Automobile Engineering-III

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Frames and Suspension
Brake System
Electrical System
Wheels and Tyres

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Frames and Suspension

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 Chassis

A vehicle frame, also historically known as its chassis,

is the main supporting structure of a motor vehicle to
which all other components are attached, comparable to
the skeleton of an organism.

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 Chassis
Typically the material used to construct vehicle chassis and
frames is carbon steel; or aluminum alloys to achieve a more
light-weight construction.
In the case of a separate chassis, the frame is made up
of structural elements called the rails or beams. These are
ordinarily made of steel channel sections, made by folding,
rolling, or pressing steel plate.

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 Chassis

Until the 1930s, virtually every car had a structural frame separate from
its body. This construction design is known as body-on-frame.
By the 1960s, unibody construction in passenger cars had become
common, and the trend to unibody for passenger cars continued over the
ensuing decades.
Nearly all trucks, buses, and most pickups continue to use a separate
frame as their chassis.

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 Chassis
The main functions of a frame in a motor vehicle are:
1.To support the vehicle's mechanical components and body
2.To deal with static and dynamic loads, without undue deflection or
distortion.
These include:
• Weight of the body, passengers, and cargo loads.
• Vertical and torsional twisting transmitted by going over uneven surfaces.
• Transverse lateral forces caused by road conditions, side wind, and
steering the vehicle.
• Torque from the engine and transmission.
• Longitudinal tensile forces from starting and acceleration, as well as
compression from braking.
• Sudden impacts from collisions.
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 Chassis

A vehicle frame, also historically known as its chassis,

is the main supporting structure of a motor vehicle to
which all other components are attached, comparable to
the skeleton of an organism.

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 Chassis
Types of frame according to their construction:
• Ladder-type frame
• X-Type frame
• Offset frame
• Offset with cross member frame
• Perimeter Frame

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 Ladder Frame
Named for its resemblance to a ladder, the ladder frame is one of the
oldest, simplest and most frequently used under-body, separate
chassis/frame designs.
It consists of two symmetrical beams, rails, or channels, running the length
of the vehicle, connected by several transverse cross-members.
Originally seen on almost all vehicles, the ladder frame was gradually
phased out on cars in favor of perimeter frames and unitized body
construction. It is now seen mainly on large trucks.
➢ This design offers good beam resistance
because of its continuous rails from front to
rear, but poor resistance to torsion or
warping if simple, perpendicular cross-
members are used.
➢ The vehicle's overall height will be greater
due to the floor pan sitting above the frame
instead of inside it 10
 X - Frame
This is the design in which the rails
from alongside the engine seemed to
cross in the passenger compartment,
each continuing to the opposite end
of the crossmember at the extreme
rear of the vehicle.
It was specifically chosen to
decrease the overall height of the
vehicles regardless of the increase in
the size of the 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. This design was
replaced by perimeter frames.
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 Perimeter Frame
Similar to a ladder frame, but the
middle sections of the frame rails
sit outboard of the front and rear
rails, routed around the passenger
footwells,
This allowed the floor-pan to be
lowered, especially the passenger
footwells, lowering the
passengers' seating height and
thereby reducing both the roof-
line and overall vehicle height
In addition to a lowered roof, the
perimeter frame allows lower
seating positions when that is
desirable, and offers better safety
in the event of a side impact.
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Layout Power Transmission
elements

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Suspension
Every system in a vehicle is important and plays a
role in maintaining performance.
The suspension system helps contribute to the
handling and stability of a vehicle while on the road.
While the purpose of car suspension and truck
suspension systems are the same, the system itself is
different between these two types of vehicles.

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Why Truck Suspensions Are Important

When it comes to heavy-duty vehicles like work trucks, the

suspension system plays a critical role in helping support the
different operations the vehicles perform.
Pickup truck suspension systems are responsible for supporting
the load being hauled by the vehicle. Often, these vehicles carry
large amounts of equipment or products, so the suspension needs
to be durable and reliable enough to handle it.
Truck suspensions also are crucial for providing stability on the
road. Since these vehicles are heavier and might also be carrying
additional weight, the suspension must be able to assist with
handling uneven roads. The suspension also helps prevent trucks
from tipping.
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Why Truck Suspensions Are Important

The suspension also needs to help cushion the ride so the cargo
and equipment remains protected over bumps and other
imperfections in the road. Cushioning the ride also helps improve
driver comfort.
The suspension allows the tires and axles of the truck to move
independently from one another, instead of the axle being attached
to the frame directly.
This helps soften the impact to the vehicle and helps absorb the
impact of cracks, bumps or dips in the road.

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 Types of Truck Suspensions
There are a few different kinds of truck suspension systems that can
be used depending on the application the vehicle is handling:
Leaf spring suspension
Torsion bar suspension
Coil spring suspension

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 Leaf spring suspension
A leaf spring suspension system is one of
the earliest systems and features long,
arched pieces of steel that flex when
needed.
The leaf spring system is attached to the
frame and a shackle that moves, which
allows the length of the spring to vary.
More leaf springs can be added to support
more weight. Heavy-duty trucks or other
diesel vehicles often feature multiple layers
of leaf springs if they have this type of
system.
Pictured here is a leaf spring suspension
setup, which is the most common type of
suspension system used on big-rig trucks
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 Torsion bar suspension
Torsion bar suspensions feature a narrow steel tube attached to the
wishbone of a vehicle that twists around its axis.
The tube is also attached on one end to the chassis, and this end
does not twist.
If a wheel hits a bump, tension gets created when the tube twists.
After a bump, the steel unwinds and pushes the wheel down again.

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 Coil spring suspension
A coil spring suspension is a common system that is found in the
front and back of many vehicles and in the front of some trucks.
These systems feature springs that are spiraled and allow for
flexibility in the form of bending and twisting. They are the most
versatile system.

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Signs of Wear on Truck Suspensions
There are several signs that can indicate wear and tear on a truck’s
suspension system. Paying attention to these is important so you can
catch issues early:
Bumpy rides: An increase in bumpiness and shaking on the road
can mean there’s damage to the struts or other parts of the
suspension.
• Uneven tire wear: Suspension issues can cause uneven impact on
your vehicle, causing irregular tire wear and tear.
• Lowered vehicle: If you notice a sunken frame or your truck
leaning to one side or the other when it’s parked, there could be
damage to the suspension.
• Leaking oil: Finding leaking oil on the shocks of your truck can be
an indicator they are worn or damaged and need to be replaced.21
FRONT SUSPENSIONS

There are two major types of conventional front suspensions. They are
dependent and independent.

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DEPENDENT FRONT SUSPENSIONS
Dependent suspension has applies on truck vehicles and cars.

In this case the front axle suspended from the frame side members by
two leaf springs with spring brackets and spring shackles.

Resilient elements for this suspension system are use longitudinal

semi-elliptical springs that assembled from curved steel sheets of
different lengths (the higher leaf, it is longer).

The most common elastic element suspension is leaf spring. Leaf

springs is very important as it directly affects to gain a softer
suspension. Leaf springs softens shocks and blows acting on the
wheels from the bumps in the road.
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DEPENDENT FRONT SUSPENSIONS

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INDEPENDENT FRONT SUSPENSIONS
The independent front suspension was developed in the 1930’s to
improve vehicle ride control and riding comfort.

With the independent design, each wheel is mounted on its own axle.

This allows the wheels to respond individually to road conditions.

Also, with independent front suspension the sprung weight is
reduced, creating a smoother ride.

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