History of Automobile

Presentation by
Dr. A. S. Dhoble
 Introduction
• What is automobile?
An Automobile is a self propelled vehicle which contains the
power source for its propulsion and is used for carrying
passengers and goods on the ground, such as car, bus, trucks,
etc.
 History of Automobile

• In the 18th century, the first steam vehicles appeared on the

road
1769 Nicolas Joseph Cugnot
1784 James Watt,
1802 Richard Trevithick.
• The gaseous fuel engine was invented in 1860 by Etienne
Lenoir
• Subsequently developed into the four-cycle engine in 1876 by
August Otto, Gottlieb Daimler, and Wilhelm Maybach.
 First Automobile
• The introduction of petroleum as a fuel in
1883 allowed Daimler to create the fast
running gasoline engine, which made it
possible for Karl Benz to patent the first
self-propelled vehicle with an internal
combustion engine on January 29th ,1886.

• This groundbreaking vehicle formed the

basis for today’s automobiles.

• Gottlieb Daimler and Wilhelm Maybach

The first automobile (Karl Benz, 1886)
with Benz’s manufacturing firm in 1926 to
create Daimler-Benz. The joint company
makes cars today under the Mercedes-
Benz nameplate, and Daimler Chrysler
 History of Automobile (cont.)

• Henry Ford, a famous car company founder, designed the world’s

biggest car manufacturer, manufacturing over 15 million Model Ts
by 1927
• Hybrid cars have also been around since the 1900’s.
• In the 1900’s Ford made more steam and electric cars than it did
gasoline.
• The first hybrid commercial truck was built in 1910, and as the
gasoline engine was refined interest in hybrids died down.
• As problems with environment and gas process continue, Hybrids
are now a hot commodity in the market place and are now the new
wave of future cars
 General Terms Used in Vehicle

Wheelbase L as defined by ISO 612 /

DIN 70000
Typical wheelbase values: Track width T as defined by ISO 612 / DIN
♦ 2100 to 3500 mm, with an average of 2500 mm 70000
♦ Ratio of wheelbase to vehicle length: 0.6 ±0.07 Typical values are:
♦ 1210 to 1600 mm
♦ Ratio of track width to vehicle width: 0.8
to 0.86
Note: Track width can be different for the
front and
rear axles.

Vehicle coordinate system as defined

by ISO 8855 / DIN 70000
 CLASSIFICATION OF VEHICLES
• There are three main general classifications of the various types of vehicles. They
are:
– Single unit vehicles or load carriers.
– Articulated vehicles
– Heavy tractor vehicles.

AUTOMOBILES

PASSENGER GOODS
VEHICLES VEHICLES

LIGHT HEAVY LIGHT HEAVY

VEHICLES VEHICLES VEHICLES VEHICLES
• Single unit vehicles or load carriers:
– Vehicles are conventional 4 wheel type with two axle design in which the
front axle is a steering non – driving axle and rear axle is the driving axle.
• Articulated Vehicles:
– 3 wheeler vehicle with single steering wheel in front and a conventional rear –
driving axle.
– It can turned about its own tail due to the three wheel construction and has a
greater handling ability in unusual places.
– The coupling mechanism between semi – trailer and tractor in most of these
vehicles is designed for automatic connection and coupling up.
– A lever is provided within the drivers approach for coupling operation.
– A pair of retractable wheels in front can be raised or lowered automatically
along with the coupling and uncoupling operation.
• Heavy tractor vehicles:
– To move heavy loads tractor or independent tractor vehicles are used.
– They commonly operate in pair either in tendon or as puller or pusher.
– Figures like 4x2, 4x4, 6x4 etc are commonly used in the classification of
vehicles, where the first figure represents the total number of wheels and the
second figure the number of driving wheels.
 PASSENGER VEHICLES

