VISION INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY ALIGARH

Subject: Automotive chassis & suspension(BAU052)

UNIT 1.Chassis Layouts and Frames

Definition of Chassis, Types of Chassis Layout with reference to Power Plant Location and Drive

Automotive Frames ‐ Material Selection and its Constructional Details, Various types, Different Loads
acting on Frame, Testing of Automotive Frames.

Page 1 Faculty: jitendra kumar shukla

+91-8279808898; [email protected]
 Unit-1

1. Introduction:

➢ The power developed inside the engine cylinder is ultimately transmitted to the driving
wheels so that the motor vehicle can move on the road. This mechanism is called power
transmission.
➢ It consists of clutch, gearbox, universal joint, propeller shaft, final drive, and axle shaft.

General arrangement of power transmission system (or) front engine rear wheel
drive:

➢ Fig (1) shows that layout of the front engine rear wheel drive.

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➢ Power is produced i n s i d e the engine cylinder transmitted to flywheel through
crankshaft.

➢ Clutch is conduct with flywheel to engage and disengage drive from the engine to
gearbox.
➢ Gearbox consists of s set of gears to change the speed.

➢ The power is transmitted from the gearbox to the propeller shaft through the universal
joint and then to the differential through another universal joint.
➢ Finally, the power is transmitted to the rear wheels through the rear axles.

Front engine front wheel drives:

Fig (2): shows that layout of the front engine front wheel drive.

➢ In this drive the clutch, gear box, differential is arranged in a common housing.
➢ In this arrangement there is no need of separate long propeller shaft for transmitting
power to the rear wheels.

➢ Because the engine power is transmitted only for front wheels alone.
➢ Rear axle is dead axles, when front wheels are rolling with power and rear wheels are
freely move in the direction of front wheels.

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Rear Engine rear wheel drive:

Fig (3): shows that layout of the rear engine front wheel drive.

➢ In this drive the clutch, gear box, differential and drive shaft are arranged in a
common housing that are placed in the rear side of the vehicle as shown in fig(3).

➢ The main difficulty of this layout is the complicated control of the engine, clutch and
gearbox, since they are positioned far away from the driver.

➢ Besides with this layout the driver and the front passenger sit near the front of the
vehicle and in the case of collision (or) striking an obstacle they may be severely
injured.
➢ In this arrangements also eliminate the propeller shaft and all other functions are
similar to the front wheel drive.

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Four-wheel drive:

Fig (4): shows that layout of the four-wheel drive.

➢ In this drive the power is transmitted to both rear and front axle by means of transfer
case gearbox.
➢ So that pulling force is more when compared to other drives.

➢ The constant velocity type universal joints are used in the front axle. It provides large
angular movements during steering.

➢ It is mostly used in military vehicles, jeeps, heavy duty vehicles.

The basic structure: Frame:

In this type of chassis construction, the frame is the basic unit to which the various components
are attached and body is bolted on to the frame later.
Function of the frame:

➢ To support the chassis components and the body.

➢ To withstand static and dynamic loads without under deflection and distortion.
Loads on the frame:

➢ Weight of the vehicle and the passengers, which causes vertical bending of the side
members.
➢ Vertical loads when the vehicle comes across a bump or hollow, which results in

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 longitudinal torsion due to one wheel lifted.
➢ Sudden impact loads during a collision which may result in a general collapse.
Classification of Chassis

➢ Conventional Control chassis: Engine is mounted in front of the driver’s cabin.

➢ Semi-forward control Chassis: Engine is mounted that half of it is in the driver’s cabin
whereas the other half is in front, outside the driver’s cabin.

➢ Full-Forward control Chassis: Engine is mounted completely inside the driver’s cabin.
Ladder Type Frame

Fig (5): shows that layout Frame

Back bone type Frame

The tubular type has been adopted principally for some Czechoslovakian, German and Austrian
designed vehicles- Tata, Daimler-Benz. In some instances the ends of the tubular backbone are
bolted directly, at the front, to the gearbox and, at the rear, to the final drive casing, while in
others, they have forked extensions, between the arms of which components are accommodated.

