BMW's distinctive kidney-shaped grille on an E34 M5

Audi's "single frame" grille, here on a second generation TT

Crown Victoria Police Interceptor black honey comb grille CVPI

A grille is an opening of several slits side by side in a wall or metal sheet or other barrier, usually to let air or water enter and/or leave but keep larger objects including people and animals in or out.

In powered vehicles

In automotive engineering, a grille is an opening in the bodywork of a vehicle to allow air to enter. Modern automotive engineering is a branch of Vehicle engineering, incorporating elements of mechanical, electrical, electronic, software Most vehicles feature a grille at the front of the vehicle to allow air to flow over the radiator and cool the engine compartment. Radiators and convectors are types of Heat exchangers designed to transfer Thermal energy from one medium to another for the purpose of cooling Other common grille locations include below the front bumper, in front of the wheels (to cool the brakes), in the cowl for cabin ventilation, or on the rear deck lid (in rear engine vehicles). An automobile's bumper is the front-most or rear-most part ostensibly designed to allow the car to sustain an impact without damage to the vehicle's frame or safety systems In Automobile design, a rear-engine design layout places the Engine at the rear of the vehicle

Some cars have what appear to be tiny grilles which are not positioned to duct air through the radiator. These are horn grilles, which enable the sound of the horn to be clearly heard forward. A horn grille is a part of some designs of Automobile or other motor vehicle that has an electric horn such as a Motor scooter.

The grille is often a distinctive styling element, and many marques use it as their primary brand identifier. A marque ( French for "brand" ˈmɑrk is a Brand name especially in the Automobile industry For example, Jeep has trademarked its seven-bar grille style. Jeep is an Automobile Marque (and registered trademark of Chrysler. ^[1] Rolls-Royce is famous for arranging its grille bars by hand to ensure that they appear perfectly vertical. A Rolls-Royce car may refer to vehicles produced by Rolls-Royce Limited (1906-1973 Rolls-Royce Motors (1973-2003 which was owned Other makers known for their grille styling include Bugatti's horse-collar, BMW's split kidney, Rover's chrome "teeth", Dodge's cross bar, Alfa Romeo's 6-bar shield, Volvo's slash bar, Audi's relatively new, so-called single-frame grille, and an eggrate grill on late-generation Plymouths. Bugatti was founded in Molsheim, France, as a manufacturer of high performance automobiles by Ettore Bugatti, an Italian ( BMW) (Bavarian Motor Works is an independent German automobile manufacturer founded in 1916 The Rover Company was a British Motor vehicle manufacturing company originating in Coventry in 1904 which moved to Solihull after World War II Dodge is a United States -based brand of Automobiles Sport utility vehicles and Trucks manufactured and marketed by Chrysler LLC Alfa Romeo Automobiles SpA is an Italian Automaker founded in 1910 This article is about Volvo Group - AB Volvo Volvo Cars is the passenger vehicle maker owned by Ford Motor Company, using the Volvo Trademark AUDI AG, ( Xetra: NSU commonly known as Audi (aˈʊdi is a German Automobile manufacturer which produces Audi branded cars with headquarters Plymouth (founded 1928 - dissolved 2001 is a Marque of Automobile based in the United States, marketed by the Chrysler Corporation The unusual 1971 Plymouth Barracuda grille is known as a cheesegrater. The Plymouth Barracuda is a car that was manufactured by the Plymouth division of the Chrysler Corporation from 1964 through 1974 Ford's three-bar grille, introducted on the 2006 Fusion has become distinctive as well. Ford Motor Company is an American Multinational corporation and the world's fourth largest automaker based on Worldwide vehicle sales, following The North American Ford Fusion (code name CD338) is a Mid-size car produced by the Ford Motor Company since the 2006 model year

The contrary styling pattern also occurs. Starting from the late 1930s, Cadillac would alternate its pattern from horizontal bars to various patterns of crosshatching as a simple way of making the car look new from year to year, for this make did not have a standard grille form. Cadillac is a Brand of Luxury vehicles owned by General Motors. Sometimes there is a sort of fashion trend in grille bars. For example, in the early years after World War II, many American car makers generally switched to fewer and thicker grille bars. World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including

