A steering wheel (also called a driving wheel or hand wheel) is a type of steering control in vehicles and vessels (ships and boats). The Volvo S70 is a Mid-size Luxury car produced by the Swedish automaker Volvo from 1997 to 2000 Vehicles, derived from the Latin word vehiculum, are non-living Means of transport. A ship /ʃɪp/ is a large vessel that floats on water Ships are generally distinguished from Boats based on size A boat is a Watercraft of modest size designed to float or plane on water and provide transport over it This article deals with steering wheels in cars; see steering wheel (ship) for the use in vessels. The wheel of a Ship is the modern method of adjusting the angle of the Rudder, in turn changing the direction of the Boat or Ship.
Steering wheels are used in most modern land vehicles, including all mass-production automobiles as well as light and heavy trucks. Vehicles, derived from the Latin word vehiculum, are non-living Means of transport. The steering wheel is the part of the steering system that is manipulated by the driver; the rest of the steering system responds to such driver inputs. Steering is the term applied to the collection of components linkages etc This can be through direct mechanical contact as in recirculating ball or rack and pinion steering gears, without or with the assistance of hydraulic power steering HPS, or as in some modern production cars with the assistance of computer controlled motors EPS. Recirculating ball, also known as recirculating ball and nut or worm and sector, is a Steering mechanism commonly found in older cars and A rack and pinion is a pair of Gears which convert rotational motion into linear motion For the mechanical technology see Hydraulic machinery and Hydraulic cylinder Hydraulics is a topic of science and Engineering Power steering is a system for reducing the Steering effort on vehicles by using an external power source to assist in turning the roadwheels. With the introduction of federal vehicle regulation in the United States in 1968, FMVSS 114 required the impairment of steering wheel movement, to hinder motor vehicle theft; in most vehicles this is accomplished when the ignition key is removed from the ignition lock. A key is a device which is used to open a lock. A typical key consist of two parts the blade, which slides into the Keyway of the lock and distinguishes An ignition system is a system for igniting a fuel-air mixture
Remote car audio controls are often included on the steering wheels of newer vehicles.
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History
The first automobiles were steered with a tiller, but Packard introduced the steering wheel on the second car they built, in 1899. A tiller or till is a Lever attached to a Rudder post (American terminology or Rudder stock (English terminology of a boat in order to provide Packard was an American luxury Automobile marque built by the Packard Motor Car Company of Detroit Michigan, and later by the Studebaker-Packard Corporation Within a decade, the steering wheel had entirely replaced the tiller in automobiles.
C S Rolls introduced the first car in Britain fitted with wheel steering as he imported a 6 hp Panhard & Levassor from France in 1898. Arthur Constantin KREBS replaced the tiller with an inclined steering wheel for the Panhard car he designed for the Paris-Amsterdam race which ran from the 7th to 13rd of July 1898. Arthur Constantin Krebs ( November 16, 1850 in Vesoul, France &ndash March 22 1935 in Quimperlé,
Passenger cars
Steering wheels for passenger automobiles are generally circular, and are mounted to the steering column by a hub connected to the outer ring of the steering wheel by one or more spokes (single spoke wheels being a rather rare exception). The automotive steering column is a device intended primarily for connecting the Steering wheel to the steering mechanism by transferring the driver's input torque from A spoke is one of some number of rods radiating from the center of a Wheel (the hub where the Axle connects connecting the hub with the round traction surface Other types of vehicles may use the circular design, a butterfly shape, or some other shape. In countries where cars must drive on the left side of the road, the steering wheel is typically on the right side of the car (right-hand drive or RHD); the converse applies in countries where cars drive on the right side of the road (left-hand drive or LHD).
Besides its use in steering, the steering wheel is the usual location for a button to activate the car's horn. A horn is a tapered sound guide designed to provide an acoustic impedance match between a sound source and free air Additionally, many modern automobiles may have other controls, such as cruise control and audio system controls built into the steering wheel to minimize the extent to which the driver must take his hands off the wheel. Cruise control (sometimes known as speed control or autocruise) is a system that automatically controls the rate of motion of a Motor vehicle.
