CAR BODY-IN-WHITE

N.A.Z. Abdullaha, M.S. Mohd Sanib

Noor Am Zura Abdullah,Fakulti Kejuruteraan Mekanikal, Universiti Malaysia Pahang, Malaysia
b
Second affiliation, Address, City and Postcode, Country

1. What is body in white (BIW)?

An automobile's structural performance is determined by the performance of its body, usually referred to as the "body in
white' or BIW. The BIW is a steel (or aluminum or composite) shell structure composed of a series of stressed panels fixed
together. It supports all the other vehicle components, such as closures (doors, hood, deck lid), trim (seats, instrument
panel), power train (engine transmission), and chassis (suspension, wheels) [1].
In definite definition according to Morello [2], BIW refers to the phase in automotive design or automobile
manufacturing in which a car body's sheet metal components have been welded together but before moving parts (doors,
hoods, and deck lids as well as fenders) the motor, chassis sub-assemblies, or trim (glass, seats, electronics, etc.) have been
added and before painting process.

Figure 1: Example of car body-in-white (BIW). Adapted from Melchers, R. & Hough, R.
(2007). Modeling complex engineering structures. Page 226, Reston, VA: ASCE Press [1].

2. BIW Structural Performance

According to Melcher and Hough [1], BIW structural performance often is judged by four main criteria which are
static stiffness, dynamic stiffness, crashworthiness, and mass. Each of these criteria is codependent.
Static stiffness is a measure of how the body will deform under quasi-static loads. A statically stiff vehicle is
desirable as it will be more durable and less prone to squeaks. Dynamic stiffness refers to the vehicles vibration
characteristics. It affects the occupants perception of the vehicles noise, vibration, and harshness (NVH).
Crashworthiness is the term used to measure a vehicles performance under impact conditions. A good design will
be neither too strong (in which case the occupant would undergo very high acceleration) nor too weak (in which case the
vehicle would absorb too little energy and not protect the occupant compartment from deformation). On the other hand, in
term of mass, low mass is desirable for performance (acceleration and handling), fuel economy, and material costs.

3. Stiffness Analysis of BIW

In automotive structure, BIW typically analyzed as initial models. The objective of stiffness analysis is to achieve
good structural performance while minimizing mass. A stiff vehicle will give better ride and handling, will have better
NVH characteristics, and will be more durable.

4.1. Static analysis of BIW

The two static load cases most frequently applied to a body-in-white stiffness model are bending and torsion.
For analysis of the body's bending stiffness, vertical forces are applied to the mid-point of the vehicle rockers or sills.
While for analysis of the body's torsional stiffness, a couple is applied to the front shock-towers.
Melchers and Hough [1] explain briefly about analysis of stiffness for automotive structure using computer
software. Analysis of stiffness by software is usually performed using an implicit elastic finite element program such as
MSC. Nastran
The bending and torsional stiffnesses are an objective measure of the stiffness of the structure. These are the
primary outputs of stiffness analysis used to develop an understanding of the structural behaviour of the body. This is
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achieved through inspection of the mode of deformation, displacement analysis, and strain energy density plots. How the
body's behaviour differs from the ideal. For bending, the ideal structure is a beam. When simply supported at the
suspension mounting points and loaded by point loads at the centers of the rockers, a simple beam will deform in the shape
of a cubic for torsion, the ideal structure is a tube. When held at the rear suspension mounting points and loaded by a
couple at the front suspension, a tube will twist uniformly along its length.
By animating the deformed shape, it is possible to identify areas of the structure that are undergoing excessive local
deformation. Figure 2 shows the mode of deformation of a vehicle body under bending. The magnitude of the deformation
is unimportant, but the shape allows the structural performance to be assessed.

Figure 2: A stiffness analysis of a BIW undergoing vertical bending. Adapted from

Melchers, R. & Hough, R. (2007). Modeling complex engineering structures. Page
231, Reston, VA: ASCE Press [1]

4.2. Dynamic analysis of BIW

A BIW dynamic stiffness analysis which also known as modal analysis or a normal modes analysis, is used to
determine the mode shapes, natural frequencies and sometimes damping ratio of the BIW. Although the natural frequencies
of the full vehicle are of more interest to the engineer than the frequencies of the body, targets are often also set for the
BIW alone. This reflects that the fact that the body design is always available for analysis or testing than all the additional
information (seats, trim, power train, etc.) required for a full vehicle analysis or test.
The dynamic stiffness analysis uses the same finite element model as the static stiffness analysis, but a different
solution sequence is used. No single point constrains are applied, and so the body is free to vibrate unrestrained.
TITLE:
The output SUBCASES
from the modal 1analysis is a list of frequencies and a full set of modal displacements that define the mode
shape.RESULT#
The modesS-4are(25.200 in agraphical
viewed IQ) DISPLACEMENT
postprocessor that animates the mode shape on the screen.
DISPLACE COSPtechniques
The evaluation MAX-3, ULNGE,
used for MIN-0.022-009
static stiffness analysis are also used for dynamic stiffness. Optimization of the
BIW'sCOUNTOUR: ESE,isMAX+0.417,
dynamic stiffness common, often M/W- 0.6- %with
in parallel OF TORK
optimization of the static stiffness.
ESE ESTIMATION
1- B_PLA_LWR
4.077E+000
2- A_PLA_LWR
5.002E+000
3-A_PLA_MO
2.240E+000
4-B_PLA_UPR
1.312E+00
5-C_PLR_UPR
0.304E-001
6-CPLA_LWR
0.301E-001
7-C_PLA_MO
4.244E-002
8-A_PLA_UPR
2.024E-002
Figure 3:Modal analysis of a car body-in-white with spot weld marker contour for
weld point energy contribution analysis. Retrieved November 27, 2014, from
http://www.svd.co.kr/product_fegate1.html [3]

4. Crashworthiness Analysis

The structural members of vehicle that crashworthiness analyst are most concerned is the vehicles body-in-white.
During a crash simulation, the kinetic energy, or energy of motion, that a vehicle has before the impact is transformed
into deformation energy, mostly by plastic deformation of the car body-in-white , at the end of the impact [4].

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 Since computer software and hardware are widely improved, the finite element (FE) method is also widely used to
analyze automotive parts and full vehicles. Reverse engineering with the finite element method is often used to analyze the
crashworthiness of body structures.

Figure 4: Example of crash analysis/simulation on a car body. Retrieved

November 27, 2014, from http://detroit.cbslocal.com/2012/04/24/sae-
engineer-salaries-employment-prospects-improve [5].

5. Conclusion

Making improvement on car body-in-white in term of static and dynamic stiffness and better crashworthiness is
considered crucial for every car manufacturer. All vehicle manufacturers aim to build the perfect body in white (BIW). It is
the basis of a premium quality, light-weight car. Well-designed body-in-white is the main key to better ride quality and
handling of the vehicle. Thus, bring more satisfied customer.

References

[1] Melchers, R. & Hough, R. (2007). Modeling complex engineering structures. Reston, VA: ASCE Press.
[2] Morello, L. (2011). The automotive body. Dordrecht New York: Springer.
[3] Advanced visualization for NVH post-processing. (n.d.). Retrieved November 27, 2014, from
http://www.svd.co.kr/product_fegate1.html.
[4] Leonardi, P. (2012). Car crashes without cars lessons about simulation technology and organizational change from automotive
design. Cambridge, Mass: MIT Press..
[5] SAE: Engineer Salaries, Employment Prospects Improve. (n.d.). Retrieved November 27, 2014, from
http://detroit.cbslocal.com/2012/04/24/sae-engineer-salaries-employment-prospects-improve/