sounds like something a person would say if they already broke it.

LOLWUT?

 

[cybercricket]

The roof glass is structural, both for driving dynamics and crash safety. It's better than a steel roof at side impact protection, it prevents intrusion of telephone and light poles, trees, etc. in a side impact It does this better than a traditional steel roof because it holds together more, it doesn't buckle like a steel roof does.

By that metric bumpers are structural too because they are intended for crash safety. Rolling door windows are structural too. Everything is structural, everyone is beautiful.

 

[HaulingAss]

By that metric bumpers are structural too because they are intended for crash safety. Rolling door windows are structural too. Everything is structural, everyone is beautiful.

It wouldn't surprise me if Tesla designed Cybertrucks bumpers to be structural, to add to the chassis stiffness as opposed to being a tacked on as an afterthought as they have been for decades, just dead weight (until an impact happens). Tesla is really good at making one part perform multiple functions. Because great engineering is highly valued in their corporate culture.

Door windows? Not a chance. While they add a bit to crash safety by distributing impact forces over a wider area, there is no chance they add to the structural chassis stiffness at all.

What's the difference? Chassis stiffness is measured by applying forces to individual wheels and measuring how much the chassis flexes relative to its unloaded state. Crash forces can be applied anywhere, on the bumpers, on the side rails, etc., and enough force is applied to destructively test the structure. Chassis stiffness testing is not designed to destroy the structure.

 

[Deleted member 17810]

By that metric bumpers are structural too because they are intended for crash safety. Rolling door windows are structural too. Everything is structural, everyone is beautiful.

Bumpers are literal crumple zones meant to collapse upon impact and don't carry structural loads

The glass roof, is a very important part of the structure of the cybertruck and most tesla vehicles. It's what allows them to avoid cross members overhead.

Frameless doors are not structural on the glass portion.

Even the tonneau cover is structural. So much that they recommend retracting it in off road mode and trails to the body can flex more.

e: for the nitpickers

 

[Jack27]

Wtf ? Staaaap it

 

[firsttruck]

The roof glass is structural, both for driving dynamics and crash safety. It's better than a steel roof at side impact protection, it prevents intrusion of telephone and light poles, trees, etc. in a side impact It does this better than a traditional steel roof because it holds together more, it doesn't buckle like a steel roof does.

Just because a component is structural does not mean a component can not be modified or replaced with a different structural component designed differently and made of different materials.

What is important is the the replacement part meet certain structural criterias (plural).

Most buildings have certain walls that are structural. In a 3-story building that had completed construction , if a particular structural wall had NO door opening and the owner later wanted a door opening, an engineer would design how to shore up the building during remodel and how to re-enforce the wall to have needed structure for a wall with a door opening.

A glass roof with no cross beam might be replaced by solid metal roof with crossbeam.
The designer of structural glass roof highly prioritized scenic visibility and no cross beam while designer of structural solid metal roof designer might prioritize privacy, solar heat rejection, rock/bullet resistance and be OK with having structural cross beam ( or beams).

Since 2019 I was told that absolutely Model Y/3s & Cybertruck had to have glass roofs for safety & rigidity reasons and solid metal roofs would be too weak and then in Oct 2024 Tesla unvield the Cybercab which should become the most widely made vehicle in history has a "SOLID METAL ROOF or CARBON FIBER type ROOF".

 

[Deleted member 17810]

Just because a component is structural does not mean a component can not be modified or replaced with a different structural component designed differently and made of different materials.

What is important is the the replacement part meet certain structural criterias (plural).

Most buildings have certain walls that are structural. In a 3-story building that had completed construction , if a particular structural wall had NO door opening and the owner later wanted a door opening, an engineer would design how to shore up the building during remodel and how to re-enforce the wall to have needed structure for a wall with a door opening.

A glass roof with no cross beam might be replaced by solid metal roof with crossbeam.
The designer of structural glass roof highly prioritized scenic visibility and no cross beam while designer of structural solid metal roof designer might prioritize privacy, solar heat rejection, rock/bullet resistance and be OK with having structural cross beam ( or beams).

