Chassis Design Report PDF

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The document discusses the design of a chassis for a Formula Bharat race car. Key factors considered are lightweight design, driver safety, and low manufacturing costs. CAD software is used to model the chassis which aims to meet competition criteria.

Factors like stiffness, torsional stiffness, triangulation, driver position and safety are considered during design. Elements like roll hoops, bulkhead and side impact structures are included as per competition requirements.

The design process involves initial setup, modelling of fixed elements, modelling of connecting tubes and modification of the initial model based on analysis. Suspension mounting points and battery locations are fixed early on.

Chassis Design Report

(Team Octavius Motor Sports)

Abstract:

Formula Bharat is a National level competition organized by Mobility


Engineering Consortium Private Limited.

From all over India, the selected Under Graduate & Post Graduate Engineering
Student teams are asked to design, model, fabricate and compete with a small
open-wheel, open cockpit type race car. The major challenge posed is to design
and fabricate a light weight car without compromising the safety of the driver.
The car has to be rigidly fabricated at minimal expense.

SOLIDWORKS 2016 CAD software is utilized for the design of the chassis
because of its exceptionally powerful capability in the field of design The one-
stop package of comprehensive FEA and all-round design capability make it an
ideal tool for the race team to be used to develop components of the race car and
thus the chassis. The entire design process is based on Formula Bharat 2019 rule
book and knowledge of designing and manufacturing learned so far.

INTRODUCTION:

Formula Bharat is a National level competition organized by Mobility


Engineering Consortium Private Limited. This competition is conducted annually
in India and about 100 colleges participate every year from all over India.
Following the technical inspection are the sub events which include the static
events like Business Plan Presentation, Cost & Manufacturing, Engineering
Design dynamic events like acceleration test, skid pad, autocross, endurance test
and Efficiency. In this high octane scenario a car is expected to perform high on
acceleration, handling, braking, aesthetics, ergonomics, fabrication and
maintenance with least investment in fabrication without compromising on safety
of the driver.
For the purpose of the application on a high performance racing car, it has to
meet the following criteria:

1. Minimize the weight to stiffness ratio


2. Maintain Low Centre of Gravity
3. Low material and manufacturing costs
4. Create a solid base chassis to evolve on for years to come
5. Aesthetically pleasing design

Design Development:

The purpose of the frame is to rigidly connect the front and rear suspension while
providing attachment points for the different systems of the car. Relative motion
between the front and rear suspension attachment points can cause inconsistent
handling. The frame must also provide attachment points which will not yield
within the car’s performance envelope.
There are many different styles of frames; space frame, monocoque, and ladder
are examples of race car frames. The most popular style is the tubular space
frame. Space frames are a series of tubes which are joined together to form a
structure that connects all of the necessary components together. A Space frame
chassis was chosen over a monocoque in spite of being heavy, as its
manufacturing is cost-effective, requires simple tools and damages to the chassis
can be easily rectified.

Design Considerations:

The design process of the chassis consists of many steps, from the initial
assignment to the task of chassis design to the start of construction. These steps
are; to identify the restriction, determine the required performance criteria,
research design techniques and methodology, use of CAD software to design
chassis and lastly start construction.
During designing process some of the factors are taken care for the construction
of chassis such as stiffness, torsional stiffness, triangulation, driver positions and
controls and safety.
Among other requirements, the vehicle’s structure must include two roll hoops
that are braced, a front bulkhead with support system and Impact Attenuator, and
side impact structures.

Roll Hoops - The driver’s head and hands must not contact the ground in any
rollover attitude. The Frame must include both a Main Hoop and a Front Hoop
as shown in Figure 1.

Figure-1

Side Impact Structure-


Side impact structure is use for the protection of driver from the side impact.
A side impact structure consist of a upper member, lower member and a
diagonal member as shown in figure.
Figure-2

Design Process-
A tubular space frame is designed in several steps that are based on the design
considerations previously stated. A methodical plan must be followed so that all
parameters are considered and the design incorporates every part of the car
correctly.

1. Initial Setup-

The design was initiated by determining the height, track width, wheel
base, and overall length of the vehicle. We had an approximate idea about
the dimensions of gear box, motor and battery according to which. The
design was initiated by determining the height, track width, wheel base,
and overall length dimensions of the vehicle. Stemming from these
dimensions were roll hoop locations, bulkhead location, cockpit location,
motor mounting location, battery mounting location, gear box location,
brake pedal location, acceleration pedal location and wheel centrelines for
an estimation of weight distribution. Once these dimensions were selected,
a series of planes were created in Solid works at these points so that these
locations could be visualized.
Modelling of Fixed Elements-

The roll hoop and bulkhead shapes are decided upon to minimize the length
of tubing for the elements. Since the roll hoops and bulkhead are required
to be at least 1” OD .095” wall and 1” OD .065” wall, respectively, the
lengths of this heavy tubing need to be minimized to reduce weight. Once
shapes of the features are decided upon, they are drawn on their respective
planes. A structural member feature is added to the sketch and the first
tubes of the model are drawn as shown in figure 3.

Figure-3

The suspension mounting points are the next to be designed. Suspension mounts
needs to be welded to the chassis so the position of this mounts are needed to be
acquired from the suspension calculation. Battery mounting locations are also
decided upon and fixed so that the engine design team can accurately place their
individual part models in the car assembly without having to change their parts.
This keeps the team from making drastic changes when farther along in the design
process.
Modelling of Variable Elements –

The next step is to model the tubes that connect the fixed elements to each other.
Arrangements of these tubes are variable and careful consideration of weight,
manufacturability, and chassis stiffness must be taken, so that the chassis does
not become heavy and too flexible. The competition rules must also be taken into
account when drawing these connecting tubes. Since the weight of the chassis is
critical to car performance, connecting tubes must be kept short and thin. All the
connecting tubes must be of the dimensions specified in the rule book i.e., 1”
.049” wall. The only connecting tubes that may not be of this size are the required
roll hoop bracing tubes which must be 1” .065” wall. These bracing tubes are kept
to a minimum length.

Figure-4
First model
Figure-5
Modified model

Conclusion-

With the overall design being carefully considered beforehand, the manufacturing
process being controlled closely, and that many design features have been proven
effective within the performance requirement of the vehicle. During the design
process, the team must achieve a compromise between cost, manufacturing,
performance, and design time so that their car will be competitive in all aspects
of the FORMULA BHARAT.
The most important safety features of a Formula Car is the chassis. A review of
rules relating to chassis & Impact attenuator is used to develop realistic
parameters.
The actual vehicle dimensions are as follows:

Vehicle Weight: 280 Kg


Driver Weight: 70 Kg
Total Vehicle Weight: 350 Kg
Wheel Base: 1840 mm
Front Track width: 1200 mm
Rear Track width: 1536 mm
Ground Clearance Front: 127 mm
Ground Clearance Rear: 139.7 mm

Vehicle weight actual

a) Vehicle Without driver


Right Hand Front: 43.75 Kg
Left Hand Front: 43.75 Kg
Left Hand Rear: 131.25 Kg
Right Hand Rear: 131.5 Kg
Total: 290 Kg

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