UNIT I

VEHICLE STRUCTURE AND

ENGINES
Automobiles
 AUTOMOBILE: An automobile is a complex machine which has its own
power unit to give the necessary propelling force and used for the
transportation of passengers and goods upon the ground.
 To impart maximum driving luxury at minimum transportation cost, the
automobile must have certain inherent characteristics.
 Dynamic characteristics depend upon tractive effort and braking ability.
 Stability and steer-ability are two other features which must be
considered while designing an automobile.
 Smooth running is the vehicles ability to run over uneven roads with
minimum vibration and also it should be able to negotiate in different
climatic and road conditions.
 An automobile is made up two main units – the body and chassis.
 Automobile Engineering is a branch of engineering in which we
study all about the automobile and have practice to propel
them.
Types of Automobiles
Specification of
Automobile
While purchasing an automobile the following
specifications should be mentioned:
Type
Capacity
Make
Drive
Model
Operation of Automobile
When the driver turns on the starter switch, it releases the
electric current from a battery and sets into action an
electrical starting motor which turns a flywheel connected to
the engine crankshaft.
Immediately when the driver steps on a pedal which controls
the rate of flow of air fuel mixture into the inlet manifold of
the engine.
During the four strokes or two strokes power is produced in
the engine cylinder.
The power is transmitted from the piston to crankshaft by
means of connecting rod.
As the process of stokes repeated over and over again, the
crankshaft is turned continuously – an the engine is running.
The motion of the crankshaft is transmitted to the rear
wheels through the clutch, gear box and differential.
 Crankshaft is connected to gear box through clutch mechanism
 By means of gear shift lever, the gears of the transmission can be
shifted to suit driving conditions for changing the speed.
 The motion from the gearbox to the differential is transmitted
through a propeller shaft.
 The differential is arranged in the rear axle to permit one rear wheel
to turn faster than the other while turning a corner.
 The rear wheels are directly connected to the rear axle and get
motion as the rear axle turns – and the vehicle is in motion.
 The motor vehicle, is directed by a steering gear which controls the
direction in which the front wheels are pointed.
 The braking system is provided to stop the vehicle to slow it down as
required by the driver.
 The unevenness of road surfaces and the jerks are partially controlled
by front and rear springs, by shock absorbers, by padding and springs
in the car seats, by chassis cross members which decrease sideways
and by distribution of chassis and body weight as between front and
rear wheels.
CHASSIS
 Vehicle without the body is called a chassis.
 The various component parts and support systems of a
chassis are
 The power unit – Engine – consists of cylinder, piston,
connecting rod, crankshaft, flywheel, inlet manifold, outlet
manifold, cooling system (Radiator), lubricating system,
Fuel Tank, Hydraulic Pipes,
 The power train – consists of clutch, gear box, propeller
shaft, universal joints, differentials gears, rear half axles.
 The running systems – consists of brakes, wheels, tires,
frame, suspension (Rear Springs, shock absorbers) and
the steering system
 The electrical system – consists of different circuits such
as starting circuit, charging circuit, ignition circuit, lighting
circuit and the horn circuit, Storage battery and cables.
Chassis – Cont.
 The chassis is sub-divided into the running gear and the
power plant.
 Running Gear includes the frame, steering system,
suspension system, brakes, wheels and tyres
 Power Plant include the engine assembly and power
transmission assembly.
 The electrical system is the part of both chassis and body.
Classification of Chassis
 According to fitting of engine
 Full forward – Engine is fitted outside the driver cabin or
seat like in cars and old Tata trucks
 Semi forward – Half portion of the engine is in the driver
cabin and the remaining half is outside it like in standard,
Bedford pickup vans.
 Bus chassis – (Forward control) – The engine is fitted in
the driver cabin as in commercial bus.
 Engine in front – The engine is fitted in front of the
chassis
 Engine in rear – The engine fitted at the back portion of
the chassis, which does not require long propeller shaft
like Volkswagen of West Germany
 Engine at centre – engine fitted at the centre of the
chassis, which provides full space of chassis floor for use
like in Royal tiger World Master buses of Delhi Transport.
 According to the number of wheels fitted in the vehicles and
the number of driving wheels
 4 x 2 drive chassis
 4 x 4 drive chassis
 6 x 2 drive chassis
 6 x 4 drive chassis
 In long wheel base chassis vehicle the distance between the
centers of the front and rear wheels (Called wheel base) is
more than the short wheel base chassis vehicle, which
provides more floor area for goods and passengers.
Frame
 The frame or under body is the main part of the chassis, on
which the remaining parts of the chassis are mounted.
 It is a rigid structure that forms a skeleton to hold all the
major part together like engine, body, gear box, propeller
shaft, rear axles, wheels, front and rear suspensions, steering
gear assemblies, radiator, braking systems, fuel tank, etc.
 The engine is mounted in the forward end of the frame and at
the rear end of frame, the rear axle housing is attached
through the rear spring.
 The wheels and tire assemblies support the frame.
 Some parts of steering system bolted to the frame and the
fuel tank is fastened to the frame.
