Optimal Material Selection on Designed Chassis

Abstract

This paper deals with the material selection on a designed chassis on basis of the detailed mechanical properties of the materials. The paper also deals with the static structural analysis of an automobile chassis—monocoque chassis and design modification to improve the strength of chassis. The chassis is the backbone of the vehicle, so safety is the utmost priority. Chassis should be capable enough to withstand the loads—fluctuating loads, loads due to vibration, loads due to torsion, and other loads. Chassis is also considered to have adequate bending stiffness for better handling. So, maximum stress, maximum equivalent strain, maximum equilateral stress, and deflection are important criteria for the design of the chassis. Weight factor also plays an important role in manufacturing the chassis; hence, a group of materials with their detailed mechanical properties were considered, and the static structural analysis was performed considering the properties of the materials in order to identify the optimal material.