F1 CARS

Chassis
Chassis is a French term and was initially used to denote the frame parts or Basic Structure of the vehicle. It is the back bone of the vehicle. A vehicle with out body is called Chassis. The components of the vehicle like Power plant, Transmission System, Axles, Wheels and Tyres, Suspension, Controlling Systems like Braking, Steering etc., and also electrical system parts are mounted on the Chassis frame. It is the main mounting for all the components including the body. So it is also called as Carrying Unit.

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Design Considerations
Stiffness Torsional stiffness Torsional stiffness is the resistance of the frame to torsional loads Bending Stiffness Bending stiffness is the resistance of the frame to bending loads

Weight In body wherever possible, weight should be minimized. All tubing sizes were chosen to be as light as possible while remaining structurally sound and suitably stiff. Just as important as weight, is mass moment of inertia. A car with a lower mass moment of inertia will be able to turn more quickly. In order to reduce mass moment of inertia, all weight on the chassis is pushed as far as possible towards the centre of the vehicle.

Load path During the design process, it is important to consider how loads are passed into the frame. A load path describes the path through which forces are dissipated into the frame.

Crash Worthiness the car would be adequate for most possible crash situations. Due to the possibility of a head on collision, more structure was placed in the nose of the frame

Ergonomics Properly incorporating the driver into a FSAE frame design can be very difficult because of wide variations in driver sizes. Each driver interface has to be designed so that it is comfortable for a wide variety of drivers.

Safety Harness Most importantly, the attachment points of the harness must be strong enough to ensure that they will not fail during a crash. They also must be positioned so that the buckles will not bind when the harness is tightened

Controls Designing the frame around the controls, such as the steering wheel and pedals, is a matter of ensuring that the structure of the frame does not interfere with the drivers task. Also, the controls must be adequately supported by the frame so that the attachment points do not yield while the car is being driven.

The Cockpit

Cockpit is a space where interface of man and machine occurs Driver has limited movement Designers are forever trying to lower the centre of gravity of the car.

Chassis Construction Methods

Tubular space-frame The most common frame type, the tubular space-frame, is a structure composed of many small, usually round tubes bent to shape and welded together. Tubular space-frames do not require specialized machinery or equipment for manufacture, and they are inexpensive and can be constructed from a wide variety of readily available materials.

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Metal Monocoque A monocoque chassis is a structure that constitutes both the frame and the body. By combining these two critical components into one piece, it is sometimes possible to build a light car. In a metal monocoque design, the chassis and body are fabricated from aluminium or steel sheet, welded or riveted together.

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Composite Monocoque The strength to weight and stiffness to weight ratios of carbon fibre and similar composite materials are generally much higher than those of steel or aluminium, However, composite monocoque usually requires a unique mould for production, Composite monocoque is rarely easily repairable, and the materials required for their construction are expensive and often difficult to work with.

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Defining Structure of F1 frame

Frame The Frame is the fabricated structural assembly that supports all functional vehicle systems. This assembly may be a single welded structure, multiple welded structures or a combination of composite and welded structures. The structure is comprised of following frame components Front Bulkhead Front Roll Hoop Front Hoop Support Front Bulkhead Support System Main Hoop And Main Hoop Bracing Side Impact Members Side Pods Rear Bulkhead And Engine Housing

Front Bulkhead

It is defined asa planar structure that defines the forward plane of the Major Structure of the Frame and functions to provide protection for the drivers feet. The front bulkhead is to be made from 1.0 inch diameter 0.063 inch wall thickness steel. It is a rectangular structure

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Front Roll Hoop

The front roll hoop is a roll bar located above the drivers legs, in proximity to the steering wheel. The front roll hoop is to be made from 40mm diameter 0.079 inch wall thickness steel. It must be tall Enough to allow drivers to fit into the chassis while passing the 2-inch rule,

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2-inch rule,
2-inch rule states that a line drawn from the top of the main hoop to the top of the front hoop must be at least 2 inches from the top of any seated drivers helmet.

