Backbone tube chassis is a type of automobile construction
chassis
A chassis (, ; plural ''chassis'' from French châssis ) is the load-bearing framework of an artificial object, which structurally supports the object in its construction and function. An example of a chassis is a vehicle frame, the underpart ...
that is similar to the
body-on-frame
Body-on-frame, also known as ladder frame construction, is a common motor vehicle construction method, whereby a separate body or coach is mounted on a strong and relatively rigid vehicle frame or chassis that carries the powertrain (the engin ...
design. Instead of a two-dimensional
ladder-type structure, it consists of a strong tubular backbone (usually rectangular in
cross section
Cross section may refer to:
* Cross section (geometry)
** Cross-sectional views in architecture & engineering 3D
*Cross section (geology)
* Cross section (electronics)
* Radar cross section, measure of detectability
* Cross section (physics)
**Abs ...
) that connects the front and rear
suspension
Suspension or suspended may refer to:
Science and engineering
* Suspension (topology), in mathematics
* Suspension (dynamical systems), in mathematics
* Suspension of a ring, in mathematics
* Suspension (chemistry), small solid particles suspend ...
attachment areas. A body is then placed on this structure. It was first used in the English
Rover 8hp of 1904 and then the French
Simplicia automobile in 1909.
The backbone chassis was extensively developed by
Hans Ledwinka
Hans Ledwinka (14 February 1878 – 2 March 1967) was an Austrian automobile designer.
Youth
Ledwinka was born in Klosterneuburg (Lower Austria), near Vienna, then part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.
He started his career as a mechanic, a ...
who used it in greater numbers on the
Tatra 11
The Tatra T11 is an automobile that was produced from 1923 through 1927. It was the first Tatra model to use the unique combination of major components that are still in use on the trucks produced by Tatra to this day.
Origins
Hans Ledwinka crea ...
and subsequent vehicles. Ledwinka later used backbone frame with central tube and axles with swinging driveshafts on
Tatra trucks, became known as ''Tatra-concept''.
Design
The truck backbone chassis is a design feature of Czech
Tatra heavy trucks (cross-country, military etc.).
Hans Ledwinka
Hans Ledwinka (14 February 1878 – 2 March 1967) was an Austrian automobile designer.
Youth
Ledwinka was born in Klosterneuburg (Lower Austria), near Vienna, then part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.
He started his career as a mechanic, a ...
used this style of chassis for the
Tatra 11
The Tatra T11 is an automobile that was produced from 1923 through 1927. It was the first Tatra model to use the unique combination of major components that are still in use on the trucks produced by Tatra to this day.
Origins
Hans Ledwinka crea ...
car in 1923.
He then developed the design on trucks with 6x4 model
Tatra 26, which had excellent off-road abilities.
This type of chassis has been used in numerous
sports car
A sports car is a car designed with an emphasis on dynamic performance, such as handling, acceleration, top speed, the thrill of driving and racing capability. Sports cars originated in Europe in the early 1900s and are currently produced by ...
s. It does not provide protection against
side collision
A side collision is a vehicle crash where the side of one or more vehicles is impacted. These crashes typically occur at intersections, in parking lots, and when two vehicles pass on a multi-lane roadway.
Occurrences and effects
For fatalit ...
s, and thus has to be combined with a body that would compensate for this shortcoming.
Examples of cars using a backbone chassis are
Simplicia (1910),
De Tomaso Mangusta
The De Tomaso Mangusta is a sports car produced by Italian automobile manufacturer De Tomaso between 1967 and 1971. It was succeeded by the De Tomaso Pantera.
History
The Mangusta replaced the Vallelunga model, on which its chassis was based ...
,
DMC DeLorean
The DMC DeLorean is a rear-engine two-passenger sports car manufactured and marketed by John DeLorean's DeLorean Motor Company (DMC) for the American market from 1981 until 1983—ultimately the only car brought to market by the fledgling comp ...
,
Lloyd 600
The Lloyd 600 is a small car produced by the Borgward Groups's Lloyd Motoren Werke GmbH (''Lloyd Motor Works'') in Bremen between 1955 and 1961.
The Lloyd Alexander was identical to the Lloyd 600 in most respects, but in place of the three speed ...
,
Lotus Elan
Lotus Elan is the name of two separate ranges of automobiles produced by Lotus Cars. The first series of cars was produced between 1962 and 1975 as a rear-wheel drive vehicle. The second series was produced between 1989 and 1995 as a front-wheel ...
