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5/13/2018 Me 356 Car Frame Design Write Up - slidepdf.com
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Group 14, Team GMBalsa Wood Car Frame Design
ME 356/ Professor Chung
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1.0 Introduction & Engineering Description of “Crash & Eject”
In order to gain experience with the engineering design process, our team designed a balsa wood
car frame for “clients” and our sponsor, Professor Jae-Hyun Chung. Several criteria were
outlined in the context of developing a car frame. Constraints on dimensions, materials, and the
boundary conditions for a collision were given. The objective was to communicate with theclient and develop a car frame that satisfies all of his needs.
Balsa wood was given as the material for the car frame. The sponsor chose this material because
although balsa wood is soft and light weight, it is strong. Twenty sticks measuring 0.25” X
0.25” X 3’ were given, and additional materials were not allowed to be used. Although all of thesticks could be used in the design, the client expressed the desire to have a high specific strength,
or strength to weight ratio. Gorilla glue was provided to join frame members together. Wood
glue was also allowed for use in combining members but according to prior tests ran by theclient, connections made using the gorilla glue created a better bond between pieces of balsa
wood. No other materials were allowed during construction.
Several constraints were given for the dimensions of the structure. The car frame must consist of
three sections: a passenger space (100x200x300 mm), trunk space (70x150x150 mm), and an
engine room (70x70x150 mm) in which an aluminum engine block must fit. Also, the passenger
space had to be identified by 12 pieces of balsa wood, and span the entire width of the structure.Figure 1 illustrates the required dimensions.
Figure 1: Required Dimensions of Car Frame as Specified by Sponsor
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Constraints were also placed on the gluing of members, and the total allowable overlap area
between two members. For any connection of members, the total allowable cross-sectional areawas defined as ¼ x ½ inch.
Most importantly, several loading criteria had to be fulfilled during a “collision”. The car frame
was tested using an Instron machine in conjunction with a compression plate. In order to passthe collision test, the frame must support a preload of 100 N without significant deformation
(<5mm). After the initial preloading, the structure must withstand at least 600 N before failure.
Failure was defined as fracture occurring in any of the members that comprise the passengerarea. In addition to the load requirement, the compression plate must move 130mm downward
without fracturing any part of the passenger space.
Once our team considered all of the design specifications and constraints, we formulated the
“crash and eject” failure sequence. The “crash and eject” failure sequence occurs in three stepsto prevent passenger-space damage. The first part relies on failure due to buckling. By
intentionally elongating one of the members in the trunk area, failure is expected to occur in this
area at a load in excess of 600N. Axisymmetric failure will cause the load plate to tilt, whichwould introduce a horizontal force component against the car frame. The overall strategy behind
the “crash and eject” failure sequence is to use this horizontal force to move the car frame out of the danger zone.
Because the engine block “holds down” the car frame, deep-notch stress concentrators are added
on both sides of the engine support members. Step two of the “crash and eject” sequence is thepredicted failure at the deep-notch concentration sites around the engine. These notches are so
severe that a small bending force on the car will cause fracture, leaving the engine grounded and
the car frame free to tilt. Step three of the “crash and eject” failure mechanism is the ejection of
the car frame out from under the load plate. Overall, our team’s goal is to implement the “crash
and eject” failure sequence to protect the passenger space and, consequently, satisfy the clientsand sponsor. Figures 2 & 3 illustrate the failure sequence.
Figure 2: Step One, Buckling at Intentionally Elongated
Column
Figure 3: Step Two, Fracture at Supports Around Engine. Once
Fractured, Frame is Free to Leave Platform
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2.0 Analysis & Results
Our “crash and eject” failure sequence is wholly dependent on (1) buckling at an intentionallyelongated member and (2) fracture due to deep notches surrounding the engine compartment. To
support these failure mechanisms, our team has turned to engineering analysis that can be found
in the appendices of this report.
2.1 Loads Experienced During the Failure Sequence
1. Intentionally elongated member: Our design features an intentionally elongated member
whose length has been calculated in Appendix A. Our team utilized Euler’s slender beam
formula to determine that the optimal length of a column that buckles at 1000N is 155mm.As a result of uncertainty in the load factor, C, as well as manufacturing tolerances, our team
believes that the intentionally elongated beam will fail within the range of 600-1000N.
