AIN SHAMS UNIVERSITY

FACULTY OF ENGINEERING
AUTOMOTIVE ENGINEERING DEPARTMENT

MCT 311

‫مقدمة األوتوترونيكس‬
311 ‫همك‬

Prof. Dr. Moussa Said

Automotive Engineering Department
September 2019
 INTRODUCTION TO AUTOTRONICS (PART 1)
Contents

CHAPTER I: Ground Vehicle Types ……………………………………………………………………………. 2

CHAPTER II: Vehicle Main Systems………………………………………………………………….………… 17

CHAPTER III: Propulsion Systems …………………………………………………………………………...…. 38

CHAPTER IV: Braking Systems………………………….…………………………………………………………… 50

CHAPTER V: Suspension Systems …………………………………………………………………………..…… 65

CHAPTER VI: Steering Systems …………………………………………………………………..………………… 80

REFERENCES……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 95

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CHAPTER II: VEHICLE MAIN SYSTEMS

2.1 Introduction

No invention in modern times has had as much of an impact on

human life as the invention of the automobile. It has become an
important influence on the history, economy, and social life of
much of the world. Automobiles reach into every aspect of society,
from the design of our cities to such personal uses as vacation
travel, dining, and shopping. Mass-production techniques, first
developed for the automobile, have been adapted for use in nearly
every industry. Meanwhile, dozens of industries depend, directly
or indirectly, on the automobile. These industries include
producers of steel and other metals, plastics, rubber, glass, fabrics,
petroleum products, and electronic components.

Hundreds of individual parts make up the essential components of

the modern automobile. These parts are arranged into several
systems, each with a different function. Each system is necessary
for making the automobile run, keeping it safe, and reducing noise
and pollution. The major systems of an automobile are the engine,
fuel system, exhaust system, cooling system, lubrication system,
electrical system, transmission, and the chassis. The chassis
includes the wheels and tires, the brakes, the suspension system,
and the body.

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2.2 Vehicle Main Systems

The above-mentioned systems will be found in every form of motor

vehicle and are designed to interact with and support each other.

A Vehicle can be considered as a Control System with Several

inputs and several outputs.

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2.3 VEHICLE OPERATIONAL UNITS

2.3.1 POWER UNIT: AUTOMOTIVE ENGINES

The main source of power in a road vehicle is the engine. The

power is available from the engine crankshaft after a fuel, usually
gasoline, is burned in the engine cylinders. Most automotive
vehicles are powered by a spark-ignition four-stroke-cycle internal
combustion engine. Some passenger cars and trucks have diesel
engines. Automotive engines can be supercharged or
turbocharged, which may increase engine power up to 50%. This
enables a small engine to perform like a naturally aspirated larger
engine. Thus, the power of a car may vary no matter what the size
of the car may be.

Horsepower is the common unit of power. Power is the rate at

which work is done. Because the power of the car is described in
horsepower, it must be converted to watts in order to get the
international unit. One horsepower is equivalent to 746 watts.

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2.3.1.1Classification of Internal Combustion Engines (ICE):

ICE can be classified as follows:

➢ Based on ignition method: Compression Ignition and Spark
Ignition
➢ Based on the No. of Cylinders: Single-, Double- and Multi-
Cylinder
➢ Based on the Cylinder Arrangement: Vertical-, Horizontal-, V-
Engines
➢ Based on Engine Location: Front-, Mid- and Rear-Mount
➢ Based on fuel Used: Petrol-, Diesel- and gas-Engines
➢ Based on No. of Strokes: Two- and Four-Stroke Engines

[Link] Engine Location: The engine is typically placed in one of

three locations. In most vehicles, it is located as the front of the
vehicle, in front of the passenger compartment. Front-mounted
engines can be positioned either longitudinally or transversely
with respect to the vehicle. The second engine location is a mid-
mount position between the passenger compartment and rear
suspension. Mid-mount engines are normally transversely
mounted. The third, and least common, engine location in the rear
of the vehicle. The engines are typically opposed-type engines.

