9 Basic Things Every Mechanical Engineer Must Know

1. What does CC mean in Car engine?

Now, cc stands for cubic centimeters - 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 liters. So, 200 cc = 0.2 L engine.
Remember that: 1 cubic centimeter = 0.001 liters = 1 milliliter.

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.

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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 is the more the interior room in the car's cabin.
 Ground Clearance:

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 It means the distance between the ground (the point where the tire meets the
ground) and the underside of the chassis i.e. any parts that aren't designed to touch
the ground. The manufacturers generally mention this distance in millimeters 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 vehicle 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.

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 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 has 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 an 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.

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 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 because front suspension has to
modify and adjust as per the turning on front wheel in corners. Whereas rear wheels
suspension has to go straight only.

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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 cylinders 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.

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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.

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