Automotive engineering is a branch of Vehicle engineering, incorporating elements of mechanical, electrical, electronic, software and safety engineering as applied to the design, manufacture and operation of automobiles, buses and trucks and their respective engineering subsystems. Vehicle engineering encompasses the general field of engineering for ground based vehicles. ... Mechanical engineering is an engineering discipline that involves the application of principles of physics for analysis, design, manufacturing, and maintenance of mechanical systems. ... Electrical Engineers design power systems… … and complex electronic circuits. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... e. ... Safety engineering is an applied science strongly related to systems engineering. ... Karl Benzs Velo (vélo means bicycle in French) model (1894) - entered into the first automobile race 2005 MINI Cooper S. An automobile (also motor car or simply car) is a wheeled passenger vehicle that carries its own motor. ... A Go North East bus parked in a lay-by in Tyne and Wear, England. ... The driver of this DAF tractor with an auto-transport semi-trailer truck prepares to offload Škoda Octavia cars in Cardiff, Wales For other articles with similar names, see Lorry (disambiguation) and truck (disambiguation). ...

Fields

Automotive engineers are involved in almost every aspect of designing cars and trucks, from the initial concepts right through to manufacturing them. This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... The driver of this DAF tractor with an auto-transport semi-trailer truck prepares to offload Å koda Octavia cars in Cardiff, Wales For other articles with similar names, see Lorry (disambiguation) and truck (disambiguation). ...

Broadly speaking automotive engineers are separated into three main streams - product engineering, development engineering and manufacturing engineering.

• Product engineer (also called design engineer), that would design components/systems (i.e brake engineer and battery engineer). This engineer designs and test a part, seeing that it meets all its requirements (i.e. the shock), does it perform as required, material durability and so on.
• Development engineer, that engineers the attributes of the automobile. This engineer provides to the design engineer what spring rate he requires to provide the "ride" characteristics required for the automobile to perform at the automotive level.
• Manufacturing engineer, determines how to make it.

In Toyota, for example, the manufacturing engineers are more highly regarded. Shock is a serious medical condition where the tissue perfusion is insufficient to meet the required supply of oxygen and nutrients. ... Toyota Motor Corporation ), or Toyota is a Japanese multinational corporation and the worlds largest automaker by sales revenue as of 2007[3]. Together with its half-owned subsidiary Daihatsu, the company was the worlds second largest auto company by revenue of $179 billion and total vehicle production, most...

Product Engineering

Some of the engineering attributes/disciplines that are of importance to the automotive engineer:

Safety Engineering: Safety Engineering is the assessment of various crash scenarios and their impact on the vehicle occupants. These are tested against very stringent governmental regulations. Some of these requirements include: Seat belt and air bag functionality. Front and side crash worthiness. Resistance to rollover. Assessments are done with various methods and tools: Computer crash simulation, crash test dummies, partial system sled and full vehicle crashes. Safety engineering is an applied science strongly related to systems engineering. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... This article does not cite its references or sources. ... An airbag is a flexible membrane or envelope, inflatable to contain air or some other gas. ... Computer-aided Engineering analysis (often referred to as CAE) is the application of computer software in engineering to analyze the robustness and performance of components and assemblies. ... Crash test dummies have saved lives of thousands. ...

Fuel Economy/Emissions: Fuel economy is the measured fuel efficiency of the vehicle in miles per gallon or litres per 100 kilometres. Emissions testing the measurement of the vehicles emissions: hydrocarbons, nitrogen oxides (NOx), carbon monoxide (CO), carbon dioxide (CO2), and evaporative emissions. Fuel efficiency sometimes means the same as thermal efficiency, that is, the efficiency of converting energy contained in a carrier fuel to kinetic energy or work. ... Vehicle emissions inspection station Automobile emissions control covers all the technologies that are employed to reduce the air pollution-causing emissions produced by automobiles. ...

Vehicle Dynamics: Vehicle dynamics is the vehicles response of the following attributes: ride, handling, steering, braking, and traction. Design of the chassis systems of suspension, steering, braking, structure (frame), wheels and tires, and traction control are highly leveraged by the Vehicle Dynamics engineer to deliver the Vehicle Dynamics qualities desired. Vehicle dynamics is the Dynamics of Vehicles, here assumed to be ground vehicles. ... Car handling and vehicle handling is a description of the way wheeled vehicles perform transverse to their direction of motion, particularly during cornering and swerving. ... Steering is the term applied to the collection of components, linkages, etc. ... For the type of ferns known as brakes, see brake (fern). ... Traction control systems, on current production vehicles, are typically (but not necessarily) electro-hydraulic systems designed to prevent loss of traction (and therefore the control of the vehicle) when excessive throttle or steering is applied by the driver. ... Look up Chassis in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

NVH Engineering (Noise, Vibration, and Harshness): NVH is the customer's impression both tactile (feel) and audible (hear) feedback from the vehicle. While sound can be interpreted as a rattle, squeal, or hoot, a tactile response can be seat vibration, or a buzz in the steering wheel. This feedback is generated by components either rubbing, vibrating or rotating. NVH response can be classified in various ways: powertrain NVH, road noise, wind noise, component noise, and squeak and rattle. Note, there are both good and bad NVH qualities. The NVH engineer works to either eliminate bad NVH, or change the “bad NVH” to good (i.e., exhaust tones). Noise, Vibration, and Harshness, also known as Noise and Vibration, abbreviated to NVH and N&V respectively, is the name given to the field of measuring, and modifying, the noise and vibration characteristics of vehicles, particularly cars and trucks. ... A modern road cars steering wheel Steering wheels from different periods A steering wheel is a type of steering control used in most modern land vehicles, including all mass-production automobiles. ...

