Module 1- introduction to automobile

Syllabus -
engineering
• Automobile history and development, current scenario in Indian auto/
ancillary industries, Role of the automobile industry in national growth,
• Classification,
• types of chassis layout with reference to power plant locations and drive,
• Vehicle frames,
• Various types of frames.
• Constructional details, Unitized frame body construction, Loads acting on
vehicle frame,
• details of chassis material.
 Introduction to Automobile Engineering
• The word ‘Automobile’ comes, via the French automobile from the ancient
Greek word (auto’s, “self”) and the Latin ‘mobiles’ (“Movable”), means a
vehicle that moves itself, rather than being pulled or pushed by a separate
animal or another vehicle.
• An automobile is a wheeled automobile vehicle carrying its own power
unit

DEFINITION
• Automobile engineering is a branch of engineering which deals with
everything about automobiles and practices to propel them
• Automobile is a vehicle driven by an internal combustion engine and it is
used for transportation of passengers and goods on the ground. Automobile
can also be defined as a vehicle which can move by itself.
• Examples: Car, jeep, bus, truck, scooter, etc.
History and development of Automobile
• Steps in automobile history
• Innovation and invention era
• Mass production
• Development of world motor industry
Innovations and inventions
• Germany is the birth place of automobile.
• Nicolas Joseph Cugnot, a French engineer is credited with inventing the first self-
propelled automobile. Cugnot's vehicle used steam power for locomotion. The
vehicle found military application in the French army. Cugnot's automobile was
never commercially sold.
• German inventor ‘Karl Benz’ is one of the many individuals given credit for the
creation of first automobile. (1885)
• Nicolas Otto of Germany created the four stroke petrol internal combustion engine.
• Rudolf Diesel Germany also invented the same four stroke diesel engine.
• The electric car invented by inventor of electric motor Hungarian and Gaston Plante
who invented the lead acid battery in 1859
• Benz also invented accelerator for speed regulation, battery ignition
system, spark plug, clutch, gear shift and radiator for cooling the
engine.
• With these improvements, he started with production of
automobile, the first in the world, in the year 1888.
• In 1893 the first four-wheeled automobile was introduced by Benz.
This was fitted with four-stroke engine of his own design.
• Daimler and Mayback also produced about thirty vehicles during
1890-1895
• The company of Daimler and Benz united under the name of
Daimler-Benz with a commitment to keep that name till the year
2000
 Mass production
• Development of automotive technology was rapid.
• Large scale production of automobile was started by Ransom Eli
Olds in 1902 and the concept was vastly expanded by Henry Ford
• Engine 2898 cc was built by ford.
• Since 1920s, almost all automobiles have been mass produced
resulting lower costs.
• In 1970s Volkswagen ‘’Beetle’’ was sold in large number of non-
rusting cars.
Development of world motor industry
• Till 1930s wooden frame with fabric or wood skin used to
build coaches.
• Late 1930s onwards, presses steel for skin
• Multiple curvature added more strength and body panels
shared the load
• Recent cars have shell structure with aerodynamic structures.
• By 1950s ‘’unitary’’ construction was universally followed for
mass produces cars
• Composite body for lesser weight and corrosion free body –
started after WWII
Vintage era vehicles include

Austin 7 (1922-1939), Bugatti Type 35 (1924-1929),

Vintage era vehicles include

Lancia Lambda (1922-1931), Hanomag (1925-1928)

Vintage era vehicles include

Ford model A (1927-1931) Cadillac V-16 (1930)24.

Pre-World War II Era
Alvis Speed 20 Ford V-8 (Model B) Tatra 77

Bugatti Type 57 Rolls-Royce Phantom III — Volkswagen Beetle

V12 engine
 Post War Era
• In this era an increasing focus on safety in the design of automobiles.
• The biggest developments of this era were the widespread use of
independent suspensions, fuel injection, more stream lined.
• Some cars are Ford Mustang (1964), Camaro (1967). In this era
Nissan, Toyota and BMW were also springing up.
modern era
• Through continuous improvement & the ingenious application of
new technology, the automobile reconfirmed and updated its
status as a triumph of engineering throughout the 20th century.
Components of automobile
• The basic structure
• Frame, Suspension system, Axles, wheels
• The power plant
• The transmission system
• The auxiliaries
• Ignition system, Batteries and generator
• The controls
• Steering system
• Brakes
• The superstructure
 Classification of Automobile
Automobile can be classified as general consideration as follows:
1. On the Basis of Load.
2. On the Basis of Wheels.
3. On the basis of Fuel used.
4. On the Basis of Body Style.
5. On the basis of Transmission.
6. On the basis of Drive.
7. On the basis of Driving Axle
8. Position of Engine
1. On the Basis of Load:
• Heavy transport vehicle (HTV) or heavy motor vehicle (HMV),
• Examples –