SolidWorks analysis suggests that at 600N the elongated beam is not predicted to fail.
2. Tilt of Load Plate & Estimated Force Component: The intentional failure of the elongated
beam is intended to cause the load plate to tilt at an appreciable angle. Our teamapproximates an oblique face to be created; contact with the face will split the applied load
into a vertical and a horizontal component (see Figure 4). It is our hope that the horizontal
force component is sufficient to break the car frame away from the motor and out of thetesting platform. To better predict if this is possible, it is important to estimate the horizontal
force that might be generated. To do this, a number of assumptions must be made.
Elongated beam fully collapses 150mm.
Oblique plane creates 45-degree angle as shown. No other members fail due to the force on the oblique plane
Analyze situation when 600N is applied normal to the oblique surface.
Figure 4: Schematic of Oblique Face Created when Column Buckles
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Trigonometry dictates that the magnitude of the horizontal force is:
(2.1.1)
The horizontal force acts into the corner of the car frame. Only a portion of the force bends the
engine mounts by pure bending. Let’s assume that the horizontal force intersects the corner at 45degrees. Then,
(2.1.2)
As an aside, a force balance along the oblique plane will determine if the car frame will be able
to overcome static friction and slide along the tilt plate while being tilted out of the way.
(2.1.3)
(2.1.4)
where the coefficient of friction was determined between wood and steel1. It is apparent that
static friction will not keep the frame in the path of the load plate. Instead, the frame is free to
move out of the way in this analysis.
3. Bending About the Engine & Notch-Induced Fracture: The horizontal, pure-bending force
component is intended to pitch the car frame about the engine as it sits on two balsa wood
members. The stress concentration for a deep notch in the engine mounts is determined inAppendix B. A moment will occur as a result of the horizontal force component calculated inthe previous step:
(2.1.5)
where the force is expected to act a maximum of 450mm from the engine mounts. Let’s supposethat the moment is concentrated at the deep-notch stress concentrator shown in Appendix B. The
maximum stress at this location can then be roughly approximated as:
( )
(2.1.6)
(2.1.7)
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A value of 13 GPa exceeds the maximum bending strength of 39 MPa obtained from MATWEB(Figure 5). Although this analysis involved several greatly simplified assumptions, our team
believes that it validates the concept that a sufficiently deep notch stress-concentrator can induce
failure at the engine. We are confident that a deep-stress concentration factor can generate a
stress that exceeds the bending strength of the material by at least ten times. Once the enginemounts fracture, the car frame is likely to pivot over the engine and fall out of the loading
apparatus.
Figure 5: Material Properties of Balsa Wood Used in Analysis
2.2 Critical Load Locations
In order for our team’s design to work, all of the structural members must withstand a load of at
least 600N before the buckling member fails. As a result, our team conducted severalSolidWorks analyses to determine the critical stress locations at 600N applied force. The
following figures illustrate the important findings.
As intended by design, the location of the critical points experiencing maximum stress are along
two main beams located on the bottom of car frame — one of these beams has been intentionally
elongated. After modeling and designing the car frame in SolidWorks, it was possible to simulatethe response of the car frame under a specified load condition of 600N. The von Mises stress
distribution was modeled by fixing the bottom of the car frame and applying the load to the top
of the frame. The result is shown in Figure 6.
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Figure 6: von Mises Stress Distribution in Tested Car Frame. Notice a Maximum Stress at approximately 8.5 MPa along
the Bottom Rails of the Frame.
According to the color definition on the right side of Figure 6, it is clear that the greatest stressoccurs along the two main beams. The overall maximum stress location is highlighted in Figure
6 and it is located on the top-side of the beam. For a more exact location of the maximum stress
location, ISO metering has been used to remove the color of the lower stresses. Figure 7 shows
the result of ISO metering.
From the results generated by SolidWorks shown in Figure 7, these three points are the only
locations where stress reaches more than 7 MPa. Maximum stress is also shown to be about 8.5
MPa. According to equation 2.2.1, where and represents yielding stress, and
is maximum stress, the minimum factor of safety (FOS) for this load is . This FOS is alsoconsistent with the minimum FOS generated by simulation in SolidWorks.
