Table of Contents
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Frame / Chassis
Types of Solar Car Frames
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A production car's unibody. | A look at Stanford's unibody. |
Monocoque
A monocoque is a structural system where loads are supported through an object's external skin, similar to an egg shell. MSXI used a monocoque as its frame which presented numerous challenges with regards to structure, manufacturing and serviceability. Due to these challenges, most solar car teams do not elect to use a monocoque.
A Lamborghini Aventador has a carbon fibre central monocoque, with front and rear steel subframes. | MSXI's monocoque prior to vinyl wrapping. |
System Design Considerations
Impact on Suspension
Centre of Gravity and Handling
Material Considerations for Space Frames
4130 Chromoly
4130 is often seen as superior to mild steels like 1018 and 1020 for the use of space frames (ex. FSAE).
- Both chromoly and mild steels have the same elastic modulus
- Ultimate tensile strength of 4130 is higher
- Density is approximately the same
- Since UTS is higher, you can use thinner walled members in the space frame and save weight
- Chromoly could be around 50% more expensive (estimate)
- A chromoly frame could b around 80% of the weight of a mild steel frame (estimate)
- If stiffness if the limiting factor, chromoly will not help since elastic modulus is the same
Strength
Torsional Rigidity
Torsional rigidity is a measure of a vehicles resistance to twisting from a moment applied along it's longitudinal axis. It is often expressed in Nm/degree (torque required to create one degree of twist). Torsional rigidity is very important to vehicle handling, especially with regards to cornering at speed.
Modelling and Analysis
FEA
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Tube Cutting and Notching
Welding
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Suspension & Steering
Components
Picture | Description | |
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Tires | Tires form the only point of contact between the vehicle and the road. The grip provided by the tires help propel the car forward, maneuver it a round a corner or bring it to a stop. Excessive wear on a particular area of a tire can be an indiction of misalignment in the suspension. | |
Rims | Tires are mounted to rims which then join to the hubs. position of the point of contact between the hub and the rim is called the wheel "offset". | |
Hub / Knuckle / Uprights | A hub is the central part of a wheel that connects the control arms and axle or spindle to rim. A hubs contains bearings which allow the wheel to spin. | |
Spindle | On a non-drivewheel, the spindle is the axel that connects the hub to the upright or knuckle. | |
Control Arm | S hinged suspension link between the chassis and the suspension upright or hub that carries the wheel. | |
Tire-rod | The linkage between the steering system and hubs. | |
Shock | The spring damper system that helps to eliminate vibrations and give the passages a smoother ride. | |
Rack and Pinion |
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Offset is the distance between the central axis of the wheel and the mounting plane between the hub and the rim.
Camber
Camber is the angle between the vertical axis of the wheels used for steering and the vertical axis of the vehicle when viewed from the front or rear.
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