184002550 - INTRODUCTION - PANELS AND FRAME

CONSTRUCTION FEATURES

Introduction

The subjects have been developed, documenting, above all, the technical innovations, useful for overcoming the various tests set by the new legislation, assisting the description and teaching aspects, limited to providing minimal ideas, rules and precautions.For information on repair techniques and vehicle technical data, refer to the descriptions in the specific sections in the Repair Manual.

Aerodynamics

The style of the new vehicle, featuring an extremely personalized and original design, has concentrated on developing the high levels of versatility, comfort, functionality and strength already achieved with previous models.The front section, the side panels with glazed areas, the joined surfaces, the rear section and the underbody have all been designed with special attention paid to the aerodynamic profile and have made it possible to achieve the following results: The following values are given as an example:

Basic trim level version:

  • drag coefficient Cd = 0.32
  • area drag coefficient CD x S = 0.7574
These figures are the results of road tests and measurements carried out in the wind tunnel.These are excellent figures which, in addition to giving fuel savings, contribute to the quietness of the vehicle with significant reductions in aerodynamic noise.

Safety

The main aim of car manufacturers is undoubtedly the complete safety of the driver and passengers.To adapt the vehicle to market regulations, both European and world wide, which have become very exacting, the new vehicle has been designed with care taken over every detail in order to respond in the best possible way to all situations.

Torsional and bending strength

Specifications

The high torsion and bending strength of the vehicle, in addition to endowing the vehicle with excellent passive resistance properties, also translates into manifold advantages:

  • less noise thanks to fewer vibrations;
  • no creaking from the trims;
  • improved driveability, keeping the suspension angles correct; extremely precise driving with a sensation of a firm ride and great comfort;
  • – increased resistance to failure caused by the use of the vehicle over particularly uneven roads;
  • the sensation of a compact car;
  • maintenance in time of the overall qualities of the vehicle.

Torsional rigidity

Torsion deformation diagram
Torsional strength valuesBody with bonded windscreen: 1290 kgm/mm

Bending strength

Bending deformation diagram
Bending strength valuesBody with bonded windscreen: 755 kgm/mm

SAFETY

Preventative safety

This involves all those factors which determine the comfort of driving conditions and allow situations which could distract the attention of the driver to be prevented:

  • extremely rigid bodyshell for greater driving safety;
  • optimum engine mountings (barycentric type) to keep transmission of vibrations and noise to a minimum;
  • climate control system (if applicable), fitted with a pollen filter, with balanced distribution throughout the passenger compartment which, thanks to the arrangement of the vents, allows an excellent exchange of air and comfort;
  • optimum visibility conditions thanks to the extensive glazed area;
  • specially shaped rear light clusters which give optimum light and signalling functions;
  • the layout of the steering wheel (optionally height-adjustable), the pedals, the main controls and the warning lights has been carefully thought out to obtain a good balance between the driving position and the ease of reaching these controls;
  • height adjustable steering wheel (where applicable) allowing the ideal driving position to be found;
  • generous dimensions of the interior spaces allow the necessary comfort for the occupants of the vehicle;
  • abundant use of sound insulation materials and the adoption of special solutions for anti-vibration fixings to lower the mechanical noise and ensure quiet driving;
  • interior fittings which conform to the most stringent regulations governing flammability.

Active safety

This is represented by the features of the vehicle and the specific components which allow critical moments when driving the vehicle to be overcome

The following contribute to the active safety of the vehicle:

  • excellent driving stability and dynamic handling of the vehicle;
  • excellent braking system;
  • good acceleration.

In this field, the vehicle adopts solutions which include:

  • front suspension which guarantees good control both for normal and sports driving, allowing precise driving and control of the vehicle, even in the wet and on surfaces with poor grip, an immediate and precise response and a capacity to absorb obstacles and uneven road conditions;
  • torsion beam rear suspension designed to offer better handling performance. The torsion beam ensures ideal suspension torsional rigidity for an excellent balance between car front and rear;
  • smart bushes attach the rear axle to the body. These allow minimal self-steering modulated by bush stiffness;
  • new design electric steering (where fitted) designed to allow a precise, immediate response in all situations;
  • braking system, designed to ensure braking power and safety free from fading, consisting of two independent crossover circuits. an ABS/EBD system, which is the most advanced braking control system currently available with 4 channels and 4 active sensors which reduce the implementation times and an E.B.D. device (Electronic Brake Force Distribution) which makes it possible to dispense with the load proportioning valve.
  • integral traction control device ESP with ESP/ASR/HHC functions (where applicable).

Passive safety

Since, statistically, above 60% of accidents involve frontal impacts, 30% side impacts and the remaining 10% include bumps, fires and overturning, the structure of the vehicle has been designed and developed with crumple zones which absorb the energy developed during an impact without affecting the survival space inside the passenger compartment.The seat and seat belt mountings have been reinforced in order to protect the occupants of the vehicle (three branch available for the centre rear seat).There is a dual stage protection system, fitted as standard, for the occupants of the front seats which includes a driver''s Air Bag, seat belt pretensioners with load limiters, a passenger Air Bag (which can be manually disabled using the ignition key in aa barrel in the right dashboard panel), a decentralized additional frontal impact detection sensor located near the bonnet lock which assists the main electronic control unit to anticipate the intervention of the Air Bags compared with the conventional system cancelling the risk of minor injury resulting from the activation of the Air Bags, in addition to the optional extras available for the vehicle such as Side Bags for the driver and front passenger and Head Bags which extend under the roof along the left and right sides protecting the occupant''s heads from any side impacts.The model is also equipped with ISOFIX attachments at the rear seats for transporting the smallest passengers in safety.
In the case of operations to the bodyshell, if the structural reinforcements are distorted they must always be replaced.

