Analysis of Composite Chassis
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Typ
Examensarbete för kandidatexamen
Bachelor Thesis
Bachelor Thesis
Program
Maskinteknik 300 hp (civilingenjör)
Publicerad
2013
Författare
Andersson Eurenius, Carl
Danielsson, Niklas
Khokar, Aneesh
Krane, Erik
Olofsson, Martin
Wass, Jacob
Modellbyggare
Tidskriftstitel
ISSN
Volymtitel
Utgivare
Sammanfattning
This report is the result of a bachelor thesis focusing on the chassis of a Formula Student race car. The main goal of the project is to achieve a guide of how to design the perfect chassis. This is done by identifying the areas most vital to chassis performance and exploring these by studies and analyses. An introduction to what Formula Student is, how it works and why the chassis of the cars are relevant to study is provided. A brief summary of chassis design aspects is included in order make sure the reader understands the methods and results of this report. The main focus is to identify key performance indicators of a race car chassis. This requires a comprehensive analysis concerningall aspects of the chassis. Therefore, a static model is developed to investigate the effects of chassis rigidity,material options are researched on, aerodynamic properties are explored, performance simulations are conductedandguidelines forcomposite chassis design and manufacturingare established. The most important key performance indicators were found to be weight, torsional stiffness and the torsional stiffness to weight ratio. Chassis rigidity is found to decrease exponentially with increasing torsional stiffness. This led to the conclusion that, having a torsional stiffness of more than ~3 times the roll stiffness, easily adds more weight than handling performance. The choice of a carbon composite structure for the chassis over a steel space frame leads to great weight savings without compromisingon performance. Despite the disadvantages with a carbon composite chassis, namely high cost and difficulty in manufacturing, the conclusion is that the benefits outweigh the drawbacks. There are numerous material configurations available when using carbon composites and it is important to examine these configurations closely to find one that best satisfies the performance requirements. The selection process is simplified by using finite element analysis to iterate through many different configurations, such as core thicknesses, ply layups and weave types, to customize the properties of the structure. With these properties it is possible to determine chassis performance in terms of vehicle handling and rigidity.
Beskrivning
Ämne/nyckelord
Transport , Innovation och entreprenörskap (nyttiggörande) , Farkostteknik , Transport , Innovation & Entrepreneurship , Vehicle Engineering