What is Automobile

What is Automobile l Introduction l Objectives l Definition l Classification of Vehicles l Components of Automobile l Braking System l Hydraulic Braking System l

Introduction

Automobile engineering is one of the best stream of mechanical engineering. It deals with various types of automobile engineering, mechanism of their transmission systems and its applications. Automobiles are a variety of vehicles used for the transport of passengers, goods, etc.

Basically all types of vehicles work on the principle of internal combustion processes or sometimes engines are called internal combustion engines. Different types of fuel are burnt inside the cylinder at high temperature to achieve high transmission speed in vehicles. Most automobile systems are only vehicles with internal combustion engines.

Therefore, every mechanical engineer and automobile engineer must have knowledge of automobile engineering, its mechanisms and its various applications.

Objectives

• After going through this unit, you should be able to

• Define automobile engineering,

• Classify vehicles,

• List the various components of an automobile, and

• Describes the functions of the components of an automobile

Definition

Automobile engineering is that branch of engineering that deals with everything about automobiles and the practices for moving them. An automobile is a vehicle powered by an internal combustion engine and used for the transport of passengers, goods, and for riding on land. Automobile can also be defined as a vehicle that can be moved by itself. Example: Car, Jeep, Bus, Truck, Scooter etc.

Classification of Vehicles
Automobiles or vehicles can be classified on various grounds as given below:

1.Based on load

• Heavy Transport Vehicles (HTV) and Heavy Motor Vehicles (HMV), eg. Truck, Bus, Car, Jeep etc.

• Light Transport Vehicle (LTV), eg. Pickup, Station Wagon, etc.

• Light Motor Vehicle (LMV), eg. car, jeep etc.

2.Wheels

• Two wheeler type, eg: scooter, motorcycle, scooty, etc.

• Three wheel drive vehicles, eg: auto rickshaws, three wheeler scooters and tempos for handicapped etc.

• Four wheelers eg: Car, Jeep, Truck, Bus, Tempo etc.

• Six wheeler vehicles, eg: large trucks having two geared axles each driving four wheels.

3. Fuel Used

• Petrol vehicles, eg. Motorcycle, Scooter, Car, etc.

• Diesel vehicles, eg. truck, bus etc.

• Electric Vehicle (EV) which is the battery used to drive.

• Steam vehicles, eg. An engine that uses a steam engine. These engines are now obsolete.

• Gas vehicles, eg. LPG and CNG vehicles, where LPG is Liquefied Petroleum Gas and CNG is Compressed Natural Gas.

4. Body

On the basis of body the vehicles are classified as follows:

• Two door sedan

• Four-door sedan

• station wagon

• Variable, eg. jeep, etc.

• Vanu

• Special purpose vehicles, eg. Ambulance, milk van, etc.

5.Transfer

• Conventional vehicles with manual transmission, eg. 5 gear car.

• semi auto

• Automatic: In an automatic transmission system, there is no need to manually change gears. It automatically changes according to the speed of the automobile vehicles.

6. Engine Position

front engine

Most vehicles have the engine at the front of the vehicles. Example: Most of the cars, buses, trucks, jeeps, tempos in India.

engine in rear side

Very few vehicles have the engine at the rear. Example: Nano Car.

Automobile Parts

Automobile systems can be thought of as consisting of five basic components:

• Engine or Power Plant: This is the source of the power plant.

• Frame and Chassis: It supports the engine, wheels, body, braking system, steering etc.

• Transmission that transmits power from the engine to the wheels of the car. Consists of clutch, transmission, shaft, axle and differential.

• Body.

• Accessories include Lights, Air Conditioner/Hearer, Stereo, Wipers etc.

Braking System

A brake is a mechanical device that stops motion, slows or stops a moving object, and stops its motion. The remainder of this article is devoted to the different types of vehicle brake systems.

Typically brakes use friction between two surfaces pressed together to convert the kinetic energy of the moving object into heat, although other methods of energy conversion may be employed. For example regenerative braking converts this energy into electrical energy, which can be stored for later use. Other methods convert kinetic energy into potential energy in stored forms such as pressurized air or pressurized oil. Eddy current brakes use a magnetic field to convert the kinetic energy in the brake disc, fin or rail into an electric current, which is converted into heat. Still other braking systems transfer kinetic energy in various forms, for example by transferring energy to rotating flywheel energy.