Basic terms used in automobile engineering

Term Used in Automobile Engineering

AUTOMOBILE: self-propelled vehicle. The vehicle that produces power within its propulsion is known as the automobile. For, e.g., Motorcycle, car, heavy truck, etc.….

SPEED: Distance/time.  Change in the distance divided by time.

MOTION: action or process of moving, or you can say a change in body or object position over time. You are well known that everything on this planet is in motion.

DISPLACEMENT:  change in the distance over time from one point to another.

VELOCITY:  velocity is nothing but the speed of a vehicle in a given direction.

ACCELERATION: it is vehicle capacity to gain speed. Acceleration is nothing but a change in velocity. Sometimes while traveling, you have undergone the feeling of a sudden rise or drop in speed of the vehicle; this was acceleration.

It has two types:

1. Linear Acceleration: when you are sitting in-plane and experience back force on your body or while driving a car, you put a bigfoot on the accelerator, and you feel the same. This is linear acceleration. It always is in line, the straight path only.

2. Angular Acceleration: while you are sitting in the back seat and suddenly feel bending of a body due to a turning of the vehicle is called angular acceleration. This also produces centrifugal force in a vehicle.

MOMENTUM: momentum is a product of the mass and velocity of a vehicle. The standard unit is Kg.M/S.

For easy understanding, let consider an example of moving a vehicle of 2000kg with a speed of 30m/s. If you are driving, the momentum of a vehicle relative to your body is zero at the time. But the momentum of the vehicle changes to 60000Kg.M/s. Concerning you when you stand by the side of the highway.

                                           Momentum: mass * Velocity.

                                      Angular momentum: Momentum* Radius of momentum.

FORCE: Mass * Acceleration.

IMPULSE: change in momentum of force* time

PRESSURE or STRESS: force/area.

WORK or ENERGY: force* displacement.

POWER: Workdone/ time.

TORQUE: the ability of an engine to do work. It is a Tractive force available at the point of contact between the rear wheel tires and the road. More generally, torque or moment of force or moment of a couple is equal to force* perpendicular distance.

FRAME: frame from the supporting base for the mechanical component, engine, and vehicle body mounting.

  Conventional Frame: Consist of rectangular boxed cross-section channels to support suspension engine etc. These are still used in a truck. It is supported on a wheel axle through spring.

    Frameless Construction: in an integral construction, there is no frame, and all mechanical components are attached to the body itself. The chassis, floor, and body are assembled by welding from many mild steel pressings. This design reduces vehicle weight, decreases cost, improves fuel economy, and increases damage costs during an accident.

POWER UNIT: power unit in an automobile is an engine. That produces specific torque to propel vehicles.

FRONT AXLE: front axle is the part on which the front wheel is mounted and is attached to the suspension system through various components such as a damper, control arms, coil spring. It also provides space for engine accommodation.

REAR AXLE: rear axle is a component part on which differential gear assembly is mounted to change a vehicle's speed. It also supports rear wheels and body weight.

Brakes: Brake is used to stop rotating wheel using friction.

UNIVERSAL JOINT:  to enable constant velocity or constant rotary motion from an engine to the rear wheel. The universal joints on each side of the drive shaft on the rear wheel give the drive train some flexibility. It is also called universal coupling, U-joint, or hooks joint.

PITCH ROTATIONAL DIRECTION: rotation around a lateral axis within a vehicle that changes the vertical direction of a vehicle's front or rear.

    

    YAW: rotational movement around a vertical axis that passes through the car's center of gravity.

      ROLL: The steering effect occurs when loads within the vehicle transfer from side to side, allowing the axles to move from their normal parallel relationship.

CAD: COMPUTER AIDED DESIGN: the use of a computer and specialized software to design modifies, simulate and analyze the design o a vehicle and its subcomponents.

CAM: COMPUTER-AIDED MANUFACTURING: using a specially configured computer that monitors manufacturing process automation and can make adjustments to avoid bottlenecks and optimize production throughout times.

CORROSION: corrosion is a process where materials are destroyed by a chemical reaction. E.g., oxides and salt in the environment reacting with the metals on vehicles cause rust, a type of corrosion.

CLUTCH: mechanical devices in manual transmission vehicles that disengage the power transmission from the driveshaft and allows the driver to switch gears.

CVT: CONTINUOUSLY VARIABLE TRANSMISSION: automatic transmission system where the transmission ratios are constantly adjusted to provide the best performance and fuel economy.

POWER/DRIVE TRAIN: the components of a vehicle that produces power and delivers it to the surface of the road. This includes the engine, transmission, and other components that assist in transferring power.

DUAL CLUTCH TRANSMISSION: a semi-automatic transmission that uses two separate clutches for odd and even gears that will operate as an automatic transmission during normal driving but gives the driver the manual option shift gears.