What Components Make Up the Steering System?
1 Answers
The steering system consists of three main components: the steering control mechanism, the steering gear, and the steering linkage. It can be categorized into two types: mechanical steering systems and power steering systems. The steering system is a series of devices used to change or maintain the direction of a vehicle's movement, whether moving forward or backward. Given its critical role in driving safety, all components of a vehicle's steering system are referred to as safety-critical parts. During operation, a vehicle must frequently change its direction of travel according to the driver's intentions, a process known as steering. For wheeled vehicles, steering is achieved when the driver uses a specialized mechanism to angle the wheels on the steering axle relative to the vehicle's longitudinal axis. Even when driving straight, steering wheels can be affected by lateral forces from the road surface, causing them to turn automatically and alter the vehicle's direction. In such cases, the driver can use the same mechanism to counteract this by turning the wheels in the opposite direction, thereby restoring the vehicle to its original course.