Car Beauty Knowledge - Overall Structure and Characteristics of Cars - Car Beauty Knowledge - wzkary005 - Hexun Blog

Automobile Beauty Knowledge -- The Overall Structure of a Car

I have worked in the local automobile repair industry for many years, and now I would like to share my experience with everyone.

A car is typically composed of four parts: the body, engine, electrical equipment, and chassis.

1. Body

The body is where the driver works, as well as where passengers and cargo are carried. It should provide the driver with convenient operating conditions, and offer passengers a comfortable and safe environment or ensure that the cargo remains undamaged. A typical truck body includes components such as front sheet metal parts, cab, and cargo compartment; a typical three-box sedan consists of an engine compartment, trunk, and passenger cabin.

2. Engine

The role of the engine is to burn fuel and output power. Most cars use reciprocating internal combustion engines. It generally consists of several parts including the engine block, crankshaft connecting rod mechanism, valve train, supply system, cooling system, lubrication system, ignition system (used in gasoline engines), and starting system.

3. Electrical Equipment

Electrical equipment consists of a power source, engine starting system and ignition system, vehicle lighting and signal devices, etc. Additionally, modern cars are increasingly equipped with various electronic devices such as microprocessors, microcomputers, and various intelligent systems, significantly enhancing vehicle performance!

4. Chassis

The chassis receives power from the engine, enabling the car to move and ensuring it operates normally according to the driver's control. The chassis mainly consists of the following parts:

1) Transmission System: Transmits the engine's power to the drive wheels. The transmission system includes components such as the clutch, gearbox, driveshaft, and drive axle.

2) Running Gear: Connects all assemblies and components into one unit, providing support for the entire vehicle to ensure normal operation. The running gear includes components such as the frame, front axle (non-drive axle), drive axle housing, wheels (steering wheels and drive wheels), suspension (front and rear suspension).

3) Steering System: Ensures the car travels in the direction chosen by the driver, consisting of a steering gear with a steering wheel and a steering transmission mechanism.

4) Braking System: Slows down or stops the car and ensures it can be reliably parked after the driver leaves. Each car's braking system includes several independent braking subsystems, each comprising energy supply devices, control devices, transmission devices, and brakes.

Top Speed of the Car

This refers to the maximum speed a car can achieve on a level, good asphalt or concrete road surface under windless conditions. The top speed specified in the car manual is measured over the last 500 meters of a 1.6-kilometer test section at the highest gear and full throttle. Modern highway sedans have top speeds ranging from 120 km/h to 280 km/h. Specialized racing cars and sports cars can reach or even exceed 400 km/h (some pure speed racing cars are equipped with jet engines, achieving nearly 1000 km/h, requiring a drag parachute when braking!).

Acceleration Time (Acceleration Capability)

This refers to the car's ability to increase its speed during travel, usually expressed in terms of acceleration time and distance. Acceleration capability includes two aspects: standing start acceleration and overtaking acceleration. Standing start acceleration refers to the time required to accelerate continuously through gears from a stationary position to a certain distance or speed. There are two ways to express this: the number of seconds needed to accelerate from 0 to 1 kilometer (or 400 meters, or 1/4 mile); or the number of seconds needed to accelerate from 0 to 50 km/h (80 km/h, 100 km/h, 50 mph). The shorter the time, the better. For compact cars, the 0-100 km/h acceleration generally exceeds 10 seconds; for mid-to-high-end sedans, it is usually around 10 seconds or less. Some race cars and sports cars can achieve 0-100 km/h acceleration in less than four seconds. Overtaking acceleration refers to the time required to fully accelerate from the lowest stable speed of the highest or second-highest gear (such as 30 km/h, 40 km/h) to a certain high speed. During overtaking on roads, the time spent driving alongside the overtaken vehicle is when accidents are most likely to occur, so overtaking acceleration is very important. The quality of overtaking acceleration has a lot to do with the torque characteristics of the engine, which ideally should decrease smoothly from the peak torque point.

Overall Vehicle Performance

In addition to the highest speed, acceleration time, minimum turning diameter, fuel consumption, and wind resistance coefficient, the main performance parameters of a car also include indicators of its off-road capability, such as maximum gradeability, minimum ground clearance, approach angle, departure angle, longitudinal passing angle, etc.

Ground Clearance of the Car

This refers to the distance between the ground and the rigid parts of the vehicle's underside. The minimum ground clearance listed in the car specifications refers to the distance between the ground (flat) and the lowest point of the rigid parts underneath the vehicle. Determining the ground clearance involves factors such as fuel tank height and the lowest profile line of the engine.

Maximum Gradeability of the Car

This refers to the maximum incline a car can climb using the first gear on a good road surface. For off-road vehicles, climbing ability is a quite important indicator because they often need to drive on bad roads or even no roads at all. Generally, they are required to climb slopes of no less than 60% or 30 degrees. For trucks, a climbing ability of around 30% is required. Sedans, with higher top speeds and frequent driving on better roads, do not emphasize climbing ability much; generally, their climbing ability is around 20%.

Minimum Turning Diameter of the Car

This refers to the diameter of the trajectory circle formed by the outermost edge of the outer wheel when the steering wheel is turned to its limit position on a wide, flat area. Since left turns and right turns may differ slightly, the average value is taken from three left turns. The smaller this value, the better the vehicle's maneuverability and flexibility, making it one of the performance indicators where small vehicles can outperform large luxury cars.

Fuel Consumption (Fuel Economy)

"Fuel consumption per 100 kilometers" (in Europe and America, fuel economy is indicated by "miles traveled per liter of fuel") refers to the number of liters of fuel consumed while traveling 100 kilometers. This indicator can be divided into two types. One is the constant-speed fuel consumption per 100 kilometers: the national standard specifies the fuel consumption of a car traveling at a constant speed in the highest gear under rated load on a level, good road. The other is the cycle-condition fuel consumption per 100 kilometers: the fuel consumption of traveling 100 kilometers under a combination of specified typical driving conditions. Manufacturers often advertise the equal-speed fuel consumption rate at economic speeds (this speed can be calculated from the engine's external characteristic curve at the lowest fuel consumption point). The cycle-condition fuel consumption per 100 kilometers is closer to actual driving conditions, and the difference between the two is quite noticeable. Therefore, if the manufacturer claims the car consumes only 6.5L per 100 kilometers but your actual result is 10L, you should understand why.

The article was collected online by the Automobile Beauty Talent Recruitment Network. For automobile beauty talents, please visit China Auto Beauty Talent Network. www.qcmrrc.com