CHAPTER 3

DESIGN CONSIDERATION OF LADDER CHASSIS FRAME FOR HYUNDAI

TRUCK

Ladder chassis has longitudinal rails which are connected along the length with
cross-members through welding or mechanical fasteners. Rectangular box section is
chosen for the longitudinal rails of ladder chassis. Design modifications are done in
HyperMesh to improve torsional and bending stiffness of the chassis designed in steel
and CFRP. Adding of the X-bracing cross-member and ribs are few of the techniques
used to provide strength to chassis. This thesis aims to produce a light-weight chassis.

3.1. The Ratio of Sprung to Unsprung Weight

Sprung weight is the weight supported by the springs. For example, the vehicle’s
body, transmission, frame and engine would be sprung weight. Unsprung weight is the
weight that is not carried by springs, such as the tires, wheels and brake assemblies. The
springs allow the frame and vehicle to ride undisturbed while the suspension and tires
follow the road surface. Reducing unsprung weight along with a low unsprung weight
provides improved ride and also improved tire traction.
Unsprung weight includes the mass of the tires, brakes, suspension linkages and
other component that move in unison with the wheels. These components are on the road
side of the springs and therefore react to roadway irregularities with no dumping. The rest
of the mass is on the vehicle side of the springs and therefore comprises the sprung
weight. Disturbances from the road are filtered by the suspension system and the results
are not fully experienced by the sprung weight. The ratio between sprung and unsprung
weight is one of the most important components of vehicle ride handling characteristics.
Unsprung weight represents a significant portion of the total weight of the
vehicle. In today’s standard size automobile, the weight of unsprung components is
normally in the range of 13 to 15 percent of the vehicle net weight. In the case of a 3500
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kg vehicle, unsprung weight may be as high as 500 kg. A 500 kg mass reacting directly to
roadway irregularities at highway speeds can generated significant vertical acceleration
forces. These forces degrade the ride, and they also have a detrimental effect on handling.
The sprung to unsprung weight ratio is particularly important to the design of extremely
low mass vehicles. The necessarily higher suspension frequency produces a rougher ride,
which can be accentuated by smaller tires typical of smaller cars. Smaller diameter tires
react more violently to dumps and potholes. Their reduce radius causes them to move
deeper into depressions and climb more quickly over obstacles. With smaller, lighter
vehicles, it is even more important to keep the ratio of unsprung weight as high as
possible in order to reduce the undesirable effects of smaller tires.

3.2. Type of Load

Any engineering design which is built up of a number of members is in
equilibrium under the action of external forces and the reactions at the points of support.
Each individual member of the design is subjected to external forces which constitute the
load on the member. Since the member is itself in equilibrium the resultant of all the
forces acting on its must be zero, but they produce a tendency for the body to be
deformed. This action is resisted by the internal forces of cohesion between the particles
of the material itself. The externa forces may be transmitted through contact with other
members, or may be due to fluid pressure, gravity or inertia effects. The external forces
acting on a piece of material constitute that is called the load. The simplest type of load is
a direct pull or push, known technically as tension or compression.
A beam is normally horizontal, the loads being vertical, other cases which occur
being looked upon as exceptions [69Ryd].

3.2.1. Vertical Load

Weight of the vehicle and the passengers, which causes vertical bending of the
side members. Vertical loads when the when the vehicle comes across a bump or hollow,
which results in longitudinal torsion due to one wheel lifted with other wheels at the
usual road level.
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3.2.2. Lateral Load

Loads due to road camber, side wind, cornering force while taking a turn, which
result in lateral bending off side members. Load due to wheel impact with road obstacles
may cause that particular wheel to remain obstructed while the other wheel tends to move
forward, distorting the frame to parallelogram shape. Engine torque and braking torque
tending to bend the side members in the vertical plane. Sudden impact loads during a
collision, which may result in a general collapse.

3.2.3. Bearing Load

The truck frame is designed for both strength and deflection. To ensure that the
vehicle is adequate for the intended operation and that the installation does not adversely
affect chassis durability.

3.2.4. Factor Load

Steel structurers may be stressed to just below yield under static conditions
without failure. When the loading fluctuates, the maximum permissible stress is reduced.
The load required to cause eventual failure decreases on the total number of application
of cycles increase.

3.2.5. Concentrated Load

A concentrated load is one which is considered to act at a point, although in
practice it must really be distributed over a small area.

3.2.6. Uniformly Distributed Load

A uniformly distributed load is one which is spread in some manner over the
length of the beam. The rate of loading may be uniform, or may vary from point to point
along the beam.