PASSENGER
VEHICLES

LIGHT HEAVY
VEHICLES VEHICLES

STATION
PICK UPS CARS
WAGONS

THREE MOTOR
SCOOTERS JEEP
WHEELER CYCLES
 PASSENGER VEHICLES

PASSENGER
VEHICLES

LIGHT HEAVY
VEHICLES VEHICLES

BUSES COACHES

AIR
SINGLE DECK DOUBLE DECK DELUXE
CONDITIONED

MINI BUSES BIG BUSES

 GOODS VEHICLES

GOODS
VEHICLES

LIGHT HEAVY
VEHICLES VEHICLES

DELIVERY LIGHT
TEMPO
VAN TRUCK

THREE FOUR
WHEELERS WHEELERS
 GOODS VEHICLES

GOODS
VEHICLES

LIGHT HEAVY
VEHICLES VEHICLES

TRACTOR
TRUCK
TRAILER
 Broad classification of cars present in the Indian market:

HATCHBACK SEDAN/NOTCHBACK ESTATE/STATION

WAGON

MULTI-PURPOSE VEHICLE SPORTS UTILITY VEHICLE PICK-UP TRUCK

MULTI-UTILITY VEHICLE

VAN
 MOTOR CAR
• Carries passengers in the sitting position and also accommodates their luggage.
• Light motor vehicles designed to carry passengers and sometimes goods, are
broadly classified as follows:
– Saloon/Sedan car . E.g:Indigo Manza, Swift Dzire, Logan
• Saloon cars have an enclosed compartment to accommodate a row of
front and row of rear seats without any partition between the driver and
rear passenger seats.
• A separate luggage space is made either at the front or the rear based on
the location of the engine.
• One or two doors are provided on each side of the car but if the car is a
hatchback a door replaces the luggage space. E.g. Nano, Indica, Jazz,
Punto
– Coupe
• The coupe is the outcome of changes in saloon
car design and has two doors, two front seats
and a hard roof.
• When two additional small seats are provided
at the rear, the layout is known as 2+2.

– Convertible
• Normally cars of this type have two doors and
two seats but sometimes two extra seats are
also provided.
• Generally these have a soft folding roof and
wind-up windows to make the compartment
either open or closed.
– Estate car/station wagon
• In this type the passenger roof of saloon is
completely extended to the back end so that
rear space is increased.
• For access a rear door is provided and
sometimes the rear seats are designed to
collapse to provide additional space for
carrying goods.
• E.g. Indigo Marina, Octavia.
 – Pick – up
• This type of vehicle is generally classified as a
two – door front – seating van with an open back
to carry mixed collection of goods. E.g. Xenon,
Scorpio Getaway

• VANS
– These are light goods vehicles used for long distances
or door – door delivery.
– They have seats in the front for the driver and for
only one or two passengers.
– The engine is usually located over or just in front of
the front axle. E.g. Winger, Ace Magic, Omni.
• COACHES
– Coaches carry passengers travelling on long distance and hence the interior is
designed to provide the best possible comfort and to minimize fatigue.
– For better visibility for passengers large panelled windows are provided on
either side extending the full length of the vehicle and across the back seats.
– Most coaches have two axle arrangement but sometimes an extra axle is used
at the rear for more comfort.
– Engines may be mounted longitudinally in the front (position 1) or in the mid –
position horizontally (position 2) or at the rear transversely (position 3).
– The location of the engine and transmission depends much on the length of
the coach, the number of passenger seats, the luggage space and high or low
floorboard and seat mounting requirements.
 LORRIES/TRUCKS
• Commercial vehicles used for the transportation of
heavy goods are generally referred to as lorries.
• Vehicles are grouped into two categories
– Rigid truck
– Articulated vehicles
• Rigid trucks are further classified based on the
number of wheel hubs and the number of drive axle
hubs
– A four wheeler (4 x 2) truck with two driving
wheels
– A six wheeler (6 x 2) truck with two driving
wheels
– A six wheeler (6 x 4) truck with four driving
wheels
– An eight wheeler (8 x 4) truck with four driving
wheels.
 ARTICULATED TRACTOR & SEMI TRAILER
• Articulated vehicles use a tractor unit for providing the propulsive power and a
semi-trailer for carrying the payload.
• The tractor uses a short rigid chassis and two or three axles.
• The front axle carries the steered road wheels and the rear axle is the driving (live)
one.
• The middle axle may either function as an additional drive axle or for dual steering.
• Fifth wheel coupling : Fifth wheel coupling is the swivel mechanism used to attach
the trailer to the tractor unit
• Articulated vehicle further classified as:
– 4 wheeler and 2 wheel trailer (rigid 4 x 2 tractor and single axle 2 articulated
trailer)
– 6 wheeler tandem drive axle tractor and 4 wheel trailer ( rigid 6 x 4 tractor and
tandem axle 4 articulated trailer)
– 6 wheeler dual steer axle tractor and six wheel trailer ( rigid 6 x 2 tractor and
tri – axle 6 articulated trailer)
• Side view and underside view of
a conventional 18-wheeler semi-
trailer truck with an enclosed cargo
space. The underside view shows
the arrangement of the
18 tires (wheels).
• Shown in blue in the underside
view are the axles, drive shaft,
and differentials.
• The legend for labelled parts of the
truck is as follows:
1. tractor unit
2. semi-trailer (detachable)
3. engine compartment
4. cabin
5. sleeper (not present in all trucks)
6. air dam
7. fuel tanks
8. fifth wheel coupling
9. enclosed cargo space
10. landing gear - legs for when
semi-trailer is detached
11. tandem axles
 Mounting of Engine in Vehicle

