Abstract
Chassis is one of the most important parts of a vehicle, which is the primary supporting structure of a vehicle where other parts are attached to. Pioneer research indicates that chassis tends to receive excessive loads, and possibly causes undesirable behavior such as cracks or major failure. Several other studies have also shown interest on the influence of certain materials on chassis behavior when receiving load, however not specifically discussed. Based on these studies, it can be concluded that further research on chassis needs to be performed to produce research data for future consideration in assessment and development of the chassis design of a vehicle. Several subjects which can be research opportunity in terms of vehicle chassis are the effect of variations in the thickness of the developed chassis, the influence of different materials, and the effect of the value of the force applied on the strength. This paper aims to assess behavior tendency of the alternative urban vehicle chassis by Bengawan Team under certain operational factor which is external load, and internal factors i.e. material and dimensions. Assessment of these parameters will be performed on the alternative urban vehicle chassis which is a designed vehicle by college students of Universitas Sebelas Maret to participate in a national energy-efficient car contest held by the Ministry of Research, Technology and Higher Education, Republic of Indonesia. Modeling and numerical analysis is conducted using finite element approach by Autodesk Fusion 360 software. The acquired results of this study indicate reduction trends occur in strength as the thickness of the material decreases. In terms of loads, changes in load distribution is spotted in several cases due to differences in the value of the load, and based on the material, the difference in material strength causes variation of force distribution to the front and rear directions of the chassis.