Bodywork
Introduction:
Steel has been the main material of choice since 1920’s in the cars manufacturing. Nowadays,
approximately 65% of the average automobile is made of steel, which is around 900kg.
However, since safety is the top priority in car manufacturing, it is important that the cars are as light
as possible. That is why the advanced high strength steel has become one of the most used materials
in the industry.
Numerous different kind of metal parts are used to build the bodywork of a car. Recently, a big part
of vehicles are produced of around thirty types of steel and the different parts have different
thickness ranging between 0.8 mm and 3.0 mm, although some off-road cars has thickness up to 5.0
mm. There are four different types of steel alloys which can be categorized in the following way:
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Mild Steel
High Strength Steel
Extra High Strength Steel
Ultra High Strength Steel
In the last two decades, the automotive industry has invested a lot of time and money in order to
produce the perfect steel alloy- light and with increased strength. The advanced high strength steel
isn’t much lighter than the conventional steel, however, much thinner gauges of the advanced steel
are needed in order to achieve the target.
Formability of the steel. This is the ability to form the steel in different complex shapes. The milder
the steel is, the easier it is to form. Which is the reason why mild steel is used in the most outer parts
of a car, such as the trunk, the quarter panels and etc. The high strength steel is a mixture of steel,
carbon, titanium, copper, vanadium and niobium, which retain the formability and weldability of the
composite. This kind of steel is used where the energy absorption is important.
The advanced high strength steel has replaced the mild steel I the car industry lately. However, it is
not used as a substitute for aluminum and fibre reinforced composites. They are expensive and
harder to work with, which makes them applicable to cars from the high end range and not so mass
produced. Only the aluminum could be partly compared to the steel, however they are from 60% to
80% more expensive than the steel.
It is clear that in the coming years the demand for the advanced high strength steel will increase, as
cars are now from 25 to 39% lighter compared to the past. This will also result in less fuel
consumption, as the car would be lighter.
Aerodynamics
Nowadays the importance of the aerodynamics is as equal as the structure factors, if not of a greater
importance. The main purpose of a race car designer is to make a machine which is above and
beyond in any means. The significance of the aerodynamics was shown in the domination of Red Bull
in F1 for four consecutive years with the least powerful engine. It is proven that aerodynamics can be
the deciding factor between the loser and the winner.
How are better aerodynamics achieved?
The main objective is what it has always been- to build the fastest car. This would be achieved by
having a lightweight aero package, which could be tested under any kind of conditions. Most
manufacturers prefer to reduce the drag for the cost of the downforce. When the drag is reduced the
straight line speed of the car is higher and the acceleration is faster which is very important when the
car is with limited power. The two main purposes for the geometry of a body, when designing the
body of a race car, are to slice through air as efficient as possible and produce less drag and more
downforce. Downforce is crucial for the performance of the car. When this force is applied to the car
the grip on the tires is increased, thus the cornering speed is improved as well.
References:
https://carbiketech.com/chassis/amp/?fbclid=IwAR1EgxDqUy19UxioT3Kd6wZp0krIrgjFrZky5EtYFTU3
mcsjWs-2pR13QIA
http://www.formula1-dictionary.net/chassis.html?fbclid=IwAR3ECAmcbHa2a9iC-1Iycu9IO29Qa2ch4DPafrQ4Lt1cEe8MdoHq4gxwn0
https://www.seat.com/car-terms/b/bodyworkplatform.html?fbclid=IwAR0KhuxpjUG9pZizqZJ7G2zirQsRoprX1o4Hndr2wjshuC7Tr7QgJhqhfbY
https://matmatch.com/blog/advanced-high-strength-steel-stronger-lighter-safer-cars/
https://ijret.org/volumes/2015v04/i10/IJRET20150410025.pdf