Tri Cross Beam

Made with Solidworks 2014.

The Tri Cross Beam design removes two of the transversal pieces in favour of diagonal supports between the remaining three bars.

The overall design results in reduction of twelve fixings (four fixings to the structural support, four fixings to the static converter, and four fixings to the battery box).

The beams themselves are I-beam designs to resist sagging and bending in the vertical direction. Following that, the diagonal beams help to resist shear, compression, and tension on the horizontal plane.

With holes patterned into the beams, weight savings are achieved without significantly compromising the structural integrity. The resulting component is approximately 80 kg which is roughly a 72 % weight saving on the original 282.5 kg design.

While I cannot give an exact number on the total cost saving, the weight saving will decrease the cost of the raw materials used and the reduction of fixings will decrease the cost of labour to install the component. These factors combined will create a very tangible overall cost saving on this component.