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Currently in the automotive industry it is indispensable the evolution of technology applied in the design and manufacturing of components, either for a specific performance improvement or even as part of a cost reduction plan. For these main reasons, it has been constantly invested in methods that may help engineers to understand the dynamic efforts to which the components are submitted. In order to determine the loads suffered by the steering system of a vehicle in motion, the Group of Automotive Technology from the Lutheran University of Brazil (also known as “GTA”) conducted tests using a front-wheel drive road vehicle with a 1.4L transverse engine. The steering column (which joins the steering wheel to the steering gearbox ) and the tie rod (which connects the steering rack to the steering knuckle) were used as elastic elements to form load cells by the attachment of resistive strain gages in a full Wheatstone bridge.

In the last decades it has been constantly debated about the behaviour of the human being towards a better usage of the natural resources through a restructuring of unsustainable processes. Considering the case for road vehicles, it was noticed a potential for improvement by assigning a more “harmonious” configuration to the underbody of the vehicles, in order to contribute to the reduction of aerodynamic drag. This region of the vehicles is often overlooked by the automakers because it is not easily accessible to the eyes of the consumer. The objective of this paper is, therefore, to improve the aerodynamic performance of the underbody region of a compact hatchback car available in the Brazilian market. This project proposes a new underbody configuration that promotes a more harmonious flow under the vehicle, reducing this way the drag coefficient (Cd) hence improving the fuel consumption.

This paper has as main objective to analyze numerically and experimentally, the torsional stiffness of the chassis of an automobile prototype designed to carry two people and a small load on urban roads and highways. The knowledge of the structural rigidity of the chassis is important because it influences the dynamic behavior of the vehicle. The same should have a good relationship between mass and stiffness, as a result reduce of the mass. In numerical analysis, the stiffness of the chassis was obtained through of Finite Element Method (FEM), where the numerical model was formulated using shell elements. Seeking to improve the method of predicting the structural rigidity of the chassis prototype, was performed an experimental procedure, in which was applied to the chassis, the same loading conditions and fixings used in numerical analysis, so one can compare the results obtained in the experimental analysis with the result of numerical analysis.

The aim of this work is to design and analyze the structure of a chassis of a sports car. The chassis structure is fundamental in design efficiency, for in it are fixed mechanical parts that make up the steering system, suspension, and traction, among others. The chassis geometry was designed in SolidWorks 3D CAD program and the numerical analysis was performed using the Finite Element Method (FEM) with FEMAP program. The chassis was designed using average surfaces in order to use the formulation of shell elements on analysis with finite element method. Using this methodology was possible to realize static and dynamic analysis to check how the structure will behave when subjected to static and dynamic loads during travel the vehicle. The analysis allows to estimate the magnitude and the form that loads acted on the chassis frame. Thus, one can determine the points of least resistance and alter the geometry to eliminate critical points.