This paper spotlights the design and development of an aluminium chassis for the new Lotus Elise. It highlights the benefits of using aluminium extrusions and the reasons for choosing bonding as opposed to welding. The assembly process is described. It is marked out how the maintenance and repair drawback of a bonded design can be overcome. It is noted that the largest proportion of Lotus' sales actually come from engineering and consultancy services. The Lotus group decided that the chassis of the new Elise sports car should be made, as far as possible, from aluminium extrusions. Aluminium is much lighter than steel and, as a result, the space frame on the Elise at 68 kg is about half the weight of an equivalent one of steel. The use of extrusions gives cost savings. The tooling to achieve complex-shaped extrusions costs only a few thousand pounds. Tooling cost is a signifiant factor considering that Lotus is a low-volume car producer. Current plans are to produce 750 Elises a year. One benefit of an extrusion ist that it can be made thick in some areas and thin in others to give components the strength required exactly where it is needed. The design of the extrusions and the design of the chassis are specially adapted to the bonding process. Adhesive and rivets are used to join the aluminium components. Maintenance and repair of the new Elise chassis is not quite as easy as with steel. Should such a chassis be damaged in an accident, it cannot be repaired by any back-street garage. The bonding conditions are too exacting for that. The Elise chassis has been so designed that extra bolt holes have been formed in those areas susceptible to damage. These holes are there so that a plate can be bolted on to the existing structure to compensate for the damage. In the event of a serious collision, the body and the chassis can be separated and whichever is beyond repair can be replaced. It is possible that the Elise chassis structure with bonded aluminium extrusions will be adopted by volume car manufacturers.
Lotus: aluminium extrusion and adhesives
Die Entwicklung des Aluminiumfahrgestells für den neuen Lotus Elise: Aluminium-Strangpressen und -klebstoffe
Assembly Automation ; 16 , 4 ; 19-21
1996
3 Seiten, 3 Bilder
Aufsatz (Zeitschrift)
Englisch
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