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Structural analysis of Formula Student vehicle chassis using Ansys software

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INTERNATIONAL SCIENTIFIC JOURNAL "INDUSTRY 4.0" WEB ISSN 2534-997X; PRINT ISSN 2534-8582

Structural analysis of Formula Student vehicle chassis using Ansys software

Marko Lučić
Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, University of Montenegro, Podgorica, Montenegro
E-mail: [email protected]

Abstract: Formula Student is a student engineering competition. Students all over the world compete to build a racing vehicle. One of the
main elements of this vehicle is the vehicle chassis. The chassis is one of the most important elements from the aspect of driver safety. There
are different chassis design concepts. The two most common are the monocoque chassis and the tubular chassis. In this paper, a detailed
structural analysis of the tubular chassis of the Formula Student vehicle was performed using the software. The chassis model was created in
the CATIA software, and then the structural analysis was done in the ANSYS software. By applying modern software, it is possible to better
understand the problems during construction, and significant financial and time savings can be made. ANSYS software can also be of great
help in chassis optimization.
Keywords: STATIC STRUCTURAL, VEHICLE, CHASIS, FORMULA STUDENT, SPACE FRAME

mounted on a common ladder-type frame. Although the principle of

1. Introduction separate construction of the body shell and chassis frame is
Vehicle chassis used to be made of wood. At that time, wood unfavorable due to the significantly higher weight of the chassis
was a material that had an advantage over metal, especially in the frame in this case, this is not so evident in the commercial vehicle
case of the need for complex shapes. After a certain time, the industry because these vehicles have a lower own weight than the
transition to metal chassis followed. This transition took place with carrying capacity of the vehicle [16]. An example of a ladder-type
the application of intermediate solutions that were a kind of hybrid chassis frame is shown in Figure 1.
chassis, that is, chassis that were made with a combination of wood
and metal. At the beginning of the development of the automotive
industry, chassis manufacturers were private manufacturers who
were only engaged in the production of chassis that they sold to
vehicle manufacturers. The integration of chassis and body
production was developed in the USA and was then taken over in
Europe starting in 1920 [1]. The topicality of the topic related to the
design of the vehicle chassis is indicated by a large number of
works on this topic [2-7]
The Formula Student competition is a student competition in the
construction of vehicles. Students from various universities compete
in the design and construction of a racing vehicle. One of the crucial
parts of this vehicle is the chassis of the vehicle because it has a
huge impact on the safety of the driver. A large number of research
on the topic related to the Formula Student vehicle chassis [8-15] Fig. 1 Ladder-type chassis frame [17]
speaks of the importance of the mentioned topic. This paper aims to
present a structural analysis of one such chassis. This work is Today, the final form in the development of mass-produced
structured into seven chapters. The first chapter is related to the passenger car structures is the integral form of construction. This
introduction to the topic of the paper, while the second chapter deals engineering solution does not have a noticeable separate chassis and
with the theoretical foundations of vehicle chassis in general. The the entire body shell is designed as an integral unit capable of
third chapter is devoted to the limitations related to the design of the receiving loads and providing the necessary rigidity and strength to
Formula Student chassis. The fourth and fifth chapters present the the vehicle. This form of construction better receives and endures
structural analysis of the chassis and the results of this analysis. In loads, so it can be made with less weight. Such constructions are
the sixth chapter, the conclusions related to the topic of the paper usually made of light steel or aluminum, and very often they have to
are presented, while in the last, and seventh chapters, a list of be box-type and reinforced with reinforcement. Production of this
references used in the paper is given. type requires very complex tools for production and assembly, so its
application is justified only in mass production [16]. Figure 2 shows
the integral body shell.

2. Vehicle chassis
The purpose of the structure of any vehicle is to unite all the
main components that make up the vehicle. These components
include various vehicle systems and subsystems such as the engine,
gearbox, differential, and vehicle suspension. Also, the task of the
vehicle structure is to carry passengers safely and comfortably
manner. Previously, vehicles were produced with a special chassis
frame to which a non-structural body shell would be attached. The
chassis frame must be sufficiently strong and rigid. The reason that
the chassis frame must be sufficiently strong and rigid is that the
chassis frame carries the load its weight, the weight of the vehicle,
and the payload, but also the load due to aerodynamic loads as well
as dynamic wheel loads. Most chassis frames are in the form add
two longitudinal members that are connected with a certain number
of transverse elements. The separate chassis frame and body shell
type of construction is still a very popular construction method in
Fig. 2 Integral body shell [1]
the commercial vehicle industry. The reason for retaining this
construction method is that different body shells can often be

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The use of significantly more expensive materials is justified only

in limited small series of vehicles. In the production of body shells
for supercars and Formula 1 cars, significantly more expensive
chassis made of composite materials are used, which provide
sufficient strength and rigidity with very low weight.
Class small sports cars use the so-called space-frame chassis. A true
space frame is a set of tubular members that are usually welded
together and triangulated in such a way that the members carry
loads only in tension and compression and do not suffer a
significant degree of bending or torsion. An example of this type of
construction is the Caterham Super Seven, which is shown in Figure
3 [16].

Fig. 5 Monocoque chassis [20]

The front hoop construction must be fastened no lower than 50 mm

below the uppermost surface of the front hoop according to Figure
6. The side impact structure design requirement is shown in Figure
7 for the tubular steel chassis, while the side impact structure design
for the monocoque chassis is shown in Figure 8.