,
Lotus Esprit
The Lotus Esprit is a British sports car that was built by Lotus Cars at their Hethel factory in England between 1976 and 2004. It was among the first of designer Giorgetto Giugiaro's polygonal "folded paper" designs.
Background
In 1970 Tony ...
and
Europa
Europa may refer to:
Places
* Europe
* Europa (Roman province), a province within the Diocese of Thrace
* Europa (Seville Metro), Seville, Spain; a station on the Seville Metro
* Europa City, Paris, France; a planned development
* Europa Cliff ...
,
Škoda Popular
The Škoda Popular is a small family car that was made in Czechoslovakia by Škoda Auto, Škoda from 1933 to 1946. It was the company's most affordable car at the time.
Concept
In the early 1930s Škoda introduced a new line of cars that signifi ...
,
Škoda Rapid,
Škoda Superb
The Škoda Superb is a large family car that has been produced by the Czech car manufacturer Škoda Auto since 2001.
The first generation of the modern Superb, produced from 2001 to 2008, was based on the VW B5 PL45+ platform. The second gen ...
,
Tatra 77
The Czechoslovakian Tatra 77 (T77) is by many considered to be the first serial-produced, truly aerodynamically-designed automobile. It was developed by Hans Ledwinka and Paul Jaray, the Zeppelin aerodynamic engineer. Launched in 1934, the Tatra 77 ...
,
Tatra 87
The Tatra 87 (T87) is a car built by Czechoslovak manufacturer Tatra. It was powered by a rear-mounted 2.9-litre air-cooled 90-degree overhead cam V8 engine that produced 85 horsepower and could drive the car at nearly . It is ranked among the f ...
,
Tatra 97
The Tatra 97 (T97) is a Czechoslovak mid-size car built by Tatra in Kopřivnice, Moravia from 1936 to 1939.
History
The Tatra 97 was designed to complement two full-size cars in the Tatra range: the Tatra 77 launched in 1934 and the Tatra 87 lau ...
etc. and
TVR S1. Trucks with a backbone chassis include the
Tatra 111
The Tatra 111 was a truck produced in Czechoslovakia by the Tatra company.
History
The T111 was developed and manufactured during World War II as a heavy truck for use by the Wehrmacht. Production started in 1942 and continued for twenty year ...
,
Tatra 148
The Tatra 148 was a truck produced in Czechoslovakia by the Tatra company.Moderní Uźitkové Automobily TATRA kolektiv vývojove konstrukce N.P. Tatra Kopŕivnice 1979 Naśe Vojsko Praha, První vydání
History
In 1969 Tatra decided to mode ...
and
Tatra 815
The Tatra 815 is a truck family, produced by Czech company Tatra. It uses the traditional tatra concept of rigid backbone tube and swinging half-axles giving independent suspension. The vehicles are available in 4x4, 6x6, 8x8, 10x8, 10x10, 12x ...
. Some cars also use a backbone as a part of the chassis to strengthen it. Examples include the
Volkswagen Beetle
The Volkswagen Beetle—officially the Volkswagen Type 1, informally in German (meaning "beetle"), in parts of the English-speaking world the Bug, and known by many other nicknames in other languages—is a two-door, rear-engine economy car, ...
, where the transmission tunnel forms a backbone.
Hybrid backbone-ladder chassis
The
Locost
A Locost is a home-built car inspired by the Lotus Seven. The car features a space frame chassis usually welded together from mild steel square tubing. Front suspension is usually double wishbone with coil spring struts. The rear is tradition ...
may appear to be using a backbone in addition to the outer
space frame
In architecture and structural engineering, a space frame or space structure ( 3D truss) is a rigid, lightweight, truss-like structure constructed from interlocking struts in a geometric pattern. Space frames can be used to span large areas with ...
. But examination shows that, in standard form, it is adding negligible stiffness and only serves as a convenient support structure for the sheet metal panels forming the
transmission tunnel
A drive shaft, driveshaft, driving shaft, tailshaft ( Australian English), propeller shaft (prop shaft), or Cardan shaft (after Girolamo Cardano) is a component for transmitting mechanical power and torque and rotation, usually used to connect ...
