Main Components of Automobile
• The automobile can considered to consist of following basic
components
(a) The engine or power plant: It is source of power
(b) The Frame and chassis: It supports the engine, wheels, body,
braking system, steering, etc.
(c) The transmission: which transmits power from the engine to the car
wheel. It consists of clutch, transmission, shaft, xles and differential.
(d) The body and controls
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Chassis
• Main Supporting Structure of
vehicle consist of almost all
major parts except automobile
body
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Key component of Chassis is Frame
• Frame Have 3 different types
1. Conventional frame
2. Integral Frame
3. Semi Integral Frame
Functions of Frame
• To support chassis components & body
• Withstand the static & dynamic load of different components of chassis
• To withstand load of the body
• To carry load
• To withstand stresses caused due to uneven road conditions.
• To withstand force caused due to turning of the vehicles & sudden braking or
acceleration.
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• The frame is narrowed down at the front (inswept) to have a better strength lock which
provides space for pivoting & swinging of the front wheels.
• Upset at the rear provided to give room for the vertical movement of the rear axle as it
travels over road bums & other road inequalities.
• Body brackets are provided to support the body of the vehicle
• Spring brackets are provided for mounting the body of the vehicle
• Extension of chassis frame ahead of the front axle known as front overhung.
• Extension of chassis beyond the rear axle known as rear overhung.
• Different sections are used for long & cross members.
• Generally channel section & box section are used for long side members & other sections
like I section, hat section, tubular section are used for cross members
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Frame Cross Sections
• Channel Section – Good Resistance to Bending
• Box Section – Good Resistance to both bending and torsion
• Tubular Section – Good Resistance to torsion.
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Types of Chassis
According to layout
• Conventional
• Forward
• Semi forward
According to mounting of engine and transmission
• Engine at front
• Engine fitted in front but crosswise
• Engine fitted at the center of the chassis
• Engine fitted at the back
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According to mounting of Component of
Chassis
• Front Engine Rear Wheel Drive
• Front Engine Front Wheel Drive
• Rear Engine Rear Wheel Drive
• All Wheel Drive
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Conventional Chassis
• Engine is fitted in front of the driver cabin or driver seat such as in
cars.
• Chassis portion can not be utilized for carrying passengers and goods
• Heavy Engine can be fitted, which can used to give more power
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Semi Forward Chassis
• Half portion of the engine is in the driver cabin & and remaining half
is outside the cabin such as in Tata trucks / Tempos
• In this arrangement a part of the chassis is utilized for carrying extra
passengers
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Forward Chassis
• Complete engine is mounted inside the driver cabin, Driver seat is just
above the front wheel.
• More Boot Space Available as full utilization of chassis
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Engine at front
• Conventionally the engines are fitted at
front & drive is given to the wheels
from the “rear ”
Advantages
• Enough space is available for luggage
behind the rear seat
• The weight of vehicles is well balance
• Increased efficiency of cooling system
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Engine fitted in front but crosswise
• This front engine layout requires
very small space to fit the engine.
Hence, most compact cars use
this layout which has very small
space to accommodate the
engine.
• Design is more complicated as
compared to the longitudinally
placed engine. This is because it
does not leave enough space for
accessories
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Engine is mounted at center
• Mid-engine, rear-wheel drive format can be
considered the original layout of automobiles.
• Drive is given to the rear.
• Equal Distribution of weight.
• Largest drawback of mid-engine cars is
restricted rear passenger space;
• Consequently most mid-engine vehicles are
two-seat vehicles.
• The engine in effect pushes the passenger
compartment forward towards the front axle
(if engine is behind driver).
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Engine Fitted at back
• Flat floor is available since long
propeller shafts are eliminated
• With elimination of propeller shaft
the center of gravity lowered giving
stable driving
• Better adhesion on road especially
when climbing hill
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Other important chassis types
• Tabular Space Frame
• Monocoque Frame
• Backbone Frame
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Tubular Frame
• It is 3 -dimensional design
• Tubular space frame chassis employs
dozens of circular section tube, positions in
different directions to provide mechanical
strength against force from anywhere .
