Construction of the windscreen wiper

The windscreen wiper is an essential piece of car equipment. It helps to keep the windows clean, the clarity of which has a lot to do with driving safety and visibility of the road and the roadside. When our car windows are excessively dirty, then the driver endangers himself and other passengers. What is a windscreen wiper in a car and how is it constructed?

Car windshield wiper – an essential part of a car

The function of windscreen wipers in a car is to keep the windscreens clean to give the driver full access to the traffic situation. The windscreen wipers clean the car windows of dust, insects, water droplets, snow and other dirt that occurs while driving. Windscreen wipers are such an important safety feature that their proper functioning will certainly be checked during a police inspection. This piece of car equipment should therefore be kept in full working order.

Wiper in a passenger car and its types

Wipers in a passenger car, despite having a similar appearance and fulfilling the same function, are not always the same. They occur in several versions.

• Frameless wipers (flat wipers) – the simplest and best-proven type of car wiper construction. 
• Frame wipers – this type has a changed fastening, so it fits some cars, where we cannot install the frame structure.
• Wipers with spraying function – construction of this type of wiper includes an element that improves the quality of car window cleaning, i.e. integrated washer.
• Hybrid wipers – a combination of frame and flat wiper construction, which give interesting effects, e.g. more efficient cleaning of windscreens.
• Rear window wipers – the construction of the rear window wiper is different from the front window wiper. They are usually shorter and more durable.

The wiper for the car is selected according to the car model, which is already factory-fitted with the appropriate mount. The right choice of wiper will be crucial for safety – driving in heavy rain or heavy snowfall will provide the driver with good visibility.

Construction of a truck windscreen wiper

Car wipers for large cars (trucks, public transport) are built in a specific way. Due to the size of the windscreen on a bus or truck, these wipers are longer and have appropriate reinforcement, as they work on a larger surface of the windscreen. They are subject to greater friction, so in their construction, it is necessary to use stabilizing and strengthening solutions. Therefore, the construction of car wipers for large vehicles ensures appropriate rigidity, also by using appropriate materials. It is worth realizing how important a clean windscreen is when you are carrying 60 passengers on a bus or a valuable transport load. It is part of the so-called active safety of the vehicle. 

Clean windscreen in the car – good and efficient windscreen wipers

The operation of windscreen wipers itself is not complicated. The wiper, whose movements are visible on the windscreen, is driven by a motor whose principle of operation does not differ from a conventional electric motor. However, the construction of the wiper motor is miniaturized. It draws power from the battery, sets the gearbox in motion, and the wiper lever does its work. 

The construction of the wiper system (windscreen and rear window) also includes the wiper arms which are carriers for the so-called blades, i.e. elements directly contacting the surface of the car windscreen. Wiper arms may be of various construction – they occur in articulated versions or without joints. Both metals and plastics are used in their manufacture. The range of the arms should cover the whole field of vision of the driver. Then the blades placed on them, equipped with a usually soft and flexible layer adhering to the glass, cope with frost, snow, rain and other dirt – the movement of wiper arms removes them from the surface of the glass.