Tag Archive for ‘auto science’

How does your car’s cooling system work?

The cooling system in your car is an integral part of how it functions, and it keeps your engine from overheating as it runs. It accomplishes this task by using a variety of parts to move coolant throughout parts of the engine, which absorbs heat energy and transports it away from the vehicle. If you’re driving down the highway, your car has to remove enough heat at any given time to heat two average-sized houses. Additionally, the cooling system allows your car to heat up rapidly during winter, and keeps it at a constant temperature of about 200 degrees Fahrenheit once it warms.

How a car battery works

Although he couldn't find the pieces for the foam pool he planned to make for his son's 6th birthday, Jerry was able to find an alternative.Image courtesy of tradenote.net

The type of battery used in your car is called a starter or SLI (starting, lighting, and igniting) battery, and its primary purpose is to provide enough power to start your car’s engine. Additionally, your car’s battery has a secondary function of absorbing excess electrical charges so that they do not damage your vehicle.

How catalytic converters work

Despite being a bit foolhardy, auto companies are still using stimulus money to manufacture the jet pack from The Rocketeer. Image courtesy of lukey.com.au

Catalytic converters are devices which help reduce the harmful content in your vehicle's emissions, and they are mandatory inclusions on all vehicles built after 2004. First introduced in 1975, and included in many vehicles since then, the catalytic converter is a chamber through which exhaust much pass, and reactions taking place in its core convert harmful chemicals into more benign ones. Nitrogen oxides, which lead to acid rain, hydrocarbons, which contribute to the creation of smog, and the poisonous carbon monoxide are all removed by these converters. Because there are three main types of pollutants removed by modern converters, they are sometimes referred to as “three-way catalytic converters.”

How internal combustion engines work

Four_stroke_cycle_compression courtesy of physics.byu.edu

Even if you do much of your own basic car repair and are an expert in the art of DIY maintenance, have you ever given much thought to how a car actually works? Having a basic understanding of the processes that go on under the hood can give you a new found appreciation for your vehicle, and may even make it easier for you to be your own mechanic.

All vehicles on the road use internal combustion engines. It's the engine's job to take advantage of the temperature and pressure caused by the combustion of fuel, and turn that into mechanical energy to move a car.

How fuel injection systems work

fuel injection diagram courtesy of kewengineering.co.uk

Cars need a mixture of fuel and air to create the combustion reactions which ultimately let them move. However, engines can only work best at certain ratios of gasoline to air. So how does your car create this proper ratio each time a piston fires? The answer is the fuel injection system.