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DESIGN & MANUFACTURING OF FSAE CHASSIS

Mohammed Tazeem Khan*1
*1Btech 3rd Year, Zakir Hussain College Of Engineering & Technology, Mechanical engineering, Aligarh, India.
ABSTRACT
The report provides a thorough set of procedures and activities leading to the design and development of the
chassis and bodyworks of a Formula Student racing car as per the guidelines of the 2020 FORMULA SAE
RULEBOOK.
A design methodology for the development of a Chromoly AISI-4130 mild steel space-frame chassis based on
structural analysis and ergonomic considerations was implemented. Torsion analyses were carried out to
achieve a fail-safe design by understanding the substantially increased forces that act on the chassis.
The commercial Finite Element Code of ANSYS® & SIMSCALE® was utilized to perform structural analysis. After
proper validation through simplified models and analytical comparison, the 1-D beam model was analyzed and
the results were compared with the theoretical equations. The same parameters were used to analyze the 3-D
model and the stress & deformation contour plots were obtained. Material selection was considered as per the
guidelines and AISI-4130 was selected. CAD modeling was done using SIEMENS NX-12® modeling software and
several design iterations were performed to determine the best compromise between vehicle mass, component
packaging, and weight distribution while ensuring driver’s safety at all times.
Finally, ergonomic principles of anthropometry were utilized to optimize the human-machine interaction
according to 95 percentile male analysis was performed to ensure the driver’s comfort
I. INTRODUCTION
Formula Student (FS) is international auto-racing competition started to foster university students under the
framework of a semi-professional engineering motorsport competition. By participating in these competitions,
students can enhance their engineering and Marketing skills while attempting to deliver a racing car to compete
with others from different engineering institutions [1].
The word chassis is used in different context by different authors and engineers at different times discussed by
Aird in the book “The Race Car Chassis” (Aird, 1997) [1]. In 1970s, when coachbuilders were used in the
automobile, the term “chassis” was often used to describe the frame, engine, and suspension as one single and
complete unit. Essentially it described everything in a car excluding the bodywork and cabin. In some other
contexts “chassis” defines only the frame of the car with the suspension and power-train being considered
entirely separate items. This latter interpretation of the word is what is used throughout this project, where the
terms “chassis” and “frame” mean the same thing are interchangeable. When defined as above, a chassis is a
component in a car that everything else attaches to.
A monocoque chassis uses the body part as the load-bearing component and means that no separate chassis
structure is needed. Rather than specific members, Entire panels carry the load, which means that a higher polar
moment of Inertia (about the axis running from the front to the rear of the car) is achievable. A high polar
moment of inertia about the rolling axis is a desirable property for a chassis as it is directly related to torsional
stiffness. [Aird 1997]
The drawback of a monocoque chassis is that they can’t be used for prototype purpose and not compatible with
the small production cars, which is why a monocoque will not be used in this project
Tubular Frame Chassis:
Motor racing engineers decide to design a 3D structure as ladder type frame has bending and low performance
in the racing. This type of frame chassis is composed of many circular-section tubes positions triangulated in a
different direction to provide mechanical stiffness against dynamic & static forces from tyres different loadings
and acts mainly in tension and compression.

