Foundation and in an automobile the

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foundation is the frame few people see
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the real foundations of their houses and
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few owners see the frames of their
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automobiles and there are many important
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engineering developments in the modern
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automobile frame which aren't apparent
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when you look at the car let's see what
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an automobile frame has to do and what
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kind of a frame is required to do the
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job this line is the row these are the
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wheels and this is the body now let's
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look at it from another viewpoint
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looking down on top of the car the car
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is supported at four corners by the
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wheels we must have a strong rigid
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foundation to support the body over its
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entire length so let's take off the body
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and build a foundation starting with
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these two pieces of steel which we will
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call side members now we need something
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to keep the side members apart and
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something to hold them together
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so we put in two more steel pieces which
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we call cross members but how are we
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going to turn those front wheels they
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haven't enough room well let's give them
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all the room they want let's make the
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frame narrower in front that's better
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how about the rear end of the frame
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we've got one crossmember but that's not
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enough it will give us a good rigid
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support for the gas tank but we need
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something stronger than that let's put
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in another one that makes the rear of
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the frame strong and rigid and just to
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make sure that our foundation won't go
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together in the middle like this let's
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put in another crossmember right about
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here now we have a frame that you can't
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pull apart that you can't push together
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pretty good job as far as we've gone hey
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there that won't do
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to prevent this sort of thing let's put
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in some more
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girders like the letter y now any force
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applied here will be transferred to the
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center of the frame but we don't want to
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be compelled to make this center cross
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piece too heavy so to help spread the
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strain let's put in these members like
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the letter K of course we have to
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consider the engine we're going to
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support the front of the engine here so
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we'll have to have another crossmember
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here to support the rear of the engine
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now we've designed a skeleton frame but
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before we write on it we'll have to do
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some figuring and the first thing we
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want to know is what part of the frame
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is going to get the most severe strain
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or as engineers would say where is the
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point of maximum stress this is a piece
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of steel supported at each end we apply
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a weight at the center of this piece of
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steel we let the steel band the fan down
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up fan down and it doesn't break because
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the strain is equalized throughout its
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length but suppose we fastened a steel
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box over half the length of the beam and
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again apply the way up and down it bends
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but this time it breaks because while
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this end was held rigid by the steel box
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above it this point was doing most of
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the bending right here at the edge of
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the box was the point of greatest strain
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as an engineer would say the stress was
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localized so it is with an automobile
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frame the point of greatest strain is
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here at the front edge of the steel box
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or body of the car and on the frame that
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point is here the usual way of building
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this part of the frame would be to use
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only one piece of steel but in this
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frame we're going to use two steel
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girders like this and tie them together
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with a heavy steel plate known as a
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gusset this construction gives us rigid
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strength where we need it on
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other point of great stress is here so
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here again we add a heavy steel plate to
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give us extra strength when we ride on
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the frame we have designed will find
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that there is another point of heavy
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strain here in the hump where we bent
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the side member up to get over the rear
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axle so we'll give it a reinforcement to
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since we are going to have harmony
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between the front and rear springs knee
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action on the car we are building let's
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make the front end of the car as rigid
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as possible with the knee action
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we use this sturdy girder of steel to
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hold the wheels it's time to add these
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brackets called step hangers which
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support the running boards and now look
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out for the rivets here they come
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[Applause]
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219 tough steel rivets to hold our frame
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together cold driven rivets - that won't
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shrink after they're in place now we
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have a strong rigid foundation with this
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YK frame your car will stand up under
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the hardest usage for tens of thousands
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of miles strong heavy side members for
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support
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sturdy cross members for rigidity big
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steel center braces for strength heavy
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reinforcements at points of greatest
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strain a good husky support for the
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engine and a strong cross piece to hold
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in the action wheels such a frame gives
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rigid support to the whole car Springs
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steering gear and engine have a firm
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foundation the body and every part of
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the car ride on a frame that is solid
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strong and safe with such a foundation
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for your car you can ride on good roads
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or bad roads or any kind of road your
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car has a foundation to protect all
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vital parts from damaging shocks and
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strain summers and winters may come and
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go but such a house on wheels will never
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have to fear the creaks and rattle of a