SHELL ECO

MARATHON
REPORT

CHASSIS AND
MONOCOQUE
DESIGN

CHASSIS
Tube-Frame Chassis Design

Used in the chassis designs

ofautomobilesandmotorcycles.
aspace frameis atruss-like, lightweight
rigid structure constructed from
interlockingstrutsin ageometricpattern.
Simply constructing a design composed of

bracing struts

The suspension, engine, and body panels are

attached to a skeletal frame of tubes

Give these cars use Tube-frame chassis

design
Lamborghini Gallardo
Ferrari 360
Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG

ADVANTAGES
Stiff and strong, yet can provide a light

structure.
The half-axles have better contact with
ground when operated off the road.
Compression and Tension loads are only one
so there would be minimal problems in the
bending of material
Structure was often used by many racing cars

DISADVANTAGES
Costly
Takes great time to build as it requires thin

tubes of material
Attachment of materials requires ACCURACY

MATERIALS
HOST MATERIAL
Balsa wood
SECONDARY MATERIAL
Carbon Fiber

Balsa wood
It is a large, fast-growingtreethat can grow

up to 30m (98ft) tall. Balsawoodis a very

lightweight material with many uses.

ADVANTAGES
Light material to use
Stiff when combined together
Reduces carbon footprint by absorbing

Carbon emission, a property generally wood

have
Easy to cut
Cheap material

DISADVANTAGES
Flammable
Slightly durable, therefore, low yield strength
Low strength-to-weight ratio due to being

relatively soft

Carbon Fiber
Carbon fiber, alternativelygraphite fiberorCF, is a

material consisting offibersabout 510 micrometer in

diameter and composed mostly ofcarbonatoms.

ADVANTAGES
High Tensile strength
Stiff
High Chemical Resistance
Low Thermal Expansion
High Temperature tolerance
High strength-to-weight ratio
Light material to use

DISADVANTAGES
Relatively expensive than other fibers
Less stretchable than glass fiber, therefore

not suitable for high impact damage

DESIGN

Same as the design of bamboo and carbon

fiber chassis design of Stevens Institute of

Technology with balsa wood replacing bamboo
as host material

MATTING
Carbon fiber and fiber glass as materials
Half streamlined or streamline design

FUTURE TRENDS

MONOCOQUE DESIGN
Use of Carbon Fiber Reinforced Polymers
Arecomposite materials
Currently offer the best weight, stiffness, durability
and ease of use parameters out of all other materials
available for bicycle component manufacture.
Consist of two parts
Matrix mostly made of epoxy or other polymer resin
to bind the carbon fibers together
Reinforcement made of Carbon Fiber, to provide
strength
Commonly used wherever highstrength-to-weight
ratioand rigidity are required

Use of carbon fiber in a vehicle can

appreciably reduce the weight and hence the

size of its frame
Used in many high-end racing cars

CHASSIS CONCEPTS THAT ARE

NEEDED FOR FUTURE TRENDS
High strength-to-weight ratio but composed of

a light material
Takes a little amount of Carbon emission to
use
Scrapping of chassis supply
Electric motors replacing mechanical chassis
cars in the near future