4 answers
alberto
Student
Rock Hill, South Carolina
1
Question
Updated
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what is the most important stuff to learn when engineering vehicles ?
engineering cars
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4 answers
Sonal Priya
Product Engineer - Specialist
9
Answers
Portland, Oregon
Updated
Sonal’s Answer
Hi Alberto,
There are so many different things to learn during engineering vehicles or automotive engineering. All of them are very broad topics to learn and could easily be categorized as an engineering major themselves. Some of the most common ones are -
1. Powertrain engineering - To understand how the vehicle will run, diesel, electric, hybrid or any other alternate fuel to be used. Which of the fuel will give good fuel economy, meet emission norms, etc.
2. Application type- Where the vehicle will be used primarily, on-highway, off-highway? Load which it will have to carry? How many passengers should it be suited for?
3. Design - how the car will look like? It's outer structure, doing different kind of analysis to design a robust car, decide on material and weigh, etc.
4. Body in white- how the car's frame have joined together using one or a combination of techniques such as welding, clinching, riveting, etc.
5. Vehicle Dynamics - understanding how vehicle's forward movement changes in response to propulsion system, ambient conditions. Braking system, noise and vibrations.
There are so many different things to learn during engineering vehicles or automotive engineering. All of them are very broad topics to learn and could easily be categorized as an engineering major themselves. Some of the most common ones are -
1. Powertrain engineering - To understand how the vehicle will run, diesel, electric, hybrid or any other alternate fuel to be used. Which of the fuel will give good fuel economy, meet emission norms, etc.
2. Application type- Where the vehicle will be used primarily, on-highway, off-highway? Load which it will have to carry? How many passengers should it be suited for?
3. Design - how the car will look like? It's outer structure, doing different kind of analysis to design a robust car, decide on material and weigh, etc.
4. Body in white- how the car's frame have joined together using one or a combination of techniques such as welding, clinching, riveting, etc.
5. Vehicle Dynamics - understanding how vehicle's forward movement changes in response to propulsion system, ambient conditions. Braking system, noise and vibrations.
Chi Wai Cheung
Management consultant
4
Answers
New York, New York
Updated
Chi Wai’s Answer
A few others to add to Sonal's points:
CAD (Computer Aided Design) is how cars and components are designed using software, to create virtual models of the cars - learning a CAD tool would be a great and fun way to get started! FreeCAD is free. Professionals use tools like SolidWorks (there are student licenses) and CATIA.
Mechanical engineering - is all about learning the principles and key ideas of how physical things mechanically work. It answers questions like, how do engines work? How do you design a lightweight car that is also safe? What kind of metals and materials should be used?
Electrical engineering - is all about learning how to make electronics work. For example, how do you make the lights work? How do you control the engine and tell it what to do?
Aerodynamics engineering - is all about learning how to make cars use the air around it to move in the desired way? Note that I didn't say to make the car move as quickly as possible... because aerodynamics can be used for other reasons too! For example, the McLaren MP4-12C supercar uses aerodynamics to slow the car down and keep it balanced during braking. The Zenvo TSR-S uses aerodynamics in an even more interesting way, using it to help the car blast around corners by using active aero.
Combination of different types of engineering - is combining all three types of engineering (and others!) to design a vehicle, and is why I think engineering and designing cars is so fun :). Often times you will need to combine ideas and knowledge of mechanical, electrical, aerodynamics, and others together to come up with a good solution. There will be lots of trade-offs to consider; do you create a super aerodynamic car? If you so, then how will you have enough room to house all the mechanical parts? And can you use electronics to control the mechanical parts, so that they can be positioned better and be more aerodynamic?
Then add in ideas around aesthetics (how the car looks), the dynamics (how it feels to drive - does it "drive like a van" or a "race-car"?), the cost (how much will it cost to make?), the reliability (how well does it hold together), the safety, and more, and vehicle engineering really starts to become super interesting!
Tip:
* spend time around cars! Ask a relative if you can see their car, or help them if they work on their own cars. Work summer jobs at garages (I did this! At 16 I asked a garage to let me sweep their floors for free just so I can be around cars; they saw I was interested and hardworking, and started teaching me and letting me learn and work on cars for free)
Learn to use CAD software
Study engineering courses at school. Physics, maths, and electronics are really good subjects to learn too
Join automotive engineering clubs at your school - at college, there is a great thing called Formula Student where you can learn how to build race-cars
CAD (Computer Aided Design) is how cars and components are designed using software, to create virtual models of the cars - learning a CAD tool would be a great and fun way to get started! FreeCAD is free. Professionals use tools like SolidWorks (there are student licenses) and CATIA.