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⁄ (2.2.1)
Although maximum stress location is not exactly located on the beam that is designed to buckle
first, it is not a major concern. The SolidWorks simulation excludes the possibility of bucklingwhile calculating stress distribution, therefore buckling is not considered. A separate simulation
was performed for buckling analysis (See Figure 8). This figure shows that even though
maximum stress is not located on the buckling beam, buckling occurs at the designed location.
This happens because all other members are significantly shorter than the beam that is intendedto buckle.
Another important highly-stressed location on our car frame are located on the engine block
supporting members. Figure 3 shows the two members notched in four locations. As mentionedin the failure analysis section, these notches must act as stress concentrators. Although it is
difficult to calculate an exact stress concentrating factor for a hand-crafted notch, it was
possible to find a value based on some assumptions. was found to be to approximately
4.1 — all the calculations for value are shown in Appendix B.
Figure 7: ISO Metering Used to Identify Location of Greatest Stress
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Figure 8: Buckling Analysis w/ ISO Metering to Show Maximum Buckling
4.0 Engineering Description of Failure Experienced in Testing
Although the SolidWorks simulation predicted failure in the elongated member, this did nothappen when the actual test was run. Instead, failure occurred behind the passenger
compartment on top of the trunk space. This failure was not due to buckling as expected but
appeared to be due to shear failure occurring in the glue joints. Shear failure could haveoccurred as a result of modeling and manufacturing errors.
When modeling the car frame in SolidWorks, our team may have not considered the various“end joint” geometries carefully enough. The car frame was modeled as a single part inSolidWorks as opposed to several individual components. As a result, our SolidWorks
simulations could not consider the unique stress situations that occur at the connections between
members. Several two-dimensional, 1:1 side views of the car frame were used as the basis for
construction. The side views did not specify member connections as a result of our model beingone-part rather than individual members. Without specifying member connections, each
individual team member was free to connect members as they felt necessary.
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In addition to this, our team did not have a reliable way to clamp members during construction.The result of these imperfections were that air gaps existed in many of the glue joints between
members. This reduced area causes a greater stress concentration than expected. This certain
area of the trunk space that failed included a butt end joint, which was not originally considered.
It is very possible that this made shear a much bigger factor, compared to an angled joint. Afterthis key member failed, the remaining members could not hold the load and the structure
collapsed.
5.0 Improvements Made to the Car Frame
Errors made during the construction of the car frame were the principal reasons for premature
failure. Specifically the region of failure was a set of five beams that met at odd angles. Due to
imperfections in this region there was a gap filled with glue between the beams that went over
the passenger compartment and the main frame. Figure 9 shows the frame modeled with this
imperfection undergoing the stresses of the test.
Figure 9: Stress Analysis of Frame w/ Manufacturing Errors Modeled In
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Figure 10: Factor of Safety Plot of Frame w/ Manufacturing Errors. Minimum FOS of 0.54, which corresponds closely
with a failure load of approximately 300N.
It is clear from these figures that the manufacturing errors predicated the type of failure thatoccurred during the compression test, as this model fails at the same places as occurred in the
test.
This problem has been addressed in our updated frame, in which the stresses caused by the
manufacturing errors are not as severe. In the updated frame manufacturing has been simplified
by removing complicated connecting angles and replacing them with butted-end joints. The
modifications require the members around the passenger space to be re-positioned therebyavoiding angled connections where glue gaps may occur. This change also makes it possible to
clamp the connections during construction because butted-end joints are far easier to fixture thanodd angles. A downside of this modification is a slight addition of weight. The frame gains
approximately 5.85 grams. This modification is worth the added weight as the frame will beeasier to manufacture and thus safer.
Another major improvement to the frame was the lengthening of the buckling beam. The framesupported 281 N during the compression test and by reviewing the video the buckling beam does
not deflect significantly. It is therefore safe to lengthen the beam closer to the limit of length thatshould buckle under the 600N load (Appendix A). This change will decrease the load that therest of the frame must support, and make it more likely to succeed in supporting the 600N load
despite any further manufacturing difficulties. We increased the length of the buckling beam
from 132mm to 149, or from 87.4 % of the predicted bucking length to 98.6%.
A third improvement was the removal of several beams that were unstressed. These beams were
inserted for cross bracing to combat bucking. Under further analysis a single corner beam
performed just as well as any of the double cross-braced sections of the model. Through the
removal of these excess beams the volume of the balsa in the model was reduced by 8.90 %,which translates to an equal reduction in weight. This reduction in weight was achieved despite
the addition of members described in the first section of improvements.
