Parts of A VehicleIn this presentation you will learn

the standard names of the different parts that make up a

wheeled vehicle.

Talkin’ the Tech Talk• The names of the different parts of automobile

vehicles come from many different places. Some of the names were created specifically for cars and trucks as they were invented.

• In order to design a proper vehicle it is necessary to learn and know each part when researching and designing a vehicle.

Body-Chassis

The main structure of the car which usually holds the space for the chassis, passenger and cargo areas is called the BODY.

The CHASSIS(chassy) is the collection of engine, power train, axles and wheels.

Passenger Space

The space in the body where driver and any passengers sit is the CABIN. The first cars did not have a roof or windshields. The roof adds weight but makes the cars faster because it gives the air a smooth path to ride along.

Today, most cars have enclosed

cabins for comfort and safety.

Race Cabins

Special small cabins large enough for only a driver are called a COCKPIT. They are usually shaped like a teardrop or long oval.

Trunk and Deck Lid

The space for cargo is called a TRUNK, named because the first cars had a travel chest attached to the back of cars for raincoats when driving while it rained or snowed. The top of the trunk is usually called the rear deck or lid. For your car you will have to make a large hole for the engine to go in and stick out of the rear above the license plate.

CO-2 cartridge hole

Front Parts

• The windshield is the front part of the cabin above the body sometimes called a CANOPY. The roof is the top of the cabin or canopy.

The parts which make up the front surfaces of a car are the lower body called the FASCIA (fay-sha), the hood, which connects the top of the fascia to the bottom of the windshield.

Frontal Area

• The total size of the fascia, non-flat hood and canopy is called the Frontal Area.

• Designers try to keep the frontal area as small as possible to reduce the surfaces the air runs into when a car moves through air. The size of the frontal area regardless of angle is one of the most important factors in a shape’s ability to move through air quickly.

5ft

3ft

Wheels

The parts that allow a car body to move along the road is wheels. The height of a wheel through its center is called Diameter (D). The thickness of a wheel is called Width (W).

The part of the wheel that connects to the axle is called a Hub.

Axles are strong rods which connect the wheels to the body chassis. Your cars will have metal rods 1/8th in diameter and run through holes through the wood body.

Hub Axles

Wheel Wells• Designers use wheel wells to

cover or hide the spinning wheel and tire from the air flowing around and over a automobile.

• A wheel well must be larger and wider than the wheel so the wheel will not rub against the well as it rotates.

• A correctly designed wheel well will be just deep enough that the outer edge of the wheel is even with the outer edge of the body and lip.

Wheel FENDERS• Wheel wells are dug or carved into the body of a car. Another way to cover

the wheels is use FENDERS. Fenders are body parts added to the main body. The advantages to fenders are they can be lighter and allow the body to be smaller.

• They are much harder to design correctly and much harder to make and put on the sides of the car. It requires patience and attention to detail!

Peugeot 9009

Wheel Fairings• Fairings are smaller body pieces that cover only the front and maybe top of a

wheel to hide the wheel from the air flow. While they are the least weight they are harder to design for improvement and as hard to make as fenders. Still, they are better than letting the front of any wheel come in contact with the air flowing around the body. You will learn more in Activity 2.

Wheelbase

• The distance between the outsides of the two axles is called Wheelbase. Usually, the farther the axles are apart the better the ride and more stable the car at High speed. This is not always easy to do or the wheels will stick out and cause DRAG.

wheelbase= length between the axles in mm

Ground Clearance• The distance the bottom of the car body is to the ground is called, Ground

Clearance.

• This is an important measurement. For fast cars designers want the clearance to be small (7mm). This keeps the car close to the ground without dragging on the road surface AND reduces the amount of air getting under the body which causes lift and drag.

• Ground clearance is based on where the bottom of the axle is from the bottom of the car body and the diameter of the wheel you choose.

Ground clearance in mm

Specifications! Specifications are rules for the size a shape is allowed to be called limits. Sometimes it must be exactly one size. Sometimes the rules give a designer a range to choose from.

Finally, it is important to realize that the rules will affect each other so it is important to read and remember what specifications are where to find the rules as you design.

For instance, the specifications for Career Tech dragsters have less rules than TSA club competition dragsters even though both are made using similar or the same materials!

Remember to look and check the specifications (SPECS) to your

car design as you draw and keep measuring as you create your design!! The specs can be found on page 14 or at the back of the Research and Design Student Workbook.

Summary

• This presentation introduced the important basic parts of automobiles necessary to design a CO-2 powered car or dragster. As you begin to narrow down and decide on your final choice for your car design it will be important to remember the names of each part so you will be able to follow the specifications and not have to make several changes and corrections to your design.

• You will be tested on the information at the end of Activity 1 using the Assistant on the computer.