Safety in Body Design Through Chassisless Construction

Frank R. Fageol

doi:10.4271/360148

1936-01-01

Safety in Body Design Through Chassisless Construction 360148

THE successful development of the chassisless motorcoach and its relation to safety, weight reduction and automotive design are discussed by the author.

Pioneer design of this type, made back in 1927 after encountering various difficulties with conventional frames, was followed by successive improvements in design, resulting in the highly developed unit of today.

A study is included of the engineering fundamentals primarily involved in the integral or chassisless design versus conventional-frame design from a strength and weight standpoint. This study involves a comparison with other more concrete objects to establish a definite insight to the why and wherefore of these structural changes.

The relation to body safety design and its interconnection to weight distribution, vehicle balance, and resistance to crushing are also covered by the author.

The remainder of the paper is devoted to present and coming improvements in body design, notably new metal alloys, refinements in projection welding, and possibly light-box structures for weight reduction and increased safety.

In conclusion, the author states that the present vehicle is still entirely too heavy and inefficiently constructed and predicts that the future vehicle will have radical weight reduction and increased safety.

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Safety in Body Design Through Chassisless Construction 360148

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