A billet grille is an aftermarket part that is used to enhance the style or function of the original OEM grille. The automotive aftermarket is the part of the automotive industry concerned with the Manufacturing, Remanufacturing, Distribution, Retailing, An original equipment manufacturer, or OEM is typically a company that uses a component made by a second company in its own product or sells the product of the second company They are generally made from billet, solid bar stock aircraft grade aluminum or stainless steel, although some are CNC Machined from one solid sheet of aluminum. Billet refers to a cast Semi finished product. It is also referred to as Ingot, particularly for smaller sizes

Customizers would alter the grille as a matter of course in personalizing their car, taking the grille bar from another make, for example. A custom car is a passenger vehicle that has been modified in either of the following two ways Even sheet metal with patterned holes for ventilation grating sold to homeowners for repair has been found filling the grille opening of custom cars.

History

Grilles on automobiles have taken on different designs through the years. This feature first appeared on automobiles in 1903. Several years later, the arch-shaped design became common and became the standard design on automobile grilles for many years. The "split" grille design first appeared in 1923 on the Alfa Romeo sportscar. Alfa Romeo Automobiles SpA is an Italian Automaker founded in 1910

In the 1930s and 1940s, automobile manufacturers became creative with their grille designs. Some these designs were bell-shaped (Buick, Chevrolet, and Pontiac), split and slightly folded (Silver Arrow, Mercury, 1946 Oldsmobile), cross-shaped (pre-war Studebaker Champion models, 1941 Cadillac, 1942 Ford), while some including Packard, Rolls-Royce, and MG-TC models still followed the older arch-shaped design. Buick (ˈbjuːɪk is a Marque of automobile sold in the United States, Canada, China, Taiwan, Qatar, and Chevrolet (ˌʃɛvroʊˈleɪ - French origin (also known as Chevy) is a Brand of Automobile, produced by General Motors (GM Pontiac is a Brand of Automobiles produced by General Motors that has been sold in the United States, Canada and Mexico Mercury is an Automobile Marque of the Ford Motor Company founded in 1939 by Edsel Ford, son of Henry Ford, to market entry-level-luxury Oldsmobile was a brand of Automobile produced for most of its existence by General Motors. The Champion was an automobile of the Studebaker Corporation of South Bend Indiana. Cadillac is a Brand of Luxury vehicles owned by General Motors. Ford Motor Company is an American Multinational corporation and the world's fourth largest automaker based on Worldwide vehicle sales, following Packard was an American luxury Automobile marque built by the Packard Motor Car Company of Detroit Michigan, and later by the Studebaker-Packard Corporation A Rolls-Royce car may refer to vehicles produced by Rolls-Royce Limited (1906-1973 Rolls-Royce Motors (1973-2003 which was owned

Grilles took on a new look after World War II. Following the introduction of the 1947 Buick, Studebaker, and Kaiser, grilles became shorter and wider to accommodate for the change in design. Studebaker Corporation, or simply Studebaker, was a United States Wagon and Automobile manufacturer based in Kaiser is the German title meaning " Emperor " with Kaiserin being the female equivalent " Empress "

In heating and ventilating and air conditioning

In heating and ventilating and air conditioning for room air distribution, a grille, specifically spelled with the ending e, is a class of air terminals. HVAC (pronounced either "H-V-A-C" or occasionally " H-vak " is an Initialism or Acronym that stands for " Heating Characterizing how Air is introduced to flows through and is removed from spaces is called room air distribution. ^[2] Most HVAC grilles are used as return or exhaust air inlets to ducts, but some are used as supply air outlets. Ducts are used in heating ventilation and air conditioning ( HVAC) to deliver and remove air Diffusers and nozzles, are, for example, used as supply air outlets too. A diffuser is the mechanical device that is designed to control the characteristics of a fluid at the entrance to a thermodynamic Open system. A nozzle is a mechanical device or Orifice designed to control the characteristics of a Fluid flow as it exits (or enters an enclosed chamber or Pipe. Registers are a type of HVAC grille that also incorporates an air damper. ^[3]

See also

• Diffuser (automotive)

References