VEHICLE STRUCTURES: DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION

The competition between steel, aluminium, alloy and polymer composites, as body materials of the future, has stimulated a reconsideration of both analysis and construction techniques. This collection of three papers starts with Pawlowski's restatement of the principles and effects of his simple structural surfaces (sss) method in the light of the comtemporary usage of finite element (fe) analysis. While fe methods of structural analysis can be used on their own, interactively, during the early conceptual stages, the help that they give in design, rather than in stress and rigidity analysis, is somewhat limited. Fe methods can very usefully be complemented by the sss method in the design of vehicle bodies. The sss method assures the structural quality of a designed structure, because it starts with the problem of local stiffness and ends with the general elasticity of the structure. In the second paper, Mullins discusses the concept of using aluminium as a structural material in vehicle design, which has hitherto received very limited attention although the Land Rover is a notable example of its use. A major recent advance has been the development of weld-bonding techniques for aluminium, to replace traditional spot welding and mechanical fastening. In the third paper, Mullins assesses future prospects for "all-plastics" cars, and reports on two of the major projects in progress to establish a much wider use of plastics and plastic composites for vehicle construction. (TRRL)

• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/issn/03076490
• Corporate Authors:

  Mechanical Engineering Publications Limited

  P.O. Box 24, Northgate Avenue
  Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk IP32 6BW,   England 
• Authors:
  • Pawlowski, J
  • Mullins, P
• Publication Date: 1988-10-11

Media Info

• Pagination: p. 30-36
• Serial:
  • AUTOMOTIVE ENGINEER
  • Volume: 13
  • Issue Number: 5
  • Publisher: Institution of Mechanical Engineers
  • ISSN: 0307-6490

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Computer aided design; Design; Finite element method; Mathematical models; Plastics; Vehicles
• ITRD Terms: 8657: Computer aided design; 9011: Design (overall design); 6490: Finite element method; 6473: Mathematical model; 7454: Plastic material; 1255: Vehicle
• Subject Areas: Design; Highways; Vehicles and Equipment;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00492773
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: Transport Research Laboratory
• Files: ITRD, TRIS
• Created Date: Mar 31 1990 12:00AM