DESIGN ARCHITECTURES

 Vehicle design classification according to its structure:

– Tubular chassis (space frame)

– Subchassis (frame) and body

– Unitized body, unibody, BIW

 TUBULAR CHASSIS
 The chassis provides almost all the structural resistance.
 Body panels contribute very little to the vehicle structure. They
can be made of almost any material with good durability (e.g.:
plastic).
 Examples:
– Chevrolet Corvette C4

– Saturn vehicles (GM)

– Pontiac Fiero (GM)

– Ref.: SAE Paper 885134 - The Birth of the Spaceframe at GM

– Competition vehicles (touring cars, formula cars)

 SUBCHASSIS AND BODY
 The body is mounted over the frame along the vehicle. Usually
elastomers are used for the body mounting, isolating it from
the road inputs.
 Depending on the design:
– The frame is the main structural member. E.g.: heavy trucks.

– Both the frame and the body compose the vehicle structure. E.g.: SUV

 Characteristics:
– The weight is higher than the ideal minimum.

– The floor of the vehicle is generally higher.

– Better load capacity.

 UNIBODY

 Unibody layouts use semimonocoque structures.

– Monocoque structures: structures formed by shells, which cannot take

high compression loads.

– Semimonocoque structures: use structural members which distribute the

loads to the outer shell, taking compression loads and bending moments.
 UNIBODY
 A semimonocoque structure uses an inner frame and exterior
panels which provide structural resistance.
 The frame does not usually occupy the vehicle total length.
 Subframes are generally used in order to support the
suspension components.
 Characteristics:
– Efficient structure.

– The floor of the vehicle can be located in a lower position.

– Load capacity is lower compared to a vehicle that uses a frame.

 DESIGN FACTORS
 Packaging  NVH

 Structural requirements  Materials

 Service loads  Manufacturing

 Durability  Weight

 Crash tests  Cost

 Frequency response
 STRUCTURAL REQUIREMENTS
 Global requirements:
– Global torsional and bending stiffness

– Global torsional and bending natural frequencies

– Intrusion resistance in a front / lateral / rear crash

– Roof crushing resistance

 Local requirements:
– Joints stiffness and resistance

– Local natural frequencies (e.g.: floor panel)

– Local compliances (e.g.: body mountings to the structure)

 GLOBAL TORSIONAL AND BENDING
STIFFNESS
 They measure how globally stiff is the structure.

– They are closely related to the vehicle roll stiffness and how this roll

stiffness is distributed in between the front and rear ends.

– They are related to the structure vibration modes.

 Typical ranges (see spreadsheet):

– Torsional stiffness: 2000 to 60000 N-m/degree

– Bending stiffness: 3500 to 20000 N/mm

Ford Focus 5p - 17.9 kN-m/° Ford Focus 3p - 19.6 kN-m/°

Volvo S60 - 20 kN-m/° Volvo S80 - 18.6 kN-m/°

Alfa 159 – 31.4 kN-m/° Bugatti Veyron – 60 kN-m/°

Opel Astra – 12 kN-m/° BMW E46 Coupe (asientos plegables) 12.5 kN-m/°

BMW E46 Sedan (asientos fijos) 18 kN-m/°

VW Fox - 17.9 kN-
m/° (asientos plegables) 13 kN-m/°

Land Rover Freelander 2 – 28 kN-m/° BMW E46 Wagon (asientos plegables) 14 kN-m/°
GLOBAL TORSIONAL AND BENDING
STIFFNESS
 SERVICE LOADS

 The loads applied to the models are simplifications of the complex

events that occur in reality.
 Load estimation generally begins with instrumented vehicles
operating in public roads.
 Geographic regions.
 Tests are adjusted to proving grounds in order to correlate them to
public roads testing data.
 OEM homologated testing, individual load factors (based on previous
successful designs).
SERVICE LOADS
 LOAD CASES
 Symmetric vertical – bending over the Y axis
 Asymmetric vertical – torsion over the X axis and bending over the Y axis
 Pure torsion over the X axis
 Longitudinal loads:
– Acceleration, acceleration with towing
– Braking
– Obstacles

 Lateral loads:
– Maximum lateral force (lateral sliding over the tires)
– Kerbs
– Front/rear distribution of lateral load

 Loads combination – superposition principle

 Local loads cases (e.g.: door slam)
 Crash cases
 DURABILITY

 Required service life

 Metal fatigue
 Fracture
 Dent resistance
– Define requirements for the exterior panels thickness

 Corrosion
– Affects fatigue life

– Requires accelerated testing

 CRASH TESTS

 Requirementes for crash tests:

– Front impact – FMVSS 208

– Offset impact

– Side impact standard – FMVSS 214

– Roof crush resistance – FMVSS 216

– Fuel system integrity – FMVSS 301

 FMVSS – Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards

– http://www.nhtsa.gov/cars/rules/import/fmvss/
 FREQUENCY RESPONSE / NVH

 The global and local vibration modes affect the vehicle ride

and its NVH (noise, vibration and harshness) behavior.

 We must ensure that these modes do not align with excitations

coming from the powertrain assembly.

 MATERIALS - REFERENCES

 Functional Design of Lightweight Body-in-White Structures -

BMW

 UltraLight Steel Auto Body – Final Report

 The All Aluminum Auto Body – A Study Based on The Porsche

928
 MATERIALS
 According to BMW, there is no more monoculture in terms of

materials for automotive structures.

 The most suitable material will be used in each part of the

vehicle based on an integrated approach: from first idea

through to recycling.

 Due to its performance to costs relationship steel will remain a

major material in the body structure.

 Pilar C: E E
Rigidez Pandeo
 
Piso cabina:
y
Abollado


Túnel: 3
Fijación de
asientos: y Rigidez a flexión
E
Resistencia  
BMW Hybrid Design
 UltraLight Steel Auto Body (ULSAB)
Future Reference Structure
Benchmark Performance
Performance
11531 13000
Static Torsional Rigidity Static Torsional Rigidity
Nm/deg Nm/deg
Static Bending Rigidity 11902 N/mm Static Bending Rigidity 12200 N/mm
First Body Structure First Body Structure
38 Hz 40 Hz
Mode Mode
Mass 271 kg Mass 250 kg

Performance ULSAB Difference

Static Torsional Rigidity

20800 +80%
[Nm/deg]
Static Bending Rigidity [N/mm] 18100 +52%

First Body Structure Mode [Hz] 60 +58%

Mass [kg] 203 -25%

Seel structure - Stiffness
Aluminum structure
Panel
Extrusion
Casting

Laser seam
Aluminum structure

Data:
Weight: 210 kgf
Welding: 99 m
Rivets: 782
Studs: 308
 MANUFACTURE

 Forming

– Steel stamping

– Continuous rails

– Hydroforming - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydroforming

 Welding

 Adhesive bonding
 STRUCTURAL ANALYSIS
METHODS
 Analytical:
– Rigid body simulations (ADAMS, DADS, AUTOSIM)

– Lineal FEA (NASTRAN, ANSYS, …)

– Non-lineal FEA (ABAQUS, ADINA, …)

– Statistical Energy Analysis (SEA)

 Empirical:
– Static testing: torsional stiffness, bending stiffness

– Crash testing

– Modal analysis

– Laser holography