Vehicle Design
Vehicle Design
Body
There is only a single welded joint in the new XK coupe body, the one 'cosmetic' joint is on the roof. This has an environmental benefit in that the body construction needs no high electrical current, produces no welding sparks or fumes, and needs no water for cooling. All other joints in the new XK shell are formed using self-piecing rivets applied by hydraulic pressure against a fixed tool. Where access to only one side of the joint is possible, as in some of the new extruded box sections, a new riveting process has been developed; and where particularly high stiffness is required in a joint, a combination of riveting and bonding is used - with the adhesive bond in effect creating a continuos joint which is stronger than a similar, rivetted-only joint. All visible exterior panels are bonded to the underlying structure, and a new automated seam-sealing process seals all relevant areas of the shell before painting, to ensure that no gaps are missed.
In the new XK, a secondary front bulkhead of aluminium and composite materials help reduce noise transmission from the engine compartment and provides a dry area under the bonnet for accommodating electrical components. The new structure also has the benefits in refinement; castings used for the mounting points for the engine, transmission and suspension make those points significantly stiffer, further reducing transmitted noise and helping to improve suspension dynamics. In terms of long-term strength, Jaguar's all-aluminium shell has durability approaching twice that of a traditional spot-welded steel body.
Another major advantage of this lightweight vehicle technology is that all the necessary stiffness is in the structure of the body shell, with a very large rectangular-section side sills. So the convertible, even without a roof, does not need the traditional stiffening panels seen on many other convertibles - meaning no added weight and no penalty in stiffness or refinement.
The new XK's all-aluminium doors are each over 6kg lighter than an equivalent steel door and their mountings are significantly stiffer, which allows for smaller gaps. Mounting the window glass rails directly to the aluminium castings at the front and rear of the door gives better sealing from the frameless layout, and an impressively solid sound seal.
Passenger Safety Cell
Beyond the exceptional body integrity and built-in deformation zones, the all-new XK Aluminium is also available with a host of other safety solutions for protecting pedestrians as well as car occupants. Those include the shape and construction of the bumpers and bonnet, plus a completely new technology, the pedestrian deployable bonnet, (European Models). This is deployed upwards away from its rear edge, in milliseconds, in the event of a pedestrian impact. This forms a safety zone between the bonnet and the engine and other under-bonnet hard areas to reduce significantly the potential for injuries.
Crumple Zone
Safety is another major benefit of this very strong construction method. That is partly inherent in aluminium as a material, which absorbs significantly more energy per kilogramme of material weight than steel when it is deformed. But the strength advantage does not only apply to high-speed impacts, it also means lower-speed accident repair costs are kept to a minimum. The reduction in the number of joints in the new XK further increases strength, and the front of the body is protected by easily replaced 'crush cans' that absorb the energy in impacts up to 15kph.
Contents
This manual includes technical data and information for the Jaguar XK Aluminium range. The information contained within is valid at the time of production and incorporates:
- Who should use this manual?
- Aluminium information
- Category 'A' and 'B' definition
- Equipment
- Panel replacement times
- Fixings
- Bonding
- Tolerances and gap specification
- Body alignment
The methods described for panel replacement operations have been obtained from a study of physical repair operations.
In line with Jaguars continuous improvement programme, information and data contained will be updated periodically.
All activities described within are based on the use of genuine Jaguar Parts, tools and approved materials.