摘要 |
<p>A chassis (10) for a vehicle is disclosed which combines rigidity, speed of manufacture, and an small environmental footprint. Such a chassis comprises a framework (20) of interconnected tubular sections and at least one sheet (50)bonded to the framework. Laser cutting, CNC bending, and computer-controlled welding mean that the required production time can be kept to 120 seconds and the rigidity of the structure as a whole is sufficient. Such a chassis also has an exceptionally low carbon footprint. The sheet can be metallic, such as Aluminium or Aluminium honeycomb, or it can be a composite material such as one comprising a paper-based core and a fibre-reinforced plastics coating. The sheet can be non-flat, and is preferably a concave geometry such as a tub. It can be composed of a plurality of sections, ideally joined by a method allowing a positional tolerance so that any tolerance in the construction of the framework can be accommodated. A corresponding method of manufacturing a chassis is also disclosed.</p> |