The schism be may be that the exoskeleton is not the final layer of the structure.
Elon at reveal:
Design differentiation:
"This is the fundamental design change where we move the mass to the outside. We created an exoskeleton. So normally, the way that a truck is designed you have a body on frame. You have a bed on frame. And the body and the bed don't do anything useful. They're carried like cargo like a sack of potatoes. "
Load path using the bed and cabin:
Analogy:
"It was the way that aircraft used to be designed when they had biplanes basically. The key to creating an effective monoplane was a stressed skin design. You move the stress to the outside skin. "
Implementation:
"It allows you to do things that you can't do with a body on frame. So we're able to make the skin out of thick ultra hard stainless steel"
Yes, he used skin twice back to back, but I say it's in different contexts: "we're able" not "we made". With a ladder frame, what would happen to rigid planar sheet metal under chassis torque? Either it would be ripped loose (didn't yeild), oilcan (flex), or crease/ oilcan (yeild).
The rigid exoskeleton enables a rigid beauty surface. Additionally, If this were a normal monocoque, any dents/ creases could severely undermine the vehicle structure.
No ladder, no spine, no problem. Here is the exoskeleton:
The doors can't be static load elements (questionable for dynamic also), so the majority of the central cabin structure was never based on the stainless outer skin.
Thanks for coming to my TED talk, follow me at
Investor Engineering Discussions
And let me know where you think the hitch attaches (rear subframe? )
Elon at reveal:
Design differentiation:
"This is the fundamental design change where we move the mass to the outside. We created an exoskeleton. So normally, the way that a truck is designed you have a body on frame. You have a bed on frame. And the body and the bed don't do anything useful. They're carried like cargo like a sack of potatoes. "
Load path using the bed and cabin:
Analogy:
"It was the way that aircraft used to be designed when they had biplanes basically. The key to creating an effective monoplane was a stressed skin design. You move the stress to the outside skin. "
Implementation:
"It allows you to do things that you can't do with a body on frame. So we're able to make the skin out of thick ultra hard stainless steel"
Yes, he used skin twice back to back, but I say it's in different contexts: "we're able" not "we made". With a ladder frame, what would happen to rigid planar sheet metal under chassis torque? Either it would be ripped loose (didn't yeild), oilcan (flex), or crease/ oilcan (yeild).
The rigid exoskeleton enables a rigid beauty surface. Additionally, If this were a normal monocoque, any dents/ creases could severely undermine the vehicle structure.
No ladder, no spine, no problem. Here is the exoskeleton:
The doors can't be static load elements (questionable for dynamic also), so the majority of the central cabin structure was never based on the stainless outer skin.
Thanks for coming to my TED talk, follow me at
Investor Engineering Discussions
And let me know where you think the hitch attaches (rear subframe? )