3.3. Load Distribution on Hyundai Truk

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Moment of a car is moment of frame. When the frame moves, the first
mechanism that running in its wheels. These wheels transmit the reaction forces from the
road to the suspension system (leaf springs and shock absorbers). These leaf springs and
shock absorbers also transmit reaction forces via the wheels and axles to the frame. So, it
is critical component determining the running performance of the frame construction.

3.3.1. Load in Longitudinal Side Rail

The weight of the persons and batteries are transmitted to side beams at the
contact points of side rail and cross members as concentrated loads and the weight of the
car body and solar panels are transmitted to side rails as a uniformly distributed load as
shown in Figure 3.1.
W person +W body

Rear axle

Front axle
Figure 3.1. Load acting on One Side Rail

The suspension leaf springs and shock absorbers support all vertical loads at the
side longitudinal rail contact points (spring seats). So, the reaction forces from the leaf
springs and shock absorbers mean axle reactions.

3.3.2. Loads on Cross Beams

Cross beams are mainly intended to connect the side longitudinal rail. There are
two cross beams in chassis frame. Figure 3.2 shows load acting on cross member.
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W person +W body

Figure 3.2. Load on Cross Member

3.4. Design Consideration of Chassis Frame

Automobile chassis usually refers to the lower part of the vehicle including the
performance. The vehicle structure plays an important role in the reliability of the
vehicle. Truck is a heavy motor vehicle which is designed for carrying the attached
weights, such as the engine, transmissions and suspension as well as the passengers and
payload. The major focus in the truck manufacturing industries is to design vehicles with
more payload capacity.
In motion of a car, frame is the first mechanism that causes the motion of the
vehicle. The problem in frame is how to control the riding comfort. The design and
construction of frame is mainly related to the riding comfort. The weight and design of
frame are deterministic problem-solving scenarios in the designing frame. The lowest
possible weight is an important factor in considering cost effect and energy consumption.
Automobile chassis usually refers to the lower part of the vehicle including the
tires, engine, frame, driveline and suspension. The chassis frame should be strong enough
to resist impact load, twist, vibrations and other bending stresses. The ladder chassis
frame consists of side rails attached with a number of cross members. Along with the
strength, an important consideration in the chassis design is to increase the bending
stiffness and torsion stiffness. The design procedure involves the adding of structural
cross members to the existing chassis to improve its torsional stiffness. As a result,
weight of the chassis increases.
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3.4.1. Bending Case

The bending conditions depend upon the weight of the major components of the
vehicle and the payload. The first consideration is the static condition by determining the
loads distribution along the vehicle. The axle reaction loads are obtained by resolving
forces and taking moment from the weights and positions of the components (i.e. the
equations of static). The frame can be treated as a beam as the vehicle is approximately
symmetric about the longitudinal x-axis [02Smi].
A Hyundai light truck bending loads distribution is shown in Figure 3.3. It shows a
typical list of the major components of the vehicle that are considered. The unsprung
masses are of course not including as they do not impose on the frame. From the vertical
loads diagram, the bending moment diagram and shearing force diagram can be
constructed in the normal way. Values take from these diagrams can be used to determine
stress conditions on the side longitudinal rail of a Hyundai light truck.
W person +W frame

W body

Front axle Rear axle

Figure 3.3. Bending Load Distribution on Side Rail of Chassis Frame

A shearing force diagram is one which shows the variation of shearing force
along the length of the beam.
A bending moment diagram is one which shows the variation of bending moment
along the length of the beam. Zero shearing force represents the maximum bending
moment of the beam [69Ryd].

3.4.2. Torsion Case

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The condition of pure torsion cannot exist itself because vertical loads always
exist due to gravity. However, for ease of calculation the pure torsion case is assumed.
The torsional moment is based on the reaction loads from springs, and its value is the reaction
loads multiplied by the distance between front or rear springs, shown in Figure 3.4.

R2

R1
R2
tr
tf

R1

Figure 3.4. Vehicle Torsion Case

Torsional moment,
T f =R 1 × t f ( ¿ ) T R =R2 ×t r (3.1)

where, R1=¿ reaction from front spring (N)

R2=¿ reaction from rear spring (N)
t f = distances between front springs (mm)
tr = distances between rear springs (mm)

3.5. Stresses in Side Longitudinal Rail and Cross Member

It involves the proper sizing of a beam to safety withstand the maximum stress
which is induced within the beam when it is subjected separately or to any combination
of bending, torsion, axial or transverse loads.