• Typically Engine can be mounted in 4 types

Front engine, front wheel drive
Front engine, rear wheel drive
Rear engine, rear wheel drive
Mid-engine, rear wheel drive
 Typical Engine Configurations – 4 types

Front engine, front wheel drive can

help with the drive-ability of the
vehicle. The engine weight over the
driven wheels gives greater traction.
This can be particularly useful in
adverse weather conditions.

Front engine, front wheel drive

Front engine, rear wheel drive

configuration has the advantage of
better weight distribution. However,
some traction can be lost because
the bulk of the weight is not over
the driving wheels.

Front engine, rear wheel drive

 Typical Engine Configurations….
Rear engine, rear wheel drive provides a
larger load to the rear driving wheels.
However, it can become ‘tail heavy’ which
affects handling of the vehicle. It also
reduces luggage space (which is now in
the front), as the passenger seats need to
be moved forward in order to
accommodate the engine.
Rear engine, rear wheel drive

Mid-engine, rear wheel drive engines

provide good vehicle handling and
good traction at the rear wheels. They
are normally found on two-seat sports
cars where these factors are important.

Mid-engine, rear wheel drive

 Vehicle Sub Systems
• Fuel system
• Brake system
• Steering
• Suspension
• Exhaust
Vehicle System Location - Fuel Systems

Fuel tank
Fuel pump
Fuel
injectors

Fuel filler cap and

neck

Fuel filter
 Vehicle System Location - Suspension System

The front strut assemblies

typically comprise a spring and a
Rear shock Rear coil
shock absorber. These devices springs
control the suspension stiffness. absorbers
Front strut
assembly
The lower arms allow lateral
movement of the suspension
system and connect the front
hub to the vehicle body.
.
The rear suspension assemblies
also contain springs and shock
Rear hub
absorbers. The system shown has
a solid rear axle and is known as Front
‘non-independent rear hubs
suspension’. Independent rear
suspension systems are available Lower arms
that do not use a solid rear axle
 Vehicle System Location - Steering System

The steering wheel allows the Steering column

driver to control the direction of Steering
rack
the vehicle Front
hub

The steering column transmits

the action of the steering wheel
to the steering rack

The steering rack changes a

turning movement into the side-
Steering
to-side movement required to
wheel
turn the wheels

Track rod
The track rod (ball joint) allows
end
vertical and horizontal movement The front hub connects the
of the steering system steering rack to the wheel
 Vehicle System Location - Braking
System
The disc and drum brake
assemblies help to bring the Handbrake
vehicle to a stop. Disc brakes
can be found on either the
front or rear of a vehicle, and
drum brakes are normally
found on the rear of a vehicle