Resistance to frontal impacts

General characteristics

The differentiated strength bodyshell has strengthening reinforcements for the survival chamber to resist frontal impacts to ensure the indestructibility of the passenger compartment, offering maximum protection for the occupants and keeping the effect of the impact to a minimum.

The following are the main operations which have been carried out to the bodyshell to achieve the proposed objectives:

  • differentiated strength front structure with reinforcements in the struts, designed to crumple in a pre-set fashion absorbing and distributing the force of the impact to the structure thanks to the connecting front crossmember which also allows non central impacts to be absorbed.
  • reinforcements in the side members and the side pillars connected by a box section crossmember under the windscreen which ensures the transverse rigidity of the passenger compartment joining the side panels at waist height;
  • reinforcements under the floor panel, which increase the solidness and the strength of the floor, limiting deformations as far as possible;
  • adoption of bonnet lid retaining hooks and telescopic, collapsible steering column.
A further function of absorbing and distributing the force of the impact is carried out by the engine mountings which discharge the forces to the front frame and avoid excessive loads on the passenger compartment.These features of the structure, together with the retention systems and energy absorbing internal parts, allow the car to achieve a high degree of safety and pass the tests envisaged in the standards.

Components

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1 Front crossmember connecting struts2 Bonnet retaining hook3 Centre pillar exterior element4 Centre pillar reinforcement5 Centre pillar interior element6 Side pillar reinforcements7 Headlamp carrier front crossmember8 Box section crossmember under the windscreen9 Reinforcement on struts10 Longitudinal reinforcements under the floor

Resistance to side impacts

General characteristics

As far as resistance to side impacts is concerned, the bodyshell has been designed to conform to the most recent European regulations and is capable of guaranteeing a high level of safety with special crumple zones in the case of an impact which ensure the passenger survival cell protecting the occupants.

The above has been achieved by:

  • reinforcing the side members under the door between the front pillars and the centre pillars;
  • reinforcing the centre and rear pillars at the attachment points to the side members, the anchorage points of the seat belts and the areas of the lock strikers;
  • inserting a box section einforcement crossmember between the underdoor side members.
A further important element in resistance to side impacts consists of the doors which are described below.

Components

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1 Side member reinforcement under the door2 Reinforcement crossmember between the underdoor side members

Structure of the doors

General characteristics

The structure of the doors is of fundamental importance for the safety of the passengers in the case of side impacts, and has therefore been designed with optimum geometry and rigidity of the door panels to complete the capacity to maintain the survival cell and keep possible injury of the occupants to a minimum. The door structure is supported by a carrier that holds all components such as electric windows, door catches, internal door opening handle speaker in place so the door can be opened after the front and rear impact tests required by the law.

This has been achieved by:

  • adopting tubular impact beams and waist reinforcements along the line of the pillars, so completiing an ideal high-strength door surround;
  • adopting high resistance locks and strikers;
  • using energy absorption internal door liners with no sharp edges, designed to ensure the minimum impact with the occupant in the case of an accident;

Components

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1 Waist reinforcements2 Pillar reinforcement3 Tubular side impact bar

Structure of the roof

General characteristics

The particular structure of the roof confers greater strength on the passenger compartment contributing to the safety of the passengers both in the case of a side impact or if the vehicle overturns which, although only involving a small percentage of accidents, is one of the most dangerous types.

The following increase the solidity of the structure of the passenger compartment:

  • transverse connecting box sections between the side panels by the top part of the windscreen and the tailgate;
  • structural adhesive sections along the edges of the upper windscreen and tailgate compartment box sections.
These solutions allow optimum resistance levels in the static and dynamic crushing and overturning tests laid down by European regulations.

Components

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1 Windscreen upper box section crossmember2 Tailgate upper box section crossmember3 Roof panel4 Upper rail

Resistance to rear impacts

General characteristics

The resistance to rear impacts is very high and exceeds the tests established by the most stringent European regulations.

This is ensured by:

  • reinforced rear box section crossmember;
  • reinforcements in the attachments between the rear crossmember and the pillars;
  • tailgate with reinforced frame;
  • reinforced rear wheel arch liners and side frame.

Components

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1 Left rear side member2 Right rear side member3 Side member connection beam4 Rear crossmember

WINDSCREEN AND WINDOWS

A further contribution to safety is provided by the fixed windows.A stratified windscreen has been adopted to increase the safety of the vehicle. This solution means that if the windscreen is affected by stonechipping or is hit by an object and shatters, visibility is maintained and a high degree of protection is offered in the case of impact with the head.The windscreen is bonded t
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