In this project we had to describe in detail how a something works. There are many steps to accomplishing this, we had to break it into smaller components and describe in detail how they work by themselves and then it all has to make sense together.
Technical Description
How a Cars Steering Works
(rack and pinion mechanism)
By: Abdul Arfeen
Table of Contents
Page 3: Introduction and History
Page 4 Components
- Steering wheel (page 4)
- Steering column (page 4)
- Universal joint (page 5)
- Pinion and Rack (page 5)
Page 6: Conclusion
Page 7: References
Introduction
Most people drive, and driving has become such a mundane thing that we don’t think about it. Something people should do is learn the functions of the car, I mean at least the basics, because everyone doesn’t want to be a mechanic. Learning how the major parts work and how they accomplish their goals can make everyone a better driver. One of the things that most connects someone to their car is the steering wheel. Learning how the steering mechanism works can make people better drivers and if they get into a problem related to the steering wheel they won’t be lost and will have some idea on what they need to do.
History
| https://www.alamy.com/audineau-voiturette-with-tiller-steering-image235043390.html |
| Figure 1 |
The first car was invented by Karl Benz in Germany in the 1880s. On his model of the first car, it did not have a steering wheel like we have today, instead the vehicle had what is called a tiller, as we can see in figure 1. Since the first cars were an improvement upon horse drawn carriages, the engineers wanted to make the mechanism to control the direction of the vehicle similar. In carriages the driver pulled the rope left and right to go left and right respectively, so something similar the engineers came up with was the tiller. The tiller is a lever that directs the angle of the front wheels just like how a tiller directs the angle of the rudder in a boat.
The first person to make the steering wheel was Alfred Vacheron in 1894. The reason he invented it was because he was participating in a race and needed something that is more efficient in steering the vehicle. Though the steering wheel Vacheron designed was flat in front of the driver, this design was of the steering wheel a step up from the tiller though the fact that it wasn’t inclined towards the driver made for an awkward angle. The improvement was made four years later in 1898 by a man named Arthur Krebs. Krebs modified the car and tilted the steering wheel to an angle that faced you. This way it became recognizable to what we have today.
Components
| Rack and Pinion mechanism |
What almost everyone is familiar with today is called the rack and pinion steering wheel mechanism as we can see in figure 2. It is very simple but crucial for the steering wheel to do its job. In this mechanism there are five main parts, the steering wheel, the steering column, universal joint, the pinion and the rack. With all of these parts functioning correctly you will be able to steer your car. This whole steering system converts rotational motion from the steering wheel in to a swiveling motion in the tires.
Steering Wheel
So, the part that people who know how to drive should be familiar with is called the steering wheel. The steering wheel is what you rotate clockwise and counter-clockwise so that the wheels of the car turn right and left, this rotation travels through the system.
Steering Column
As you can see in figure 2, the steering wheel is connected to the steering column, so as you rotate the steering wheel the steering column rotates with it as well. The steering columns job is to transfer the rotation of the steering wheel down to the pinion. Though between the steering wheel and pinion there is something important.
Universal Joint
| Figure 3 |
That piece is the universal joint, basically the ultimate goal of this is so that the steering wheel doesn’t face the driver in an awkward position which will make steering the vehicle uncomfortable. So, the universal joint connects the two ends of the steering column and those two ends are at an angle to each other which the universal joint connects and transfers the rotational motion of the steering wheel through the entirety of the steering column.
Pinion and Rack
| Figure 4 |
At the lower end of the steering column there is a pinion, as we can see in Figure 4. The purpose of the pinion in this system is to transfer the rotational motion of the steering column to the rack. To accomplish this the teeth on the pinion, connect to the teeth on the rack. This way the rotational motion of the steering column is efficiently transferred to the rack and the rack is moved side to side which then turns the wheels because the wheels are connected to both ends of the rack. This causes the turning motion that every driver uses to steer.
Conclusion
Karl Benz’ innovation has helped us all and without it we might have still been using the tiller as our method to steer a car. This innovation is on boats too, because a lot of boats use steering wheels and that way it’s easier to steer it compared to using a tiller, so we can see that this helped us in many different ways. Though in the near future steering wheels might cease to exist due to all of the self-driving cars and artificial intelligence computers being produced.
References
“How the Steering System Works.” How a Car Works, How a Car Works, www.howacarworks.com/basics/how-the-steering-system-works
Limited, Alamy. “Stock Photo – Audineau Voiturette, with Tiller-Steering.” Alamy, www.howacarworks.com/basics/how-the-steering-system-works.
Nice, Karim. “How Car Steering Works.” HowStuffWorks, HowStuffWorks, 31 May 2001, auto.howstuffworks.com/steering3.htm.
“How the Steering System Works.” How a Car Works, How a Car Works, www.howacarworks.com/basics/how-the-steering-system-works.
