Dr.S.

PRABHAKAR
ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR,
DEPARTMENT OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING,
AUTOMOBILE STREAM,
KIOT - WOLLO UNIVERSITY,
ETHIOPIA – 208.
EMAIL ID : [email protected]
Mobile number - +251 904664940 (Ethiopia)

DRIVE LINE
 Chasis is a French term which denotes the
whole vehicle except body in case of heavy
vehicles.

In case of light vehicles of mono construction it

denotes the whole body except additional fitting
in the body.

Chassis consists of engine, brakes, steering system

& wheel mounted on the frame, differential,
suspension.

Chassis in electronic device consists of the metal

frame on which the circuit boards & other
electronics are mounted.

In absence of a metal frame the chassis refers to

the circuit boards & component themselves , not
the physical structure.

In computer chassis refers to the rigid framework

on which motherboard , memory , disk drives &
other equipment are mounted.
 PRINCIPAL FUNCTION

To safety carry the maximum load.

Holding all components together while driving.
Accommodate twisting on even road
surface.
Endure shock loading.
It must absorb engine & driveline torque.
CLASSIFICATION OF CHASSIS ACCORDING TO CONTROL

CONVENTIONAL -
FORWARD CHASSIS
Engine is fitted in front of the
SEMI-FORWARD
driver cabin or driver seat such as CHASSIS
in cars
Chassi portion can not be utilized Half portion of the engine is in
for carrying passengers and the driver cabin & and remaining
goods
half is outside the cabin such as
in tata trucks FULL-FORWARD CHASSIS
In this arrangement a part of the
chassis is utilized for carrying Complete engine is mounted inside
extra passengers the driver cabin

Driver seat is just above the front

wheel
ACCORDINGTOFITTING TOENGINE
Transverse engines Longitudinal engines
 This engine placement can be described as the Mostly used in front-engine rear-wheel
engine mounted in such a way that it is drive, the longitudinal engine has its
perpendicular to the direction of cars travel. The cylinders in a front to back orientation
cylinders go from right to left while the travel is a making them parallel to the direction of
straight line which makes it perpendicular to the
the travel. These are usually used in high-
direction of travel. Transverse engines are usually
performance cars due to multiple
used for front-wheel-drive cars. It connects
directly to a transaxle which then is connected to advantages they provide over transverse
the half shafts and CV joints completing the engines, which are mentioned below.
transmission by linking with the wheels. More on
transaxles .
 ADVANTAGES
DISADVANTAGES
This engine placement allows for more The engine placement causes torque steer.
freedom as the automakers can keep the car
As the engine is placed a bit towards the
length unchanged but still get more space on
side, one of the driveshafts will be bigger
the inside. This allows for more boot space or
than the other.
even more passenger space.
This longer driveshaft will have lower
TRANSVERSE ENGINE placement also puts
torsional stiffness which means it will steer
most of the car’s weight on the front tires.
towards the side with the longer
driveshaft.
This helps with improving the traction of tyres
in a front-wheel-drive but it is likely to This problem is solved by using a hollow
increase understeer.
shaft and a solid shaft causing both shafts
to have the same stiffness.
Due to being front-wheel driven, there are
fewer drivetrain components which allow for
The engine size is restricted heavily which
better weight management making the car in turn restricts the power output you get
lighter. This also reduces manufacturing costs
from the car. Too big of an engine simply
and this makes the car cheaper.
won’t fit.
Even the power transmission losses are lower
Onwards to longitudinal engine
in a vehicle with a transversely mounted placement, the choice for high-
engine.
performance cars.
 ADVANTAGES
This one is applicable for front- DISADVANTAGES
engine rear-wheel drive and LONGITUDINAL ENGINES take up
rear-engine rear-wheel drive. more space thus reducing cabin
The formerly stated space. Increasing cars length to
counter this is not optimal as
configuration allows for really these engines are usually made
good front to rear weight for powerful cars which don’t
distribution due to engine in need extra weight.
the front and differential in They are less efficient than
the back. This is better for cars transverse because of the driven
wheel being in the rear. This
that need to make tight turns makes the rotational energy
and is thus better than what change direction which wastes
transverse offers. energy.
They offer more power as the Due to more parts involved in the
engine can be quite big and drivetrain, it makes the car heavy
and costlier to manufacture.
thus have more displacement.
 Which Is Better?

This is another one of those ‘both are good in their own

ways’ kind of answer.
Transverse placement is certainly good for low to mid-
range cars as they are more efficient and cheaper to
make and don’t take up a lot of space.
Longitudinal on the other hand offers better power due
to having bigger engines and good handling because of
their front to rear weight distribution ratio.
DEPENDING ON DRIVE
FRONT ENGINE FRONT DRIVE

FRONT ENGINE REAR DRIVE

REAR ENGINE REAR DRIVE

FOUR WHEEL DRIVE

ALL WHEEL DRIVE

NO – REAR ENGINE FRONT DRIVE

 Engine is fitted at front & drive is given to front wheel

ADVANTAGES

Low floor is available.

Vehicle has more road holding

capacity.

clutch , gear box & differential

are usually made as one
unit, thereby cost is reduced.

DISADVANTAGES

Weight of the vehicle shift to

the rear wheels which is not
desirable for better
adhesion/attachment.
 Engine is fitted at front & drive is given to rear wheel

ADVANTAGES

Better handling
Less load at front axle
smaller steering radius

DISADVANTAGES

Decreased interior space

Propellar shaft is used
Rear Engine Rear Wheel Drive
 ADVANTAGES DISADVANTAGES

While Climbing hills

Flat floor is available
proper adhesion may be
since long propeller
affected since the weight
shafts are eliminated
of vehicles moves to the
rear , thereby reducing
With elimination of
the weight on the front
propeller shaft the
wheel.
centre of gravity
lowered giving stable
As a result of grouping of
driving
the engine with clutch,
gear box and differential,
Better adhesion
the repair and adjustment
onroad specially when
become difficult due to
climbing hill.
congestion at the rear.
Four wheel drive ADVANTAGES

It uses more fuel and can also lead

to overconfidence, leading to more
situations where you can get stuck.
you can actually switch between a
4WD and 2WD system
Improved traction and grip on the road
Increased power
Higher vehicle clearance of larger objects
under the vehicle.
You can turn 4WD on or off, depending on
the terrain.
When 4WD is disengaged, only the back
two wheels move the vehicle forward
while the front two spin freely.
4WD can be switched off to increase fuel
efficiency.

DISADVANTAGES

More expensive
Provides bad fuel economy
All wheels Always
engaged. STEERING
Safe and advantageous over
4WD
4 wheels can be engaged only
in difficult terrain.
In normal condition power is
given to rear wheels only.
 Disadvantages
The main disadvantage of 4WD is added cost for
• purchase, maintenance, and fuel. The extra equipment
(differentials, transfer case, etc.) adds complexity and
weight to the vehicle, increasing initial market value,
tire wear, and the cost of repairs and maintenance.
• The added power and weight of 4WD and AWD
systems require more fuel, making them less efficient
than their 2WD counterparts.
• Added weight improves traction and control, but it also
increases the braking distance required to make a
complete stop. Lighter vehicles can avoid collision
easier than heavier vehicles.
EARLY ELECTRIC VEHICLE

1914 Detroit Electric car. Limited range.

EARLY HYBRID VEHICLE

The 1900 Porsche

hybrid.
What percentage of cars
will be electrified by
next 20 years ?
 By 2040,
55% of all new cars will be electric.

What does this mean?

 Electric all-wheel drive of the Audi e-tron

Do you have
any questions?
Hope you learned something ……