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In the early 50s, Mercedes-benz Design & Develops a racing car 300SLR using tubular space frame. This was
world's first tubular space frame chassis racing car, 300SL Gullwing. Sill reduced the accessibility of the cockpit
(cabin) up to high extent , Mercedes extends the doors to the roof so which created the “Gullwings”. From the
mid-60s, many high-end sports cars as well as the student racing competitions have also adopted tubular space
frames to enhance the rigidity/weight ratio.
II. STRUCTURAL REQUIREMENTS
The structural requirements of the vehicle structure frame can be summarized as follows:
1. The structure must be sufficiently stiff to react to the static loads (i.e. mainly due to dead-weight) and dynamic
loads (i.e. mainly due to driving over rough terrain and handling maneuvers) without excessive deformation.
2. The structure must be sufficiently strong to bear cyclic loadings without suffering from fatigue or other forms
of material failure.
3. The structure should deform in such a manner under impact load conditions so as to maximize the energy
absorptions in the deforming part and minimize the risk of injury to the occupants and other road users.
The first job of any vehicle structure designer is to ensure that requirement 1 is met since this is critically
dependent on the overall structural layout and determines how the vehicle will handle during normal and
extreme maneuvers. Basically, in order for the suspension system to perform the tasks it is designed for, it is
mounting points should remain as stationary concerning the vehicle axis system as possible.
III. DESIGN METHODOLOGY
During the initial design stages of a Formula racing car chassis, it is first important to consider what components
must be included in the final vehicle system. The general layout of the vehicle systems and subsystems should
first be established and then load bearing members of the chassis should be designed to connect the components
at their mounting points. Therefore, the chassis conforms to the shape and location of the components,
including, drive train, the engine mounts cockpit, suspension links, and so on. If the chassis is designed from the
other aspects of designing, that is the components are placed according to the chassis design, then the structure
will have many engineering flaws. The components must be supported and mounted in the most efficient
manner possible, which means developing a structure that is capable of bearing the static and dynamic loads
while using the minimum volume of material possible and thus reducing inertial mass. through proper research,
optimized, design, simulation, and manufacturing, a sufficiently stiff frame could be built under 30 Kg.
Furthermore, by applying topology optimization throughout the vehicle through the use of lighter components
and composite materials, we established a goal for the total vehicle weight of 200Kg. This extreme reduction in
mass would hopefully lead to improved acceleration, cornering, braking, and handling characteristics.
IV. OBJECTIVES
The main design objectives for the chassis were:
● Research of chassis & cockpit materials that can withstand the high-performance ratings of a formula-style
race car.
● Design a chassis that will be able to withstand the loads from static and dynamic forces using solid
modelling software.
● Perform static and dynamic force and moment analysis using finite element analysis (FEA) software.
● Optimize the chassis by reducing the high-stress concentrated areas using better triangulation of the frame
members.
Finalize a chassis design that meets all requirements and regulations and begin testing of the vehicle once all the
systems have been implemented into the vehicle
V. VEHICLE PLATFORM/TYPE SELECTION
Perhaps one of the critical decisions is to decide the structure type to develop. There is a cost consideration
imposed by the FS. Rules and simple fabrication, it had been decided that a tubular space frame chassis would be
built rather than a composite monocoque employing composite sandwich construction. This design is very
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efficient as thin-walled, tubular pipe exhibits high strength in compression and tension, but performs very
poorly when subjected to bending loads. Although it's often difficult to make sure that each member is going to
be free from bending loads, a chassis that approximates the perfect triangulation will yield the foremost
desirable results
A tubular space frame Chassis was Chosen over a Monocoque/Composite despite being Heavier Because Its
Manufacturing is Cost-effective require Simple Tools and simply Repairable. Monocoque Chassis is best the
production The Mass Production.
VI. MATERIAL SELECTION
The chassis undergoes various kinds of forces during locomotion it has to stay intact without failure and it
should be stiff enough to absorb vibration. The material selection of a chassis is an important criterion while
designing and manufacturing & fabricating the car. The main priority of the design is safe for the driver and
hence the material should be stiff and has great strength.
The material should not cause any failure even under extreme conditions of driving as defined in the rulebook.
weight and stiffness are the two most important properties of a chassis. the stiffness of the material by which it
is built is known as young modulus (E) and the controlling mechanism for stiffness in a material is the
intermolecular forces F changes by any mechanical or chemical process.
Material property Requirement
A) Physical and mechanical
● Hardness-High
● Fatigue- high fatigue resistance
● Tensile strength -high
● Creep- low
● Stiffness -high
● Compression-high resistance to compression forces
● Shear strength-high
● Density-low to medium
● Thermal conductivity & Dissipation-High
● Flammability-Very low
● Melting Point >600deg celsius
B) Chemical Properties
● Environmental Resistance
● Highly Resistant To solvents oils weather
● Dimensional-
● Flatness-Must maintain Machined Surfaces
● Surface Finish-Able to be easily machined
● Stability-Must Be stable at operating Temperature
● Tolerances -up to 0.5mm
● Availability of Materials
● Available readily on hand
● Easily ordered from warehouse Both for ongoing fabrication Process and any repair work which may be
necessary during the testing period