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Figure 11: Factor of Safety Plot for Updated Frame. Minimum FOS of 3.49
Through these improvements the factor of safety of the frame was increased 69.6%,
manufacturing errors have been avoided, and weight was reduced by 8.90%. The improvements
in factor of safety can clearly be seen in Figures 11 and 12, which show the factor of safety andstress analysis of the updated frame.
Figure 12: von Mises Stress Distribution Plot for Updated Frame.
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5.0 ConclusionsAfter our team received request to design a car frame from Balsa wood along with all the
geometrical constrains and specifications, an concentrated design process has been started. Firstpart of the process was to learn all the rules and obligations placed by the customer, as well as to
understand the customer’s specific desires about the project outcome. After multiple meetings
and effective communications with the customer our team went into the second process of thedesign. Generating multiple conceptual frames and evaluating each of them in order to choose
the best and final frame. Chosen conceptual frame was called “crash and eject” frame. Chosen
frame was then modeled in SolidWorks and analyzed for performance simulating the load
condition by SolidWorks. After multiple iterations of improvements final design was presentedto the sponsor for approval. After approval was received team has moved into the manufacturing
phase of frame development followed by physical testing. Although presented design showed
reasonable factor of safety guaranteeing the safety of frame, actual frame has not followed the
predictions and failed at the unexpected location. This encouraged one more iteration forimproving chosen design; now considering the manufacturing aspect of the design as well
increasing stress factor of safety.
Design was called “crash and eject” because failure was designed to happen in three steps whereframe would be “ejected” after the “crash”. Crash is represented by the first step of the failure.Applied load would buckle the intended member until the fracture of it. Second step is the
detachment of the engine. Tilted plate will generate bending force to the frame, which will cause
the severely notched members to fracture and disconnect the car from the heave engine block.And the third step is removal of the frame from under the continuously lowering force plate. Tilt
of the top load plate would push the frame to the side while it is being lowered, which will cause
the frame to slide or tilt to the side from under the loading plate.This design is simple and failure methods are predictable, therefore with the consideration of
manufacturing and other suggested improvements mention in report, frame will be safe. It will
pass the inspections and the testing successfully, this will satisfying the customer and the
sponsor, as was planned since beginning.
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Appendix A: Calculating the Length of a Slender Beam to Fail @ 1000N
The success of our car frame design is dependent on the controlled buckling of a single balsasection. The goal is to buckle the column when a load of 1000N is applied to the car frame
without sustaining damage in any other member. The material properties used were:
Four columns will share an applied load of 1000N. First, let’s assume that the slenderness ratioof the column justifies the use of Euler’s equation— this assumption will be verified later. Also,
let’s assume that the glued joints of the column have fixed-fixed boundary conditions. This
assumption is reasonable because the glued joints prevent rotation. The equation used is,
The recommended value of C for fixed-fixed boundary conditions is given in Table 4-2 as equal
to 1.2.
The slenderness ratio that defines the boundary for the application of Euler’s equation is givenas:
The slenderness ratio for our calculated length is evaluated as:
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Since our calculated slenderness ratio is larger than (l/k)1 we conclude that Euler’s equation isvalid as assumed in the beginning of the analysis. The calculated length of 151mm was
considered when designing our prototype.
Appendix B: Deep-Notch Stress Concentration Factor for Motor Beams
The motor rests on two balsa wood columns and the safety of our passenger compartment relies
on the car frame breaking from these columns. To ensure that the car frame breaks away fromthe motor, notches 0.125 in. thick or greater will be put into the balsa wood columns on theimmediate outside edges of the motor.
From Peterson’s Stress Concentration Factors, 3rd
edition, the stress concentration of a deep
groove in a tensioned member is given by the following figure and equation:
where “d” is the distance between the notch and the far edge of the column and “r” is the radiusof the notch. We will be cutting a V-shaped notch so we can assume that “r” is very small. Areasonable approximation is that “r” is at least ten times smaller than “d”.
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Plugging these values into the above expression gives a stress concentration factor of at least
4.075. This should be a sufficient minimum to overcome any uncertainties in manufacturing orassembly.
References
[1] Carbide Depot. “Coefficient for Static Friction of Steel.”http://www.carbidedepot.com/formulas-frictioncoefficient.htm.