Philip rosenblum at 21:23, 28 June 2006

2006-06-28T21:23:38Z

New page

There are two main types of bodywork:

1) Human Touch Bodywork:

This "bodywork" refers to the touch and/or manipulation of one body by another for healing/health reasons. Most popular in this category are [[massage]], [[chiropractic]], [[osteopathy]], [[Breema]], [[Shiatsu]], and [[Soft Tissue Therapy]].

2) In [[automotive engineering]], the '''bodywork''' of an [[automobile]] is the structure which protects:

* The occupants
* Any other payload
* The mechanical components.

In vehicles with a frame or [[chasis]], the term ''bodywork'' is normally applied to only the non-structural panels, including doors and other movable panels, but it may also be used more generally to include the structural components which support the mechanical components.

==Construction==

Automotive Bodywork

There are three main types of automotive bodywork:

* The first automobiles were modelled on horse-drawn vehicles, and had [[body-on-frame]] construction with a wooden frame and wooden or metal body panels. Wooden-framed motor vehicles remained in production until the middle of the 20th century, for example the [[MG A]] which continued in production until 1962.

* A steel [[chasis]] or ladder frame replaced the wooden frame. This form of body-on-frame construction is still common for [[truck]]s.

* [[Monocoque]] construction, in which the metal body itself provides support as well as protection and there is no separate frame or chasis. Steel monocoque construction is now the most common form of car bodywork.

Less common types include [[tube frame]] and [[space frame]] designs used for high-performance cars. There have also been various [[Hybrid Cars|hybrids]], for example the [[Volkswagen Beetle]] had a chasis, consisting of the floor pan, door sills and central tunnel, but this chasis relied on the stiffening provided by the bodywork, a technique sometimes called ''semi-monocoque'' construction.

Non-structural body panels have been made of [[wood]], [[steel]], [[aluminium]], [[fibreglass]] and several more exotic materials.

==Body styles==

There are several common car body styles:

* Enclosed:
** [[Sedan]], known as a Saloon in British English.
** [[Hard top]]
** [[Coupe]]
** [[Limousine]]
* Open or partly enclosed:
** [[Roadster]]
** [[Convertible]]
** [[Cabrio]]
* Rear door designs:
** [[Station wagon]] or Estate car
** [[Hatchback]]
** [[Liftback]]
* Other:
** Ute, also known as a [[Coupe Utility]] or [[sport utility vehicle]]

==See also==
* [[Body-on-frame]], a general term covering both wooden-frame and steel-chasis vehicles.
* [[Car body styles]] for a more complete list of body styles.
* [[:Category:Car body styles]] for a list of Wikipedia articles on particular body styles.

[[Category:automotive technologies]]

Bodywork - Revision history

Philip rosenblum at 21:23, 28 June 2006