Economic Considerations

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the project should be cheap however this is cheap is in the cost not in the performance the overall material
should be cost-effective considering the procurement process formability, weldability, and machinability
Suitable Material
Steel and its alloys, Aluminium cast iron are suitable materials. exotics materials like Carbon fiber and titanium
are rules out based on availability, accessibility, cost, and Fabricating Difficulties.
Material selection criteria
For Formula Student competitions, the baseline material is steel and the regulations and rules are held
regarding alloy steels. It is also possible to use another material but to before using them the alternative frame
rules should be considered. There are much more rules and regulations and required tests for the use of
alternative materials.
Aluminium has the advantages of being lighter then steel and cheaper than composite. Yet it is very hard to find
Aluminium that meets the regulations and rules.
To provide enough stiffness, larger size of Aluminium must be useful and that doesn’t make Aluminium be a very
convenient choice, the volume of material becomes larger and it increases the price.
Composite chassis are a very good option for teams because they are lighter and stiff but they are very hard to
fabricate and are very expensive.
The most convenient choice is using steel, it is easy to machine and prepare the tube it may not require also a
complex fixture for production, and its good availability too
Table-1: Comparison between suitable materials
S. no. Material Density UTS YTS E K Coef. Of thermal exp.

1. AISI4130 7860 550 450 210 77.2 11.7

2. AISI302 7920 860 520 190 75 17.3

3. Aluminium 2800 570 500 72 28 23.6

4. Grey C.I. 7200 170 - 69 28 23.6

Malleable
5. 7300 345 230 165 65 12.1
C.I.

Carbon
6. 1550 600 580 70 5 2.10
fiber

Low carbon steel or mild steel

Low carbon or mild steel is further classified into three types basing on their composition i.e. percentage of
carbon
● Dead mild steel or mild steel containing 0.5 to 0.15% of carbon
● Mild steel containing 0.15 to 0.2% carbon
● Mild steel containing 0.2 to 0.3% of carbon
Physical properties of mild steel
● High tensile strength
● High impact strength
● Good ductility and weldability
● A magnetic metal due to ferrite content
● Good malleability with cold forming possibilities

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Table-2: Material Selection Matrix
Material Density Strength Manufacturing Cost Availability Total

Weightage (1-10) 6 9 9 8 8

AISI 4130 2 3 4 4 4 139

AISI 302 1 4 3 3 3 117

Aluminium 4 4 1 3 3 117
Cast iron 3 1 4 4 4 127

Carbon fibre 5 5 2 1 1 109

Mild steel 2 2 5 4 3 131

AISI 4130 Seamless Tubes O.D 25.4 mm of Thickness 2.4mm,1.6mm, and 1.2 then used for the
manufacturing Purpose
VII. MANUFACTURING
Manufacturing is one of the most important phases of Chassis Development. We Fabricate the Chassis by our
manufacturing methods. we use a fixture made up of mild steel. There is a chronological order for the
Manufacturing of the Chassis.

