Wing Doors

When it comes to sports luxury cars, appearance is as important as performance. Appearance is the frontline of market viability of a particular model. The customer first impression is a primary determining factor of the market success of a new car model. It is not surprising why car manufacturers invest fortunes on the aesthetic designs of their products. Given two car models with similar performance, the one with better aesthetic sense is the one that is most likely to be popular among customers. Some of the most popular sports cars are those that feature wing doors. They are almost synonymous with sports car designs.

As the name implies, wing doors resemble wings when they are fully opened. They are different from standard doors primarily because of their orientations. Unlike standard car doors, their hinges rotate in vertical direction. The doors open vertically or upward instead off swinging outward. On the other hand, the location of the hinges determines the particular type of wing door. If the hinges are located on the roof of the automobile, the wing doors are called seagull wing doors. If the hinges are located on the side framework, near the engine compartment, the wing doors are called angel wing doors.

When fully opened, seagull wing doors resemble the wings of a gliding seagull. Their hinges are located on the roof framework of the automobile. In most designs, they even double as the roof of the car. Meanwhile, angel wing doors resemble a pair of erect angel wings when fully opened. This type of wing doors is the most popular type. It is also the one that is easiest to install. Even doors of ordinary sedans can be converted to angel wing doors. The door hinges simply has to be replaced. If you want to make your sedan appear more sporty and expensive, you can convert the doors into wing doors.

Sound Deadeners

Automobile sounds or noises are inevitable. The process of combustion is too explosive to be silent. On the other hand, vehicular vibrations due to road unevenness are also inevitable. These vibrations also directly cause noises. The vibrating automobile panels and frames result to impacts, which sometimes lead to creaking and clanking sounds. Automobile noises are only acceptable within certain range. If they become too irritating or too load, they can already be considered as symptoms that your vehicle is already deteriorating. As your automobile grows old, the components tend to become either loose or too tight. Corrosion, bumps, and misalignment of components will make your car seem to fall apart as it runs. Sound deadeners prevent this scenario from happening.

As the name implies, sound deadeners minimize the noise being produced by your car. They accomplish this in three ways, namely, through sound absorption, sound cancellation, and vibration dissipation. Hence, there are three basic types of sound deadeners that may be found in your automobile. These include the rubber pads, the sound chambers, and dampers. The rubber pads are the simplest but the most common form of sound deadeners. They are found in different strategic locations between the automobile body panels and framework. They minimize sounds by simply absorbing the sound waves.

The second and third types of sound deadeners are more sophisticated. Unlike the rubbers pads, they indirectly treat sound waves. The sound chambers are precision-constructed structures that work by using the principle of destructive interference. They act as echo chambers, much in a similar manner that the muffler works. Mirror-image echoes are created, thereby canceling the original sound waves. Instead of reverberating or further transmitted the sound waves are neutralized. The third type of sound deadener is the damper. Dampers may refer to hydraulic dampers or composite bushings. Instead of directly treating sound waves, the vibrations of the automobile body panels and framework are arrested. Vibration energy is cushioned and dissipated.

Brief History of Automobiles

Unlike other inventions, the automobile was not invented by a single person. Many inventors, scientists, engineers, and corporations contributed to its development. It is a product of centuries of research and development. It is a product of the imagination of visionaries and the result of countless trials and errors. Its many components have their own histories. These components can be grouped into systems that include the engine, the cooling system, the suspension system, the brake system, the steering system, and the transmission system. The evolution of the automobile is the result of a worldwide collective effort. An estimated 100,000 patents led to the creation of the modern automobile that we now take for granted.

Although no single date or person can be wholly credited for the invention of the automobile, there are many key events and individuals that can be noted. Like many other great inventions and technologies, scientific theoretical frameworks serve as the foundation. The development of the automobile began with the idea of creating a vehicle that is self-powered. During ancient times, beasts of burden such as horses are used to pull carriages or chariots. The idea of self-driven chariots can be found in myths, legends, and even in the bible. However, the practical idea about self-propelled vehicles can be traced to the theoretical plans of Leoardo Da Vinci and Isaac Newton. They were the ones who first conceptualized motor-driven cars.

On the other hand, the first real automobile prototype was developed by French engineer and mechanic, Nicolas Joseph Cugnot, in 1769. It was a military tractor powered by a steam engine. It was commissioned by the French Army in hauling artillery. During that time, it was the most powerful and fastest steam-powered road vehicle with the speed of 2.5 miles per hour. It ran only in three wheels and was very difficult to operate. Every 10 to 15 minutes, the said vehicle had to be stopped to buildup enough steam pressure. The steam boiler and the engine were separate units and located in front of the vehicle.

Cugnot’s steam-powered automobile was an ultimate failure. After he encountered the first ever motor vehicle accident in 1771, strings of bad luck followed. Cugnot lost his patrons and his road experiments eventually ended. Since Cugnot’s car was hard to maneuver and very inefficient, the military lost its interest on it. Although it was an economic and technical failure, historians now agree that it was the real beginning of automobile evolution. It took about a century later before the next crucial developments about the automobile took place.

Steam engines were eventually replaced by internal combustion engines powered by fossil fuels such as gasoline and diesel. This was the beginning of the development of the modern automobile. It was in 1862 that the German inventor, Nicolaus Otto, pioneered the design of an indirect-acting free-piston engine that was compression-less. It enjoyed a modest market success. It was used as stationary engines for pumping purposes. However, it was only in 1876 that Nikolaus Otto, Gottlieb Daimler, and Wilhelm Maybach developed the first working model of a four-stroke cycle engine. This became the basis of the modern automobile engine. In honor of its primary inventor, the four-stroke engine cycle was also named as the Otto Cycle.

The development of practical and compact internal combustion engines led to the market viability of cars. It was during the later part of the 1890’s and early part of the 1900’s that cars were mass-produced. The economic success of cars can be credited to Henry Ford. He was the one who developed and implemented the concept of assembly lines. The manufacture of cars became more efficient and cheap. Until today, the “assembly line” concept is still being used.