• These tubes are welded & forms a very
complex structure
• For higher strength required by sports cars
, tubular space frame chassis usually
incorporate a strong structure under both
doors .
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Advantages & Disadvantages
• Very strong in any direction (compared with ladder chassis and
Monocoque chassis of the same weight)
• Very complex , costly and time consuming to be built.
• It engages a lot of spaces rise the door seal and result in difficult to
access to the cabin.
• Impossible for robotized production.
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Monocoque
• Monocoque is a one -piece
structure which defines overall
shape of the car while ladder ,
tabular & backbone provide
only stress members
• Today 99 % car produced in this
planet are made of steel
Monocoque chassis
• Chassis are made by welding of
several pieces (Spot winding)
• Monocoque is made of steel
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Advantages & Disadvantages
• Space-efficiency.
• Monocoque chassis benefit crash production because it uses a lot of metal.
• Cheap for mass production
• It is very heavy.
• Impossible for small volume production.
• In case of accidents whole structure become obsolete.
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Back Bone Frame
• Similar to the body frame design.
• It consist of a strong tubular
backbone (Usually rectangular in
C/s).
• A body is placed on the structure.
• This type of chassis has been used
in numerous sports cars.
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Advantages & Disadvantages
• The vulnerable parts of the drive shaft are covered by a thick tube. The
whole system is extremely reliable. However, if a problem occurs, repairs
are more complicated.
• The modular system enables configurations of 2-, 3-, 4-, 5-, 6-, or 8-axle
vehicles with various wheel bases.
• Manufacturing the backbone chassis is more complicated and more costly.
However, the more axles with all-wheel drive are needed, the cost benefit
turns in favor of backbone chassis.
• The backbone chassis is heavier for a given torsional stiffness than a uni-
body.
• The chassis gives no protection against side impacts.
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Types of Vehicle Layout Or Chassis
Layout
• Front Engine Rear Wheel Drive
• Front Engine Rear Wheel Drive
• Rear Engine Rear Wheel Drive
• All wheel Drive
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Front Engine Rear Wheel Drive
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Rear-wheel drive
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Front Engine Rear Wheel Drive
• Most common type of layout.
• Engine Located at front and driving power is given to rear wheels.
• Driving Power flows from engine to rear wheel through various
mechanical linkages.
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Advantages & Disadvantages
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Even weight distribution
• The division of weight between the front and rear wheels has a
significant impact on a car's handling, and it is much easier to get a
50/50 weight distribution in a rear wheel drive car.
Steering radius
• As no complicated drive shaft joints are required at the front wheels, it
is possible to turn them further than would be possible using front
wheel drive, resulting in a smaller steering radius.
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Less load at front axle
• The driving force is
given at rear axle hence
there is no need to
provide complex design
on front axle.
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Disadvantages
• Decreased interior space – This isn't an issue in a vehicle with a
ladder frame like a pickup truck, where the space used by the drive
line is unusable for passengers or cargo.
• But in a passenger car, rear wheel drive means: Less front leg room
(the transmission tunnel takes up a lot of space between the driver and
front passenger), less leg room for center rear passengers (due to
the tunnel needed for the drive shaft), and sometimes less trunk
space (since there is also more hardware that must be placed
underneath the trunk).
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Less Inner space
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Increased weight
• The drive shaft, which connects the engine at the front to the drive
axle in the back, adds weight.
• There is extra sheet metal to form the transmission tunnel.
• A rear wheel drive car will weigh slightly more than a comparable
front wheel drive car, but less than four wheel drive.
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Higher purchase price
• Due to the added cost of materials, rear wheel drive is typically
slightly more expensive to purchase than a comparable front wheel
drive vehicle.
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Front Engine Front Wheel Drive
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Front wheel drive
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Front Engine Front Wheel Drive
• In this type the engine is mounted
on the front side of the vehicle
and the driving power is given to
the front wheels only.
• The power flows from engine to
front axle.
• This type of arrangement have
additional sub type i.e. front
mounted cross engine.
