9/25/2016

FormulaStudentGermany:ChassisStiffnessandCompliance

02December201007:43

ChassisStiffnessandCompliance
Category:PatsCorner

InarecentemailexchangewithmyfellowChiefDesignJudgeSteveFox,thesubjectofcompliance
cameup.StevewrotethefollowingcommentanditpromptedthislatestTechColumn.

Complianceissomethingthat
TheirCADscan'tpredict.
Theydon'tthinkaboutbecauseitissosimple.(Theyarealwaysoverthinkingthings)
Sneaksuponthembecausemostofthemdonothaveexperiencewithaccumulatedtolerances(stackupofaccumulatedtolerances).
Isstupidlyeasytocheckfor(simplephotoanalysis,withreferencelinesdrawnonthepaper)
IsdifficulttodetectwithevenasophisticatedDAsystem.
Biteseverycompetitortosomedegreeoranother.(SomeinaBIGway!)
AtFSGinAugust,weaskedattheDesignReviewAdventureWheredotheloadsgo?Thefollowingdiscussionwasaboutloadpathsandforce
dissipationintothechassis.This,ofcourse,ledtotheinevitablediscussionofcompliance.
ThequestionthenaskedwasHowstiffdoesthechassisneedtobe?WhenDrAndyDeakinwasatLeedsUniversitysometimeinthelastcentury
(sorryAndy)heauthoredanSAEpaperonthisverysubject(2000013554),apaperwhichshouldberequiredstudyforanyonereadingthis.Iamnot
goingtomakeiteasyforyoubyincludingasynopsishere,readtheoriginalpaper.Whileyouaresourcingthepaper,thereareseveralmorewitha
similarsubject.
Whathappenssooftenis,ateamattendtheFSGcompetitionandwhenaskedaboutchassisstiffness,theyquoteaFEAfiguretothejudges.
Withoutanyverificationthisisprettyuseless.Thechassisstructuremaywellreachthedesignstiffnessgoals,butinthereallife,compliancein
suspensionmountingsetc.,meansthetotalstructureisfarlessstiffthantheintendeddesign.
DesignJudgeswillaskaboutchassisstiffnessortorsionalrigidityandthenaboutsomethingcalledinstalledstiffness.Thefirstisthecalculated
and/ormeasuredstiffnessofthestructurealone.Thesecondisthestiffnessmeasuredatthehubfaces.Thisisalwaysconsiderablylessbecauseof
complianceinthesuspensionmountsandlinkages,thehubcarriersandhubsplusclearancesinthewheelbearingsandsuspensionspherical
bearings.Incorrectlyusedrodendswillcontributetothiscompliance.
Onefactornottakenintoaccountwhenmeasuringinstalledstiffnessisthecomplianceintheroadwheels!Ihavehadadesignertellmecategorically
thatitwasimpossibleforhiscartoputaloadedwheelintopositivecamber,evenwhenfacedwithphotographicevidence.Hisdesigndidnotpermit
positivecamber,howeverthecomplianceinthewheelassemblydid.
AnotherareaoflossofstiffnessiswhatIcallclearancestacking.Thisisparticularlynoticeableinsteeringandsuspensionmechanismswherea
numberofcomponentsrequiringworkingclearanceareusedinseries.Theseclearancesalladdtogetherandtheendresultislostmotion,lossof
accuratecontrolofthemechanismandplainoldslop.Asthemechanismsettlesinwithuse,thisslopgetsworse.
Agoodexampleisatypicalsteeringsystem.Teamsarerequiredtouseaquickremovalsteeringwheelhub.Evenwhennew,thereisclearanceinthis
mechanism.Thesplinedmechanismsaremuchbetterthanthehexagonalunitsinthisregard.Thereisthenone(typical)oreventwouniversaljointsin
thecolumn,orwiththeadventofthefootwelltemplate,abevelgearset.Thesemechanismshavetheirowntolerances,whichloosensupwithuse.
Addtothisclearancebetweenthepinionandtherack,clearancebetweentherackandthehousingandthenclearancesinthefourrodendsusedon
thetierids.Alltheseclearancesadduptosignificantlostmotionevenwhenthecomponentsarenew.Forthisreasonteamsshouldinvestinthebest
qualitycomponentstheycanafford.
Thejudgeswillalwayscheckforcompliancesteerintherearsuspensionofacar.Typicallycarsaresetstaticallywithabout3mmofreartoein,but
complianceandclearancestackinginthecomponentscanoftenseetoevariationsof20mmormore!Thiswillresultinadynamicrearsteersituation
includingasignificantamountoftoeout.Theresultisaslowcarthatisverydifficulttocontrol.
Complianceandclearancestackingwillalsoaffectcamber.Thiswillgopositiveundersideloadstothedetrimentofgripandtyrelife.Reartoeout
alliedwithpositivecambermakesforanuncontrollablecar!
Theusualcauseofrearcompliancesteerisalackofsuitabletoebase.Complianceandclearancestackingshouldbeconsideredatthedesignstage.
Usually,computerprogramswillnottakeintoaccountclearancesandstructuresareconsideredinfinitelystifforrigid.However,inthewordsofthat
wiseoldman,SirHenryRoyce(ofRollsRoycefame),Everythingismadeofrubber!

https://www.formulastudent.de/academy/patscorner/advicedetails/article/chassisstiffnessandcompliance/

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9/25/2016

FormulaStudentGermany:ChassisStiffnessandCompliance

Structuralcomplianceoftensneaksintoatubularstructurewhendifferenttypesordiametersoftubearejoined.Thiscanbeseenintheillustrations.If
suchajoinisnecessary,thedesignershouldlookcarefullyatthegeometryofthejointoruseadoublerorstiffeningweb.
Boltedorrivetedjointsareasourceofcomplianceifnotengineeredcorrectly.Repeatedly,thejudgesseestructures,typicallyrear
torqueboxes,boltedtogetherwithallencapscrewsscreweddirectlyintoaluminiumandwithoutawasherunderthehead.Apartfrom
thesmallareaundertheheadofanallenbolt,thereisaradiusbetweentheshankandthehead,partofthemanufacturingprocess.
Thesetwoissuescausetheboltheadtoworkintothealuminiumcausingthestructuretocomelooseandflex.Animportantpartof
designisthechoiceandutilisationofthecorrectfasteners.
Onmonocoquechassis,acommonsolutionistofeedloadsintoapointonaflatpanel.Invariably,thiswillpanttosomedegreeor
anotherunderload.Ihavewritteninapreviouscolumnabouttheimportanceofloadpaths.Iftheloadisfedappropriatelyintoa
monocoqueskin,thenthereshouldnotbeanyseriousproblems.Yetweregularlyseepanelsloadedperpendicularly.Ifeelthisisnotbecausethe
designerdoesnotunderstandhowtoreacttheforce,butbecausethedesignercannotvisualisethevectoroftheforces.
Ihavementionedcomplianceinsuspensioncomponentsandmountscausingunwantedvariationsincamberandtoe.Ontubularchassis,suspension
mountclevisesareoftenmountedtoasheetsteelbracketweldedtothechassis.Thismaybean
easywaytomountsuspensionandpermitseasyshimmingforcamberadjustment,however,the
chassisstiffness/complianceisreducedtothatofthebracket.

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