. The
Triumph Herald
The Triumph Herald is a small two-door car introduced by Standard-Triumph of Coventry in 1959 and made through to 1971. The body design was by the Italian stylist Giovanni Michelotti, and the car was offered in saloon, convertible, coupé, ...
and
Triumph Vitesse
The Triumph Vitesse is a compact six-cylinder car built by Standard-Triumph from May 1962 - July 1971. The car was styled by Giovanni Michelotti, and was available in saloon and convertible variants.
The Vitesse name was first used by Austin ...
used a twin flanged box section backbone carrying the main torsional and bending loads, with light channel section side rails to stiffen the body, while the
Triumph Spitfire
The Triumph Spitfire is a British sports car and manufactured over five production iterations between 1962-1980. Styled for Standard-Triumph in 1957 by Italian designer Giovanni Michelotti, the Spitfire was introduced at the London Motor Show in ...
and
Triumph GT6
The Triumph GT6 is a 6-cylinder sports coupé built by Standard-Triumph, based on their popular Triumph Spitfire convertible. Production ran from 1966 to 1973.
Development history
In early 1963 Giovanni Michelotti was commissioned by Standard ...
sports cars used only the twin-box section backbone, with separate side members in the body, and rear suspension fore and aft loads were also taken by the floor, not the backbone chassis directly.
Advantages
* A standard-conception truck's superstructure has to withstand the torsion twist, and subsequent wear reduces vehicle's lifespan.
* The half-axles have better contact with the ground when operated off-road. This has little importance on roads.
* The vulnerable parts of the drive shaft are covered by a thick tube. The whole system is extremely reliable. However, if a problem occurs, repairs are more complicated.
* The modular system enables configurations of 2-, 3-, 4-, 5-, 6-, or 8-axle vehicles with various wheel bases.
Disadvantages
* Manufacturing the backbone chassis is more complicated and more costly. However, the more axles with all-wheel drive are needed, the cost benefit turns in favor of backbone chassis.
* The backbone chassis is heavier for a given torsional stiffness than a uni-body.
* The chassis gives no protection against side impacts.
See also
*
Tatra concept
*
Frame (vehicle)
A vehicle frame, also historically known as its ''chassis'', is the main supporting structure of a motor vehicle to which all other components are attached, comparable to the skeleton of an organism.
Until the 1930s, virtually every car had a ...
*
Body-on-frame
Body-on-frame, also known as ladder frame construction, is a common motor vehicle construction method, whereby a separate body or coach is mounted on a strong and relatively rigid vehicle frame or chassis that carries the powertrain (the engin ...
*
Chassis
A chassis (, ; plural ''chassis'' from French châssis ) is the load-bearing framework of an artificial object, which structurally supports the object in its construction and function. An example of a chassis is a vehicle frame, the underpart ...
*
Coachwork
A coachbuilder or body-maker is someone who manufactures bodies for passenger-carrying vehicles.Construction has always been a skilled trade requiring a relatively lightweight product with sufficient strength. The manufacture of necessarily ...
*
Monocoque
Monocoque ( ), also called structural skin, is a structural system in which loads are supported by an object's external skin, in a manner similar to an egg shell. The word ''monocoque'' is a French term for "single shell".
First used for boats, ...
*
Spaceframe
In architecture and structural engineering, a space frame or space structure ( 3D truss) is a rigid, lightweight, truss-like structure constructed from interlocking struts in a geometric pattern. Space frames can be used to span large areas with ...
*
Subframe
A subframe is a structural component of a vehicle, such as an automobile or an aircraft, that uses a discrete, separate structure within a larger body-on-frame or unit body to carry certain components, such as the engine, drivetrain, or suspens ...
*
Superleggera
Superleggera (Italian for ''Superlight'') is a custom tube and alloy panel automobile coachwork construction technology developed by Felice Bianchi Anderloni of Italian coachbuilder Carrozzeria Touring Superleggera. A separate chassis was s ...
*
Swing axle
A swing axle is a simple type of independent (rear wheel) suspension designed and patented by Edmund Rumpler in 1903. This was a revolutionary invention in automotive suspension, allowing driven (powered) wheels to follow uneven road surfaces ...
References
External links
* Comparison of standard ladder chassis and backbone chassis with half axles on off-road testing track with emphasis on the twist of superstructure (video):
*
Ladder chassis(Renault fire engine)
*
Backbone chassis(Tatra T815 fire engine)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Backbone Chassis
Automotive chassis types