Performance: Performance is the driver’s perception of the vehicle's power and pickup. This is influenced by vehicle acceleration, sound of the engine, accelerator pedal feel, and shift quality. Performance is perceived in various ways: wide-open-throttle (WOT) acceleration, 0-60 mph (0-100 km/h) -launch performance, or highway passing power. Acceleration is the time rate of change of velocity, and at any point on a velocity-time graph, it is given by the slope of the tangent to that point basicly. ... Wide Open Throttle (WOT) refers to an internal combustion engines maximum intake of air and fuel that occurs when the throttle plates inside the carburetor or throttle body are wide open, providing the least resistance to the incoming air. ...

Shift Quality: Shift Quality is the driver’s perception of the vehicle to an automatic transmission shift event. This is influenced by the powertrain (engine, transmission), and the vehicle (driveline, suspension, etc). Shift feel is both a tactile (feel) and audible (hear) response of the vehicle. Shift Quality is experienced as various events: Transmission shifts are felt as an upshift at acceleration (1-2), or a downshift maneuver in passing (4-2). Shift engagements of the vehicle are also evaluated, as in Park to Reverse, etc. An automatic transmission is an automobile gearbox that can change gear ratios automatically as the vehicle moves, thus freeing the driver from having to shift gears manually. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... In mechanics, a transmission or gearbox is the system of gears and/or the hydraulic system (called variously hydrodynamic, fluid or automatic transmission) that transmits mechanical power from a prime mover—such as an engine or electric motor—to a typically rotary output device at a lower angular momentum but... The front suspension components of a Ford Model T. Suspension is the term given to the system of springs, shock absorbers and linkages that connects a vehicle to its wheels. ...

Durability / Corrosion Engineering: Durability and Corrosion engineering is the evaluation testing of a vehicle for its useful life. This includes mileage accumulation, severe driving conditions, and corrosive salt baths. See corrosive for the hazard. ...

Package / Ergonomics Engineering: Package Engineering is a discipline that designs/analyzes the occupant accommodations (seat roominess), ingress/egress to the vehicle, and the driver’s field of vision (gauges and windows). The Package Engineer is also responsible for other areas of the vehicle like the engine compartment, and the component to component placement. Ergonomics is the discipline that assesses the occupant's access to the steering wheel, pedals, and other driver/passenger controls. Ergonomics (or human factors) is the application of scientific information concerning humans to the design of objects, systems and environment for human use (definition adopted by the International Ergonomics Association in 2007). ...

Climate Control: Climate Control is the customer’s impression of the cabin environment and level of comfort related to the temperature and humidity. From the windshield defrosting, to the heating and cooling capacity, all vehicle seating positions are evaluated to a certain level of comfort. HVAC may also stand for High-voltage alternating current HVAC is an initialism that stands for heating, ventilation and air_conditioning. This is sometimes referred to as climate control. ...

Driveability: Driveability is the vehicle’s response to general driving conditions. Cold starts and stalls, rpm dips, idle response, launch hesitations and stumbles, and performance levels.

Cost: The cost of a vehicle program is typically split into the effect on the variable cost of the vehicle, and the up-front tooling and fixed costs associated with developing the vehicle. There are also costs associated with warranty reductions, and marketing.

Program timing: To some extent programs are timed with respect to the market, and also to the production schedules of the assembly plants. Any new part in the design must support the development and manufacturing schedule of the model.

Assembly Feasibility: It is easy to design a module that is hard to assemble, either resulting in damaged units, or poor tolerances The skilled product development engineer works with the assembly/manufacturing engineers so that the resulting design is easy and cheap to make and assemble, as well as delivering appropriate functionality and appearance.

Development Engineer

A Development Engineer is a job function within Automotive Engineering, in which the development engineer has the responsibility for coordinating delivery of the engineering attributes of a complete automobile (bus, car, truck, van, SUV, etc.) as dictated by the automobile manufacturer, governmental regulations, and the customer who buys the product. Karl Benzs Velo (vélo means bicycle in French) model (1894) - entered into the first automobile race 2005 MINI Cooper S. An automobile (also motor car or simply car) is a wheeled passenger vehicle that carries its own motor. ... A Go North East bus parked in a lay-by in Tyne and Wear, England. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... The driver of this DAF tractor with an auto-transport semi-trailer truck prepares to offload Škoda Octavia cars in Cardiff, Wales For other articles with similar names, see Lorry (disambiguation) and truck (disambiguation). ... // The following data show the automobile manufacturers which produce or have produced automobiles, and some data on their relative sizes. ... A government is an organization that has the power to make and enforce laws for a certain territory. ...

