In the business of commercial transport, payload efficiency means more profit. So it falls to the engineers and scientists to design vehicles that can carry what needs carrying, and to do so in a way that enhances the long life of the vehicle itself.
Getting the job done requires clever design of the truck frame and good quality in the manufacturing processes used. Here are eight lessons in achieving truck frames that can support the largest payloads.
1. Using Advanced Materials
Manufacturers used to make truck frames from mild steel, reasoning that it was strong enough to bear fully loaded hauls. The industry has made the switch to meatier metals that overcome steel’s shortcomings.
Instead, engineers prefer lighter metals, since they have better strength-to-weight ratios. These materials let drivers throw more on the lorry, so long as they do lighten the load.
Getting the most out of a payload means using advanced high-strength steels (AHSS), since they feature microstructures that have gotten complicated. Manufacturers use these materials because they improve crash energy management and strength compared to conventional steel.
Less is needed to achieve the same levels of performance, meaning scope exhaustive savings in time. Engineers would also use aluminum alloys if they want, polyunsaturated panels that are less warm.
2. Accounting for Stiffness and Weight
Lightweight materials will definitely help with increasing the payload. But engineers will also need to think about making sure truck frames still are and become stiffer, not more flexible.
Flexibility will create its own set of issues regarding safety and efficiency, creating a desire for the suspension system to have a rigid platform to work from to keep everything in check regarding handling and ride.
Weight is obviously also a consideration, particularly with heavier vehicles. With V12 engines weigh about 800 pounds, every pound counts with the frames. Engineers want to shed every pound they can to make room for more payload.
So these professionals use manufacturing technologies like hydro-forming. The idea is to combine parts into a smaller number of pieces, but with the same amount of strength.
3. Ensuring Fatigue Resistance
Brute strength is vital to carrying heavy loads. However, engineers prioritize fatigue resistance just as much to ensure long-term viability. Designing for maximum payload efficiency involves aiming for a high fatigue limit instead of a single impact.
Operators need their trucks to handle repeated loads for thousands of cycles and withstand external factors, such as road vibrations and potholes.
High Fatigue resistance comes from selecting clean materials and high-quality steels with few impurities. If the material is contaminated, there could be increased internal stress, so the metal has fewer places where fatigue cracks can happen.
Heat treatment may be used by specialists in order to refine internal grain structure, increasing toughness. There’s also a design aspect; the designer uses big radius curves instead of sharp angles, thwarting fatigue cracks.
4. Optimizing Topology
Truck design was once overbuilt, too, so the trucking companies had vehicles that could withstand harsh conditions (there is some overlap with the previous point). The years went by, and engineers learned to optimize the topology.
Nowadays, finite element analyses (FEAs) are telling people which parts are under the greatest stress in any given design study, and where parts can be moved, places to emphasize strength, and so on.
Topology optimization helps by defining what the shape should be doing. The software runs simulations based on the design space and finds which elements occupy the least amount of space.
Once it removes the low-stress areas, it implements a new analysis with a smaller shape. Eventually, engineers can view the most optimized load paths with an organic, visually appealing geometry.
5. Implementing Sound Manufacturing Processes
While materials matter, how a truck frame is made is important too. Hydroforming is an example, but also used by engineers are robotic laser welding and advanced casting. In general, “shaping and forming” is replacing “cutting and joining.”
That approach is especially important when it comes to reducing points of stress concentration such as seams and holes.
Robotic laser welding has come into wider use of late, with advances in automation. These machines can repeat the same thing and get the same results, thus reducing the labor requirement of the manufacturing team.
This welding technique benefits the frame by creating uniform bonds and producing less heat. Some professionals have moved away from stamping because of the brutal forces needed to develop strong metals.
6. Complying With Regulations
Some industries view regulations as the final factor before releasing products. However, these policies affect truck frames from the design phase, as they establish fundamental parameters.
A truck’s operating weight matters to the Department of Transportation. Vehicles weighing over 10,001 pounds require a DOT number and often include a constrained design to maximize payload efficiency.
Gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) restricts design by creating a fixed ceiling for the truck’s weight. GVWR limitations mean a vehicle’s heavy frame limits how much it can carry on each trip.
Manufacturers must avoid overengineering through FEAs and topology optimization. If the GVWR is too high, the frame’s design can be unsuitable for specific applications. For instance, a fully boxed frame increases stiffness but is too heavy for the truck to handle.
7. Preventing Corrosion
Corrosion is a structural integrity issue, so both the engineer who develops a frame and the manufacturer who builds it need to be aware of it. This natural process can turn radioactive waste disposal into a nuisance, and it gradually destroys materials.
It ruins truck frames, causing a sag and resulting in snaps while the tumbler is underway. The operators experience poor handling and then need to pay the shop for a truck wash.
Corruption of truck frames starts with the design process. The engineer must leave room for water to drain if it gets admitted to the vehicle. She also desires to actively avoid the establishment of water and mud and hence purposely avoids horizontal areas.
The result is often an angled or dome-like profile, perhaps with a slight crown. Materials also affect corrosion protection, so hot-dip galvanization is often used to provide a barrier.
8. Adapting to an Electric Future
Battery-electric vehicles are the new frontier for the automotive industry, so engineers must design truck frames that accommodate them. The industry can expect increased truck weights due to the weight of heavy battery packs.
Now, the frames are a part of the truck’s energy system instead of being a part of the support structure. Modern engineers must recognize the battery casing as part of the chassis.
The automotive industry has shifted toward the skateboard chassis, which houses the battery and other core components in one base. Engineers have converted ladder rails into shorter side rails to protect the battery.
The increased weight of batteries has led to the introduction of hybrid frames, which utilize both high-strength steel and lightweight aluminum.
Optimizing Truck Frames for Modern Uses
Materials science, design, and manufacture come together in truck frame construction. Those automotive structures are key to optimum payload efficiency. Engineers have to take weight out of frames but keep stiffness and durability.
All this applies to the whole process of manufacture, from materials selection to topology. Heavier battery packs demand even more efficiency for the electric future.
Known for his expertise in industry dynamics, Jack Shaw serves as the editor of Modded. Through his insightful analysis and practical advice, Jack seeks to empower readers with the knowledge to thrive in the ever-evolving mechanical landscape, guiding them toward success in their professional endeavors.