Finite Element Analysis in Automobile Chassis Design

Abstract

The chassis is the backbone of all automobiles. In passenger cars and buses, the chassis forms the basic shape of the vehicles and ensures the safety of passengers as well as transported goods. Most chassis have the frame structure and is manufactured using stamping and cold rolled technology to enhance the required rigidity. One of the most important criteria that chassis manufacturers consider during the design process is structural integrity: preventing failure while optimizing the use of materials. Traditional design methods requiring hand-calculations as well as experiments are less desirable because of the rising cost and time. Nowadays, with the development of numerical methods, computer capabilities and computer-aided engineering (CAE) overall, the design process has become much more efficient. This paper presents a procedure to simulate the complex dynamics of a 29-seat bus chassis using finite elements analysis in Ansys software. The results of this simulation are then used to verify the structural integrity of the chassis and support design optimizations.