Fortis Saxonia is
supported by:
Chassis
The total mass and aerodynamics of the vehicle are important issues influencing its design. Both mass and aerodynamic resistance must be minimized in order to achieve a maximum distance. To improve the aerodynamics at a given speed, it is important to minimize the projected frontal area and the cw-value. The chosen form of the chassis shell resembles a half rain drop. This shape guarantees a high aerodynamic efficiency. Besides the shape of the vehicle, its total weight is also a major influence on the amount of hydrogen it will eventually consume. The lighter the vehicle, the more capable it will be of holding a constant speed up steep inclines.
To minimize weight, the chassis was constructed from composite material, allowing a combination of minimal material usage, high rigidity and complex geometry. For the chassis of Sax 1.1 epoxy resin (curable plastics) was used as the matrix material to impregnate the fiber component in hand lay-up. The fiber part of the chassis reinforced material consists of aramid-carbon hybrid twill fabric as the top layer and of two layers biaxial carbon inlay ±45° beneath. The chassis covering top layer made of carbon-aramid-hybrid fabric improves its overall appearance and raises its stiffness.
Different from Sax 1 the chassis of Sax 1.1 is self-supporting. Therefor some areas must carry heavy loads. Those areas are strengthened by t-beams and sandwich elements. The highest stressed areas are additionally reinforced with unidirectional fibers.
The integration of different functional elements like mounting parts for the drive system frame was realized into the sandwich by inducing metal plates. The detachment of holes for windows, doors and other purposes was realized after the resin curing was finished. After an additional reinforcement the left cut parts served to create plastic windows. By this means the windows precisely followed the shape of the chassis. To reinforce the structure of the chassis after cutting and creating window frames, another hand lay-up on the inner side of it was necessary.
