Comment by CastIron888
5 days ago
Not old enough?
How about a steam engine with the front axle bolted to the boiler?
A steam boiler is subject to considerable stresses already and adding dynamic forces to the shell can't be a good idea?
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/42/Kemna_ro...
Heh, that's not a monocoque, but it's definitely directly bolting the engine to one suspension component. WJW. We've come so far.
You can see in the picture the boiler is taking the load of the machine. There is no additional chassis.
That's less frame than a Ducati has between the front and rear wheels.
Without speaking to the wisdom of stressing batteries mechanically, the idea of using drivetrain components as structural members of a vehicle is as old as self-propelled vehicles.
Hell, even a chariot sees the horse taking a part of the vehicle load.
Merely "using drivetrain components as structural members" is not a monocoque, but it's a start.
You're correct on the chariot.
A monocoque incorporates ALL components as stressed members so even a classic Lotus Esprit would fail that strict definition given that both hood and trunk are free-floating cantilevers, but point taken.
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