An airbag, used to protect the driver in event of a frontal collision, is mounted inside a cover in the center of the steering wheel. An airbag is part of a vehicle's safety restraint system a flexible envelope designed for rapid inflation in an automobile Collision, to prevent vehicle occupants Therefore, to prevent injury from the airbag deployment, it is important that the driver does not sit too close. Typical recommendations are a distance of at least 1-foot (30 cm) between the surface of the airbag cover and the driver's chest.
Before airbags, designs for energy-absorbing hubs existed, but were not used in mass production cars PDF Page 4.
Power steering gives the driver an easier means by which the steering of a car can be accomplished. Power steering is a system for reducing the Steering effort on vehicles by using an external power source to assist in turning the roadwheels. Modern power steering have almost universally relied on a hydraulic system, although electrical systems are steadily replacing this technology. Electric power steering ( EPS or EPAS) is designed to use an Electric motor to reduce effort by providing assist to the driver of a Vehicle Mechanical power steering systems (ex. Studebaker, 1952) have been invented, but their weight and complexity negate the benefits that they provide.
While other methods of steering passenger cars have resulted from experiments, none have been deployed as successfully as the steering wheel.
Other designs
The steering wheel is centrally located on certain high-performance sports cars, such as the McLaren F1, and in the majority of single-seat racing cars. The McLaren F1 was formerly the fastest street legal production car in the world holding this record from 1994 to 2005 the longest period the record has been held
As a driver may have his hands on the steering wheel for hours at a time these are designed with ergonomics in mind. Ergonomics is the Scientific discipline concerned with Designing according to the human needs and the profession that applies theory principles data and methods However, the most important concern is that the driver can effectively convey torque to the steering system; this is especially important in vehicles without power steering or in the rare event of a loss of steering assist. A typical design for circular steering wheels is a steel or magnesium rim with a plastic or rubberized grip molded over and around it. Steel is an Alloy consisting mostly of Iron, with a Carbon content between 0 Magnesium (mægˈniːziəm is a Chemical element with the symbol Mg, Atomic number 12 Atomic weight 24 Some drivers purchase vinyl or textile steering wheel covers to enhance grip or comfort, or simply as decoration. A steering wheel (also called a driving wheel or hand wheel) is a type of steering Control in Vehicles and vessels ( Ships and Boats Another device used to make steering easier is the brodie knob. A brodie knob (alternate spelling brody knob) is a Knob that attaches to the Steering wheel of an Automobile.
A similar device in aircraft is the yoke. A yoke, alternatively known as control column, is a device used for Piloting in most Fixed-wing aircraft, analogous to a Steering wheel Water vessels not steered from a stern-mounted tiller are directed with the ship's wheel, which may have inspired the concept of the steering wheel. A tiller or till is a Lever attached to a Rudder post (American terminology or Rudder stock (English terminology of a boat in order to provide The wheel of a Ship is the modern method of adjusting the angle of the Rudder, in turn changing the direction of the Boat or Ship.
Adjustable steering wheels
Tilt Wheel
Developed by General Motors' Saginaw Steering Gear Division, the seven position Tilt Wheel was made available in several General Motors products in 1963. General Motors Corporation ( GM) ( is a multinational automobile manufacturer founded in 1908 and headquartered in the United States. Originally a luxury option on cars, the tilt function helps to adjust the steering wheel by moving the wheel through an arc in an up and down motion. Tilt Steering Wheels rely upon a ratchet joint located in the steering column just below the steering wheel. By disengaging the ratchet lock, the wheel can be adjusted upward or downward while the steering column remains stationary below the joint. Some designs place the pivot slightly forward along the column, allowing for a fair amount of vertical movement of the steering wheel with little actual tilt, while other designs place the pivot almost inside the steering wheel, allowing adjustment of the angle of the steering wheel with almost no change it its height.
Telescope Wheel
Developed by General Motors Saginaw Steering Gear Division, the telescoping wheel can be adjusted to an infinite number of positions in a 3-inch range. General Motors Corporation ( GM) ( is a multinational automobile manufacturer founded in 1908 and headquartered in the United States. The Tilt and Telescope steering wheel was introduced as an exclusive option on Cadillac automobiles in 1965. Cadillac is a Brand of Luxury vehicles owned by General Motors.