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Front Hoop Support

This is the structure which connects the front hoop and front bulkhead. The rules state that the front bulkhead support system must be made from 1.0 inch diameter 0.063 inch wall thickness steel tubing properly triangulated node-to-node They must also be placed to accommodate feet of the driver along with the pedal assemblies and steering rack.

Front Bulkhead Support System

The bulkhead support system was made by incorporating the front suspension box in a support structure that supports the front hoop support, bulkhead and triangulated with the base rod.

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Main Hoop

The main hoop is a roll bar located alongside or just behind the drivers torso. The main hoop is to be constructed from 1.0 inch diameter 0.079 inch wall thickness steel, the same material as the front hoop. It is constructed from a single piece, bent to shape.

Main Hoop Bracing

The main hoop braces can be routed towards the front or back of the chassis, but they must be securely integrated into the primary structure. In most cars, the braces are routed rearwards.

Side Impact Members

the driver must be protected by a side impact structure, composed of at least three tubes. There must be one upper side impact member, one lower side impact member, and one diagonal side impact member. The diagonal member can be more than one tube if it is properly triangulated Minimum wall thickness should be 0.047 inch

Side Pods

Side pod members are used to increase Area Momont of Inertia thus increasing Stiffness of Body Side pod structure also constitute as side impact structure. A triangular planar structure is taken to make the design simple and rigid.

Rear Bulkhead And The Engine Housing

The rear of the chassis is composed of the rear bulkhead and the engine housing. The housing is designed according to the engine size and possibility of a very rigid and stable engine mount The engine housing members are designed so, that it should take all the engine load both static and dynamic.

Materials
Material is selected on the basis of its light weight and easily accessibility The materials like steel, aluminium, Glass fiber, carbon fiber which are commonly used in F1 chassis Steel The most common material for tubular space-frames, steel retains its strength and ductility after welding. It is inexpensive, easy to find, and easy to cut and grind. The Supra SAE rules dictate tubing sizes for steel, and the use of any other material requires the completion of a structural equivalency form

Aluminium Generally, aluminium is used because of its low density (2.69g/cc) . When considering aluminium, like any material, we must consider the advantages, disadvantages, and possible production processes.

Aluminium is a favourable material such that it has a low density, it is corrosion resistant, it is easily obtained and can be recycled; however aluminium also has a high and fluctuating cost, is less formable than steel and less readily welded. There are many aluminium alloys available which can be selected to suit the formability and strength requirements. Glass Fibre Commonly known as fibreglass, GFRP is widely used in the automotive industry. GFRP is favourable due to its high formability, controllability of material properties, wide scope of applications, and relative ease of production, especially in small scale operations. GFRP has a lower density than that of aluminium however its production must be carefully controlled to achieve the desired material properties. It is easily formable but not easily repairable and cannot be recycled. GFRP offers good corrosion resistance as well as good dimensional stability and scratch resistance qualities.

Carbon Fibre Commonly known as carbon fibre, Carbon fibre is very similar in its advantages and disadvantages to Glass fibre however it has a lower density and higher strength. These improved material properties invariably lead to a high material cost however weight savings of up to 30% make this cost an acceptable one. Carbon Fibre vs. Other Materials The main attraction of carbon fibre for Formula 1 chassiss is the amazing strength and stiffness for its weight. No other material comes close to carbon fibre in terms of specific weight and stiffness.

Stiffness

Next figure shows the specific stiffness (the rigidity of the material for every unit of its weight) as a function of the specific stiffness of high stiffness carbon fibre. As can be clearly seen, carbon fibre has a specific stiffness in the order of 2-3 times that of conventional metals such as steel and aluminium.

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Strength
The same analysis with strength shows that carbon fibre has a specific strength over ten times that of basic steel.

Combining the increased strength and stiffness properties of carbon fibre compared to conventional metals and alloys, it is by far the best material for the construction of Formula 1 chassis

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