3.5.1. Bending Stress

A beam is a member that carries loads transverse to its axis. Such load produces
bending moments in the beam which result in the development of bending stress.
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Bending stresses are normal stresses that is either tensile or compressive. The maximum
bending stress in a beam cross section will be occurred in the farthest from the neutral
axis of the section. At that point, the following formula gives the stresses:
Mc
σ= (3.2)
I

where, σ = bending stress (N/ m 2 ¿

M = the bending moment at the section (N-m)
I = the moment inertia of the cross section (m 4 ¿
c = the distance from the neutral axis to the outermost fiber (m)

The magnitude of the bending stress varies linearly within the cross section from
a value of zero at the neutral axis to the maximum tensile stress on one side of the neutral
axis, and to the maximum compressive stress on the other side.
The above formula was developed subject to the following conditions.
i. The beam must be in pure bending. Shear stresses must be zero or negligible. No
axial loads are present.
ii. The beam must not twist or be subjected to a torsion load.
iii. The material of the beam must obey Hook’s law.
iv. The modulus of elasticity of the material must be the same in both tension and
compression.
v. The beam is initially straight and has a constant cross section.
vi. Any plane cross section of the beam remains plane during bending.
vii. No part of the beam shape fails because of local buckling or wrinkling.
In most practical beams, which are long relative to their height, shear stresses are
sufficiently small as to be negligible. The maximum bending stress occurs at the
outermost fibers of the beam section where the shear stress is zero [85Mol].

3.5.1.1. Moment of inertia

For bending about the XX' axis of a rectangular section, let the width be b and the
depth h. Figure 3.5 shows the rectangular section of a beam and hollow rectangular
section is illustrated in Figure 3.6.
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Y
h

h dy
X y X'

Y'
Figure 3.5. Rectangular Section [69Ryd]
h/ 2 2
I = ∫ −h /2 y .h dy

y 3 h /2 3
= b[ ] =¿ b h (3.3)
3 −h /2 12
For a hollow rectangular section

1
I = (B H 3 - bh3 )
12
(3.4)
where, B = outside width of the cross section of a beam (mm)
H = outside depth of the cross section of a beam (mm)
t = thickness of the cross section of a beam (mm)
b = inside width of the cross section of a beam (mm)
h = inside depth of the cross section of a beam (mm)

t h H

B
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Figure 3.6. Hollow Rectangular Section

3.5.1.2. Section modulus

For design, it is convenient to define the term section modulus
I
Z =
c
Since I and c are geometrical properties of the cross section of the beam, Z is
section modulus. The formula then becomes,
1
Z = [ B H 3 −b h3 ]
6H
(3.5)
where, Z = section modulus (mm3)

I = moment of inertia (mm 4 ¿

3.5.2. Distribution of Shear Stress in a Rectangular Beam
The shear stress in a rectangular beam varies quadratically with the distance y1
from the neutral axis. Shear Stress in a rectangular beam is shown in Figure 3.7.

τ
h/2 dA
y y1 y
τ max
h/2

b
Figure 3.7. Shear Stress in Rectangular Beam [12Ger]
V
τ= y d A
Ib ∫
(3.6)

VQ
τ =¿
Ib
(3.7)
where, τ =¿ shear stress in beam (N/m 2 )
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V ¿ maximum shear force (N)

Q ¿ first moment of inertia m 3 )

3.5.4. Beam Deflections

The general principles relating the deflections of a beam to the loading on the
beam and its manner of support are presented here. The result will be a set of
relationships among
the load, vertical shearing force, bending moment and the actual deflection curve for the
beam. The product of modulus of elasticity and the moment of inertia, E I, for the beam is
a measure of its stiffness or resistance to bending deflection.
W

W/2 L W/2

Figure 3.8. The Deflection due to Concentrated Load in the Centre

The bending loads applied to a beam cause it to deflected in a direction

perpendicular to its axis. A beam that was especially straight will deform to a slightly
curved shape. The deflection of the load due to bending of a simply supported beam
having a concentrated load of W at its mid-length is shown in Figure 3.8.

Maximum deflection of a simply supported beam loaded in the center is given by

the following equation

W L3
y=
48 EI
(3.8)

The bending deflection of a simply supported beam of length L and carrying a

uniformly distributed load of ω (N/m) is shown in Figure 3.9.
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W=ω L

Figure 3.9. The Bending Deflection of Uniformly Distributed Load

Maximum deflection of a simply supported beam with uniformly distributed load
is given by-
5 ω l4
y=
384 EI
(3.9)
where, y = deflection due to bending (mm)
W = central concentrated load (N)
ω = uniformly distributed load (N/m)
L = length of a beam (mm)
E = Young’s modulus of elasticity (N/m 2)
I = the moment of inertia of the cross section ( m 4 )