III. Try to guess the meaning of the following words and word combinations.

Conventional transmission, gears of varying diameters, idler gear, the automatic clutch mechanical governor, shift valves, the blades of a turbine, the steering column, Hydra-Matic type of transmission.

Text VII The Running Gear

I. Read and translate the text.

The running gear of the car includes the wheel-sus­pension system, the stabilizers, and the wheels and tires. The frame of the car may be considered the integrating member of the running gear. It is attached to the rear axle and to the front wheels by springs. These springs, along with the axles, the control and support arms, and the shock absorbers, constitute the wheel-suspension system. In modern cars the front wheels are independ­ently suspended from the frame in a manner that per­mits either wheel to change its plane without appreci­ably affecting the other. This type of front-wheel sus­pension is known popularly as independent suspension. The stabilizers consist of spring-steel bars, connected between the shock-absorber arms by levers, to-decrease body roll and improve steer ability.

II. Vocabulary to be remembered:

The running system	Ходовая часть
Stabilizer	стабилизатор
Frame	рама
To consider	рассматривать
To attach	прикреплять
Arm	рычаг
Absorber	Поглощающий жидкость
Appreciable	Заметный (ощутимый)
Shock-absorber	амортизатор
To permit	позволять
Spring-steel bars	стальные пружинные балки

Text VIII Axles

I. Read and translate the text.

The axles of the motor vehicle are chiefly meant for supporting the wheels and for holding the drive and steer­ing systems. Depending on their location on the motor vehicle, a difference is made between front and rear axles.

The rigid front axle of a motor vehicle is designed as a single member. Its ends are formed by the axle heads to hold the king pins for the pivoted suspension of the front wheels; between the axle ends are the spring seats.

For smaller motor vehicles frequently tubular axles are used; their heads are suitably connected to the tube. Front axles are nearly always cranked to achieve the lo­cation of the chassis as low as possible.

Modern automotive engineering developed axle less wheel suspension, floating half-axles or independent wheel suspension. In these cases, the rigid single member for front and rear wheel suspension is eliminated.

In case of the independent wheel suspension, the cross connection for the two front wheels is frequently formed by the transverse front spring using either only one trans­verse spring, in combination with control arms for guid­ing the wheels, or the wheel is supported by one transver­se spring each at top and bottom.

Similar to the front axle, the rear axle, too, had been designed as a single member carrying axle. In case of rear-wheel drive, it serves to support this drive, i.e., bevel-gear reduction, differential gear and axle shafts are attached to it. Accordingly, the rear-axle bracket has the form of housing. The single-member axle bracket is an integral steel casting. The annular center portion is meant to house the axle drive with differential gear; its front forms the flared tube of axle for supporting the pinion and-its rear end is closed by a cover. For passenger cars, the rear axle-box body is considerably reduced in weight. It is formed by two sheet-metal drop stampings welded together. This type of axles is called "banjo axles."

As in case of the front axles, the rear axles have to meet the same requirements with respect to the reduction of the weight. Since the rear axle has to sup­port the entire drive mechanism (bevel gears, differential gear, drive shafts), its weight is often rather high.

In case of front-wheel drive, the rear axle has merely the function of a carrying axle; and it can be constructed as a light tubular axle. However, it is also possible to support the rear wheels in suspension arms at the frame omitting the axle. In this case, the suspension arms are suspended either in the conventional manner or by tor­sion-bar springs transversely arranged.