Adjustable Steering Column
In contrast, an adjustable steering column allows steering wheel height to be adjusted with only a small, useful change in tilt. Most of these systems work with compression locks or electric motors instead of ratchet mechanisms; the latter may be capable of moving to a memorized position when a given driver uses the car, or of moving up and forward for entry or exit.
Swing-away Steering Wheel
Introduced on the 1961 Ford Thunderbird, and made available on other Ford products throughout the 1960s, the Swing-away steering wheel allowed the steering wheel to move nine inches to the right when the transmission selector was in Park, so as to make driver exit and entry easier. The Thunderbird is an automobile manufactured by Ford in the United States from 1955 through 2005 &mdash through thirteen generations and various Ford Motor Company is an American Multinational corporation and the world's fourth largest automaker based on Worldwide vehicle sales, following
Buttons on the steering wheel
The first button added to the steering wheel was a switch to activate the car's electric Horn. A horn is a tapered sound guide designed to provide an acoustic impedance match between a sound source and free air Traditionally located on the steering wheel hub or center pad, the horn switch was sometimes placed on the spokes or activated via a decorative horn ring which obviated the necessity to move a hand away from the rim. A further development, the Rim Blow steering wheel, integrated the horn switch into the steering wheel rim itself. Rim Blow was a type of Steering wheel featured on several American automobiles in the period 1969 - 1973.
When speed control systems were introduced in the 1960s, some automakers located the operating switches for this feature on the steering wheel. Cruise control (sometimes known as speed control or autocruise) is a system that automatically controls the rate of motion of a Motor vehicle. In the 1990s, a proliferation of new buttons began to appear on automobile steering wheels. Remote or alternate adjustments for the audio system, the telephone and voice control, acoustic repetition of the last navigation instruction, infotainment system, and on board computer functions can be operated comfortably and safely using buttons on the steering wheel. Car audio/video (car AV is a term used to describe the sound or video system fitted in an Automobile. A voice command device is a device controlled by means of the human voice Infotainment (a Portmanteau of information and entertainment refers to a general type of media broadcast program which provides a combination of current A Carputer, or 'CarPC' is a general purpose computing platform installed in a vehicle This ensures a high standard of additional safety since the driver is able in this way to control and operate many systems without even taking hands off the wheel or eyes off the road.
The scroll buttons can be used to set volume levels or page through menus. A scroll is a roll of Papyrus, Parchment, or Paper which has been written drawn or painted upon for the purpose of transmitting information or using as In Clothing and Fashion design, a button is a small plastic or metal disc- or knob-shaped typically round object usually attached to an article of Clothing
The buttons can be adjusted manually for reach and height. Height is the measurement of vertical Distance, but has two meanings in common use
Gaming imitations
Certain game controllers available for arcade cabinets, personal computers and console games are designed to look and feel like a steering wheel and intended for use in racing games. A game controller is an Input device used to control a Video game. An arcade cabinet, also known as an arcade machine or coin-op, is the housing within which an Arcade game 's Hardware resides A personal computer ( PC) is any Computer whose original sales price size and capabilities make it useful for individuals and which is intended to be operated This article is about games played on consoles Video gaming is about this form of gaming in general Many Board games can be said to be racing games such as Snakes and Ladders, Cribbage, or Formula Dé. The cheapest ones are just paddle controllers with a larger wheel, but most today's examples employ force feedback to simulate the tactile feedback a real driver feels from a steering wheel. A paddle is a Game controller with a round wheel and one or more fire buttons, where the wheel is typically used to control movement of the player object This contributes to steering "feel" and is one of the hallmarks of a true "driver's car" or sports car. A hallmark is a mark or series of marks struck on items made of precious metals &mdash Platinum, Gold, Silver and in some nations Palladium A sports car is a term used to describe a class of Automobile.
See also
Right-hand traffic and left-hand traffic mean regulations requiring all traffic to keep either to the left or the right side of the Road. Dry Steering is the act of turning the Steering wheel or rotating the steer wheels of a vehicle on the Z axis by some other means whilst the vehicle is not in motionDapyx Software network: MP3 Explorer | Ebook Manager | Zenithic