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 Fig (6): shows that layout Back Bone Frame

Integral Construction:

Integral construction is that in which a chassis frame is welded to, or integrated with, the body.
Chassis less construction is that in which no chassis frame is discerned.
Sub- Frames

(i) to isolate high frequency vibrations of, for example , an engine or a suspension
assembly, from the remainder of the structure. In this case, rubber or other resilient
mountings are interposed between the sub-frame and main structure.

(ii) The sub-frame can isolate an inherently stiff sub-assembly such as the engine or
gearbox from the effects of flexing of the chassis frame. This is done generally by
interposing a three- point mounting system between the sub-frame and main frame,
one of the mountings being on the longitudinal axis about which the main frame
twists and the others one on each side.

(iii) It may be used to carry, for instance, the front and rear suspension sub-assemblies,
where to utilize the front and rear ends of the body structure for this purpose would
increase unacceptable its complexity or cost, or introduce difficulties in either
manufacture or servicing or both.

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 Loads on the frame

(i) Vertical Bending

(ii) Longitudinal Torsion

(iii) Lateral Bending

(iv) Horizontal Lozenging

Vertical Bending:

If a chassis frame is supported at its ends (such as by the wheel axles) and a weight equivalent
axles) and a weight equivalent to the vehicle’s equipment, passengers and luggage is concentrated
across the middle of its wheel base, the side members will be subjected to vertical bending
making them sag in the centre region.

Fig (7): shows that vertical bending

Longitudinal Torsion

Fig (8): shows that longitudinal torsion

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When front and rear diagonally opposite road-wheels roll over bumps simultaneously, the two
ends of the chassis will be twisted in opposite directions. Both the side and the cross members
with thus be subjected to longitudinal torsion which distorts the chassis.

Lateral Bending

Fig (9): shows that lateral bending

Under certain conditions, the chassis may be exposed to lateral (side) force – possibly due to
camber of the road, side wind, centrifugal force as when turning a corner, or collision with some
object. The adhesion reaction of the road-wheel tyres will oppose these lateral forces, with the
net result that the chassis side-members will be subjected to a bending moment which ends to
bow the chassis in the direction of the force.
Horizontal Lozenging:

Fig (10): shows that horizontal lozenging

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A chassis frame driven forward or backwards will continuously be exposed to wheel impact with
road obstacles such as pot-holes, road joint, surface bumps and curbs while other wheels will be
providing the propeller thrust. Under such conditions the rectangular chassis will distort to a
parallelogram shape. This is known as lozenging.
Materials used for making Frames

Properties

1) Sufficiently high yielded strength and endurance limit.

2) Low sensitivity to stress concentrators.

3) Good stamping quality in the cold state.

4) Weld ability (for riveted frames, this property is of

significance when repair jobs are performed).

5) Small content of scarce alloying materials.

➢ The chassis frame is not designed to be completely rigid, but to combine both strength
and flexibility to some degree.
➢ Motor-car frames must be narrow in front, to permit of sufficient steering lock.
➢ The frames of passenger cars must be wide at the rear, because the body sills usually are
bolted to brackets riveted to the outside of the frame rails, and the body is made as wide
as the space between wheel permits.
➢ Front-end widths of passenger-car frames range between 32 and 36 inch, this dimension
being limited by the front tread, the diameter of the front wheels and the maximum wheel
deflection required for steering.
➢ Rear-end widths of passenger car frames vary between 47 and 50 inch. Truck frames are
made with parallel side rails and the width of such frames has been standardized at 34
inch by the SAE.

➢ While there is no standard for frame lengths, what is known as the CA dimension, the
distance from the back of the cab to the rear- axle centre, has been standardized at 34, 48,
60, 72, 84, 96, 108, 120, 132, and 156 inch.

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Materials
Low Carbon Steel - 0.18 or .20 percent carbon content High
Carbon Steel - 0.25 percent carbon content

Alloy Steel - Nickel-Chromium

➢ All or practically all passenger car frames are made of low-carbon steel.
➢ The rigidity of a steel part is practically independent of the grade of steel which it is
made.
➢ The frames are more likely to have insufficient rigidity than insufficient strength since
the rigidity of a steel part is practically independent of the grade of steel of which it is
made.