Fig. 3 Space-frame chassis for small sports car

3. Formula Student chassis

The design of the Formula Student car chassis must be adapted Fig. 6 Requirements for front hoop bracing, main hoop bracing, and
to the Rulebook [18]. According to the aforementioned regulation, steering wheel bracing [18]
the structure of the vehicle must contain:
- two roll hoops are braced
- on the front part of the shock absorber (Impact Attenuator)
- side impact protection
The minimum requirements that must be met by the chassis in terms
of materials if it is made of steel tubes are given in detail in the
Rulebook [18]. Alternative materials can be used for all parts of the
primary structure except for the main hoop and main hoop bracing,
which must be steel. The front hoop must be made of metal. All
welded constructions of the primary structure must be made of
steel. The front hoop can be an aluminum welded construction.
Fig. 7 Side impact structure for tubular chassis [18]
Also, the primary structure of the chassis can be made of composite
materials. In Formula Student, a tubular chassis is used more often
than a monocoque chassis because it is much simpler to
manufacture and also significantly cheaper. Figure 4 shows a space-
frame chassis and Figure 5 shows a monocoque chassis.

Fig. 8 Side impact structure for monocoque chassis [18]

As the Formula Student vehicle must be constructed for 95, the

cockpit of the vehicle is precisely The cockpit. The cockpit opening
Fig. 4 Tubular spachassisme chasis [19] template (left) and cockpit cross-section section template (right) are
shown in Figure 9, while Figure 10 shows the minimum helmet
clearance requirement.

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Ansys software was used for structural analysis. In Ref. [28] in a

very good way the structural analysis of Formula Student space
frame chassis was carried out under the action of different loads.
Choosing the material from which the chassis will be made is a very
important job. Material mechanical properties are shown in Table 1.

Table 1: Mechanical properties of the material

Properties Value
Density 7850 kg/m3
Young’s modulus 2E+05 MPa
Poisson ratio 0.3
Fig. 9 Cockpit opening template (left) and cockpit internal cross section Tensile Yield Strength 250MPa
template (right) [18]
Compressive Yield Strength 250 MPa
Ultimate tensile strength 460 MPa

After generating the 3D geometry and selecting the material, it is

necessary to define the mesh of finite elements. The finite element
network of the considered model is shown in Figure 13.

Fig. 10 Minimum helmet clearance [18]

Other rules related to the construction of the chassis for Formula

Student vehicles, as well as all other rules for the design of Formula
Student vehicles as a whole, are given in the Rulebook [18].

4. Structural analysis of Formula Student chassis

Fig. 13 Mash of space frame chassis
In this chapter, the 3D model of the chassis is defined and the
simulation setup is performed. CATIA software is the software that
was used to create a 3D model of a chassis concept. CATIA is In this paper, three static tests were performed:
software that is widely used in engineering practice. Some of the
works in which the CATIA software was applied to solve and - static shear
analyze various engineering problems are [21-27]. The geometric - static overall bending
3D chassis model considered in this paper is shown in Figure 11.
- lateral bending.
In the static shear, it is assumed that the space frame chassis is a
cantilever beam and that one of its ends is fixed (clamped) and the
other is exposed to a vertical force. The rear suspension supports
were used as fixed support. A force with an intensity of 1520 N acts
on the bulkhead in this case. This force represents the sum of
various weights, such as the weight of the shock absorber, the
driver's legs, the weight of the steering system, and the like.
Boundary conditions for this case are shown in Figure 14.

Fig. 11 Space frame chassis – isometric view (CATIA)

Ansys software was used for structural analysis, and the 3D model
of the chassis in Ansys DesignModeler is shown in Figure 12.

Fig. 14 Boundary conditions for the static shear

In the static vertical bending, it is assumed that the suspension

attachment points are fixed supports and that a force of 1600 N is
assumed to act at the place where the driver sits and where the
engine is located. Boundary conditions for this case are shown in
Figure 15.
Fig. 12 Space frame chassis – isometric view (Ansys DesigModeler)

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Fig. 15 Boundary conditions for the static vertical bending Fig. 19 Von Mises stress as a consequence of static vertical bending

In the lateral bending, it is assumed that the fixed supports are at the
points of attachment of the front and rear suspension. Lateral force
in the curve is applied on the side impact bracings of the driver
cabin and engine supports. The intensity of this force is assumed to
be around 2400 N. Figure 16 shows the boundary conditions for the
lateral bending.

Fig. 20 Total deformation stress as a consequence of static vertical bending

Fig. 16 Boundary conditions for the lateral bending

The results of the structural analysis are presented in the next
chapter.

Fig. 21 Von Mises stress as a consequence of lateral bending

5. Results of structural analysis

The results of the structural analysis chassis should show how
the loads affect the construction concept itself. They also need to
answer the choice of materials. Figures 17 to 22 show the results of
the structural analysis from the previous chapter. For each load that
has been assumed, a graphical representation of von Misses stress
and total deformation is given.

Fig. 22 Total deformation stress as a consequence of lateral bending

5. Conclusion
Static structural analysis is a very important analysis when
designing the chassis for a Formula Student car. In the paper, only
three loads were examined, i.e. static shear, static vertical bending,
Fig. 17 Von Mises stress as a consequence of static shear and lateral bending. The analysis of the impact of the torsional load
from the front suspension, nor the influence of the aerodynamic
forces, is not covered in this paper, but great attention should be
paid to these loads when designing the chassis. Ansys is a very
powerful software for structural analysis. A lot of time and money
can be saved by using numerical analysis software. The reason for
these savings is that in this way real conditions can be simulated, so
if negative aspects of the construction are discovered, it can be
redesigned before production itself. In future research, the choice of
materials should be addressed in detail. We should also consider the
possibility of using a monocoque chassis, although it is significantly
more complicated to manufacture and also incomparably more
expensive compared to a space frame chassis.
Fig. 18 Total deformation stress as a consequence of static shear

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