Modal Analysis of chassis frame of an Electric Truck using ANSYS

Abstract

The automotive industry is moving rapidly towards electrification of the vehicles, so trucks are not far behind in this effort. There is a constant endeavour to have the vehicles with high range using higher capacity batteries but in limited space. Addition of batteries to the vehicle has some limitations on weight, space and safety. This effectively decreases the payload that can be carried by the vehicle. As there is a potential risk of battery damage in the event of side crash, it would be logical to suitably protect or enclose the batteries as a preventive measure. Thus, conventional ladder chassis frame has to be suitably modified to suit this new requirement. Also, composites can be used for weight reduction. In the design of any new chassis frame, it is important to analyse the strength of the frame, as it bears various loads transmitted from vehicle components. Finite element analysis has become a widely accepted method for predicting the stresses of any product including truck chassis frame. The focus of this research work was to conduct finite element analysis of an electric vehicle chassis frame with integrated battery mountings and made up of composite material. To assess the safe design of the frame, Modal analysis was carried out in Free-Free and FixedFixed conditions. Further, three different materials st37, E-glass/Epoxy, and S-glass Epoxy was evaluated. The results of the electric vehicle chassis frame was compared with the results of a conventional frame to get a comparison of weight and strength. Based on this, it was shown that Electric Vehicle Chassis frame with S-glass/Epoxy is the most feasible solution to meet the design challenges of an Electric Vehicle.