Jig Welding
Designing Selection

Tube's
Jig setup
Machining

Tube setup Welding

Figure-1: Manufacturing Methods

FIXTURES
Maximizing accuracy, efficiency is the key concern for manufacturing. fixtures are manufacturing aids used to
increase the reliability, accuracy, and quality of the manufacturing process, whilst minimizing time, Cost and
improving worker safety. Fundamentally, the purpose of fixtures and manufacturing aids is to provide an
accurate, fast, and reliable manufacturing process, whilst reducing time and human error.
It is a work-holding device that holds, supports, and locates the Workpiece (Tubes) for a specific operation. We
use the fixture for welding the tubes to each other. Each strip of the fixture is unique. Which is designed for a
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specific tube. We first notch the tube and make grooves in them that each tube can be attached to another tube
having a maximum surface area.
Fundamental principles of Fixture design
LOCATING POINTS:
Good facilities should be provided for locating the job. The tubes should be inserted easily so that no time is
wasted in placing the Tubes in position to perform welding. The position of Tubes should be accurate concerning
the setting elements in the fixture.
FOOLPROOF:
The design of fixtures should be such that it would not permit the Tubes to inserted in any position other than
the correct one
WEIGHT OF FIXTURES:
It should be of low cost and economic regarding without sacrificing rigidity and stiffness [7] .In the 5th version
of our chassis, we make some improvements in the fixture design. due to the long strips of metal and holding a
metal tube, fixture strips get bends towards outwards position due to Normal Axial force but this problem was
solved using the T beam Theory In the previous version we have seen the effect of this phenomena in our
manufacturing process and provide support behind every Jig strip to prevent it from bending in the current
Version We Have used T-shape Jigs for preventing them from bending under the Tube loads.

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Figure 5:fins designing to keep Jigs levelled

Fins To keep fixture strips levelled on

fixture table

Figure 6: Isometric view of fixture designed in NX 12

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Figure7: Side view of fixture designed in NX 12

WELDING SELECTION
SELECTION OF WELDING PROCESS
When multiple choices are available to select the welding process to accomplish a particular joint it is essential
to base the final decision on sound reasoning which generally involves the following considerations:
1. Technical Considerations
2. Economic Considerations.
There are various types of welding available like GTAW, GMAW, SMAW, SAW, Laser Beam Welding, Resistance
welding. In a college workshop by considering all economic and technical factors. These welding processes
which was feasible Namely- SMAW, GTAW, GMAW. We will take those processes into consideration for finding
the best suitable method for the welding process.
WELDING POSITION:
Some welding processes like SMAW, GMAW, GTAW, etc. are compatible with all-position while others are limited
to one or a few welding positions. So in the fixture, we need a welding type that should be compatible with all
the positions. Process selection for weld joints may include shape and size of the joints, availability of
consumables, deposition rates maintenance of equipment required, spatter and smoke caused during operation,
preheating and post-weld treatment required, the skill of operator required.
ECONOMIC CONSIDERATIONS:
The main aim is to get the weld of the desired quality keeping the cost as minimum as possible.
The cost of welding comprises different components which are expressed below in the form of an equation:
CT = CWL + CAL + COH + Cc
where,
CT = total cost of welding,
CWL = cost of direct welding labour,
CAL = cost of auxiliary labour,
COH = overhead costs,
Cc = cost of consumables,

These costs will vary from one welding process to another but because arc welding processes cover the bulk of
the total welding work in the world.
So after considering all the factors we used GTAW welding.
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SELECTION OF FILLER MATERIAL
There are certain parameters on which a selection of filler material is based on certain parameters which can be
divided into 4 categories
1. The base material to be welded
2. The welding positions
3. Design requirements
4. Shielding gas
Factor No. 1: The base material to be welded
Joining together two materials is, primarily the matter of chemistry: Which filler metal is best suitable for the
base material? If the chemistry of the materials matches, the mechanical and physical properties (such as the
tensile and yield strength) will also match.
As we are using mild steel alloys throughout our Chassis there is no need to select two different types of filler
materials
Table-3: Chemical composition of AISI 4130

Iron, Fe 97.03 – 98.22

Chromium, Cr 0.80 – 1.10

Manganese, Mn 0.40 – 0.60

Carbon, C 0.280 – 0.330

Silicon, Si 0.15 – 0.30

Molybdenum, Mo 0.15 – 0.25

Sulphur, S 0.040

Phosphorous, P 0.035

Table-4: Mechanical properties of AISI 4130

Properties Metric
Tensile strength, ultimate 560 MPa

Tensile strength, yield 460 MPa

Modulus of elasticity 190-210 GPa

Bulk modulus (Typical for steel) 140 GPa

Shear modulus (Typical for steel) 80 GPa

Poisson’s ratio 0.27-0.30

Elongation at break (in 50 mm) 21.50%

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Figure 8: Welding fixture required multiple positions