 Chassis frame made of cold rolled open earth steel or heat
treated alloy steel
 Side Members may be either of channel or box shaped cross
section (usually have high twisting resistance)
 Cross members are made of Pressed steel, may be either I
channel or tubular cross section.
 Joints are made up of welding or by riveting.
Frame – Cont…
In a car frame, the frame is narrow at the front to all for a
short turning radius of the front wheels, widening out at the
rear to provide a bigger space in the body.
The side members are curved upwards at the rear forming the
kickup, which comes over the axles to lower the centre of
gravity of the car.
The rear left springs connect each end of this curve.
Truck frames are made of uniform width from end to end.
The longitudinal members of truck frame are made of channel
sections, which have maximum section at the middle and it
decreases toward the ends.
The Bumpers provided with the frame is to take the shock of
impact or collision and transfer the same to the frame, which
avoiding the damage to engine, radiator, lamps etc.
Frame – Cont…
Functions:
 To support the weight of body and passengers
 To accommodate the suspension spring system
 To withstand torques due to engine, transmission,
sudden acceleration and braking action
 To withstand torque stresses due to road shocks
 To withstand sudden impact loads during collisions
 To act as a base for mounting body, engine,
transmission, fuel tank units etc.
 To safely withstand the vibrations set up due to
engine and road bumps.
 To withstand the centrifugal force while cornering
 To withstand the bending stresses and twisting due
to the rise and fall of the front and rear axles.
Cont…..
Chassis frames are broadly classified into
The conventional type
Unit or integral type
Conventional Frame:
Non load carrying frame
Loads on the vehicles are transferred to the
suspension by the frame
Supports engine, power train and body
Supported by the wheel axles by means of springs
Rubber mountings will be provided to isolate the
body from frame deflections
Widely used in trucks
 Frame sections are usually channel (good in
bending), tubular (good in torsion) or box type
(good in both bending and torsion)
Frame – Cont…..
Semi Integral Frame:
 In this type the rubber body mounts are replaced by relatively stiff mounts
so that a parts of the frame load is transferred to the body structure also.
 These frames are used in European and American Cars.
 This frame is heavy construction.

Integral or Unit frame:

 In this type of construction there is no frame and all assembly units are
attached to the body.
 The functions of the frame are carried out by the body and frame are a
single unit welded together.
 The body sheets relieve the metal frame work of part of the stresses.
 So some weight saving over the conventional frame.
 In this type of construction the body itself becomes a load carrying beam.
 The load diffused through the structure so that the body becomes lighter as
well as stronger.
 It can be assembled easily.
 This type of construction widely used in passenger cars.
 This type of frames are made of channel section (long members) or box
section (Short members or tubular section (used in three wheelers, scooters
and pick up vans).
Advantages of Frameless cars:
Lighter construction but stronger
Cheaper when mass produced
Lesser body rattles and squeaks
Improved torsional rigidity
Provides lower centre of gravity imparting comfort
and good road holding characteristics.
Disadvantages of Frameless Cars:
Lesser Impact resistance
Repairs are expensive
Greater Mechanical noises
Uneconomical if produced in small numbers
Advantages of Conventional Frame:
Easier body repairs.
Body can be lighter and cheaper to manufacture
Any type of body can be made in the case of
commercial vehicles.
Car Frame Design:
Two longitudinal members, cross members and an X
member.
Members are made by rolling or pressing methods
Pressing method will give light weight and rigid frame.
To obtain uniform strength for minimum weight, the side
members are tapered in depth at both the ends.
Frame nearer at the front to allow for swinging motion of
the front road wheels due to steering.
An arched shape at the front and rear allows the up and
down movement of the road wheels.
This also lowers the centre of gravity of the car, which
giving comfort to the passenger and stability to the car.
X member (Box or channel section) riveted to the
longitudinal members imparts torsional rigidity to the
frame.
Rear engine cars have the backbone frame forked at the
rear to house the engine and gear box.
Truck Frames:
The bus or truck frames have the channel section
longitudinal members parallel to each other.
These have maximum section at the middle,
reducing progressively towards the ends.
Cross members of box section are riveted to the
side members and support the radiator, engine and
the central bearing of the propeller shaft.
The rear cross frames (two numbers) have mounts
for attaching the leaf spring.
Members may be hot or cold riveted.
Low carbon steel (0.15% - 0.20% C, Ni, Si, Mn, P
and S) is used for the manufacture of various
members.
Bumpers:
 The car or truck bumpers take up the impact or collision and transfer the
same to the chassis frame.
 It is of a channel section and is riveted to the ends of the longitudinal
members.
Tubular Frame:
 Some mini vans use the tubular frame
 Strong enough to resist the torsional stresses without disturbing the
engine and gear box.
Sub Frames:
 Box Sections
 Carries the engine, clutch, gear box, steering, front suspension and
brakes.
 Attached to the body with the help of nuts and bolts.
 The twisting and flexing of the body has no effect on the units supported
on the sub frame.
 Advantages:
 Easy maintenance and repairs, owing to easy accessibility of parts
attached to it.
 The weight of the sub frame helps to damp vibrations
 Reduces production time.
