• Motor Vehicles, Semester 3, position 1

Aims of this course include achieving the competences to conquer specific knowledge and skills needed for overwiewing and understanding problems related to construction, calculation, testing and verification of support structures of different categories of vehicles.

After successful completition of this course, students should be trained to: - Know and explain basic methods and procedures for vehicle’s body behaviour identification; - List and explain characteristic calculation regimes specificities in body calculation; - Recognize and explain the problems of thin-walled open cross-sections; - Identify and interpret basic postulates of UN Regulations regarding the strength of bus superstructures; - Analyze and explain basic problems of strength related to chassis – body interaction; - Categorize different body types regarding their torsion stiffness and propose the application of appropriate elements for connection; - Define all aspects needed for completition of commercial vehicles, taking into account related bodybuilder instructions.

(1) Introduction: Constructive concepts of superstructures in accordance with vehicle classification and categorization, characteristic solutions, basic instructions and recommendations; (2) Identification of superstructure behaviour, testing/calculation; methods, parameters and approval criteria; behaviour optimization, characteristic calculations modes; (3) Behaviour specificity of thin-walled open elements of SS; (4) Method of common constructive support surfaces, basic types of superstructures, ways and possibilities for implementation; (5) Finite elements method (FEM) in terms of methodological approach for identification of superstructure behaviour, basic characteristics and specificities; (6) Bus superstructures; specifities, strength of superstructures, domestic and international regulations; (7) Commercial vehicles superstructures; constructive and technological specificities of chassis of commercial vehicles, superstructures (different types, connection types for chassis and superstructure connecting, instructions and recommendations of chassis manufacturers), problems of vehicle completion (requests of valid standards and regulations, aspects of calculation, testing and verification); (8) Passenger vehicles superstructures; crash problems, values related to crashes, possibilities of modelling and experimental verification; (9) Regulations related to vehicle behaviour during crash (UN Regulations, EURO NCAP tests), characteristic parameters and criteria.

(1) Review of characteristic examples of passenger vehicles superstructures; (2) Review of specificities of superstructures for different bus categories (low-floor city bus, high floor touristic bus...); (3) Review and comments on chassis examples for commercial vehicles, as well as instructions and recommendations of manufacturers for superstructure mounting; (4) Examples of implementation of analytical approach in chassis calculation (ladder-type chassis); (5) Review of problems in calculation using FEM for particularly characteristic examples; (6) Bus superstructures; valid regulations (UN Regulations), requests related to passive safety (UN Regulation No. 66, review, comments and ways for fulfilling all requirements); (7) Individual student thesis related to bus superstructures; (8) Commercial vehicles superstructures; valid regulations (UN Regulations), requests related to passive safety (UN Regulation No. 58, 73,...); (9) Review of construction of some specific superstructures, explanations for different types of connections between chassis and superstructure and their implementation in process of vehicle completing; (10) Comments for possibilites to special purpose vehicles realization and explanations for implementation of instructions and recommendations of chassis manufacturers; procedures for definning the relevant safety and technical characteristics of completed vehicles; (11) Individual student thesis related to special purpose commercial vehicles (different superstructures); (12) Passenger vehicles superstructures; regulations related to vehicle behaviour during crash (UN Regulations, EURO NCAP tests), comments related to characteristic examples.

No special requirements.

Computers with appropriate software tools, showpieces of systems, assemblies and vehicles, as well as their digital illustrations.

Total assigned hours: 75

New material: 20
Elaboration and examples (recapitulation): 10

Auditory exercises: 15
Laboratory exercises: 0
Calculation tasks: 5
Seminar paper: 0
Project: 10
Consultations: 0
Discussion/workshop: 0
Research study work: 0

Review and grading of calculation tasks: 0
Review and grading of lab reports: 0
Review and grading of seminar papers: 0
Review and grading of the project: 6
Test: 4
Test: 0
Final exam: 5

Activity during lectures: 10
Test/test: 30
Laboratory practice: 0
Calculation tasks: 0
Seminar paper: 0
Project: 30
Final exam: 30
Requirement for taking the exam (required number of points): 36

Mitic S.: handouts, 2024.; L. Morello et al. - The Automotive Body Vol. I - Components Design, Springer, Dordrecht, 2011.; L. Morello et al. - The Automotive Body Vol. II - System Design, Springer, Dordrecht, 2011.; B. Heissing, M. Ersoy (Eds), Chassis Handbook, Vieweg+Teubner Verlag, Wiesbaden, 2011.; D.E. Malen, Fundamentals of Automobile Body Structure Design, SAE, Warrendale, 2011.