Much like the Systems Engineer, the Development Engineer is concerned with the interactions of all systems in the complete automobile. While there are multiple components and systems in a automobile that have to function as designed, they must also work in harmony with the complete automobile. As an example, the brake system's main function is to provide braking functionality to the automobile. Along with this, it must also provide an acceptable level of: pedal feel (spongy, stiff), brake system “noise” (squeal, shudder, etc), and interaction with the ABS (anti-lock braking system). Systems engineering is an interdisciplinary approach and means for enabling the realization and deployment of successful systems. ... Auto parts are components of automobiles. ... System (from Latin systÄ“ma, in turn from Greek systÄ“ma) is a set of entities, real or abstract, comprising a whole where each component interacts with or is related to at least one other component and they all serve a common objective. ... A brake is a device for slowing or stopping the motion of a machine or vehicle, and to keep it from starting to move again. ... An anti-lock braking system (ABS) is a system on motor vehicles which prevents the wheels from locking while braking. ...

Another aspect of the development engineer's job is a trade-off process required to deliver all the automobile attributes at a certain acceptable level. An example of this is the trade-off between engine performance and fuel economy. While some customers are looking for maximum power from their engine, the automobile is still required to deliver an acceptable level of fuel economy. From the engine's perspective, these are opposing requirements. Engine performance is looking for maximum displacement (bigger, more power), while fuel economy is looking for a smaller displacement engine (ex: 1.4 L vs. 5.4 L). The engine size, though is not the only contributing factor to fuel economy and automobile performance. Other attributes include: automobile weight, aerodynamic drag, transmission gearing, emission control devices, and tires. Fuel efficiency sometimes means the same as thermal efficiency, that is, the efficiency of converting energy contained in a carrier fuel to kinetic energy or work. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... One complete cycle of a four cylinder, four stroke engine. ... The drag coefficient (Cd, Cx or Cw, depending on the country) is a dimensionless quantity that describes a characteristic amount of aerodynamic drag caused by fluid flow, used in the drag equation. ... An automatic transmission is an automobile gearbox that can change gear ratios automatically as the vehicle moves, thus freeing the driver from having to shift gears manually. ... Vehicle emissions inspection station Automobile emissions control covers all the technologies that are employed to reduce the air pollution-causing emissions produced by automobiles. ... Pneumatic tires or tyres (see spelling differences) are used on all types of vehicles, from cars to earthmovers to airplanes. ...

The Development Engineer is also responsible for organising automobile level testing, validation, and certification. Components and systems are designed and tested individually by the Product Engineer. The final evaluation though, has to be conducted at the automobile level to evaluate system to system interactions. As an example, the audio system (radio) needs to be evaluated at the automobile level. Interaction with other electronic components can cause interference. Heat dissipation of the system and ergonomic placement of the controls need to be evaluated. Sound quality in all seating positions needs to be provided at acceptable levels. Radio Frequency Interference (RFI) is electromagnetic radiation which is emitted by electrical circuits carrying rapidly changing signals, as a by-product of their normal operation, and which causes unwanted signals (interference or noise) to be induced in other circuits. ... Ergonomics (or human factors) is the application of scientific information concerning humans to the design of objects, systems and environment for human use (definition adopted by the International Ergonomics Association in 2007). ... Sound is a disturbance of mechanical energy that propagates through matter as a longitudinal wave, and therefore is a mechanical wave. ...

Manufacturing Engineering

Other automotive engineers

There are also other automotive engineers:

• The aerodynamics engineers will often give guidance to the styling studio so that the shapes they design are aerodynamic, as well as attractive.
• Body engineers will also let the studio know if it is feasible to make the panels for their designs.
• Quality engineer, logistics/transportation engineer, environmental engineer, performance engineer, durability engineer, reliability engineer, etc...

See also

• Automobile
• Automotive suspension design
• Noise, Vibration, and Harshness
• Vehicle dynamics
• Vehicle engineering

Karl Benzs Velo (vélo means bicycle in French) model (1894) - entered into the first automobile race 2005 MINI Cooper S. An automobile (also motor car or simply car) is a wheeled passenger vehicle that carries its own motor. ... Automotive suspension design is an aspect of automotive engineering, concerned with designing the suspension for cars and trucks. ... Noise, Vibration, and Harshness, also known as Noise and Vibration, abbreviated to NVH and N&V respectively, is the name given to the field of measuring, and modifying, the noise and vibration characteristics of vehicles, particularly cars and trucks. ... Vehicle dynamics is the Dynamics of Vehicles, here assumed to be ground vehicles. ... Vehicle engineering encompasses the general field of engineering for ground based vehicles. ...

References

• The Toyota Way - Jeffrey K Liker