• Light transport vehicle (LTV), Light motor vehicle (LMV),

• Examples -

.
2. On the Basis of Wheels :
• Two wheeler vehicle, for example : Scooter, motorcycle, scooty etc.
• Three wheeler vehicle, for example : Autorickshaw
• Three wheeler scooter for handicaps and tempo, etc.
• Four wheeler vehicle, for example : Car, jeep, trucks, buses, etc.
• Six wheeler vehicle, for example : Big trucks with two gear axles.

3. On the basis of Fuel Used:

• Petrol vehicle, e.g. motorcycle, scooter, cars, etc.
• Diesel vehicle, e.g. trucks, buses, etc.
• Electric vehicle which use battery to drive.
• Steam vehicle, e.g. an engine which uses steam engine.
• Gas vehicle, e.g. LPG and CNG vehicles, where LPG is liquefied
4. On the basis of body style:
• Closed cars such as salon, coupe

• Open cars like sports car, convertible car etc.

• Special styles such as estate car, station wagon Etc.

5. On the basis of Transmission:
• Conventional vehicles with manual transmission, e.g. car with 5
gears.
• Semi-automatic : having two pedal transmission using manual
operation of standard gear box, with automatic clutch control.
These are absolute now.
• Automatic : In automatic transmission, gears are not required to
be changed manually.

6. On the basis of Drive:

• Left hand drive
• Right hand drive
7. On the basis of Driving Axle
• Front wheel drive
• Rear wheel drive
• All wheel drive
8. Position of Engine:
• Engine in Front - Most of the vehicles have engine in
the front. Example :most of the cars,
• Engine in the Rear Side - Very few vehicles have
engine located in the rear. Example : Nano car,.
 Types of chassis layout
• Chassis are classified as
1. On the basis of control chassis
• Conventional control chassis.
• Semi-forward control chassis.
• Fully forward control chassis.
2. On the basis of engine (power plant) location
• Engine fitted at front
• Engine fitted at back
• Engine fitted at center
• Engine fitted at front but crosswise
3. Number of wheels fitted in the vehicles and
number of driving wheels
• 4x2 drive chassis vehicle
• 4x4 drive chassis vehicle
• 6x2 drive chassis vehicle
• 6x4 drive chassis vehicle
Conventional control chassis, in which engine is
mounted in front of the driver’s cabins. This type of
arrangements avoids full utilization of space
Semi-forward control chassis, in which engine is so mounted
that half of it is in the drivers cabin whereas the other half is
in front, outside the drivers cabin.
Fully forward control chassis, in which engine is mounted
completely inside the driver’s cabin obviously maximum
utilization of space is achieved in this type arrangements.
Example Tata E series.
 Engine at front & drive is given to the wheels from the REAR
• Enough space is available for luggage
behind the rear seat.
• The weight of vehicle is well balance.
• Increased efficiency of cooling system.

Engine is fitted at front & drive is given to front wheels crosswise

• Low floor is available
• Vehicle has more road holding
capacity
• Clutch, gear box & differential are
usually made as one unit thereby
cost is reduced
 Engine fitted at the center of the chassis
• Drive is given to the rear
• The layout has a tendency toward being heavier in the rear than the
front, which allows for best balance to be achieved under braking.
• This arrangement provide full space of floor for use
• this layout is heavily employed in open-wheel Formula racing as well
as purpose-built sports racing cars.
 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 specially when climbing hill
• As the result of grouping of the engine with clutch, gear box,
differential the repair and adjustment become difficult due to
congestion at the rear
 Vehicle Frame
A frame is a main Structure of the chassis of a motor
vehicle. All other components fasten to it

Function of Frame
• To support chassis components and the body
• To withstand the static and dynamic load of different components of
chassis.
• To withstand load of the body and passengers/goods carried in body
• To withstand stress caused due to uneven road conditions
• To withstand force caused due to turning of vehicle and sudden
braking or acceleration.
Classification of Frames
• Conventional frame
• Integral or unitized frame
• Half integral or semi-integral frame
 Conventional frame
• It has two long side member and 5 to 6 cross members joined together with
the help of rivets and bolts. Used in trucks, bus and SUV cars and Bigger
vehicles
• The frame sections are generally
1. Channel section – good resistant to bending.
2. Tabular section – good resistant to torsion.
3. Box section – good resistance to both bending to torsion
4. I- section- for heavy duty applications
5. Hat section – for cross members
 Integral Frame
• This frame is used nowadays in most of the cars called frameless or chassis
less or unitized construction. Floor assembly and frame form one integral
part.
• Need of the heavy side members are eliminated ,which is used in
conventional frame & the floor is strengthened by cross members & body , all
welded together.
• In some cases sub-frames are also used on which various chassis components
are mounted. This sub-frames are supported by main frame.
• The main purpose of sub-frame are to provide isolation , flexibility &
simplified production.
• So, in this type of construction all components like cross member , floor ,
body are welder or bolted together as one assembly.
• This type of construction gives more strength & rigidity.
• Only disadvantage is difficulty in repairing.
Integral Frame
 Semi-Integral Frame
• In some vehicle half frame is fixed in the front end on which
engine gear box and front suspension is mounted
• It has the advantage when the vehicle is met with accident the
front frame can be taken easily and replace the damaged
chassis frame
• This type of frame used in European and American cars
 Constructional details
• Frame is made up of long two members called side members riveted
together with the help of number of cross members.
• In simplified figure the longitudinal (long)
member A and cross member B.
• The frame is upswept at the rear and front to
accommodate the movement of axles due to
springing. It also keep chassis height low
• The frame is narrowed down at front to have a
better steering , which gives a smaller turning
circle
• The extension of the chassis frame ahead of the
front axle is called front overhang. Whereas
extension beyond the rear axle is called rear
overhang
• C are brackets supporting the body
• E1 acts as bearing for spring shackles,
they also take bumper brackets.
• Brackets E are meant for mounting the
spring.
• The engine clutch and transmission are
all bolted together to form one rigid
assembly which is mounted usually on
the frond end of frame
• Engine is supported on frame by
means of rubber blocks, this helps
isolates the engine from road shocks.
And body from engine vibrations
Types of frames
• 1. Ladder Frame
• 2. Backbone Frame
• 3. X-frame
• 4. Perimeter Frame
• 5. Platform Frame
• 6. Unibody (or) Unit body
• 7. Sub Frame
 1.Ladder Frame
• The ladder frame is the simplest and oldest of all designs.
• It consists of two symmetrical rails, or beams, and cross member connecting
them.
• Originally seen on almost all vehicles, the ladder frame was gradually
phased out on cars around the 1940s and is now seen mainly on trucks.
• This design offers good beam resistance because of its continuous rails from
front to rear, but poor resistance to torsion.
• Also, the vehicle's overall height will be higher due to the floor pan sitting
above the frame instead of inside it
 2.Backbone frame
• Backbone frame is a type of an automobile construction frame
that is similar to the body-on frame design.
• Instead of a two-dimensional ladder type structure, it consists
of a strong tubular backbone (usually rectangular in cross
section) that connects the front and rear suspension
attachment areas.
• A body is then placed on this structure.
 3.X-frame
• This is the design used for the full-size American models of General Motors.
• In which the rails from alongside the engine seemed to cross in the passenger
compartment, each continuing to the opposite end of the cross member at the
extreme rear of the vehicle.
• It was specifically chosen to decrease the overall height of the vehicles, and to
increase in the space for transmission.
• The X-frame was claimed to improve on previous designs, but it lacked side rails
and thus did not provide adequate side impact and collision protection.
• So This design was replaced by perimeter frames.
 4.Perimeter frame
• Similar to a ladder frame, but the middle sections of the frame
rails sit outboard of the front and rear rails.
• This was done to allow for a lower floor pan, and therefore
lower overall vehicle in passenger cars.
• In addition to the perimeter frame allows lower seating
positions when that is desirable, and offers better safety in the
event of a side impact.
• However, the design lacks stiffness, because the transition
areas from front to center and center to rear reduce beam and
torsional resistance.
 5.Platform Frame
• This is a modification of the perimeter frame in which the passenger