Factor No. 2: The welding position
The flat position is always the most economical welding position method, followed by vertical or horizontal and,
lastly, an overhead position. but as we have mentioned earlier that we have kept our Chassis tubes on the fixture
so It will be very impractical for moving the fixture. The fixture’s image is given in figure ,so we need to work in
every position like flat, Vertical, Overhead, Inclined.
Factor No. 3: Design requirements
It is important to select a filler metal that meets the SAE rulebook design requirement
Welded strength for discontinuous material should be
§ Yield Strength (Sy) = 180 MPa
§ Ultimate Strength (Su) = 300 MPa
The selection of filler material plays an important role in the welding strength
Factor No. 5: Shielding gas
It’s important to ensure the shielding gas and filler metal used for an application are compatible.
Different shielding gases have different effects on filler metal. we use argon as a shielding
By considering the above factors we have to choose the Filler metals ER70S-2 & ER70S-6 which the adequate
and most compatible with the GTAW welding
There was also comparison was done between ER70S-2 & ER70S-6 And the result obtained is mentioned below
Table-5: Comparison between the ER70S-2 & ER70S-6

Wire ER70S2 ER70S6

Tensile Strength 78,000 psi 80,000 – 90,000 psi

Yield Strength 60,000 psi 65,000 – 75,000 psi

Density 0.283 lbs/in3 0.283 lbs/in3

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Wire ER70S2 ER70S6

Price Range Low High

Processes Supported MIG, TIG MIG, TIG

Use on rusted/contaminated surfaces No Yes

VIII. SUMMARY
a) The wires both offer the same functionality, both being used for the same purpose of either MIG or TIG
welding.
b) ü The ER70S6 offers more tensile and yield strength, albeit at a slightly increased cost. Both the wires can be
used for similar jobs due to their identical capabilities.
c) The major difference between the two products is prominent when the user is operating on contaminated or
rusted surfaces, in which case the ER70S6 provides better penetration and higher quality of welds.
d) The additional deoxidizers present in the ER70S6 provide better wetting, giving a flatter bead shape and the
capability of faster travel speeds.
e) This is due to the higher prevalence of silicone in ER70S6 than ER70S2, the number at the end of the
product name (-2 or -6) signifies the amount of the silicon present in the welding wire
ER70S-6 was used then for better welds
IX. CONCLUSION
From the initial research and rules constraint to the manufacturing the design and development of FSAE chassis
is mentioned and the best practices are used in the manufacturing processes are like the used of T- shaped
fixtures for providing the bending resistance to the tube holding strips material, welding and filler selection for
the chassis. From the above research it is concluded that the developed chassis is following FSAE guidelines and
can be ready to compete in national and international competitions
X. REFERENCES
[1] Aird, Forbes. The Race Car Chassis. New York, New York: The Penguin Group, 2008.
[2] Gaffney, Edmund F., and Anthony R. Salinas. "Introduction to Formula SAE Suspension and Frame
Design." SAE Technical Paper Series, 1997
[3] Riley, William B., and Albert R. George. "Design, Analysis, and Testing of a Formula SAE Chassis." SAE
Technical Paper Series 01.3300, 2002
[4] Milliken, William F., and Douglas L. Milliken. Race Car Vehicle Dynamics. Warrendale, PA: Society of
Automotive Engineers, Inc., 1995
[5] Costin, Michael and Phipps, David, “Racing and Sports Car Chassis Design”, B.T. Batsford Ltd., 1961
[6] Fenton, John, “Handbook of Vehicle Design Analysis”, Society of Automotive Engineers, 1996
[7] Compare Materials SAE 1018 and Chromoly Steel
http://www.makeitfrom.com/comparematerials/?A=Chromium-Molybdenum-Chromoly-Steel&B=SAE-
AISI-1018-G10180-Carbon-Steel (Accessed 20 October 2015)
[8] Ravinder Pal Singh, “Structural performance analysis of formula SAE car,” Journal Mekanikal, No. 31,
page 46 – 61, December 2010.
2016 Formula SAE Rules, SAE International, 2016.

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