International Journal of Mechanical And Production Engineering, ISSN: 2320-2092, Volume- 2, Issue- 4, April-2014

DESIGN AND ANALYSIS OF AN ALL TERRAIN VEHICLE

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GAURAV S. CHIMOTE, 2KARTIK P. RAJAS, 3ALOK KUMAR MISHRA
1
F.Y.B.E. Student, 2T.Y.B.E. Student, 3F.Y.B.E. Student, Mechanical Engineering Department, Jawaharlal Darda Institute of
Engineering & Technology, Yavatmal- 445001 (Maharashtra)
E-mail: [email protected], [email protected], [email protected]

Abstract- The objectives of this design and analysis of an ATV fun to drive, versatile, safe, durable, and high performance
off road vehicle. We have to ensure that the vehicle spastics the limits of set rules. This vehicle must be capable of
negotiating the most extreme terrain with confidence and ease. We met these objectives by dividing the vehicle into its major
component subsystems. the ATV design on the basis to apply the principles of engineering science to expose their
proficiency in the automotive world. The design focuses towards explaining the procedure and methodology used for
designing the off road vehicle. We have tried to design an all terrain vehicle that meets international standards and is also
cost effective at the same time. We have focused on every single system to improve the performance of each component.
Our vehicle can navigate through almost all terrain, which ultimately is the objective behind the making of any all terrain
vehicle. We began the task of designing by conducting extensive research of each main component of the vehicle. We did
not want to design certain areas such as the frame, and then make the rest to fit. We considered each component to be
significant, and thereby designed the vehicle as a whole trying to optimize each component while constantly considering
how other components would be affected. This forced us to think outside the box, research more thoroughly, and redesign
components along the way in order to have a successful design.

I. INTRODUCTION These objectives were met by choosing a frame

material that has good strength and also weighs less
ATV means a all terrain vehicle which is specially giving us an advantage in weight reduction.
designed for a off roads driving. ATV is designed for
very rough terrain, jumps, maneuverability and A low cost frame was provided through material
endurance. selection and incorporating more continuous
The design process of this single-person vehicle is members with bends rather than a collection of
iterative and based on several engineering and reverse members welded together to reduce manufacturing
engineering processes. Following are the major points costs. PRO-ENGINEERING were used to model a
which were considered for designing the off road frame that is aesthetically appealing and meets all
vehicle: requirements.

Endurance The design criterion followed here is design for the

 Safety and Ergonomics. worst and optimize the design while avoiding over
 Market availability. designing which would help in reducing cost. We
 Cost of the components . proceeded by setting up the budget for the user
 Standardization and Serviceability. throughout the design process we distributed the
 Maneuverability. budget in such away that if we assign more money to
 Safe engineering practices. one system, we reduce that amount from some other
system. [8]
The designing work is initiated to achieve the best
standardized as well as optimized design possible. II. DESIGN METHODOLOGY
Creo Parametric 1.0 (Pro Engineer) was the CAD
software used for designing and ANSYS 13.0 was We have designed the roll cage keeping in view the
used to analyze the Impact test and all. Specifications safety and aesthetics. These are the two factors which
laid down by the standard specification available matters us the most, therefore they are given utmost
foremost concern while designing and selection of the consideration.
parts. Besides performance, consumer needs of
serviceability and affordability were also kept in III. ROLL CAGE DESIGN
concern which we got to know through the internet
research and reviews for all terrain vehicles. The Roll Cage can be called as skeleton of a vehicle,
primary objective of the frame is to provide a 3- besides its purpose being seating the driver, providing
dimensional protected space around the driver that safety and incorporating other sub-systems of the
will keep the driver safe. Its secondary objectives are vehicle, the main purpose is to form a frame or so
to provide reliable mounting locations for called Chassis.
components, be appealing, low in cost, and low in IV. MATERIAL OF THE ROLL CAGE
weight. Material selection of the chassis plays crucial part in
providing the desired strength, endurance, safety and
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International Journal of Mechanical And Production Engineering, ISSN: 2320-2092, Volume- 2, Issue- 4, April-2014

reliability to the vehicle. To choose the optimal d) Side Impact Members (SIM):
material we did an extensive study on the properties The SIM increases chassis stiffness and is a major
of different carbon steel. The procurement team was member that provides protection to the driver in a
directed to get the quote of those steel pipes. We first side-on collision. It is a single piece of tubing with
considered AISI 1018 steel. The strategy behind two bends as shown in Fig. 1. The SIM extends
selecting the material for roll cage was to achieve straight up to the driver’s elbows and then converges
maximum welding area, good bending stiffness, in the front. The LC connecting the SIM in the front
minimum weight and maximum strength for the is a very important member because it is the first
pipes. So, after market analysis on cost, availability member of chassis to be hit in case of frontal impact.
and properties of these two alloys, we finalized AISI It not only protects the driver from frontal impacts
1018 of the following dimensions: but also increases the stiffness of the Roll Cage.