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[Link] Basic Engine Parts

Cylinders: The cylinders are the core of your engine. Most cars
have more than one, and they can be arranged in a single row
(inline), at an angle to each other (V), or horizontally opposite one
another (flat).
Spark plug: This supplies the spark that ignites the air/fuel
mixture.
Valves: Your intake and exhaust valves let in the air and fuel and
let out exhaust fumes. Both valves are closed during the
compression and combustion strokes.
Piston: This is the cylindrical piece of metal that moves up and
down inside the cylinder.
Piston rings: These seal the outer edge of the piston and the inner
edge of the cylinder. They keep the air/fuel mixture and exhaust in
the combustion chamber from leaking out during compression and
combustion. They also keep oil from leaking into the cylinder.
Crankshaft: The crankshafts convert the up-down motion of the
pistons into a circular motion.
Connecting rod: The connecting rod connects the piston to the
crankshaft. It rotates at both ends so that its angle can change as
the piston moves and the crankshaft rotates.

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Engine Four-Stroke Cycle

➢ Four separate piston strokes are needed to produce one cycle:

1. intake stroke (Admission)
2. compression stroke
3. power stroke
4. exhaust stroke
➢ The piston must slide down, up, down, and up again to complete
one cycle.

[Link] Engine Air-Fuel System

Internal combustion engines require fuel in order to run and motor

vehicles are thus equipped with a fuel system that keeps the engine
supplied with the correct amount of fuel, for all operating
circumstances. The main components of the fuel system are:

Fuel Tank: It acts as the reservoir for the vehicle's fuel. The tank
has an electronic "trigger" that conveys information concerning
the amount of fuel to the gas gauge.

Fuel Pump: Its primary function is to draw fuel from the fuel tank
and pump it into the internal combustion engine. There are two
kinds of fuel pumps: mechanical and electric, which are used in

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vehicles with carburetors and electronic fuel injectors,
respectively.

Fuel Filter: It is fixed in both the ends of the fuel pumps to

separate impurities from the fuel, thereby ensuring optimal engine
performance.

Fuel Injector: It is an electronic valve that opens/closes at regular

intervals to deliver the right amount of fuel to the engine.

Carburetor: Its main purpose is to mix the right amount of air and
fuel and deliver it to the engine. The carburetor is the predecessor
of the fuel injector.

The fuel system of any car is not a standalone part, there are lots of
electronic and mechanical parts on a modern motor that work
along with the fuel pump. Systems such as the air sensor and
emission control system, work along with the fuel system to
properly control the fuel supply to the motor.

[Link] Engine Lubrication System

The engine lubrication system is to distribute oil to the moving

parts to reduce friction between surfaces. An oil pump is located
on the bottom of the engine. The oil is pulled through a strainer, by
the oil pump, removing larger contaminants from the mass of the
fluid. The oil then forced through an oil filter under pressure to the
main bearings and the oil pressure gauge.

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From the main bearings, the oil passes into drilled passages in the
crankshaft and the big-end bearings of the connecting rod. The oil
fling dispersed by the rotating crankshaft lubricates the cylinder
walls and piston-pin bearings. The excess oil is scraped off by the
scraper rings on the piston. The engine oil also lubricates camshaft
bearings and the timing chain or gears on the camshaft drive. The
excess oil in the system then drains back to the sump.

[Link] Engine Cooling System

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A car engine produces a lot of heat when it is running, and must be
cooled continuously to avoid engine damage. Generally, this is
done by circulating coolant liquid usually water mixed with an
antifreeze solution through special cooling passages. Some engines
are cooled by air flowing over finned cylinder casings.
A pump , driven by a pulley and belt from the crankshaft , drives
hot coolant out of the engine to the radiator , which is a form of heat
exchanger . Unwanted heat is passed from the radiator into the air
stream, and the cooled liquid then returns to an inlet at the bottom
of the block and flows back into the channels again.
Usually the pump sends coolant up through the engine and down
through the radiator, taking advantage of the fact that hot water
expands, becomes lighter and rises above cool water when heated.
Its natural tendency is to flow upwards, and the pump assists
circulation.
Later cars have a sealed system in which any overflow goes into an
expansion tank , from which it is sucked back into the engine when
the remaining liquid cools.

[Link] Exhaust System

An exhaust system is usually piping used to guide reaction exhaust

gases away from a controlled combustion inside an engine or stove.
The entire system conveys burnt gases from the engine and includes

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one or more exhaust pipes. Depending on the overall system design,
the exhaust gas may flow through one or more of:

• Connection to Exhaust manifold

• Oxygen Sensor Port
• Flexible Joints
• A catalytic converter to reduce air pollution.
• A Resonator to prevents chassis rattling
• A Muffler to reduce noise.
• Tailpipe

2.3.2 POWER-TRANSFER ASSEMBLY: AUTOMOTIVE

DRIVETRAIN

The drivetrain of a motor vehicle is the group of components that

deliver power to the driving wheels. This excludes the engine or
motor that generates the power, in contrast to, the powertrain.