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Advantages
• Interior space:
• Since the powertrain is a single unit contained in the engine compartment
of the vehicle, there is no need to devote interior space for a driveshaft
tunnel or rear differential, increasing the volume available for passengers
and cargo.
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Better handling on slippery surface
• Slippery-surface traction: placing the mass of the drivetrain over the
driven wheels improves traction on wet, snowy, or icy surfaces.
Improved drive train efficiency
• The direct connection between engine and transaxle reduce the mass
and mechanical inertia of the drivetrain compared to a rear-wheel
drive vehicle with a similar engine and transmission, allowing greater
fuel economy.
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Disadvantages
• Less Turning Radius
• The drive shafts may limit the amount by which the front wheels can
turn, they are generally unable to make them.
• More Weight on front results in rapid wear of front tires.
• Front-wheel drive has worse acceleration than rear-wheel drive, which
is why most sporty and race cars use rear-wheel drive.
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Steering FWD VS RWD VS AWD
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FWD vs
RWD
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Rear Engine Rear Wheel Drive
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Advantages
• Weight over rear wheels, increased traction while accelerating.
• Front axle construction is simplified.
• Absence of propeller shaft results in decrease of floor height.
• Engine components mounted at rear of rear axle hence more space is
available.
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Disadvantages
• Separate cooling mechanism is needed for effective cooling of the
engine as the engine is mounted at rear.
• More load on rear side may result in overturning (Over steer) of the
vehicle.
• Longer linkages are required to operate clutch, gears from driver.
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All wheel Drive
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Four wheel drive
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AWD or 4WD
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RWD or FWD or AWD
• https://youtu.be/C4hv78vtBxM
The difference between AWD and 4WD
• https://youtu.be/rHMDtEPeuQM
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Advantages
• 4WD improves traction in dangerous driving conditions, such as snow,
ice, rocks, and other scenarios that can make control difficult. By
engaging both sets of wheels, traction and control improves.
• Additional weight contributes to better grip on the road.
• 4WD is great for those who like off-roading.
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Disadvantages
• Added cost for purchase, maintenance, and fuel. The extra equipment
(differentials, transfer case, etc.) adds complexity and weight to the
vehicle, increasing initial market value, tire wear, and the cost of
repairs and maintenance.
• The added power and weight of 4WD and AWD systems require more
fuel, making them less efficient than their 2WD counterparts.
• Added weight improves traction and control, but it also increases the
braking distance required to make a complete stop. Lighter vehicles
can avoid collision easier than heavier vehicles.
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Materials in Automotive Design
Requirement
• Light Weight
• Cost Effective
• Recyclable
• Safety – Capable of absorbing impact energy and penetration
resistance. So that during crash like situation passengers may
remain safe.
• Can be easily shaped by using manufacturing processes like
machining, forming or joining.
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History of Materials
The evolution of the body and chassis
The beginning
• Coaches structure adapted for internalisation
• Wood frames
1920’s
• Revolution in the concept of body structure
• Introduction of Steel and aluminium sheets
• Development of drop-hammering and power
hammering manufacturing processes
1930-40’s
• Monocoque body and rigid shape
• Development of stamping technology that enable to
form sheets in complex curves
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1950’s
• Very high production rates (mass production);
• Diffusion of stamped steel unibody structure;
• Big and rigid elements inside the vehicle
1960’s
• Extensive use of the steel unibody structure
• Alternative materials research started (composites)
• Fiberglass reinforced plastic were introduced in 1963-64
1970’s
• 1973 energy crisis changed the automative development
• Reduction the steel content , light materials research started
• Flexible elements start to be used (avoid sever injuries)
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1980’s
• New Design goals
• Environment concerns
• Passive safety started to be improved (doors, roofs and front
side reinforcements)
1990’s
• Lightweight materials
• Body shell stiffness and resilience
• Design with programmed deformable zones
2000’s
• Weight reduction & distribution (> dynamic performance)
• Optimum use of the deformation zones
• Optimum protection against side impacts
• New construction processes improved stiffness between pieces
connection and decrease the welding needs
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Common Materials – Assessment of lightweight materials73
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