9 BASIC THINGS EVERY MECHANICAL ENGINEER MUST KNOW

1. What does CC mean in Car engine?

Now, cc stands for cubic centimetres - It is a unit to measure the engine's displacement.

This is the measurement of the volume of the engine's cylinders or "compartments".

Now, when you read 200 cc it means the volume of the cylinder is 200 cubic centimeters.

CC can also be expressed in the form of litres. So, 200 cc = 0.2 L engine.

Remember that: 1 cubic centimeter = 0.001 liters = 1 milli liter.

With that you can understand that more cc does not mean more power. So, that brings to the most asked question: Does more cc mean more fuel consumption?

From what I've read, it is generally true that a vehicle with more displacement will have more fuel consumption.

However, there are very many other factors that affect fuel efficiency.

Therefore, by minimizing engine displacement, you will not ensure increased fuel efficiency.

2. What is meant by 'wheelbase' and 'ground clearance' in a car?

Wheelbase:

In a car, there are two rods used to connect the center of the wheels, one on the front and another on the rear.

The distance between these two rods or axles of a vehicle is known as its wheelbase.

This term is generally checked while buying a car to see how much large the cabin is. The longer the wheelbase, the more the interior room in the car's cabin.

Ground Clearance:

It means the distance between the ground (the point where the tire meets the ground) and the under side of the chassis i.e. any parts that aren't designed to touch the ground. The manufacturers generally mention this distance in millimetres or inches in the list of specifications.

High Ground Clearance Vs. Low Ground Clearance:

More the ground clearance, more is the vehicle capable of moving on off-road, bumpy, rough terrains. For this reason, you will generally find that SUVs are designed with high ground clearance.

If the vehicles has low ground clearance will have low center of gravity and that leads to better handling and performance.

A balance between a high and low ground clearance is needed and you'll find this being achieved in the most executive sedans.

3.What does air-cooled engine mean?

As is apparent from the term we are looking at, Air-cooled engines have air circulating over the hot parts of the engine to cool it. Now I can't put a diagrammatic explanation here, but it is pretty clear even with just the theory.

Most cars we use today have modern internal combustion engines.

A great percentage of the heat generated through these engines is released through the exhaust.

The remaining is handled traditionally by using a liquid coolant that is passed through a closed circuit over the cylinder head and engine block.

The liquid coolant absorbs heat and when it reaches the heat exchanger or radiator of the car, it released the heat into air.

Now you may feel that isn't the engine being ultimately cooled by air. Well yes, but because a liquid-coolant circuit was used, this system is called water-cooled engine.

In contrast, the air-cooled engines have the heat generated released directly into the air. Natural air flow plays a big part in this.

4.What is the difference between Multi Utility Vehicle (MUV) and Sports Utility Vehicle (SUV)?

SUV is a term used to denote any vehicle that looks like a station wagon.

They are equipped with four-wheel drive or all-wheel drive.

Their design aims to display superior off-road and towing capabilities and bigger seating capacity.

Example: Mahindra Scorpio, Ford Ecosport, Renault Duster, Toyota Fortuner etc.

MUV is a type of vehicle designed in a shape of van.

They typically allow easy conversion between multiple combinations of passenger and luggage capacity.

Example: Toyota Innova, Maruti Ertiga, Renaulta Lodgy, Honda Mobilio etc.

5. What is the difference between Automatic transmission and Manual transmission?

Automatic transmission have only few select options, like forward, neutral and reverse. Where manual transmission will have complete gear selector.

For buyers, Automatic means a vehicle will select a appropriate Gear by itself as 1st, 2nd or .... as per the vehicle speed and load. where in Manual a driver has to decide and put vehicle in correct gear to move in desired form.

Automatic may have solenoid gear selector or a complex mechanism of overdrive and clutches which we see in luxurious vehicles only.

6. Front and Rear suspension - What do they mean and why are they needed?

First why suspension, between you vehicle body and wheels suspension are the main medium which holds vehicle and make moving when moving wheels. second suspension is for absorbing sudden shocks from round terrain. Each wheel have separate suspension for independent work( minds its for cars only, trucks may have different arrangements)

in every cars there are two axles front and rear. each axles will get two suspension of same type on both the wheels.

For buyers, Front suspension has some difference bcoz front suspension has to modify and adjust as per the turning on front wheel in corners. whereas rear wheels has to Go straight only.

7. What is the difference between 4-cylinder engine and 3-cylinder engine?

4 or 3 cylinder engine - it implies number of cylinder and piston you have in your engine. More number of cylinder means more CC and more power. and also it increases size of the engine.

8. What is drivetrain and powertrain and why is it important?

Powertrain

The powertrain is composed of everything that makes the vehicle move. These components include the engine which generates the initial energy, the transmission that distributes it and produces torque and all the other components of the drivetrain that help to propel the body forward. It can be expressed in terms of a mathematical equation for simpler understanding:

Powertrain = [Engine] + [Drivetrain]

The output from the power sources are controlled by a transmission system and the driveline to deliver torque to the wheels. The circular motion of the crankshaft is transmitted to the rear wheels through the gearbox, clutch, universal joints, drive shafts or propeller shafts, the differential and the axles connected to the wheels.

The application of engine power to the driving wheels through the collaborative effort of each of these components is called the power transmission. All wheel drive vehicles have two sets of these components to distribute the power almost equally to the front and the rear.

Drivetrain

The drivetrain is the part of a motorized carriage that connects the engine and transmission to the wheel axles through a number of other components. Drivetrain consists of all components after the transmission.

9. What is the difference between All-wheel drive and four-wheel drive?

All wheel drive - means the power as explained in power goes from engine to all wheels of a vehicle basically the term uses for multi axle heavy duty trucks or trailer tractors.

Four Wheel Drive- as it says power goes to 4 wheel drive only.

4×4 (also, four-wheel drive and 4WD)

Reflecting two axles with both wheels on each capable of being powered.

6×6 (also, six-wheel drive and 6WD)

Reflecting three axles with both wheels on each capable of being powered.

8×8 (also, eight-wheel drive and 8WD)

Reflecting four axles with both wheels on each capable of being powered.