Vehicle Body Construction

Motor vehicles are a combination of many different systems all

made up of separate items. All these systems have to be
brought together and mounted on some form of frame or body
shell to form a chassis. The chassis comprises the following.
Frame or body shell forms the skeleton of the vehicle
Engine acts as the power unit
Transmission conveys the drive to the road wheels
Suspension absorbs the road shocks
Steering controls the direction of movement
Brakes slows down the vehicle
Electrical equipment provides lighting, engine starting and
other driver needs.

All vehicles are made up of separate systems and components, they

have their own purpose and operation, however, all of these systems
are brought together to give us the modern motor vehicle.

Road Vehicle Systems And Layouts

Saloon Car The basic body shape is the Saloon with two or four
doors and a permanent rigid roof, this design can be broken down
into three compartments, the first would normally be the engine
compartment, the centre would be for the occupants, the rear would
normally be used for storage, often referred to as the Boot The
three compartments are blended together to give a pleasing and
aero dynamic shape.
Estate Car Also known as a Shooting Brake or Station Wagon, in
this design the roof panel is extended to the rear to increase the
storage area, the rear seats are designed to fold down to increase
the floor area. The rear door is referred to as the tailgate and opens
as wide as possible. The rear suspension is up rated to support the
extra.
Hatchback This design gives some of the advantages of the
Estate car, the tailgate is counted as one door and the rear seats
fold down to give a flat floor. Hatchbacks are made in three and five
door versions.

Road Vehicle Systems And Layouts

Convertible Some times referred to as a Cabriolet or Drop Head

Coupe. This design allows the removal of the roof panel or panels or
the lowering of the roof frame which is normally covered in fabric.
The roof frame may be operated by hand or by powered means.
Due to lack of a rigid roof the vehicle body is strengthened.
Coupe Normally a two door type vehicle with a rigid roof,
sometimes referred to as 2+2 with accommodation for the driver and
front passenger and limited rear seat space for children or
occasional adult use.
Light Commercial Vehicles are used for the movement of relatively
light loads. The size of the van is generally given as the maximum
load that is designed to carry. Car and Van components parts are
similar in appearance, but components such as the clutch,
suspension springs etc are up rated to with stand more strenuous
duties. Manufactures normally offer body sizes and shapes to suit
customers needs e.g. a Pick Up. Most vans have a load carrying
capacity of about half a tonne

Road Vehicle Systems And Layouts

Heavy Commercial Vehicles are very robust and normally used for
long distance transportation of goods, the vehicles are referred to as
Trucks and have a gross vehicle weight greater than about three
tonne. A large flat platform is used to carry the load. To carry heavy
loads the rear wheels either have twin tyres fitted side by side, or
wide section tyres. Vehicles exceeding a certain total loaded weight
are required to have six wheels carried on three axles, even heavier
loads are required to have eight wheels. These are legal
requirements laid down in the construction and use regulations.
Trucks are allowed to tow a trailer on which an additional load can
be carried. A Articulated vehicle consists of two parts, a four or six
wheel tractor which does not carry any load, which is connected by
a special coupling referred to as the fifth wheel to the front end of
the trailer, which itself has two or four wheels at its rear end. The
trailer has retractable wheels on which it can be supported allowing
the tractor to be uncoupled and used elsewhere. Loads carried must
not exceed the gross train weight.

Light And Heavy Vehicle Frames

In the early days of vehicle production even small cars would be

constructed using a chassis and separately constructed body. As
design and production methods improved, it was found that an all
steel body could be constructed from individual panels that were
able to withstand the load placed on them. This frameless or integral
arrangement gave a stiff light construction, this unitary structure
provides sufficient strength to allow the elimination of a separate
frame.
Heavy commercial vehicles use a separate steel frame which can
be likened to a strong ladder consisting of two side members and a
number of cross members. These members can be either tubular,
channel or box section to reduce the frames weight while still being
strong enough to resist bending and twisting forces. The shape of
the frame may be altered to allow for movement of the steering and
suspensions components and fitment of the engine and
transmission. The body is made separately and bolted to the frame.

Composite
Construction

Integral Construction

Passive Safety Systems

Passive safety systems start operating in the event of an accident.
Air Bags In the event of an accident these bags explode onto
position to cushion the driver and passenger.
Antiburst door locks These door locks prevent the doors from flying
open.
Collapsible steering column used to try prevent chest injuries to the
driver, the steering column collapses and is pulled down away from
the driver in the event of a front end collision.
Crumple zones When an impact occurs, the movement energy has
to be dispersed. If this is passed through to the passengers, then
serious injury will result. Crumple zones absorb as much of the
energy as possible, reducing the risk to the occupants.
Padded steering wheel helps to reduce injury to the drivers chest.
Rollover cage In the event of the vehicle rolling over, a cage
prevents the cabin from collapsing.
Seat belt tensioners Pull the seat belt tighter at the instant of
impact.
Side impact bars Bars in the door which strengthen the side of the
vehicle

Active Systems

Active safety systems are operating all the time i.e. they are not
waiting for an accident to occur.
Antilock brakes Electronically controlled system to prevent the
wheels from locking and skidding when the brakes are applied. This
helps the driver maintain control when braking.
Aerodynamic stability A stable car is less likely to go out of control
Dual circuit brakes Standard on all modern cars, if one brake pipe
bursts, the brakes will still work on at least two wheels.
Comfortable driving position The driver is more likely to be able to
react to potential trouble.
Safety glass Toughened glass shatters on impact into small road
granules which do not cause cuts, but vision is impaired. Modern
laminated glass resists heavy impacts without shattering and vision
remains good
Good ventilation Helps to keep the driver awake and alert.
Efficient bad weather equipment Good lights and good windscreen
wipers, to name just two parts, ensure the driver can see and be
seen.

