Automobile Chassis

Chassis can be defined as a vehicle without body. It is the under part of a vehicle. Frame of a vehicle is mounted on chassis which consist of engine, transmission etc. If the transmission, wheels, suspension etc are mounted on a chassis it is termed as rolling chassis.
The design of chassis varies according to the type of vehicle, so chassis is divided into many different parts.

Chassis

Chassis mainly consist of :-

• Frame
• Engine
• Gearbox/Transmission
• Clutch
• Side Member
• Horizontal Member
• Propeller Shaft
• Differential
• Wheels
• Suspension System
• Fuel Tank
• Sitting Area 

Classification of Chassis :-

According to frame -
1. Conventional Frame
2. Semi-Integral
2.  Integral Frame

According to its control -

1. Conventional - In this type of chassis engine and the driver compartment is completely separated. It is used in heavy duty vehicles like trucks, pickup trucks. Cars and SUV's also come into this category. It has more utility space than semi and fully forward. Also during collision driver compartment is more safe because of big crash zone i.e engine compartment absorb the impact.

Conventional Layout

2. Semi-forward - In this type of  Chassis engine lies between engine compartment and driver compartment. It is generally used in Mini Trucks, Travelers, Vans etc. It has less utility space because of presence of engine in driver cabin. It is less safe as compare to conventional layout

due to small crash zone.

                                      

                                                           Semi-Forward Layout

3. Fully-Forward - In this type of chassis engine lies inside driver compartment. It is generally used in Buses, Vans etc. It has least utility space as compare to conventional and semi-forward. It is also least safe among the category. This type of layout is used to decrease overall length of a vehicle.

According To Number of Drive Wheels -

1. 4x2 - In this type of vehicle 2 out of 4 wheels are driven. These are generally use in normal car.

4x2 

2. 4x4 - In this type of vehicle all 4  wheels are driven. These are generally used in SUV's, off-road cars etc.

4x4

3. 6x2 -  In this type of vehicle 2 out of 6 wheels are driven. These are used in trucks, buses.

6x2

4. 6x4 -  In this type of vehicle 4 out of 6 wheels are driven. These are used in long trucks, buses etc.

6x4

According to the Location of  the Engine -

1. Front engine rear wheel  - For Example - Gypsy, Trucks, Safari etc.

2. Front engine Front wheel - For Example - Swift, Polo etc.

3. Mid engine rear wheel - For Example - Sports and super cars like R8, Veyron, Aventador etc.

4. Rear engine rear wheel - For Example - Beetle,

Various Loads acting on a chassis -

1. Short duration load - This type of load act on chassis due to the patches on road.
2. Momentary load - This type of load act on a chassis when the vehicle is taking a turn.
3. Impact load - This type of load act on a chassis when it collides with some another surface.
4. Inertial load -  This type of load act on a chassis when a vehicle accelerate, deaccelerate or when the brakes are applied.
5. Static load - This type of load act on a chassis due to the weight of the other parts of a vehicle.
6. Over load - This type of load act on a chassis when the loading of goods on a vehicle is more than its capacity.

Characteristics of a good chassis :-

1. It should be light in weight.
2. It should be easy to manufacture.
3. It should be designed in a way that there is sufficient space for luggage and passenger.
4. It should withstand various loads, vibrations, 
5. It should have long life.
6. It should not be corroded easily.