➢ High speed vehicles have trouble from front end shake (and sometimes also rear end
shake) than from frame breakage.

FRAME TESTS:
Preliminary designs for passenger car frames usually are based on experiments with cars of
similar specifications. After experimental frames have been built, road and laboratory tests are
made, and if any weaknesses show up, the design is suitably modified. This is followed by the
final proof-testing. Stiffness or rigidity tests may be made on the frame alone, on the body alone,
and on the complete car. These tests serve to determine the linear deflection of the frame etc.,
under the bending loads and the angular deflection under torsion.
FRAME BENDING TEST

(1) The frame is anchored in the vertical plane through the rear wheel axis, its side
members being clamped to pedestals with ‘C’ clamps.

(2) Half round files are placed between the side rails and pedestal to permit rotary but
not of translatory motion.

(3) The bending test of passenger car frames consists of 3 loads to 600 lb weight.

(4) Two of these, representing passenger weight are supported by adjustable by the
adjustable bars clamped to the side rail flanges at the locations of the seats, while the
third, representing the weight of the power plant, is placed on a triangular support, with

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 its center of gravity in the same location as that of power plant.

(5) The front end of the frame is supported on rollers in the vertical plane through the
front wheel axis.

Fig (10): FRAME BENDING

(6) Dial indicators showing the vertical movements of the side rails are installed at
substantially equal distances between the supports and there are such indicators also at
the support.

(7) In making a bending test, after the setup is completed, the maximum load is
applied and removed, and all gauges are then set to zero, to eliminate lost motion in the
setup.

(8) Next, the load is applied again, and deflections at all points are recorded.

(9) Readings at corresponding measuring points on opposite sides of the frame are
averaged, and from the results a curve may be plotted in which the x-axis is represented
by the distance between the measuring points and y-axis represents the deflections.

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 Fig (11): FRAME BENDING

(10) From the graph it can be seen that the bending moment is zero at both the ends
and it increases gradually and the maximum value lies in the center portion.

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TORSION TEST

(1) In a test for torsional rigidity the frame is anchored to pedestals in the vertical
plane through the rear wheel axis, being clamped to the pedestals with half round files
between.

(2) The front end is supported by a roller resting on a level flat surface.

(3) In the case of a frame with a relatively rigid front cross member, the roller may
support the frame at the center of that member.

(4) In other cases a rigid cross bar is clamped to the side rails to serve the same
purpose.

(5) A load bar is clamped to the frame in vertical plane through the front wheel axis.
It is made to project equally on both sides, so as not to create a torsion moment, and it is
rigidly clamped to one side rail only, to prevent stiffening of the frame.

(6) Reading bars are placed crosswire on the frame and secured to it. Dial gauges are
placed under both ends of each bar 57.29 inch apart and substantially at equal distances
from the frame axis.

(7) A couple is applied to the front end of the frame by means of a weight basket on
one arm of the load bar and a jack on a platform scale under the other arm.

(8) The weight in the basket is adjusted until the deflection of one side of the frame is
between 0.200 and 0.250 inch, and an equal moment is then applied to the other arm by
means of the jack.

(9) Applied torques or couples can be varied by moving the weight basket along the
load arm, to points 2.25, 2.75, 3.25 and
3.75 ft from the axis. The jack remains in the same position, 3.75 ft from the axis, and is
adjusted until its moment is the same as that of the weight.

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 Fig (12): TORSION TEST

(10) In this test the load is applied in increments. The frame is subjected to torque first
in one direction and then in the other, and readings for the same torque load and the same
measuring point are averaged.

(11) Deflections for any given torque at any measuring point are converted to
equivalent deflections under a torque of 1000 lb-ft, and the results are plotted as
ordinates with the wheelbase (distance from front-axle center) as X axis and torsional
deflection as Y axis.

(12) From the graph it can be seen that the deflection increases most rapidly at the
ends, where the torsional rigidity is smallest, because the side rails are of less depth there
and the effect of the X member is missing.

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