A Design Review Of

FSAE car chassis for strength and rigidity considerations

Presented by

Mr.Aniket Bhaskar Atram Roll No- 3702

Examination No-

Mechanical Engineering Department

VISHWAKARMA INSTITUTE OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY,

Kondhawa (Bk.), PUNE: 411 048 (2012-13)

VISHWAKARMA INSTITUTE OF INFOMATION TECHNOLOGY

Kondhawa (Bk.), PUNE - 411 048

CERTIFICATE
This is to certify that Mr. Aniket Bhaskar Atram
has satisfactorily completed a design review of

FSAE car chassis for strength and rigidity considerations

In partial fulfilment of final year seminar submission in Mechanical Engineering as per the requirement of Pune University.

Prof. (Dr.) Sanjiv M. Sansgiri Seminar Guide

Prof. (Dr.) Sanjiv M. Sansgiri Head of the dept.

ABSTRACT

The design of race car for the Formula Student competition involves more Performance parameters then for regular racing. In addition to achieving high Strength and stiffness for a very low overall weight, the car must be easily manufactured and maintained to stay within budget. In this report an approach is presented on designing a lightweight race car chassis consisting of structural, aesthetic, ergonomic and crash properties, and a tubular space frame engine compartment, meeting stiffness and strength demands while remaining easy to maintain and manufacture, thus keeping production cost low.

Mr ANIKET B. ATRAM

Design review of FSAE car chassis for strength And rigidity considerations

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1. INTRODUCTION

1.1 Concept of FSAE car

FSAE stands for Formula Student SAE. It is an event organised by SAE at a global level. Each year the teams from universities worldwide design, build, test and eventually race their car against other university teams in this competition. The students are to assume that a manufacturing firm has engaged them to produce a prototype car for evaluation. The intended sales market is the nonprofessional weekend autocross or sprint racer. The car must be low in cost, easy to maintain, and reliable, with high performance in terms of its acceleration, braking, and handling qualities.

1.2 Approach towards design

During the initial design stages of a SAE Formula Student chassis design, it is first important to consider what components must be included in the final vehicle system. The general layout of the vehicle systems should first be established, and then structural members of the chassis should be designed to connect the components at their mounting points. Therefore, the chassis conforms to the shape and location of the components, including the engine mounts, drive train, seat, suspension links, and so on. If the chassis is designed the other way around, that is the components are placed according to the chassis design, then the structure will have many inherent engineering flaws. It is essential that the components are connected in the most efficient manner possible, which means developing a structure that is capable of withstanding the loads imparted upon it while using the least amount of material possible and thus reducing vehicle mass.

Mr ANIKET B. ATRAM

Design review of FSAE car chassis for strength And rigidity considerations

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1.3 Various components

Engine Driver Suspension mounting points Steering mechanism Spring damper assembly Seat Battery ABC pedals Fuel Tank Radiator Impact attenuator Dashboard Fluid lines

1.4 Key areas of design

Chassis Suspension Engine mounting points Vibration isolation Aerodynamics Bodywork

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Design review of FSAE car chassis for strength And rigidity considerations

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2. DESIGN OF CHASSIS

2.1 Approach towards design of chassis

As a basis for chassis design, the track width and wheelbase must first be determined. To achieve a high quality design the following approach is used: The design specifications that follow from the problem definition are stated The loads that act on the wheel centres of a Formula Student car are used to evaluate the quantity and quality of the different loads that act on the chassis The structural possibilities and limitations regarding the available materials are investigated The structural engineering aspects regarding a lightweight though stiff and strong and easy to manufacture design are presented Ergonomic and safety issues are evaluated All these factors are then combined in the final design that has been found iteratively using extensive FEA techniques

2.2 Components to be mounted on chassis

Engine Spring damper assembly Bodywork Driver seat Suspension linkages

Impact attenuator

2.3 Forces acting on various members of chassis

After literature review, it was brought in view that normally FSAE car parts are designed to withstand 3.5 g bump, 1.5 g braking and 1.5 g lateral forces [4]. These loads have to be considered individually and combined. Determination of magnitudes,

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types and center of gravity (cg) of loads is obligatory for optimum frame structure which is likewise a repetitive task.

Figure 1: Car side view with all parts

C.G 1 2 3 4 5 6 Total

Components Driver Engine Drive-train Steering Battery Chassis

Mass (kg) 80 70 20 15 03 32 220

Table 1: C.G and mass of various components

2.4 Loads acting on the chassis

Before the chassis can be developed, it is first important to fully understand the primary loads that the vehicle structure must be capable of withstanding. These loads must be efficiently transferred through the structure so that the chassis will not be prone to mechanical failure. Following are the possible static and dynamic loads acting on the chassis

Mr ANIKET B. ATRAM

Design review of FSAE car chassis for strength And rigidity considerations

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Static Loads
Weight of the Driver Weight of the Engine Weight of Steering mechanism Flooring and other peripherals

Dynamic Loads
Impact loading conditions Cornering forces Moment of inertia during braking condition Bumps and rolling conditions

3. Various deformations in chassis

Frame is defined as a fabricated structural assembly that supports all functional vehicle systems. This assembly may be a single welded structure, multiple welded structures or a combination of composite and welded structures. Depending upon application of loads and their direction, chassis is deformed in respective manner briefed as follows: i. Longitudinal Torsion ii. Vertical Bending iii. Lateral Bending iv. Horizontal Lozenging Longitudinal Torsion

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I.