Disc brakes typically comprise:

a disc, calliper, and brake pads Drum brake
Disc brake assembly
Drum brakes typically comprise: a assembly
brake drum, wheel cylinder and
brake shoes

The handbrake provides a mechanical linkage to the

brakes and can be used to stop the vehicle if the
hydraulic system fails. It can also be used to hold the
vehicle stationary when it is parked
 Vehicle System Location - Braking System
The master cylinder has a hydraulic
piston that provides power to the
brakes by pressurizing the brake fluid ABS modulator
when the brake pedal is depressed by
the driver

The brake servo provides an increase

in power exerted to the master
cylinder, so helping to reduce effort
given by the driver at the brake pedal

Master cylinder and reservoir

The ABS modulator consists of a
pump and a number of solenoid
valves that control brake pressure to
each wheel when the ABS is
activated
 Vehicle System Location – Single Exhaust System

The exhaust manifold Tailpipe Catalytic

connects the exhaust ports of converter
the engine to the exhaust
pipe
The catalytic converter
removes harmful gases from
the exhaust fumes, so they
are not released into the
atmosphere

The silencer reduces the Exhaust manifold

Silencers
noise from the exhaust by
dampening pressure The tailpipe is where the
pulsations remaining exhaust gas is
released outside the vehicle
body from the silencer
VEHICLE ASSEMBLIES
 Main Parts Of The Automobile
• THE BODY OF VEHICLE
The main function of the
body is to provide
comfort and protection
to the passengers
besides giving a good
look.

The body includes the

passenger compartment,
the roof, the bumpers,
the fenders, the radiator
grill, the hood, interior
trim, glass and paint.
 Vehicle Body Components

Roof Rear quarter

The roof, front wings

and rear quarters can
be used to help
strengthen the vehicle
body. Other parts can
also help to strengthen
the vehicle body e.g.
glass, doors, sub-
Rear frames, chassis and
bumper
floor-pan
Front
bumper Front wing
Parts of the Vehicle Body

Boot lid/ Tailgate

Bonnet

Doors
 Car Body Terminology

B-PILLAR ROOF
A-PILLAR C-PILLAR
WINDSHIELD BOOT
BONNET

GRILLE

BUMPER FENDER DOOR GLASS DOOR

HANDLES
The Chassis
 The chassis
– The chassis forms the
complete operating unit and
is capable of running with
its own power.
– It is an assembly of vehicle
without body.
– The chassis includes the
frame, wheels, axles,
springs, shock absorbers,
engine, clutch, gearbox,
propeller shaft and
universal joints, differential
and half shafts, steering,
brakes and accelerator, fuel
tank, storage battery,
radiator and silencer.
 CHASSIS & BODY CONSTRUCTION
• Two methods of body and chassis construction,
– the separate body and chassis construction and
– the integral construction.
• In separate body and chassis construction,
– the body is fixed to chassis frame by means of a number of body bolts,
passing through the base of the body and the frame.
– Commercial vehicles, which have a separate cab attached to a chassis

• In the integral construction,

– The body and the chassis frame are combined as one eliminating the
mountings.
– The integral construction is also called as chassis – less or unibody
construction.
– car bodies are now mostly integral construction which is frameless
mono box construction.
Vehicle Body Outline
 • The Body is made as a separate unit and then joined
What it is? with ladder frame.

