Interesting article on 2015 materials and design

[OppoLock]

I will totally be coming back to this when I have armchair expert debates with someone about the S550's chassis. ;)

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[opensesame]

This actually made me LOL. Its funny, because as I was reading, i was self reassuring myself, like "yes, torsional strength over predecessor, good gooooood". Then I realize I am like :shrug:

I was reading it, an I am like....

 

[Todd15Fastback]

Meaning Brown Deli Spicy Mustard, not that crappy Yellow Salad junk!:cheers:

You got it!!!

I was reading it, an I am like....

dude...you are on fire with these pictures. I am over here like :lol::lol::lol::lol::lol:

 

[cbrookre]

On one hand I am like... this thread has totally derailed. And on the other hand I am like.. :lol::lol:

 

[DruidBlack]

This is just a conventional platform, No S or Y braces were used and there is a kick-up in the rear. Platform weight savings had to have come from the heavy use of Boron and advanced construction techniques. This Unibody is just a more advanced version of a conventional straight rail.

The Torque-Boxless design may be limited to FWD only because the strut tower in a FWD provides additional support to the firewall. A RWD's towers protrude towards the front.

Removed mass using an advanced shape (explained somewhat), used Boron/Aluminum and used Laser Welding, Hydro-Forming and German Glue.

If the V6 only gained 26lbs from 2014 to 2015, to me, it doesn't look like they even tried to beat the old weights.

Will the GT350 use the Fusion-Style S and Y Braces and eliminate the front torque boxes? They did say the GT350 was completely different from the A-Pillar up. This would include the S and Y Braces if they were present.

The difficulty to develop? Not sure...

I will have to wait and see the "changes" that occurred from the A Pillar up.

Good info... Looks like the S550 still has a looooong way to go as far as material, techniques and advancements go.

Edit: You will see they point out that the Torque Box does indeed transfer the load to the Rockers... Okay... This is basically the tout of the Y Brace (Replaced the Torque Box in the Fusion). The Y Brace eliminated the miter cuts/angles of the straight rail so... What changes did the traditional torque box undergo? I see a ton of what looks like additional support at the firewall/rail intersection. I assume that is future proofing the S550 for a big engine later on. It shouldn't need a beveled sheer plate that size for support. I could be wrong though...

Yes they did say the GT350 was redesigned from A pillar forward.

What strikes me is it is clear the S197 was the basis for this. It's a more advanced design but definitely more evolved than they made it seem.

I also found this interesting: "Overall increase in vehicle size to improve proportions and competitiveness in the segment"

What kind of competitiveness are they talking about? It seems the competition now is to drop weight and reduce size.

 

[Todd15Fastback]

What kind of competitiveness are they talking about? It seems the competition now is to drop weight and reduce size.

The main competitors to the Mustang were always larger, like the Camaro and Challenger. The Challenger is still large with the latest models. The 6th gen Camaro will be smaller but doubt it will be the same size as the '15 Mustang. That is my observation.

The Camaro had to get smaller since it was a good bit larger and heavier than the previous Mustang.

 

[DruidBlack]

Right but it's talking about increase in size to improve competitiveness.

Unless I am reading it wrong, that sounds counter intuitive.

 

[Zeenobit]

On one hand I am like... this thread has totally derailed. And on the other hand I am like.. :lol::lol:

I wonder if the same thing happened when this was being presented in some boardroom at Ford somewhere. People falling asleep and sending meme texts to each other while the presenter was talking about stiffness measurements.

 

[Genxer]

I was hit by the same feeling, 2mm thick seems pretty flimsy. I am not a materials expert by any means and I know they have made a ton of advancement in strength of materials, but man that seems thin!

It's the sum of the parts that matter. Thin metal can be very strong depending on metal type and hardness. There are so many grades of just steel alone, which have varying amounts of specific elements in it.

One nice thing modern car makers have now is CAD. Beyond design, having stress analysis built in allows engineers to pinpoint the desired factor of safety instead of just making an educated guess or just overbuilding it. It's easy to design something big and heavy that won't break but quite another to build it to withstand just enough stress to be safe.

 

[JimmyTwoTimes]

It's the sum of the parts that matter. Thin metal can be very strong depending on metal type and hardness. There are so many grades of just steel alone, which have varying amounts of specific elements in it.

One nice thing modern car makers have now is CAD. Beyond design, having stress analysis built in allows engineers to pinpoint the desired factor of safety instead of just making an educated guess or just overbuilding it. It's easy to design something big and heavy that won't break but quite another to build it to withstand just enough stress to be safe.

One thing I have noticed -- on cars I used to drive built in the 70's and 80's, the body shell could support my weight (i.e., lying down on the hood, sitting on the trunk lid) with no problem. On the Mustang, just leaning against the rear quarterpanels I can feel them flexing and bending.

 

[phil1336]

Despite the fact that this Thread has been both de-railed and hijacked, seeing all these lovely Dog Pics makes it all ok. Just avoid putting condiments unto the "4 legged" variety.

 

[Rich]

Right but it's talking about increase in size to improve competitiveness.

Unless I am reading it wrong, that sounds counter intuitive.

I think it is referring to the overall width of the vehicle, which was increased about 3" in the rear, improving handling and performance (competitiveness). Just my guess.

 

[RubyRed15GT]

Very interesting information. When can we see the crash test results?

 

[Guardstang]

One thing I have noticed -- on cars I used to drive built in the 70's and 80's, the body shell could support my weight (i.e., lying down on the hood, sitting on the trunk lid) with no problem. On the Mustang, just leaning against the rear quarterpanels I can feel them flexing and bending.

I remember older adults joking how thin the sheetmetal was on their new cars during the 1970's--its nothing new.

 

[cbrookre]

I think it is referring to the overall width of the vehicle, which was increased about 3" in the rear, improving handling and performance (competitiveness). Just my guess.

Yes, the "L factor" that was quoted on that page is the mass divided by (torsional (twisting) rigidity multiplied by the "shadow area"). Meaning that calculation looks better with more rigidity and more length times width. If you keep the mass the same but increase rigidity and shadow area then it is more competitive by that measure.

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