The vehicle’s backbone, i.e., the car chassis, is what it relies on to be structurally sound and precisely engineered. It evenly weights axles, thereby stabilizing handling and maximizing performance. It also absorbs and dissipates crash energy via engineered deformation zones and protects the occupant from injury. It also serves as a base that anchors natural key systems, including suspension, transmission, and steering, with alignment and rigidity during stress.
The car chassis design affects fuel efficiency and agility because it allows lightweight material integration with durability. So, its role is not only to support but also to set the contours of safety, usability, and dynamic performance. Below it is to reveal ShanenTech’s capability to manufacture car chassis components, along with manufacturing efficiency, material choice, and production trends.
Materials Used in Car Chassis Components
Steel in Car Chassis Components
Most car chassis use steel because it’s strong enough and will absorb the crash energy effectively. An example of high-strength low alloy (HSLA) steel, such as frame rails and cross members, is with a good weight-to-strength ratio. Key to steel is its ability to be recycled: in fact, over 85 percent of auto steel is recycled annually. Also, its cost-efficiency allows it to be ideal for high-volume, heavy-duty chassis production, for example, those found on trucks and SUVs.
Aluminum in Car Chassis Applications
Aluminum, being 33 percent lighter than steel, drastically reduces a car chassis’ overall weight without reducing rigidity. For example, aluminum alloy 6061 is capable of bombproof corrosion resistance and durability, so it’s most often used in suspension components. Similarly, 7075 aluminum alloy, which has a tensile strength greater than 510 MPa, is a popular choice for high-performance wheels and brake components. The high energy absorption per unit weight of aluminum makes it an indispensable material in modern chassis engineering.
Magnesium in Performance-Oriented Chassis
AZ91D Magnesium alloys are 75 percent lighter than steel, which has specific advantages in lightweight car chassis for performance vehicles. Magnesium, though, has low tensile strength, around 235 MPa, and therefore relies on alloying of aluminum and zinc for mechanical properties. Yet, it outshines the mechanical limits to excel in niche applications such as steering columns and dashboard structures where weight savings more than make up for the failures.
Composites in Advanced Car Chassis
The high-end car chassis design has been updated with carbon fiber reinforced plastics (CFRPs). CFRPs have a strength-to-weight ratio of over 10 times that of steel and are necessary in Formula 1 and aerospace-grade chassis. Let’s take McLaren’s carbon fiber monocoque chassis, which weighs 75 kg and offers the highest levels of stiffness. Despite its expense, composites have incredible performance when used on chassis components in racing and luxury vehicles.
Key Manufacturing Processes for Car Chassis Components
Sheet Metal Fabrication for Car Chassis
For car chassis production, sheet metal fabrication across processes is indispensable. Because of the tight tolerances of laser cutting (say ±0.1 mm), it is possible to shape complex components, such as suspension brackets, precisely. Plasma cutting may achieve cutting speeds of up to 500mm/min, which is acceptable even for substantial materials such as cross-members.
Yet, for such simple parts as frame rails, shearing, although less precise, does work, lowering production costs. Chassis components can be formed and bent out using press brakes up to 600 tons capacity, providing sharp angles without material compromise. High volume production of identical parts like control arms might be enabled by stamping with dies with tolerances in the ±0.2 mm region. MIG welding joins materials in load-bearing surfaces for robust connections, and riveting is best for lightweight composite and aluminum parts requiring structural integrity.
CNC Machining in Car Chassis Manufacturing
Car chassis would not be possible without CNC machining due to its high precision and flexibility. Tolerances down to ±0.01 mm can be created by milling in complex subassemblies of tubular chassis elements, and drilling, with capabilities of up to 15,000 RPM, might be used to ensure that holes are placed accurately for rivets in stressed areas. Also, steering components and suspension mounts that contribute to performance stability are created via turning.
Take, for example, every time you turn to the CNC machines for work in aluminum parts, you get a weight reduction without losing strength. CNC’s ability to work with magnesium and composite materials also gives manufacturers a superior weight-to-strength ratio. These cuts reduce car chassis production errors greatly while increasing safety as well as efficiency.
Die Casting in Car Chassis Components
Last but not least, die casting of intricate car chassis components, including suspension links and frame rails, is readily accomplished. Upon injecting molten metal into high-precision molds, the surface finishes succeeded might be as smooth as Ra 1.6 µm. It also supports thin-walled (as little as 1 mm thick) designs, plummeting weight with no sacrifice in strength.
Still, die casting is limited to smaller chassis components with limitations in mold size and cooling rates. An example of such parts optimized for this process is shock tower mounts and transmission housings, with a magnesium die-cast element lighter than an aluminum example. While it has shortcomings, die casting is very successful in high-volume production and is capable of stretching output rates to an excess of 500 parts per hour.
Surface Finishing for Chassis Components
Anodizing
Highly desirable are anodizing of aluminum car chassis components that create a durable oxide layer. It provides an increased corrosion resistance, particularly in coastal or industrial areas with high humidity. As an example, anodized aluminum in chassis crossbeams can tolerate up to 3,000 hours of salt spray exposure. What is more, the local anodizing improves thermal emissivity and therefore heat dissipation in high performance vehicles.
Painting
Paint acts as a barrier against environmental factors that hit car chassis surfaces. In corrosive environments, these special paints with zinc phosphate primers are said to elongate lifespan. Polyurethane topcoat on steel chassis is an example of UV resistance while keeping flexibility under thermal expansion. Plus, multi-coat systems increase adhesion and abrasion resistance.
Galvanizing
It refers to the use of a zinc layer on steel car chassis components for abrasion resistance and durability. Ideally, this avoids rusting for up to 50 years. Hot dip galvanized are also suitable for heavy duty application, with thicker coatings (85 to 120 μm) that protect off road chassis parts against heavy wear. Smoother finishes allow the chassis rails to be precision assembled.
Polishing and Buffing
It polishes out micro scratches on car chassis components to make it both more aesthetically pleasing and more durable. In particular, abrasives of diamond can be used for buffing with roughness lower than 0.2 μm at the surface of magnesium chassis parts, and that reduces the number of corrosion initiatory sites. Additionally, they decrease friction in suspension mounting when polishing aluminum surfaces. This increases performance under dynamic loads.
ShanenTech offers all manufacturing processes for car chassis parts. Contact us for details.
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