Chateau Caravans
Project: body engineering & weight optimisation
In this project for Chateau Caravans and the Tirus Group, Modesi investigated the feasibility to reduce the weight of the complete caravan's construction. The motive for this project is the rising fuel price, which leads to an increased number of cars with smaller and less powerful engines. This is in conflict with the trend that caravans are getting heavier due to the use of luxury products. In order to stay competitive, especially in the low and midrange market, weight reduction is required.
The objective of the study is a weight reduction of at least 10%. The imposed restrictions are a limited cost price increase and the use of the present production facilities. The choice of materials may change but using currently used materials will make changes easier to accept and quicker to implement.
The conclusion drawn from this study is that it is feasible to reduce weight by more than 10%, while the current materials and facilities can be used. Optimization areas can be found throughout the whole caravan, meaning chassis, walls and interior. This results not only in a lighter body, but also in increased stiffness.
The next step will be the realization of a prototype in which all recommendations are implemented. The optimised body can then be submitted to the same testing program as is used for the existing caravan body.