Outer Diameter: 26.7 mm e) Rear Bracing:

Wall Thickness: 3 mm The Rear Bracing encloses the engine, transmission,
Then analyses of the roll cage considering AISI 1018 and rear drive assembly. The rear bracing also
pipes of shown dimensions was done and we got the incorporates an independent rear suspension. The
safe factor more than 2, which justified the selection . main properties of the rear chassis are all constrained
by the driveline. Before the base of the rear was
V. VEHICLE DIMENSIONS designed, the length of the drive axle was considered.
Also the height of the lower rear roll cage is defined
A wider track width at the front than at the rear will by the rear suspension mounting points. From this
provide more stability in turning the car into corners point the rest of the rear roll cage is designed.
decreasing the tendency of the car to trip over itself
on corner entry and more resistance to diagonal load To check the accommodation of driver in the roll
transfer. Wheel Base is 1600mm and Track Width is cage design made, the team took two more days to
1550mm. This has been chosen to ensure better make a dummy cockpit using Poly Vinyl Chloride
balance and straight-line stability. This has also pipes. The driver was seated to check out the
created ample space for the driver and other systems. comfortably and front visibility from the vehicle.
After this test two major changes were done in the
VI. ROLL CAGE COMPONENTS design:

The components used to design the Roll Cage, their i) Two front members were removed and its
functions and designing procedure is mentioned replacement was done by adding supports.
below: ii) The dimensions of the car were changed by a small
ratio.[4]
a) Rear Roll Hoop (RRH):
The RRH was the first section of the chassis to be VII. MECHANICAL PROPERTIES
designed. It is angled back at 100° angle to provide
the driver with the most natural sitting position • Density (×1000 kg/m3) -7.7-8.03
possible. It consists of four sections of tubing welded • Poisson's Ratio -0.27-0.30
on the ends. The Rear Roll Hoop Lateral Diagonal • Elastic Modulus (GPa) -190-210
Bracing (LDB) keeps the RRH from deforming and • Tensile Strength (Mpa) -440
increases overall stiffness of the chassis. Two lateral • Yield Strength (Mpa) - 370
members have been used for support and mounting • Elongation (%) -28.2
points for seat belts and engine. • Reduction in Area (%) -55.6
• Hardness (HB) -156
b) Roll Hoop Overhead (RHO): • Impact Strength (J)IZOD -61.7
The RHO is welded to the RRH. The RHO provides
the appropriate head room for a 6 feet 3 inch driver VIII. DRIVER ERGONOMICS
with additional 6 inch clearance.
For the purpose of driver comfort/ergonomics an
c) Lower Frame Side Members (LFS): assembly was imported to AUTO CAD software.
The LFS is welded at the bottom of the RRH as This assembly included the roll cage of the car, seat,
shown in Fig. 1. The width of LFS keeps on steering system and the driver. The driver was placed
decreasing along the length. This provides maximum in order to mimic the actual situation during the race.
driver space and at the same time it reduces the size Using AUTO CAD:
of the vehicle. The Lateral Cross (LC) Member joins Proper pedal positioning is ensured for easy
the LFS in the front. The width of the LC member is operation of pedals by driver
selected so as to accommodate the three pedals
comfortably.

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International Journal of Mechanical And Production Engineering, ISSN: 2320-2092, Volume- 2, Issue- 4, April-2014

Posture of driver is examined so that any of his

body parts does not interface with the proposed
design of Chassis
Finally a simulation was done in AUTO CAD
Ergonomics Analysis to ensure that driver could get
out of the car within 5 seconds in case of emergency.

EX

FIG. Driver ergonomics[5]

IX. FINITE ELEMENT ANALYSIS OF ROLL

CAGE

After completing the design of the Roll Cage, Finite

Element Analysis (FEA) was performed on the Roll
Cage using ANSYS 13.0 to ensure expected loadings
do not exceed material specifications. Beam 188
element was selected with the cross section as the X. SUSPENSION
dimensions of pipe. The meshing was done globally
with a size of 3mm and smooth transition in mesh. An ATV is supposed to have the best of the
Ex= 3.65 x 10⁸ N/m² and PRXY= 0.3 was used as per suspension systems than the other categories of
AISI 1018 properties. Standard loads as per Europe vehicles. The unpredictable nature of off-road racing
National Car Assessment Programme (EUNCAP) creates the need for a reliable and efficient suspension
were applied on the key points and the results were system. So the selection of suspension system was a
obtained for Frontal Impact, Side Impact and Roll tenacious task for the team, even the roll cage was
over. designed keeping in concern the position of
suspension mounting points.
Results obtained were not so safe for the Impact so
we added two more members to the roll cage. Finally, Selection of suspensions was based on the criteria of
the maximum stress was found due to Frontal Impact their degree of freedom, roll-center adjustability, ease
on the truss members. It is around 1.74 x 10⁸ N/m² in wheel alignment parameters etc. The suspension
which is within the limits. For other situations also system will be tuned according to the actual needs,
results provided by the ANSYS are within limits. keeping in mind the manufacturing aspects and the
From the results of analysis we conclude that Von nature of loading it will have to suffer.
Mises stresses are within the limits and FoS is always
greater than 2. Hence design is safe. The design goals of the suspension system were:
1. Improve vehicle handling
2. Increase the ride height and total wheel travel
3. Improve durability of components