Longitudinal Torsion

Figure 2: Longitudinal Torsion

Automobiles also experience torsion while moving on road subjected to forces of different magnitudes acting on one or two oppositely opposed corners of the cars as shown in Figure 2. The frame can be thought as a torsion spring connecting the two ends where suspension loads act. Torsional rigidity is a foremost and primary determinant of frame performance of cars.

II.

Vertical Bending

Figure 3: Vertical Bending

Weight of driver, engine, drive-train, radiator and shell etc. under an effect of gravity produce sag in the frame as shown in Figure 2. Frame is assumed to act as simply supported beam and four wheels as supports tend to produce reactions vertically

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upward at the axles. Vertical dynamic forces due to acceleration/deceleration further increase the vertical deflections, hence stresses in chassis.

III.

Lateral Bending

Figure 4: Lateral Bending

Lateral bending deformation occurs mainly due to the centrifugal forces caused during cornering and wind forces to some extent. Lateral forces act along the length of chassis and is resisted by axles, tires and frame members viz. hoops, side impact members and diagonal hoops etc. as shown in Figure 4.

IV.

Horizontal Lozenging

Figure 5: Horizontal Lozenging

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This deformation is caused by forward and backward forces applied at opposite wheels. These forces may be caused by vertical variations in the pavement or the reaction from the road driving the car forward. These forces tend to distort the frame into a parallelogram shape as shown in the Figure 5.

4. Strength considerations
The chassis has to withstand the loads from the suspension system and reactional forces from the driver and the engine. For the structural considerations driver compartment the hardpoints are critical. Furthermore no stress peaks may occur due to geometrical inefficiencies (sharp angles in load paths for instance). Regarding the rear frame, tension and buckling limits in the frame members are analyzed. Among other requirements, the vehicles structure must include two roll hoops that are braced (main and front), a front bulkhead with an impact attenuator, a driver restraint harness and side impact structures. These crash safety features add structural demands to the chassis. The corresponding parts of the chassis chassis must be equivalent to a steel tubular structure in yield and ultimate strengths in bending, buckling, and tension. The main roll hoop with its bracing must always be built out of steel tubes, as well as the front roll hoop. For the other parts the equivalent steel tubular minimal dimensions are shown in Table 2

Component
main and front roll hoops shoulder harness mounting bar mm Side impact structure, front bulkhead, roll hoop Bracing, driver restraint harness attachment Front bulkhead support

Outer diameter x wall thickness

25.0 x 2.50 mm or 25.4 x 2.40 25.0 x 1.75 mm or 25.4 x 1.60 mm

25.0 x 1.50 mm or 25.4 x 1.25 mm or 26.0 x 1.20 mm

Table 2: Minimum mild steel tubular dimensions

The front impact attenuator must be fixed to the front bulkhead of the chassis so that it is equivalent to a regular steel tubular frame front bulkhead support.

Mr ANIKET B. ATRAM

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From the rules it follows that the chassis must be able to withstand a static force of 120 kN.

5. Rigidity considerations
Rigidity of the chassis deals with the behaviour of the chassis when forces are acting on a particular area of the chassis. Particularly rigidity is the amount of resistance offered to deformation. This resistance is favourable under some applications while is dangerous at various scenarios. For example the cradle of an engine should be rigid enough to withstand the forces induced due to the vibrations of the engine as well as external forces when the vehicle undergoes a bump or a droop. If the cradle is rigid enough to withstand these forces, the engine remains in its position in all possible scenarios. Conversely the engine will tend to deform the cradle and move away from the desired position which is undesirable. In case of an FSAE car chassis, the rigidity comes into picture during an impact. The impact can a rear impact, front impact or side impact. During an impact on the chassis, the chassis tends to absorb the incoming forces or transfers it to the further components. In this condition it is desirable that maximum forces should be absorbed by those members of the chassis on which the forces are acted upon. This will prevent the transmission of forces to the driver and hence save him from the impact. But during these calculations, it should be considered that the chassis should be rigid enough to prevent the deformed parts from coming in contact with the drivers body parts. Thus, an optimum design should be made so that the driver is safe in all possible scenarios during the race taking into consideration the track conditions.

Mr ANIKET B. ATRAM

Design review of FSAE car chassis for strength And rigidity considerations

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6. Conclusion An FSAE car chassis has to withstand various forces acting on it in dynamic conditions. These forces should be counteracted by the structure of the various parts of chassis. The material selected should have optimum strength properties and the structure should provide the chassis with optimum rigidity.

7. References Structural performance analysis of formula sae car - Ravinder Pal Singh Jurnal Mekanikal December 2010, No. 31, 46 - 61 Design, Development and Analysis of the NCSHFH.09 Chassis-Michael Broad and Terry Gilbert, North Carolina State University Design of a Formula Student race car chassis-Jannis D.G. van Kerkhoven, 516303,DCT 2008.154 Riley, W.B., George, A.R., 2002. Design, Analysis and Testing of Formula SAE Race Car Chassis, SAE paper 2002-01-3300, Motorsports Engineering Conference and proceedings.

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