compartment floor and often the luggage compartment floor were
permanently attached to the frame, for extra strength.
• Neither floor pieces were sheet metal straight off the roll, but had
been stamped with ridges and hollows for extra strength.
• This was used by the Germans on the Volkswagen Beetle and the
Mercedes-Benz "Ponton" cars of the 1950s and 1960s, where it was
called in English-language advertisements as the "frame floor".
 6.Unitized frame body construction
• Integral frame is also called unitized frame
• With unitized body construction, the front, rear and side rails are welded
together with the floor pan, cross members and torque boxes to form a single
“unit,” whereas body-on-frame construction has two pieces, the body and the
frame
• This become the preferred construction for mass production especially in the
wake of energy crises of the 1970s and mid 2000s oil price increases
• Commonly used for car and mini van construction in which a solid robust
frame is not required
• Provides an advantage of less vehicle weight that helps contribute to
performance and fuel economy.
Integral Frame or
unitized body
7.Sub frame
• A sub frame is a structural component of a vehicle.
• Such as an automobile or an aircraft, that uses a separate
structure within a larger body-on-frame or unit body to carry
certain components, such as the engine, drivetrain, or
suspension.
• The sub frame is bolted and/or welded to the vehicle.
• When bolted, it is sometimes equipped with rubber
• bushings or springs to dampen vibration.
• The principal purposes of using a subframe are, to spread high chassis loads
over a wide area of relatively thin sheet metal of a monocoque body shell,
and to isolate vibration and harshness from the rest of the body.
• For example, in an automobile with its power train contained in a subframe,
forces generated by the engine and transmission can be damped enough that
they will not disturb passengers.
• As a natural development from a car with a full chassis, separate front and
rear subframes are used in modern vehicles to reduce the overall weight and
cost.
Loads acting on vehicle frame
1. Short duration Load – While crossing a broken patch.
2. Momentary duration Load – While taking a curve.
3. Impact Loads – Due to the collision of the vehicle.
4. Inertia Load – While applying brakes.
5. Static Loads – Loads due to chassis parts.
6. Over Loads – Beyond Design capacity.
 Loads acting on vehicle frame
• Weight of the vehicle and passengers, which causes vertical bending of the
side members
• Vertical loads when the vehicle comes across a bumps or hollow, which
results in longitudinal torsion due to one wheel lifted (or lowered) with
other wheels at usual road level.
• Loads due to road camber, side wind, cornering force, while taking turn,
which results in lateral bending of side members.
• Load due to wheel impact with road obstacles may cause that particular
wheel to remain obstructed while the other wheel tends to move forward,
distorting the frame to parallelogram shape
• Engine torque and braking torque tending to bend the side members in the
vertical plane
• Sudden impacts loads during a collision, which may result in general
collapse
Details of chassis materials
• Materials selection of Chassis frame depends on:
• Type of Vehicle (Heavy, Light)
• Chassis Design (Engine components location)
• Manufacturing company
• Why materials are important
• Fuel economy
• Recommended materials
• Cast iron (for Heavy vehicles)
• HSS, Steel (Medium vehicles)
• Aluminum alloys (Light Vehicles)
Materials for chassis frame
What material properties are important in choosing frame
material?
• First, there are three types of material properties:
Physical - Density, color, electrical conductivity, magnetic
permeability, and thermal expansion.
Mechanical - Elongation, fatigue limit, hardness, stiffness,
shear strength, tensile strength, and toughness.
Chemical - Reactivity, corrosion resistance, electrochemical
potential, irradiation resistance, resistance to acids, resistance
to alkalis, and solubility.
 Question bank
1. How is a frame different from a chassis? Discuss the design aspects and salient features of frame?
2. What are the loads coming on frame? With the help of line diagram, explain the construction,
briefly.
3. Enumerate the different types of chassis and frame?
4. Define automobile and explain its classification
5. What material properties are important in choosing frame material? why material selection is important ?
6. Describe components of automobile in detail?
7. Explain detail classification of automobile on the basis of transmission system?
8. Explain detail classification of Classify automobile on the basis of engine position?
9. What is vehicle frame and its function?
10. Differentiate ladder frame and backbone frame with suitable diagram?
11. Differentiate ladder frame and perimeter frame with suitable diagram?
12. Explain sub frame and uni body fame in detail?
13. Briefly explain types of chassis layout with reference to power plant location?
14. Explain conventional frame and importance of different frame sections?
15. What is the benefits of front engine than back engine?
16. What is the benefits of back engine than front engine?
Assignment 1 – Last day of submission (16/8/18)

1. current scenario in Indian auto/ ancillary industries?

2. Role of the automobile industry in national growth?