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International Journal of Mechanical And Production Engineering, ISSN: 2320-2092, Volume- 2, Issue- 4, April-2014

Parameters affected by the lower mounting point are

the speed and the steering ability of the vehicle. Both
of them are equally important for us therefore lower
mounting points of the shocks will be more or less in
the middle of the A-arm. In the rear the shockers are
mounted on the upper arms as it can’t be mounted on
the lower arm as the axle runs between the upper and
the lower arms. Therefore the shocks will be mounted
in the center of the upper A-arms Main features of
Because of inconsistencies in the track each of the our suspension design are
four wheels need to act independently of each other.
For this reason, an independent suspension was 1. We have positioned our roll centers at 81.66 mm
chosen over a dependent one. Among the independent and 114.82 mm above the ground in the front and rear
suspensions MacPherson Strut, Double Wishbone and respectively. These values allow us to minimize
Semi-Trailing Arm were among our chief jacking forces while maintaining acceptable values
considerations.[1] for roll.
2. The ratio of Rear to Front Roll center is 1.44, close
XI. BRAKING SYSTEM to 1.5 which is considered ideal.
3. We have provided Nose dive type roll axis to
An excellent braking system is the most important minimize vehicle roll.[5]
safety feature of any land vehicle. Competition
regulations require at least two separate hydraulic XIII. STEERING
braking systems, so that in the event of a failure of
one, the other will continue to provide adequate The essentials still remaining the same, the
braking power to the wheels. The main requirement importance of the steering mechanism cannot be
of the vehicle’s braking system is that it must be compromised with. The BAJA track consisting of
capable of locking all four wheels on a dry surface. sharp turns and bumpy roads, the stability of the
Ease of manufacturability, performance and system and the response time (Feedback) are vital
simplicity are a few important criteria considered for factors in deciding the vehicles’ run. The Worm and
the selection of the braking system. Sector mechanism, Rack and pinion and the Re-
circulating ball mechanism were among our options
OBJECTIVES to go with. But on consideration of mounting ease,
The goals for the braking system were: simplicity in design and considering that our vehicle
1. Reduce weight in the overall system. is of the compact category; rack and pinion was
1. Increased reliability chosen over the others. The rack and pinion being a
2. Improved performance. [2] simple system; can be easily maneuvered and the
defect, if any, can be spotted and taken care of.
XII. CONTROL ARMS: Moreover the steering wheel and other relevant
apparatus are so placed in the design, for easy
Design for optimal geometry of the control arms is entering and exit of the driver.[3]
done to both support the race-weight of the vehicle as
well as to provide optimal performance. Design of the 1. Steering Geometry:
control arms also includes maximum adjustability in The Ackermann geometry is the easiest to implement
order to tune the suspension for a given task at hand. and has been tested for BAJA vehicles all over the
Also kinematic analysis on the control arms was done globe and hence it was a unanimous choice for the
as shown in the figure below to determine the steering geometry. With Ackermann Steering all four
dimensions of cross-section of control arms wheels of the vehicle pivot around the same point
making sharp turns relatively easy to accomplish.
This ensures that the vehicle tires do not slip during
turns that are sudden.
The major parameters in steering design are,
1. The Caster angle has been adjusted to 50 as it
increases directional stability and handling of the
vehicle in bumpy sections.
2. The Camber is kept negative to ensure maximum
contact of tire with ground during cornering and to
reduce chances of flipping over.
3. Ackermann type of steering geometry ensures
consistent and smoother ride and prevents the
slipping of tires during cornering.
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International Journal of Mechanical And Production Engineering, ISSN: 2320-2092, Volume- 2, Issue- 4, April-2014

4. We have a scrub radius of 44 mm approximately. CONCLUSION:

This is acceptable as it is neither a negative value nor
too large of a positive value. Such a small value will When undertaking design of any vehicle there are
leave the car slightly harder to steer at very low several factors to be considered that are common to
speeds. It is important for this value to be equal on all engineering vehicles. A vehicle must have a
both tires to avoid the car “pulling” to one side. [7] proper scope with clearly defined goal.. With such an
approach, engineers can come up with the best
2. TECHNICAL SPECIFICATION possible product for the society. We are also planning
to conduct a customer needs survey to improve the
vehicle further more. Anything being done for the
first time, few difficulties are sure to come. Further
improvements and a detail design of all other systems
of the vehicle will lead to competitive vehicle. We
hope to come with the best possible final product .

REFERENCES:

[1] Eisler, “Automobile Engineering”

[2] ack Erjavec "Automotive Technology"
[3] ohn Fenton "Handbook of vehicle design analysis"
[4] 2013 Baja SAE Rules, SAE India.
[5] www.wikipedia.com
[6] www.howstuffworks.com
[7] Julian Happian-Smith, “An Introduction to Modern Vehicle
Design: Edited”,
[8] “SAE BAJA 2013 Preliminary Design Report” by Richard
Doley

FINAL DESIGN VIEW OF AN ALL TERRAIN VEHICLE

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