The students will be able to recognize and distinguish the main solutions adopted for the construction of a vehicle structure, and they will be able to demonstrate a knowledge of the relative mechanical characteristics and the consequent effects on the vehicle system level. The students will also develop an awareness of the basic concepts of car body design.

The students should already have a basic knowledge of machine design and applied mechanics. The students should also be familiar with the methods used in the structural design. A strong ability in the methods and instruments used for computer aided design and engineering would also be beneficial.

The subject is based on 39 hours of lectures and 21 hours of practice. Part of the practice is carried out with the help of a computer. The subject syllabus includes the following topics: Introduction - requirements and functions of the road land vehicles with particular attention to the structural aspects Structural integrity - types of structures used (non-unitized body, unitized body) in the main vehicles classes on the market. Description and analysis of their design and manufacturing features - study of the loads applied to the structure (external loads, internal loads) and their effects - study of simplified models for functional analysis of vehicle frame subjected to different types of load - bending and torsional stiffness Vehicle body design: - ergonomics and space use As part of the vehicle body design, hints on the following topics will be also provided: - dynamic loads - aerodynamic loads - acoustic and vibration behaviour Safety - definition of preventive, active and passive safety - passive safety: analysis of the international standards used for type approval and rating tests - crash tests - simplified models for crash - introduction on impact energy absorbers - front structure configuration.

The subject is made up of frontal lectures and practices. Part of the practice is carried out with the help of a computer. A part of the practice provides for the practical application of guidelines for vehicle body design. The other parts of the practice provide for the study and the analysis of some of the main structural components of a vehicle. These analyses are carried out also with the aid of calculation software.

The book suggested for the subject is “La carrozzeria vol. I&II” by Morello, Pia, Rosti Rossini, Tonoli; Levrotto & Bella. The material used during the lectures and the practice will be available for the students of the subject by means of the Portale della Didattica. Additional reference books and further notes can be suggested by the teaching staff during the course.

Lecture slides; Lab exercises; Multimedia materials;

Exam: Written test; Compulsory oral exam; Individual project;

The methods used to verify the learning consist of an exam divided in two parts: a written test and an oral interview. Moreover, it is strictly forbidden the use of any device which allows a web connection. The duration of the written exam is not more than 2 hours. The maximum score of the written exam is 27/30. The written test is made up of 4/5 open questions. The questions may concern both the theory part and the practice part of the lectures. During the written test the use of notes, books or handouts is forbidden. The oral exam will be held after the correction of the written test. It is divided in two parts: • the first part is dedicated to review the written test. The teacher shows the criteria used for the correction and he can ask for clarifications about what was written by the student during the written test. At this stage, the student can review the corrections and clarify any doubts on the score expressed by the teacher. Moreover, the teacher can ask to student clarifications or further details on the topics of the written exam. • in the second part of the oral exam the student presents and discusses a technical presentation. The technical presentation is based on the notions learnt during the lectures and the practice carried out during the semester. The technical presentation is the results of the individual work of the student on those notions. On the technical presentation the main design criteria of vehicles are applied on real cases with data provided by the teaching staff. The presentation has to be prepared before the exam. The maximum score of the second part of the oral exam is 4/30. The presentation used in this phase has to be submitted to the teacher in advice of the exam date. At the beginning of the semester the lecturer will define a deadline for the submission of the presentation which must be respected. If the deadline will not be respected, a penalty of 1 point on the score of the written test will be applied. To take part to the oral exam it is necessary to get a score equal or higher than 18/30 in the written test. The points of the technical presentation are added to the score of the written test. In this way, the final evaluation of the exam is defined. The exam is passed if the score is equal or higher than 18/30. The scores higher than 30/30 will be registered as 30 cum laude. If the presentation will not be submitted, it will not be possible to take part to the second part of the oral exam. Consequently, the score of the written exam after deducting the penalty, becomes the final score of the exam.

In addition to the message sent by the online system, students with disabilities or Specific Learning Disorders (SLD) are invited to directly inform the professor in charge of the course about the special arrangements for the exam that have been agreed with the Special Needs Unit. The professor has to be informed at least one week before the beginning of the examination session in order to provide students with the most suitable arrangements for each specific type of exam.