A Review of Methods Used to Determine the Overall Stiffness of Unitary Automotive Body Structures

Abstract

A review of the methods that are used to determine the overall stiffness of automotive body structures was conducted. The review showed that the overall stiffness of body structures is affected by the geometry of the body structure as well as the material used to build the body structure. However, only a limited amount of literature was found that demonstrated how the stiffness behaviour of the body structure is affected by the change in geometry or material. It was also found that the deformation and applied load are directly proportional for body structures that are deformed within the elastic range. However, most of the studies have demonstrated this occurrence by considering the loads that are way less than the approximate, real-life running loads. Therefore, there is a need to study the effects of different materials as well as different geometries on the overall stiffness of body structures when considering the approximate real-life load cases, particularly during the early stages of the development of new vehicle body structures.