What are Vehicular Platforms?

The word “platforms” rings a bell in the minds of  auto enthusiasts every now and then when they come across phrases like “This vehicle was built on the older version’s platform..” or something of that sorts. Chances are that they might just rush past assuming a platform to be something synonymous to a chassis or an under body for that matter, which is quite wrong. In fact, the vehicular platform describes a design process rather than a part or a component.
Majority of the blame falls on the very word used to represent the process. Our minds are used to relating platforms to something that holds a larger structure together or something that behaves as a foundation on which an entity is built on. The automobile jargon’s meaning would rhyme more with the second presumed definition. The vehicular platform is a set of design, engineering and production efforts which forms foundation for a variety of vehicles to be built and this may or may not transcend OEMs and segments. The vehicular platform basically forms guidelines for an automaker to take inspiration from a pre-existing model when setting out on a new project.
It is not just the implemented design language but also the associated production process, the machinery, tooling, production cost and overheads, set of common components between the older and the newer vehicle which are inclusive of the platform super set.

What are Low Heat Rejection engines?

Thermodynamics might not be your favourite subject but it is definitely the most important subject for Automotive Engineering. Those who have studied it will know that engines have low efficiency as the majority of energy produced is lost in the form of Heat. A typical engine uses only 30% of the whole power produced and 30% loses are through coolant, 30% through exhaust and 10% through friction. Efficiency can be increased by controlling the heat rejection of the engine.

What is LHR Engine?

The objective of low heat rejection (LHR) is to eliminate loss of energy through coolant by increasing the thermal resistance of the engine walls and ultimately increasing the efficiency of the engine. This is done by Thermal barrier coating (TBC) on the cylinder components like piston crown top, cylinder liner, cylinder head inside and valves. These Thermal Barrier Coated Engines are otherwise known as LHR engines.

Due to the insulation of the cylinder wall, the heat transfer through the cylinder walls to the cooling system is reduced which change the combustion characteristics of the diesel engine.

How does flame propagation affect the operation?

As a petrolhead, when approached with the above question, Some would probably be thinking, “That’s easy! Diesel gives Torque and Petrol lends speed. Diesel is heavy and slow and petrol is sleek and fast. Plus or minus a few points. Well, there’s the answer”

The Basics: Petrol vs Diesel

A Diesel or a Petrol car has been an evergreen subject. Putting it forward in the most generic manner possible, Diesel Cars are much more fuel efficient. At the same time, Diesel is a cheaper fuel compared to Petrol in India. 

Wondered Why: there are Dual Tyres on the Rear Axle but a Single Tyre on the Front Axle of trucks & buses?

 

Trucks and Buses are commonly seen in our daily routine and we all have questioned ourselves but often failed to reason out that why these vehicles have dual tyres at the rear axle and single tyres at the front axle.