Motor as a supporting frame component
An engine as a supporting frame component ( English : stressed member engine ) is a technology in vehicle construction.
Mode of action
In this design, the wheel suspensions transfer wheel forces directly to the engine or gearbox housing, which thus becomes part of the chassis . The construction becomes simpler, lighter and cheaper because the frame is omitted. In racing cars, the rear suspension and some of the wings are mounted on the engine and transmission. The engine is bolted to the load-bearing cockpit shell, the monocoque , to which the front suspension, tanks and side pods and the front wings are attached. On tractors with a load-bearing engine, the front axle is located at the front under the engine, the rear axle is formed by the extension arm of the gearbox housing. The engine and gearbox are connected via the flange of the clutch housing. In the case of motorcycles, part of the frame with the steering head bearing remains, the supporting motor typically serves as a frame support , on which the rear swing arm can be mounted.
With this design, vibrations from the engine are transmitted directly to the chassis. This reduces driving comfort, which is accepted in the special applications.
The counterpart, a non-stressed member engine , is an engine built into the frame via rubber mounts (engine vibration damper ).
application
Automobile and motorcycle
The construction method is mainly used in motorcycles and in automobile sport. Many mid-engine - sports cars and racing cars are built according to this concept. The Lancia D50 , first used at the 1954 Spanish Grand Prix , was the first Formula 1 racing car to use an engine as a supporting element. The Italian Vittorio Jano came up with the idea . When Alberto Ascari died in private tests during the 1955 season , Lancia sold the entire racing team, including the D50, to Scuderia Ferrari . These modified the D50 to the Ferrari D50 and discarded the construction of a load-bearing engine. The later technical director of Ferrari in the 1970s, Mauro Forghieri , found this concept interesting and designed the Ferrari 158 with a load-bearing engine for 1964 . In the 1964 season, Ferrari won the drivers 'and constructors' championships with John Surtees ("constructors 'championship", manufacturers' world championship). 1967 developed Colin Chapman to 49 Lotus whose vehicle monocoque ended in front of the engine and was firmly attached to it. Many teams copied the Chapman design in the years that followed.
The De Tomaso Vallelunga , a low-volume sports car from the 1960s, had a supporting engine.
tractor
In tractors with a frameless block design , the engine is a supporting element between the front axle and the block made up of the rear axle and transmission. For this purpose, either the crankcase or the oil pan of the engine must be particularly strong in order to be able to absorb the resulting forces. In semi-frame tractors, the engine is built on a frame so that it no longer has a load-bearing function. It can therefore be built lighter, which is why conventional industrial engines are well suited for semi-frame tractors.
Individual evidence
- ↑ mechlover.blogspot.com: Engine as a stressed member in motorcycles. what does it mean. Mechanical World: Mechanical, Automotive, Components and lots more, February 27, 2014, accessed April 21, 2020 .
- ↑ a b racedepartment.com: A stressful job. RaceDepartment, May 16, 2018, accessed on April 21, 2020 .
- ↑ Andreas Scheiterlein: The structure of the high-speed internal combustion engine . In: Hans List (Ed.): The internal combustion engine . 2nd Edition. tape 11 . Springer-Verlag, Vienna 1964, ISBN 978-3-662-24344-2 , D. Motorkonstruktionen, p. 199 (523 pp.).