Seat Belts
Seat belts are used to restrain
passengers in their seats during
an accident. They are made
from tough nylon straps.
The seat belt buckle provides a
strong locking mechanism, but must
also be easy to lock and unlock.
Seat belts have a retractor that
ensures the belt is constantly
kept under slight tension.
When the belt is removed, the
retractor automatically recoils
the strap out of the way.

Seat Belts
Some vehicles incorporate a seat belt reminder
system. When a seat belt is not fastened correctly,
a warning lamp is illuminated on the dashboard.
Some systems also use an audible warning.
These systems usually use two switches,
the seat belt buckle switch and a pressure
sensitive switch, under the seat.
A modern vehicle has seat belts that are fitted
with pretensioners. They are activated in the
event of a crash.
The control module fires a pyrotechnic device,
which tensions the seat belt, keeping the driver
in a safe position, ready for air bag activation.

Air Bag
An air bag system comprises the
following components:

Impact Sensors.
Safing Sensor.
Control Module.
Air Bag Module.

The system works by rapidly inflating

a nylon air bag, immediately after a
large impact.
The air bag helps to protect the driver
(and passengers in most vehicles)
from serious injury.
When the ignition is switched on, the air
bag lamp is illuminated, until a self test
of the air bag circuit is completed.

Extra Safety Features

SIPS (Side Impact Protection System) uses impact sensors in vehicle doors
to detect a side impact. These sensors trigger air bags in the side of the seat.
WHIPS (Whiplash Protection
System) are specially
designed seats that absorb
sharp movement, protecting
the neck and back.
Inflatable curtains are available
that drop down from a vehicles
roof to cover both front and rear
side windows, giving better
head protection than SIPS.

Fascia instrument panel and

warning lights

Vehicle Body Components

All vehicle component locations are identified by sitting in the driving seat.
These are front, rear, left and right. In the diagram below, the left front wing
can easily be identified.
The roof, front wings and rear quarters can
be used to help strengthen the vehicle body.
Other parts can also help to strengthen the
vehicle body e.g. glass, doors, sub-frames,
chassis and floor-pan.

Roof

Rear quarter

On convertible vehicles that do

not have a rigid roof the floor pan
and centre tunnel are normally
made stronger and stiffer.
The front and rear
bumpers offer some
protection in low speed
front or rear impacts.

Rear
bumper

Front
bumper
Front wing

Parts of the Vehicle Body

The bonnet is a hinged cover for the engine compartment. It can be hinged
to open toward the windscreen toward the front of the vehicle, or in some
cases toward either wing.
Boot lid/
Tailgate

Bonnet

The boot lid is a hinged

cover over the boot. The
boot is used as an area
to store luggage or other
items.

The doors are used as a means

for the vehicle passengers to
enter and leave the vehicle.
When closed, the doors help to
strengthen the vehicle.

Doors

Typical Engine Configurations

The engine may be placed in different positions within the vehicle, each
having its own advantages. There are four main engine configurations.
Front engine, front wheel drive
can help with the drive-ability of
the vehicle. The engine weight
over the driven wheels gives
greater traction. This can be
particularly useful in adverse
weather conditions.
The front engine, rear wheel
drive configuration has the
advantage of better weight
distribution. However, some
traction can be lost because the
bulk of the weight is not over the
driving wheels.

Front engine, front wheel drive

Front engine, rear wheel drive

Typical Engine Configurations

Rear engine, rear wheel drive
provides a larger load to the rear
driving wheels. However, it can
become tail heavy which affects
handling of the vehicle. It also
reduces luggage space (which is now
in the front), as the passenger seats
need to be moved forward in order to
accommodate the engine.
Mid-engine, rear wheel drive
engines provide good vehicle
handling and good traction at the
rear wheels. They are normally
found on two-seat sports cars
where these factors are important.

Rear engine, rear wheel drive

Mid-engine, rear wheel drive

Drive Train/ Transmission

Layouts

Terminology

Chassis The basic frame for a motor vehicle

A Post - The post on which the front door hinges are fixed.
Body mounting Fittings for mounting the body to the chassis for
older type cars or heavier vehicles.
Composite construction - The chassis and body of the vehicle are
built as two separate units,
Integral construction Most modern light vehicles use this method,
also called mono or unity construction. The body and chassis are
combined.
Car derived van A van which is based on a similar car.
Body panels Wings, bonnet and door for example.
BC Post The centre post, the B post has the front door striker
plate and the C has the hinges for the rear doors. Only appropriate
to four/five door vehicles.
D Post The rear post on which the rear door striker is fitted. Front
door striker if a two/three door vehicle.

Terminology

FWD Front Wheel Drive

RWD Rear Wheel Drive
AWD All Wheel Drive
4WD Four Wheel Drive
Off side In the UK, this is the right hand side when in the drivers seat.
Near side In the UK, this is the left hand side when in the drivers seat.
Light Vehicle Normally classified as a car or van of less than three
tonnes
Light vehicle types These range from small two seater sports cars to
quite large people carriers (such as the Ford Galaxy). Also included are
light commercial vehicles such as vans and pick-up trucks.
Vehicle systems A set of related components on the vehicle. For
example, all components used to make the brakes work are described
simply as the braking system.