Mechanical engineering - is all about learning the principles and key ideas of how physical things mechanically work. It answers questions like, how do engines work? How do you design a lightweight car that is also safe? What kind of metals and materials should be used?
Electrical engineering - is all about learning how to make electronics work. For example, how do you make the lights work? How do you control the engine and tell it what to do?
Aerodynamics engineering - is all about learning how to make cars use the air around it to move in the desired way? Note that I didn't say to make the car move as quickly as possible... because aerodynamics can be used for other reasons too! For example, the McLaren MP4-12C supercar uses aerodynamics to slow the car down and keep it balanced during braking. The Zenvo TSR-S uses aerodynamics in an even more interesting way, using it to help the car blast around corners by using active aero.
Combination of different types of engineering - is combining all three types of engineering (and others!) to design a vehicle, and is why I think engineering and designing cars is so fun :). Often times you will need to combine ideas and knowledge of mechanical, electrical, aerodynamics, and others together to come up with a good solution. There will be lots of trade-offs to consider; do you create a super aerodynamic car? If you so, then how will you have enough room to house all the mechanical parts? And can you use electronics to control the mechanical parts, so that they can be positioned better and be more aerodynamic?
Then add in ideas around aesthetics (how the car looks), the dynamics (how it feels to drive - does it "drive like a van" or a "race-car"?), the cost (how much will it cost to make?), the reliability (how well does it hold together), the safety, and more, and vehicle engineering really starts to become super interesting!
Tip:
* spend time around cars! Ask a relative if you can see their car, or help them if they work on their own cars. Work summer jobs at garages (I did this! At 16 I asked a garage to let me sweep their floors for free just so I can be around cars; they saw I was interested and hardworking, and started teaching me and letting me learn and work on cars for free)
Chi Wai recommends the following next steps:
Arjun Dave
Consulting
2
Answers
New York, New York
Updated
Arjun’s Answer
There are a lot of things that can be helpful in learning about vehicles --
1) Theory / Physics -- sometimes refered to as the vehicle dynamics part of a car. (stuff like how does a car turn a tight corner).
2) Mechanical Engineering - things like understanding how a steering wheel works. Or how a chassis is strong enough to support all the various forces it is exposed to.
3) Software / Electrical Engineering -- most modern day cars have complex electrical systems too (think about a newer car that has a screen controlling everything). This can be a great field to begin learning about cars.
1) Theory / Physics -- sometimes refered to as the vehicle dynamics part of a car. (stuff like how does a car turn a tight corner).
2) Mechanical Engineering - things like understanding how a steering wheel works. Or how a chassis is strong enough to support all the various forces it is exposed to.
3) Software / Electrical Engineering -- most modern day cars have complex electrical systems too (think about a newer car that has a screen controlling everything). This can be a great field to begin learning about cars.
Dennis Taylor
Self-employed
88
Answers
Columbus, Indiana
Updated
Dennis’s Answer
Hello Alberto,
I just read three previous replies to you queston, and they are very good answers. As you can see, a lot depends on what part of the vehicle you are interested in.
I will add another area or two that perhaps were not addressed by my colleagues - how to actually build the vehicle, and how to keep it running. These topics come under the headings of "manufacturing" and "service." Manufacturing is the branch of engineering that figures out how to source, fabricate and assemble the product. A related topic is how to service or repair the vehicle once it is in use. A company might build and sell a very nice automobile or truck, but if you can't fix it, it won't be worth as much as one that can be repaired or rebuilt. Your automobile might run well for 100- or 200 thousand miles. Commercial vehicles ofter run a million miles or more during their service life. Many systems of the vehicle must be repaired or replace over that span of miles and time.
I hope you find the niche that interests you, Alberto.
Get to know engineers working in this field. If possible, shadow them during a typical work day.
Read some technical magazines on this topic - you can find several on-line, like "Fleet Owner". Or go to your local library to find vehicle-related magazines or books. Try Society of Automotive Engineers - become a student member.
I just read three previous replies to you queston, and they are very good answers. As you can see, a lot depends on what part of the vehicle you are interested in.
I will add another area or two that perhaps were not addressed by my colleagues - how to actually build the vehicle, and how to keep it running. These topics come under the headings of "manufacturing" and "service." Manufacturing is the branch of engineering that figures out how to source, fabricate and assemble the product. A related topic is how to service or repair the vehicle once it is in use. A company might build and sell a very nice automobile or truck, but if you can't fix it, it won't be worth as much as one that can be repaired or rebuilt. Your automobile might run well for 100- or 200 thousand miles. Commercial vehicles ofter run a million miles or more during their service life. Many systems of the vehicle must be repaired or replace over that span of miles and time.
I hope you find the niche that interests you, Alberto.
Dennis recommends the following next steps: