PSI - Issue 33

Ilham Widiyanto et al. / Procedia Structural Integrity 33 (2021) 27–34 Widiyanto et al. / Structural Integrity Procedia 00 (2019) 000–000

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1. Introduction The weight of cars increased continuously through the years up to 2010, about improvements in comfort, driving aid systems, and the more challenging homologation passive safety requirements. Since 2000, increasing attention towards weight reduction in all car segments was adopted by all OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) due to increasing requirements on pollution emissions reduction. Indeed, despite the development of more efficient engines, the higher fuel consumption, and consequently higher CO2 emissions, due to weight has required the government's intervention (in particular US and EU) to set a path for emission reduction through the years, (Mock, 2014). The GT40 is based on an intense, light, fully triangulated spaceframe chassis. The advantages of using space frame chassis construction are the mass of the structure is lesser and cost-effective than other types of chassis, but due to the complicated manufacturing process, the space frame chassis platform is only used for high performance and niche market cars. Due to the chassis frame's unique design, the engine is mounted as low as possible to achieve a low center of gravity for improved handling and cornering, (Hartley, 1977). Research into lightweight components, material, and related processes has become one of the main challenges in the automotive industry and has led to the substitution of standard steel with alternative materials in many components and systems. The material and the monocoque configuration, where the car's outer shell carries the primary structural loads, have been influential in the performance and safety improvements realized. This research discusses, in detail, the development of a materials monocoque sports car chassis for a lightweight, (Huschilt et al.,2002). This chassis is presented as an example of material product development, from preliminary design to the design and ultimately the material monocoque itself. The chassis' design had been produced using only an Autodesk Fusion 360 and using finite element analysis (FEA) techniques. The design studies for a successor to this earlier monocoque were focused on five analyses, Von Mises Stress, Strain, Displacement, Reaction Force, and Safety Factors. 2. Methodology Starting with a pre-production workhorse space frame, the chassis was built using "make like" production castings and extrusions to carry over many prototype extrusions into the production vehicle. This design refers to the Ford GT40 reference chassis. The car features a long front overhang reminiscent of 1960s-era racecars. But its sweeping cowl, subtle accent lines, and high-intensity-discharge (HID) headlamps strike a distinctly contemporary pose. Essential elements of the original – including the stunning low profile and mid-mounted American V-8 engine – continue in this latest interpretation of the classic. The design is shown in Fig. 1, while the specification in Table 1. The aim was simple – less weight and more power. Each of these has the simple effect of improving the power to weight ratio and accelerating performance. Less weight also benefits handling and braking – less weight means less inertia, which means better cornering and braking. This research is then carried out with the steps shown in Fig. 2.

Fig. 1. Geometry of the designed chassis referring to the GT40.