Design and Analysis of Carbon Fiber Composite Chassis for Off-Road

Abstract

AbstractOff-road buggy implemented with carbon fiber as a chassis material is proposed to replace conventional steel such as AISI 1018 carbon steel. This research aimed to design high strength and lighter off-road buggy chassis. Three concepts have been proposed, modelled in computer-aided design, and then compared using the Pugh method through impact analysis by determining the strength of chassis. The results are tabulated in the decision matrix and found out that Design 1 has attained the highest score. Design 1 achieved a score of 2.625, Design 2 is 0.803, and −3.318 for Design 3. A total of 13 samples consists of 12 carbon fiber composite and one carbon steel analysed through tensile simulation. The sample with ply orientation [0/−30/60/90]S achieved the highest tensile strength and three times compared to carbon steel. Furthermore, the analysis continued by simulating 12 ply orientations for every impact condition to select a set of orientations. The ply orientation is [90/45/0/−45]S for the front, [0/−30/60/90]S for the rear, [45/−45/0/90]S for the side, [90/45/0/−45]2 for the top, and [45/−45/0/90]S for the bottom. The implemented chassis with carbon fiber composite compared with carbon steel. The investigation found carbon fiber composite is weaker and less stiff than carbon steel in an impact. Nevertheless, carbon fiber composite provides a significant mass reduction of 81.23% in chassis and 17.79% for overall chassis with components. Carbon fiber composite chassis offers excellent energy absorption compared to conventional steel, which is safer for drivers and passengers.KeywordsCarbon fiberOff road buggyConceptual designPugh methodPly orientation