Land Rover chooses hydroformed structure for Discovery 3 chassis frame

Assembly Automation

ISSN: 0144-5154

Article publication date: 1 December 2004

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Citation

Kochan, A. (2004), "Land Rover chooses hydroformed structure for Discovery 3 chassis frame", Assembly Automation, Vol. 24 No. 4. https://doi.org/10.1108/aa.2004.03324dab.005

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Emerald Group Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2004, Emerald Group Publishing Limited


Land Rover chooses hydroformed structure for Discovery 3 chassis frame

Land Rover chooses hydroformed structure for Discovery 3 chassis frame

Keywords: Vehicle, Assembly, Automotive industry

Land Rover's is introducing a hydroformed chassis frame on its new Discovery 3 sport utility vehicle. It is the first time the company has applied the technology.

Four of the 140 components that make-up the complete chassis are hydroformed. They are the complex-shaped longitudinal side members, which start off as welded tube of nominal 3 mm thickness and subsequently hydroformed at pressures of up to 1,310 bar (Plate 3).

Once hydroformed, the side members have holes cut in them by laser. These are the holes required for the mounting of components such as fuel lines and air suspension pipes. The complete frame is then assembled using laser welding. This involves a total of 65m of laser welded seam. The chassis frame is then painted both inside and out. Automatic laser sensing is then used to inspect each frame before it starts the body-in-white assembly process.

Plate 3 Land Rover factory

Land Rover has subcontracted the entire chassis frame production process to a joint venture that Dana and GKN have set-up specifically for the Discovery 3 project. Known as Chassis Systems Ltd, the new company has installed the high-tech chassis frame production facility in Telford.

According to Land Rover, hydroforming allows for a much greater variety of shapes and sizes than conventional tooling, and also allows for tighter tolerances, greater precision and reduced weight. It is especially useful for single large components, which would otherwise be made from multiple stampings, bolted or welded together. The flexibility of hydroforming also allows engineers to design an optimum frame shape, unencumbered by conventional production compromises, Land Rover explains. The Discovery 3 side members, for instance, are much more curved than a conventional ladder-frame, allowing for width in the centre section but a tapered front, which improves the turning circle.

Land Rover started full production of the Discovery 3 in July 2004, following an investment of $300 million at its Solihull production facility. A totally new body shop constitutes the largest single investment. It is highly robotised providing a level of automation of 70 percent. A major renovation of the trim and final assembly shop was also necessary.

The Discovery 3 is based on a new vehicle platform dedicated to the Land Rover brand. Two further derivatives of the current design are already in the pipeline. The platform, composed of the chassis frame and vehicle underbody, features eight master location points: four at the front and four at the rear. Any derivative will incorporate the same front master locators and possibly the rear ones too, depending on the wheelbase. The new body shop is flexible enough to produce all three derivatives at the same time, says Steve Haywood, Chief Programme Engineer.

Anna Kochan

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