• It supports all the systems in a car such as the

Engine, Transmission system, Steering system,
What it does? Suspension system, etc. E.g. Tata Safari, Sumo
Grande
 • The ladder frame is absent, the body itself is the
What it is? frame

• It supports all the systems in a car such as the Engine,

What it does? Transmission system, Steering system, Suspension
system, etc. e.g. Indica Vista, Indigo Manza
• The benefit is higher load capacity
• Advantage is less rattles and
and strength
squeaks are developed. Handling
• Disadvantage is the body tends to
is also better due to the higher
vibrate easily and the overall
body rigidity
vehicle handling and refinement is
• Only major drawback is the load
lower
carrying capacity is lower
• Used mostly for SUV’s and bigger
• Used mostly in cars
vehicles
• FRAME
There are two distinct forms of construction in common use:
– The conventional pressed steel frame to which all the mechanical units are
attached and on which the body is superimposed.
– The integral or frameless construction, in which the body structure is so
designed as to combine the functions of body and frame, the units normally
attached to the frame then being attached directly to the body.
– The frameless construction is however possible only in the case of a closed
car, since the roof, screen pillars, door pillars and rear panel are essential load
– taking parts of the structure.
The frameless construction has the following advantages over the conventional
framed construction:
i. Reduced weight and consequent saving in fuel consumption.
ii. During collision the body crumbles, thereby absorbing the shock due to
impact and thus providing safety to the passengers.
iii. Lower manufacturing cost.
iv. Compared to framed construction lower body position may be obtained,
thus resulting in increased stability of the automobile.
• Disadvantage of frameless construction
i. Reduction of strength and durability.
ii. Economical only if frameless construction is adopted in mass production.
iii. Increased cost of repairs in case of damage to body during accidents.
iv. Topless cars are difficult to design with the frameless construction.
• Frame construction
– A simplified diagram representing the frame shows the longitudinal members
A and the members B.
– The frame is upswept at the rear and front to accommodate the movement
of axles due to springing. It also keeps the chassis height low.
– The frame is narrowed down at the front to have a better steering lock,
which gives a smaller turning circle.
– The extension of the chassis frame ahead of the front axle is called front
overhang whereas its extension beyond the rear axle is called rear overhang.
• SUB FRAMES
– Components are mounted on a separate
frame called sub-frame.
– The sub-frame is further supported by the
main frame at three points.
– In this way the components are isolated from
the effects of twisting and flexing of the main
frame.
• Advantages of sub-frames are:
– The mass of the sub-frame alone helps to
damp vibrations.
– The provisions of sub-frame simplifies
production on the assembly line and facilitates
subsequent overhaul or repair.
• DEFECTS IN FRAMES
– The only prominent defect that usually occurs in the frames due to
accidents is the alignment fault.
– This may be checked by means of plumb line.
– The vehicle is placed on a level surface and by suspending plumb line
from different points on each side of the frame, their position on the
ground is marked
– The vehicle is taken away and the diagonals are measured between
corresponding points.
– These should not differ by more than 7 or 8 mm.
– If any of the corresponding diagonals do differ by more than this amount,
the frame is out of alignment.
– The possible cause then may be one of the following:
• The dumb irons or side members may be bent.
• Cross members may be buckled.
• Some rivets may be loose or broken.
– If the damage to the frame members is small, they can be repaired by
means of a hydraulic jack and wringing irons.
– If the damage is more, the bent frame member may be heated to
straighten it.
– Alternative may be to cut the damaged part and weld a new one instead.
• FRAMELESS CONSTRUCTION
– In this type of construction heavy side members used in conventional
construction are eliminated and the floor is strengthened by cross –
members and the body, all welded together.
 • VEHICLE DIMENSIONS
– Wheel track – This is transverse distance between the tyre to ground centers
on the near – side an the off – side.
– Wheel base – This is the longitudinal distance between the centre lines of the
front and the rear axles.

Chassis-member cross sections.