Components of the Drivetrain are:

• Clutch

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 • Gearbox
• Propeller Shaft
• Axle Drive
• Drive Wheels

[Link] Clutch System

Because the engine spins all the time, but the car's wheels do not, a
clutch is needed. The clutch allows us to smoothly engage a
spinning engine to a non-spinning transmission by controlling the
slippage between them.

[Link] Gearbox

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The function of any transmission is transferring engine power to
the driveshaft and rear wheels (or axle half shafts and front wheels
in a front-wheel-drive vehicle). Gears inside the transmission
change the vehicle's drive-wheel speed and torque in relation to
engine speed and torque. Lower (numerically higher) gear ratios
serve as torque multipliers and help the engine to develop enough
power to accelerate from a standstill.

[Link] Propeller Shaft

propeller shaft, is a hollow steel component underneath the vehicle

that transmits torque and rotation from the engine to the wheels.
They are most commonly found on vehicles that have rear-wheel
drive and 4-wheel drive.

[Link] Final Drive Unit

The final drive unit has three functions to perform: it gears down
the speed of the propeller shaft to a suitable road wheel speed, it
divides the transmitted torque from the engine between the two
driving wheels and, except in the case of a transverse engine, it
turns the drive through a right angle, transferring it from the
propeller shaft to the driving wheels.

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2.3.3 THE MECHANICAL SYSTEMS

[Link] Steering System

The steering system converts the rotation of the steering wheel

into a swivelling movement of the road wheels in such a way that
the steering-wheel rim turns a long way to move the road wheels a
short way. The system allows a driver to use only light forces to
steer a heavy car.

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[Link] Suspension System

Suspension is the system of springs, shock absorbers and linkages

that connects a vehicle to its wheels and allows relative motion
between the two. Suspension systems must support both road
holding/handling and ride quality, which are at odds with each
other. The tuning of suspensions involves finding the right
compromise. It is important for the suspension to keep the road
wheel in contact with the road surface as much as possible, because
all the road or ground forces acting on the vehicle do so through
the contact patches of the tires. The suspension also protects the
vehicle itself and any persons, cargo or luggage from injury,
damage and wear. The design of front and rear suspension of a car
may be different.

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[Link] Braking System

A brake is a mechanical device that inhibits motion by absorbing

energy from a moving system. It is used for slowing or stopping a
moving vehicle, wheel, axle, or to prevent its motion, most often
accomplished by means of friction. Most brakes commonly use
friction between two surfaces pressed together to convert the
kinetic energy of the moving object into heat.

Friction brakes on automobiles store braking heat in the drum

brake or disc brake while braking then conduct it to the air
gradually. When traveling downhill some vehicles can use their
engines to brake.

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[Link] Wheels and Tires

A tire is a ring-shaped component that surrounds a wheel's rim to

transfer a vehicle's load from the axle through the wheel to the
ground and to provide traction on the surface traveled over. Most
tires, such as those for automobiles are pneumatically inflated
structures, which also provide a flexible cushion that absorbs
shock as the tire rolls over rough features on the surface. Tires
provide a footprint that is designed to match the weight of the
vehicle with the bearing strength of the surface that it rolls over by
providing a bearing pressure that will not deform the surface
excessively.

A wheel is a round object with a hub and an axle. A tire is the rubber
part of a wheel that grips the road.

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2.3.4 SUPPORT AND LOAD-BEARING STRUCTURE VEHICLE
BODY

[Link] Body

[Link] Side Impact Protection

[Link] Frame

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2.3.5 ELECTRICAL SYSTEMS

[Link] Engine Ignition System

[Link] Engine Starting and Charging System

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[Link] Lights

[Link] Data transmission Systems

The Vehicle Transmission System is used for the secure collection

and communication of automobile sensor data. Sensors are used
to monitor automobile conditions such as speed, brake action,
distance traveled and location. The collected data is protected and
automatically uploaded to a server using a cellular network after
the occurrence of an event. The uploaded automobile data can then
be used to enhance awareness of the automobile’s actions.

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[Link] Comfort and Convenience Systems

Ever increasing road traffic demands the full concentration and

attentiveness of drivers. For this to be possible, drivers must be
able to rely on the safety, comfort and convenience functions of
their vehicles. Vehicles electronics provide many opportunities for
increasing driving safety and performing tasks for drivers that
otherwise could distract them from road traffic.

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