Bosch technology Bible – a redemption

Well, its some time that we haven’t done the Bosch technology Bible and I am sure that many of you would have missed it, actually very much. We have had quite a few requests from our online visitors about the same and here I am back with the Bosch technology Bible. Things which may seem alien to many have been put forth in the simplest language that I could manage to. The details for the technologies have been given by Bosch in their continuing quest for educating the Indian public about their various products and how it exactly affects the performance of a car/bike.

Brake Fluid : It is a hydraulic fluid which is used to counter the friction within the different brake components which is experienced while braking. Once the brake pad is pressed, it transmits force to different parts of the braking system. Bosch brake fluids have the highest boiling point and are also highly non compressible in nature.

Bosch Efficiency Line Generators : Due to cars becoming second home for many, increasing dependence on electricity has forced many manufacturers to look for more efficient and alternate options. To counter this or rather to support the initiative by automobile companies, Bosch has brought in its Efficiency Line or EL generators to the fore. These new age generators require less of the mechanical power to generate energy for the car’s electrical consumption. CO2 emissions are vastly reduced due to the less fuel requirement. Matching an engine’s idling speed, the EL generators generate upto 10 percent more power. Ensuring fast battery charging and also aiding the mass use of start-stop technology, these EL generators are the future of many cars in India.

Direct Injection System : This has been in adoption since 1954 by Mercedes however mass application of the same has been started recently with Bosch introducing cheaper methods. This fuel delivery system allows petrol motors to develop more power, greater fuel economy and lesser emissions. With this technology, petrol is injected directly to the cylinders where it gets mixed with air from the air intakes and is then compressed by the piston. The compression of the piston produces power needed to keep the vehicle in motion or just the engine spinning at idle.

Electric fuel pump : This is used for pumping the fuel from the fuel tank into the engine. Since modern day technology uses fuel injection systems, the fuel pumps are also now more of electrical in their mode of operation. Under high pressure, the Bosch electric fuel pump transfers fuel to the injection system.

Glow Plug : It is a pencil shaped unit which is used for pre-heating the fuel in a  diesel car before the fuel enters the combustion chamber. This is an archaic technology which was used in earlier diesel engines and the most recent example of use of a glow plug now is the Premier Rio. The intention with which Glow Plugs were used was for raising the temperature of diesel for ignition more noticeably for early morning starts or if the vehicle has been lying idle for many days.

Lambda Sensor : A Lambda Sensor is an exhaust gas oxygen sensor which checks the amount of oxygen in the exhaust gases and then accordingly informs the ECU, if it needs to adjust the air fuel mixture to aid in better combustion or even the emission levels. A Lambda Sensor is a requirement now for many of the cars to comply with the Euro 4 norms in India.

Petrol Filter : The Bosch Petrol Filter, as the name suggests, removes the impurities from the fuel before it enters the combustion chamber. It checks the fuel impurities in parts per million configuration and the medium used for the filtration is of very high grade. This ensures that the car engines don’t undergo any serious overhaul due to impure fuel used.

Relays : Unlike what the name would suggest, this is actually a switch and it has two types of circuits namely the power circuit and the control circuit. The latter has coils which produce a magnetic field when the external switch is put on, to allow the current to pass through the coil. The former however retains contact which closes the power circuit due to the magnetic field force. Various requirements of the electrical appliances in a car are reduced to a great extent by the Bosch relays.

Spark Plug : An electrical device which fits into the cylinder head of all the spark ignition engines, is known as the Spark Plug. Inside the combustion chamber, by means of an electrical spark, the petrol is ignited. Also LPG engines use the Bosch Spark Plugs.