BODY:
 Body is to provide accommodation to the driver and the passengers
and to protect them against varying weather conditions.
 Body is the super structure of the vehicle.
 Body is bolted to the chassis which is a cover to the chassis.
 Different types of bodies are attached to the chassis to make a
complete vehicle.
 Body may be conventional or integral (unitized) design.
 Various parts of the body are:
 Floor assembly
 Panels
 Cowl or bonnet assembly
 Roof assembly
 Rear trunk lid
 Quarter Panels
 Front side assembly
 Engine Hood
 Bumpers
 Doors
Body Cont….
Requirements of Body: Body Should
be Light
have minimum number of components
have long fatigue life.
have uniformly distributed load.
provide sufficient space for passengers and luggage.
have good access to the engine and suspension system.
create minimum vibrations when the vehicle is running.
have minimum resistance to air.
be cheap and easy in manufacturing
provide clear all-round vision through glass areas.
be attractive in shape and colour.
Aerodynamics
An automobile is a small object submerged amid vast
surrounding of air.
The motion of the vehicle takes place through a large mass of
either stationary air, or air in motion.
The air exerts force on the auto vehicle.
The body of the vehicle which is mainly exposed to the air.
An arbitrary shaped body will experience a large air resistance
which implies that there is more loss of engines power.
Consequently less power will be available to propel the
automobile thereby causing less load carrying capacity and slow
speed for the same fuel consumption.
Thus there exists a need to profile aerodynamically suitable
body.
Aerodynamics:
 The force exerted by air on a moving auto vehicle had two
components.
 One in the direction of motion and the other in a direction
perpendicular to the motion.
 The force in the direction of motion is called drag FD and that in the
perpendicular direction is known as Lift FL.
 For the good body profile the lift force should be zero or negligible
and the total force on the body is drag force.
 The viscosity of air is mainly responsible for drag on the body.
 The arbitrary shaped body of an automobile held stationary in a
stream of air moving at an uniform velocity V experiences shear
force along its tangential direction and pressure force in the normal
direction.
 The shear forces are called friction drag force FDf and the pressure
forces are know as pressure drag force FDp. .
 The total drag on the body is therefore the sum of friction and
pressure drags.
 The magnitudes of friction drag and pressure drag depend on
shape of the body.
The drag and lift may be calculated from
FD = CD A ρV2/2
FL = CL A ρV2/2
Where CD is coefficient of drag and CL is coefficient of Lift.
A is characteristic area of the body which is the largest
projected area of body on a plane perpendicular to the
direction of flow of the air.
The separation of flow, and the difference of pressure on
the upstream and downstream sides of the moving
vehicles are responsible for the Wake. (Lifting of small or
light objects on the downstream of a fast moving vehicle).
Wake should be avoided or minimized by proper profiling
of the body.
The contouring of body should be such that the separation
of flow does not occur, and the pressure difference is not
much on the upstream and downstream sides.
 To achieve it, the modern cars employ a rear spoiler that adds
to aerodynamic styling of the body.
 The formed wakes can be different sizes according to shape of
the body.
 The magnitude of pressure drag depends on the size of the
wake.
 The size of the wake will be large in a body such as circular disc
having sharp edges than well rounded bodies.
 The wake and therefore the drag force is extremely small in
case of streamlined body.
 In a well streamlined object, the friction drag is larger than the
pressure drag.
 The coefficient of drag depends on shape of the body in high
velocity air streams.
 As compared to flat headed body in which CD = 0.85 at 300
kmph, this value is only 0.15 in sharp pointed projection of
racing cars. Hence the racing cars are made of the profile as
shown.
 The pressure (drag) and suction (Lift) distribution on a typical
car body is shown in figure.
Streamlining to Reduce Air
Drag
 The power available at the driving wheels to drive vehicle
ranges from about 60 to 75%. The various power losses which
take place between engine and the driving wheels are
 Power loss due to friction of piston, bearings and gears in the
engine.
 Power loss from clutch to drive wheels due to friction in clutch,
gearbox, universal joints, final drive, differential and between
tyres and ground.
 Transmission line losses.
 The moving vehicle is opposed by various forces known as
resistances.
 For keeping the vehicle moving, a driving force or tractive
effort equal to the sum of all the resistances has to be applied
to it.
 When F exceeds the sum of the resistances, the excess value F
will accelerate the vehicle, when F is less the vehicle will
decelerate.
Automotive Fuel Needs
Rolling Resistance: Mainly due to the friction between
wheel tyres and road surface. 1 to 2% of total weight of
vehicle. It depends upon the following factors
 Load on each road wheel,
 Type of tyre tread
 Wheel inflation pressure
 Nature of road surface.
Wind or air resistance: This type of resistance due to
the following factors
 The shape and size of the vehicle body
 Air velocity
 Speed of the vehicle.
 It increases as the square of the vehicle speed owing to
which much importance is given to streamlining and
frontal area of modern automobiles.
Gradient resistance: This is due to steepness of road
gradient. It is subject to vehicle weight and road
gradient which does not depend upon vehicle speed.