Since 2019 I was told that absolutely Model Y/3s & Cybertruck had to have glass roofs for safety & rigidity reasons and solid metal roofs would be too weak and then in Oct 2024 Tesla unvield the Cybercab which should become the most widely made vehicle in history has a "SOLID METAL ROOF or CARBON FIBER type ROOF".

If you replace structural elements that the roof provides, then DUH , it's ok.

The cybercab is a differently designed vehicle, and also a concept and probably wouldn't pass a crash test as is.

The thread is "remove the roof glass for access". If you add supporting structure of course it will be fine, but you'll probably have to block the entrance or change the entire cabin.

 

[HaulingAss]

Just because a component is structural does not mean a component can not be modified or replaced with a different structural component designed differently and made of different materials.

What is important is the the replacement part meet certain structural criterias (plural).

Most buildings have certain walls that are structural. In a 3-story building that had completed construction , if a particular structural wall had NO door opening and the owner later wanted a door opening, an engineer would design how to shore up the building during remodel and how to re-enforce the wall to have needed structure for a wall with a door opening.

A glass roof with no cross beam might be replaced by solid metal roof with crossbeam.
The designer of structural glass roof highly prioritized scenic visibility and no cross beam while designer of structural solid metal roof designer might prioritize privacy, solar heat rejection, rock/bullet resistance and be OK with having structural cross beam ( or beams).

Since 2019 I was told that absolutely Model Y/3s & Cybertruck had to have glass roofs for safety & rigidity reasons and solid metal roofs would be too weak and then in Oct 2024 Tesla unvield the Cybercab which should become the most widely made vehicle in history has a "SOLID METAL ROOF or CARBON FIBER type ROOF".

Huh? Carbon fiber is stronger than steel. And lighter too.

You can design safe vehicles with steel roofs, they just weigh more, and are thicker (less headroom or more frontal area) than glass or carbon fiber.

Hell, you could make a vehicle roof out of concrete and rebar, but it's not going to be as good as glass.

The safety advantage of glass roofs is there is a plastic laminate in the middle that holds it together even after the glass has cracked. It continues to distribute crash forces over a broad area during a side impact and helps the steel passenger safety cage resist deformation. You could get the same amount of strength out of a steel roof but it would weigh a lot more.

A steel roof of the same abilities in resisting impact forces would not only be heavier, but also thicker. That means in order to maintain the same amount of headroom, the frontal area of the vehicle just became about an inch and half taller over most of the width of the entire vehicle. That's very significant in terms of range and highway efficiency compared to a glass roof.
I'm not sure why you would suggest a typical steel roof is more resistant to penetration by rocks/bullets (compared to laminated roof glass). That is not the case.

 

[cybercricket]

Huh? Carbon fiber is stronger than steel. And lighter too.

Carbon fiber [composites] may have higher tensile strength and strength (again tensile) to weight ratio than steel, but for loads that don't focus on the tensile strength it may be inferior. Titan Submersible comes to mind, where the hull was made of carbon fiber.

 

[cybercricket]

If you replace structural elements that the roof provides, then DUH , it's ok.

The cybercab is a differently designed vehicle, and also a concept and probably wouldn't pass a crash test as is.

The thread is "remove the roof glass for access". If you add supporting structure of course it will be fine, but you'll probably have to block the entrance or change the entire cabin.

Hypothetical camper I am talking about would have a number of structural elements that would combine with the CT's structure. So glass is removed, part of it would be compensated for by the camper's cross beams and hatch frame, and the other part would come from the camper's floor above the cab.

 

[Deleted member 17810]

Hypothetical camper I am talking about would have a number of structural elements that would combine with the CT's structure. So glass is removed, part of it would be compensated for by the camper's cross beams and hatch frame, and the other part would come from the camper's floor above the cab.

Well then yea, it doesn't matter if you're rebuilding the structure.

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