Chassis Frame and Body

Palak Desai
Mechanical Engineering Department

C G Patel Institute of Technology

Uka Tarsadia University
Bardoli

Introduction
Chassis is a French term and was initially used to
denote the frame parts or Basic Structure of the
vehicle.
It is the back bone of the vehicle.
A vehicle with out body is called Chassis.

It is the main mounting for all the components

including the body. So it is also called as Carrying
Unit.

Main components of the Chassis

1. Frame: it is made up of long two members called side
members riveted together with the help of number of
cross members.
2. Engine or Power plant: It provides the source of
power
3. Clutch: It connects and disconnects the power from
the engine flywheel to the transmission system.
4. Gear Box
5. U Joint
6. Propeller Shaft
7. Differential

FUNCTIONS OF THE CHASSIS

FRAME
1. To carry load of the passengers or goods carried in the
body.
2. To support the load of the body, engine, gear box etc.,
3. To withstand the forces caused due to the sudden
braking or acceleration
4. To withstand the stresses caused due to the bad road
condition.
5. To withstand centrifugal force while cornering

TYPES OF CHASSIS FRAMES

There are three types of frames
1. Conventional frame
2. Integral frame
3. Semi-integral frame

1.Conventional frames
It has two long side members and 5 to 6 cross side members
joined together with the help of rivets and bolts
In this conventional frame construction the body and frame are
separated
In this the engine is at the front
Driver sits behind the engine
Frame sections may solid round or
rectangular cross section frames

2.Integral frame
Used in most of the cars
No frame and all the assembly units are attached to the body
Body will carry the entire function of the frame
Due to elimination of frame it is cheaper and due to less weight
of body it is most economic also

3.Semi integral frame

In this it has divided it into two section of half frames
one half frame is fixed at the front end on which engine gear box
and front suspension is mounted
The main advantage of this frame is when we met with an
accident the damaged chassis frame can be easily replaced

This type of frames is used in FIAT cars in some of the

EUROPEAN and AMERICAN cars

Frame Construction
C-shape
The C-rail has been used on nearly every type of vehicle at one time
or another. It's made by taking a flat piece of steel (usually ranging in
thickness from 1/8" to 3/16") and rolling both sides over to form a c-shaped
beam running the length of the vehicle.
Boxed
Boxed frames were made by welding two matching c-rails together to
form a rectangular tube. Modern techniques, however, use a process similar
to making c-rails in that a piece of steel is bent into four sides and then
welded where both ends meet.
Hat
Hat frames resemble a "U" and may be either right-side-up or
inverted with the open area facing down.

Types of frame

Ladder frame
Tubular space frame
Monocoque frame
Back bone frame

Ladder Frame

 This is the earliest kind of chassis. nearly all cars in the world used
it as standard. Even in today, most SUVs still employ it. Its
construction, indicated by its name, looks like a ladder

Two longitudinal rails interconnected by several lateral and cross

braces.
The longitude members are the main stress member. They deal
with the load and also the longitudinal forces caused by
acceleration and braking.
The lateral and cross members provide resistance to lateral forces
and further increase torsional rigidity.

 Advantage:
It is easy and cheap for hand build.
Disadvantage:
Since it is a 2 dimensional structure,
torsional rigidity is very much lower than other
chassis, especially when dealing with vertical
load or bumps.
Who use it ?
Most SUVs, classic cars, Ford Crown
Victoria etc.

Tubular Space Frame

 Tubular space frame chassis employs dozens of circularsection tubes position in different directions to provide
mechanical strength against forces from anywhere.
These tubes are welded together and forms a very
complex structure.
For higher strength required by high performance sports
cars, tubular space frame chassis usually incorporate a
strong structure
In the early 50s, Mercedes-Benz created a racing car
300SLR using tubular space frame.

 Advantage:
Very strong in any direction. (compare with ladder
chassis and monocoque chassis of the same weight)
Disadvantage:
Very complex, costly and time consuming to be built.
Impossible for robotised production.
Besides, it engages a lot of space, raise the door sill and
result in difficult access to the cabin.
Who use it ?
All Ferrari , Lamborghini Diablo, Jaguar XJ220, etc.

Monocoque

 Monocoque is a one-piece structure which defines the overall shape of the car.
While ladder, tubular space frame and backbone chassis provides only the stress
members and need to build the body around them, monoque chassis is already
incorporated with the body in a single piece, as you can see in the above picture
showing a Volvo V70.
In fact, the "one-piece" chassis is actually made by welding several pieces
together. The floorpan, which is the largest piece, and other pieces are pressmade by big stamping machines. They are spot welded together by robot arms
(some even use laser welding) in a stream production line.
The whole process just takes minutes. After that, some accessories like doors,
bonnet, boot lid, side panels and roof are added.
Monocoque chassis also benefit crash protection. Because it uses a lot of metal,
crumple zone can be built into the structure.
Another advantage is space efficiency. The whole structure is actually an outer
shell,
Although monocoque is suitable for mass production by robots, it is nearly
impossible for small-scale production.
The setup cost for the tooling is too expensive - big stamping machines and
expensive mouldings.

 Advantage:
Cheap for mass production.
Inherently good crash protection.
Space efficient.
Disadvantage:
Impossible for small-volume
production.
Who use it ?
Nearly all mass production cars, all
current Porsche.

Backbone Chassis

 Backbone chassis is very simple: a strong tubular backbone

(usually in rectangular section)connects the front and rear axle
and provides nearly all the mechanical strength.
Inside which there is space for the drive shaft in case of frontengine but it has most commonly used in rear engine type chassis.

The whole drive train, engine and suspensions are connected to

both ends of the backbone.
The body is built on the backbone, usually made of glass-fibre.
It's strong enough for smaller sports cars but not up to the job for
high-end ones.

 Advantage:
-Strong enough for smaller sports cars.
-Easy to be made by hand thus cheap for lowvolume production.
-Simple structure benefit cost.
-The most space-saving other than monocoque chassis.
Disadvantage:
-Not strong enough for high-end sports cars.
-The backbone does not provide protection against side
impact or off-set crash.
-Cost ineffective for mass production.
Who use it ?
Lotus Esprit, Elan Mk II, TVR, Marcos.