A. Square solid bar.
B. Round solid bar.
C. Circular tube with longitudinal slit.
D. Circular closed tube.
E. C-section.
F. Rectangular box section.
G. Top-hat-section.
H. I-section.
I. Channel flitch plate.
 INTEGRAL CONSTRUCTION
• Around 1934, the all-steel body construction was introduced so that a separate
frame could be eliminated.
• This frameless or integral construction provides a stiff, light construction, which is
specifically suitable for mass-produced vehicles.
• Since 1945 light cars have used integral construction. When suitably designed the
body shell is capable of withstanding the various frame stresses.
• The floor and roof panels resist the sagging effect caused by the weight of the
occupants.
• Since these two members are widely spaced, thin sheet metal is used to form a
strong and lightweight box like structure.
• To increase torsional stiffness of the body the scuttle at the front is strengthened
and behind the rear seat squab cross ties are used or a ribbed metal panel is fitted.
• The thickness of the sheet metal depends on the stress to be taken by the panel.
Structural members such as sills, rails and pillars are often about 1.1 mm thick,
whereas panels such as the roof are 0.9 mm thick.
• Component attachment points are reinforced with thicker section. Some cases use
a separate sub-frame to mount engine and other members. Sometimes this sub-
frame is connected to the body by rubber insulation mountings.
 INTEGRAL CONSTRUCTION
• A very low (0.1 percent) carbon steel is used to provide extremely good ductility
required for the pressing of the panels.
• The low strength, 278 MN/m2, of this steel requires stiffening of the
structural members, which is achieved by spot welding into position of intricate
sections, formed out of thin steel sheet.
• A modified construction is necessary in case the roof cannot be fully utilized as a
compression member.
• This situation occurs on drop-head coupe models and where a sunshine roof, or
very thin door pillars are used.
• To achieve the required strength in these cases a strong under-body frame is used.
In addition, the body-shell parts, which are subjected to torsion, are provided with
extra stiffness.
• A body-shell is normally fabricated either by spot-welding the panels, pillars and
pressings together to form a strong box, or by buildings a skeleton or space frame
which provides a high structural strength.
• To this frame is attached the shell, aluminium or glass-reinforced plastic (GRP)
body panels, doors, roof, etc.
• Steel is the most common material used for manufacturing of vehicle in high
volume, because production costs become lower once the initial investment on
body jigs and other facilities has been recovered.
• The vibration of the panels, which produces an unwanted noise called drumming,
is avoided by fixing a sound-damping material on the inside of the panels.
• The driver and passengers are enclosed in a rigid cell for their safety.
• The front and rear of this rigid compartment are fixed with sub-frames, which are
designed to concertina on impact .
• The crumple zones of the body absorb the shock of a collision so that the rate of
deceleration experienced by the occupants is reduced.
 BODY IN WHITE
• Body in white or BIW refers to the stage in automotive design or automobile
manufacturing in which a car body's sheet metal components have been welded
together — but before moving parts (doors, hoods, and deck lids as well as
fenders) the motor, chassis sub-assemblies, or trim (glass, seats, upholstery,
electronics, etc.) have been added and before painting.
BODY IN WHITE ASSEMBLY
 Body components

• Windows and door pillars (3,5,6 and 8).

• Windscreen and rear window rails(2).
• Cantrails(4).
• Roof structure.
• Window and door pillars (Fig.(3, 5, 6, and 8))
Window screen and door pillars are identified
by a letter coding; the front windscreen to
door pillars are referred to as A post, the
centre side door pillars as BC post and the
rear door to quarter panel as D post. These
are illustrated in Fig
• These pillars form the part of the body structure which supports the
roof.
• The short form A pillar and rear D pillar enclose the windscreen
and quarter windows and provide the glazing side channels,
whilst the centre BC pillar extends the full height of the passenger
compartment from roof to floor and supports the rear side door
hinges.
• The front and rear pillars act as struts (compressive members)
which transfer a proportion of the bending effect, due to underbody
sag of the wheelbase, to each end of the cantrails which thereby
become reactive struts, opposing horizontal bending of the
passenger compartment at floor level.
• The central BC pillar however acts as ties (tensile members),
transferring some degree of support from the mid-span of the
cantrails to the floor structure.
 VEHICLE INTERIOR SYSTEMS
• VEHICLE DASHBOARD
– A dashboard (also called dash, instrument panel, or fascia) is a control panel
placed in front of the driver of an automobile, housing instrumentation and
controls for operation of the vehicle.
Thanks!!