[VIDEO] 2014 Corvette Stingray Revealed: ENGINEERING

In the latest installment of the 2014 Corvette Stingray preview videos from Chevrolet, the focus is on the engineering and specifically the aluminum frame that is now produced in the new body shop at the Corvette Assembly Plant in Bowling Green.

We’ve heard more than once that the Corvette Stingray’s design and engineering started with a blank piece of paper and perhaps that is no more evident than the design and engineering that went into the aluminum frame.

Watching the video, we hear from Corvette’s Chief Engineer Tadge Juechter, Body Shop Launch Engineer Jonathan Andrews and Engineering Group Manager Ed Moss, who all talk about the different mindset needed from the engineering group to pull off the new Corvette Stingray.

The C7’s frame is just 99 pounds lighter than the previous generation’s frame, but the new process allows it to be nearly 60% stiffer. Juechter describes that benefits of that stiffness and says that “with a structure so strong, it feels like it was carved from a sheet of granite.”

And speaking of strengths and stiffness, the engineers also talk about the materials used like carbon fiber and a “carbon nano hybrid” material. All those composite materials combined with the aluminum in the frame saves 40 kilograms (88 lbs) over today’s C6 Corvette according Ed Moss. Juechter says that “using carbon fiber and other materials that don’t expand and contract, we can tighten up the gaps.” Jeremy Clarkson will be so pleased!

During the video, we see a lot of automotive engineering eye candy including the new frame jig that is constantly rotating, spot welding and other mechanizations that occur during production. But our favorite view is the camera mounted to the assembly line as it follows a C7 being assembled.

Source:
Chevrolet’s YouTube Channel

Related:
2014 Corvette Stingray’s Aluminum Frame Provides Weight Savings and a Stiffer Ride
[VIDEO] 2014 Corvette Stingray – Enemy of the Same
[VIDEO] 2014 Corvette Stingray Revealed: EXTERIOR DESIGN