Auto-Sector Interview Preparation

Develops product designs and specifications that meet functional, cost and manufacturing requirements.

Computer-Aided Design, software used to create 2D and 3D models.

CATIA, Siemens NX, SolidWorks, Creo and AutoCAD.

2D shows flat views and drawings; 3D represents the object in space with volume.

Geometric Dimensioning and Tolerancing, a system to define part geometry and allowable variation.

The allowable variation in a dimension.

A reference feature from which other dimensions are measured.

A part is a single component; an assembly is several parts joined together.

A structured list of all parts and materials in a product.

Design for Manufacturing, designing parts so they are easy and cheap to make.

Design for Assembly, designing so parts are easy to assemble.

A rounded internal corner that reduces stress concentration.

An angled edge, often used to ease assembly or remove sharp edges.

A slight taper on a moulded or cast part that allows easy removal from the mould.

Finite Element Analysis, a numerical method to simulate stress, deflection and other behaviour.

A localised increase in stress, usually at a sharp corner or hole.

The stress at which a material begins to deform permanently.

The maximum stress a material can withstand before breaking.

Ductile materials deform before breaking; brittle materials break with little deformation.

Lightweight components such as body panels, engine blocks and wheels.

A high strength-to-weight ratio for lighter, stiffer parts.

A component such as a bolt, screw or rivet used to join parts.

A bolt is used with a nut; a screw threads directly into a part.

The accumulation of individual tolerances across an assembly.

A technical drawing that communicates dimensions, tolerances and notes for manufacture.

A view that shows internal features by cutting through the part.

A view that shows assembly components separated to reveal how they fit.

Designing for the comfort, safety and ease of use of the occupants.

Body In White, the welded vehicle body structure before paint and trim.

Shaping flat metal sheets into parts by bending, stamping or drawing.

A process that makes plastic parts by injecting molten plastic into a mould.

To seal the joint between two surfaces and prevent leaks.

An interference fit where parts are held together by friction.

The ratio of a material strength to the actual applied load.

Recreating a design by measuring and analysing an existing product.

An early sample built to test and validate a design.

A recorded change to a drawing, tracked with a revision number.

Computer-Aided Manufacturing, software that drives machine tools from CAD data.

Strength resists failure; stiffness resists deformation.

A geometric property describing resistance to bending or rotation.

The condition where a feature contains the most material, used to allow bonus tolerance.

Position controls the location of a feature; concentricity controls the axis relationship.

Sum the contributing tolerances using worst-case or statistical methods to verify the assembly fit.

Worst-case adds all extremes; statistical uses root-sum-square for a realistic result.

Consider strength, weight, cost, manufacturability, corrosion resistance and the load case.

Static, dynamic, fatigue and impact loads.

Failure under repeated loading below yield; design with smooth transitions, low stress and good materials.

A graph relating cyclic stress to the number of cycles to failure.

Use topology optimisation, ribbing, lighter materials and removal of non-load-bearing material.

A method that removes material from low-stress regions to minimise weight while meeting load requirements.

It predicts stress, deflection, modes and fatigue so issues are found before prototyping.

The division of a model into elements; a finer mesh gives more accurate but slower results.

Loads, constraints or supports and material properties that represent real conditions.

To find a structure natural frequencies and avoid resonance.

Noise, Vibration and Harshness, the study and control of unwanted sound and vibration.

Use standard bend radii, avoid tight tolerances, minimise operations and allow for tooling.

Reduce part count and use self-locating features, standard fasteners and symmetric parts.

It defines functional relationships clearly and often allows more usable tolerance.

Thermoplastics can be remelted; thermosets cure permanently.

Based on the joint load, materials, thread size and the required clamp force.

A model driven by dimensions and relationships so that changes update automatically.

To identify and mitigate potential design failure modes early.

Identify the high-stress region and add material, fillets or ribs, or change the material or geometry.

Casting pours molten metal into a mould; forging shapes metal under pressure for better grain strength.

Tighter tolerances increase machining cost, so choose the loosest tolerance that works.

Through material choice, coatings, galvanic isolation and avoidance of water traps.

Static assumes steady loads; dynamic accounts for time-varying loads and inertia.

Uniform wall thickness, draft angles, avoidance of thick sections and proper rib design.

The ability of the structure to protect occupants by absorbing crash energy.

They deform progressively to absorb impact energy and reduce the force on occupants.

Clearance leaves a gap; interference creates an overlap requiring force to assemble.

It reduces cost, simplifies sourcing and improves reliability through proven parts.

Through analysis, prototyping, design verification and validation testing, and design reviews.

A structured evaluation of a design by stakeholders to catch issues early.

Optimise the trade-offs against requirements using analysis and value engineering.

Use topology optimisation and smooth load paths with fillets to cut stress, then verify with fatigue FEA against S-N data.

Check the cyclic loads, stress concentrations, surface finish, residual stress and material defects, then redesign and re-test.

Define the datums and loop, list contributors, apply worst-case or statistical methods, then verify against the gap with margin.

Shift the natural frequency by changing stiffness or mass, add damping, or isolate the source.

Trade weight savings against cost, formability, joining method, repair and stiffness targets.

Maintain uniform wall thickness, add draft and fillets, avoid hot spots, and verify with casting and structural simulation.

Ensure adequate preload, the correct grade and a locking method, and keep the joint stiffness favourable to the bolt.

Use multi-material design and topology and gauge optimisation while balancing crash, stiffness and NVH targets.

Run explicit dynamics crash simulation against regulatory load cases, then confirm with physical crash tests.

Allow for differential expansion with clearances, slotted holes or compliant joints.

Limit the strain below the material fatigue limit, use generous radii and validate with cyclic testing.

Compare predicted and measured stress or deflection at instrumented points and refine the model assumptions and mesh.

Use tuned structures where stiff load paths carry normal loads and dedicated zones deform in a crash.

Root-cause with field data and FMEA, redesign the weak feature, validate it, and apply change control.

Use shell elements for thin walls and solids for thick regions, with correct thickness and connections.

Apply GD&T to control only the functional features and assign the widest tolerance the function allows.

Identify the source frequency, check clearances and fasteners, then add stiffness, damping or isolation.

Question each feature function, remove or simplify non-value features and re-validate against requirements.

Balance uniform walls and draft for moulding with ribs and gussets for stiffness, then run mould-flow and structural simulation.

Use statistical tolerancing, capable processes and design features that absorb variation.

Separate dissimilar metals with coatings or isolators and control the electrolyte exposure.

Vary the key parameters systematically to find their effect and the optimum combination efficiently.

Prioritise high-risk validations, use simulation early and run critical physical tests in parallel.

Apply DFM and DFA, reduce operations and tolerances, consolidate parts and consider alternative processes or materials.

Gather requirements, run DFMEA, build the CAD model, do CAE analysis and a DFM review, prototype and run validation testing, then release with control documents.