Have you ever wondered why are cars so heavy? it seems like each year that goes by cars seem to get bigger and heavier! The average weight of a recently purchased vehicle in the United States reached 4,329 pounds in 2022. This figure exceeds the 1980 average by over 1,000 pounds and reflects an increase…
What is a bucket-style seat? One of the more important interior components of a vehicle is the seat. The seat is unique because it is one of the 4 components a driver will interact with every time they drive a vehicle. Seats are in constant contact with the user while operating a vehicle, making seat…
Background of Chevrolet Corvette: The first generation (C1) Chevrolet Corvette made its official debut on January 17, 1953, making it one of the longest-running nameplates in automotive history. The Corvette was the first American-made sports car and was created to compete with the European sports cars which the American soldiers became accustomed to while overseas…
Engineering economics might sound boring, but trust me, understanding the costs of success is crucial for any engineer or entrepreneur. Essentially, engineering economics is about creating, estimating, and assessing economic results when there are different options to achieve a specific goal. Some universities require engineering economics as part of undergraduate programs. This subject also appears…
What is validation in the automotive industry? In the life cycle of a vehicle, technology and validation plan are vital to determine customer satisfaction. The goal of the validation testing is to test, and validate the vehicle meets engineering standards and specifications prior to the vehicle hitting the dealer showroom. This also helps to forecast…
A packaging engineer in the automotive industry is an engineer who locates all occupants, vehicle systems, and their components in the vehicle space. They divide the vehicle to ensure each commodity/vehicle system has allocated the required space. The package engineer is also the customer’s voice inside the engineering team. They must ensure that all the…
What are the types of suspension system? In the automotive industry the most common types of suspension systems are the leaf springs, coil springs, torsion bars, and air springs. Of these 4 the most common in today’s automobile industry is the coil spring suspension system such as the MacPherson strut suspension system. Air spring are…
What is the relation between temperature and strain rate? The graph below shows the effect of temperature on mechanical properties of a carbon steel. Most materials display similar temperature sensitivity for elastic modulus, yield strength, ultimate strength, and ductility. As temperature increase tensile strength, elastic modulus and yield strength of a material tends to decrease….
Vehicle Design and Packaging We are working on redesigning the current generation Toyota Sequoia. The Toyota Sequoia is classified as a sport utility vehicle (SUV). An SUV is a combination of a passenger car with the features of an off-road vehicle. In the US, SUVs are categorized as “light trucks”, as a result, regulations on…
Background/Describe market segment We are working on redesigning the current generation Toyota Sequoia. The Toyota Sequoia is classified as a sport utility vehicle (SUV). A SUV in a combination of a road going passenger car with features of an off-road vehicle. In the US, SUVs are categorized as “light trucks”, as a result regulations on…