SINCE passenger-car bodies cannot practically be designed to meet the abnormal stresses of collision, normally needed rigidity is a major design criterion for the modern body.
Bodies must be stiff enough, the author points out, not to respond easily to the excitation caused by vibration of the unsprung mass of wheels and suspensions, but not too stiff to ride comfortably.
Recent trends toward more glass area and lower body height have increased the importance of determining body loads and structural requirements. Discussed here are some of the ways in which these factors are investigated, and the results which have been achieved.