Automotive Vehicle

Frames

Name: Mohamed Ashraf Sayed

Section:2

The frame is designed to support the weight of the body and absorb all of the loads imposed by
the terrain, suspension system, engine, drive train, and steering system

Ladder Frame

Advantage: it has no much advantage in these days ... it is easy and cheap
for hand build, that's all.
Disadvantage: Since it is a 2 dimensional structure, torsional rigidity is very
much lower than other chassis, especially when dealing with vertical load or
bumps.
Who uses it? Most SUVs, classic cars, Lincoln Town Car, Ford Crown

Tubular Space Frame

Advantage: Very strong in any direction. (compare with ladder chassis and
monocoque chassis of the same weight)
Disadvantage: Very complex, costly and time consuming to be built.
Impossible for robotized production. Besides, it engages a lot of space, raise
the door sill and result in difficult access to the cabin.
Who uses it? All Ferrari before the 360M, Lamborghini Diablo, Jaguar XJ220

Monocoque

Advantage: Cheap for mass production. Inherently good crash protection.

Space efficient.

Disadvantage: Heavy. Impossible for small-volume production.

Who uses it? Nearly all mass production cars, all current Porsche.

Backbone Frame

Advantage: Strong enough for smaller sports cars. Easy to be made by hand
thus cheap for low-volume production. Simple structure benefit cost. The
most space-saving other than monocoque chassis.
Disadvantage: Not strong enough for high-end sports cars. The backbone
does not provide protection against side impact or off-set crash. Therefore, it

need other compensation means in the body. Cost ineffective for mass
production.
Who uses it? Lotus Esprit, Elan Mk II, TVR, Marcos.

X-Frame

Advantages: It was specifically chosen to decrease the overall height of the

vehicles regardless of the increase in the size of the transmission and
propeller shaft humps, since each row had to cover frame rails as well.
Disadvantages: lacked side rails and thus did not provide adequate sideimpact and collision protection
Who uses it: the full-size American models of General Motors in the late
1950s and early 1960s

Perimeter Frame

Advantages: lowered roof, the perimeter frame allows lower seating positions
when that is desirable, and offers better safety in the event of a side impact.
Disadvantages: the design lacks stiffness, because the transition areas from
front to center and center to rear reduce beam and torsional resistance
Who uses it? Ford Motor Company until 2011

Platform Frame

This is a modification of the perimeter frame or of the backbone frame

Advantages: in which the passenger compartment floor, and sometimes also
the luggage compartment floor have been integrated into the frame as
loadbearing parts, for extra strength and rigidity
Disadvantages: extra weight
Who uses it? : Volkswagen Beetle, on which it is called body on pan
construction. Another German example are the Mercedes-Benz "Ponton of
cars of the 1950s and 1960s

Sub-Frame Type

Is used to reinforce or complement a particular section of a vehicle's

structure Typically attached to a uni-body or a monocoque
Advantages: the rigid sub frame can handle high chassis forces and can
transfer them evenly over a wide area of relatively thin sheet metal of a
unitized body shell
Who uses it? General Motors 19671981 F platform,