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What is "power steering"

Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
power steering
noun
EXAMPLES FROM CORPUS
▪ And although the odd purist might object we've also included power steering, electric windows and a high quality car stereo.
▪ Both provide extremely quiet and comfortable transport for long journeys, but the very light power steering needs care.
▪ Equipment looks good with central locking and power steering included.
▪ Handling is excellent with plenty of grip, balance and a confident feel from the power steering.
▪ Higher ratio power steering gives tighter turns, but the tendency to slight wanderings on the straight is still there.
▪ It would help a lot when cornering if the power steering was lighter.
▪ On the comfort front, multi-adjustable front seats and light power steering make it an easy and pleasant car to drive.
▪ The model included standard goodies such as electric windows and mirrors all round, power steering, central locking and catalytic convertor.
Wiktionary
power steering

n. (context automotive English) A system for reducing the driver's effort to steer, by using a power source to assist in turning the wheels.

WordNet
power steering

n. automotive steering where engineer power amplifies the torque applied to the steering wheel [syn: power-assisted steering]

Wikipedia
Power steering

In automobiles, power steering (also power assisted steering (PAS) or steering assist system) helps drivers steer by augmenting steering effort of the steering wheel.

Hydraulic or electric actuators add controlled energy to the steering mechanism, so the driver can provide less effort to turn the steered wheels when driving at typical speeds, and reduce considerably the physical effort necessary to turn the wheels when a vehicle is stopped or moving slowly. Power steering can also be engineered to provide some artificial feedback of forces acting on the steered wheels.

Representative power steering systems for cars augment steering effort via an actuator, a hydraulic cylinder that is part of a servo system. These systems have a direct mechanical connection between the steering wheel and the linkage that steers the wheels. This means that power-steering system failure (to augment effort) still permits the vehicle to be steered using manual effort alone.

Other power steering systems (such as those in the largest off-road construction vehicles) have no direct mechanical connection to the steering linkage; they require electrical power. Systems of this kind, with no mechanical connection, are sometimes called " drive by wire" or "steer by wire", by analogy with aviation's " fly-by-wire". In this context, "wire" refers to electrical cables that carry power and data, not thin-wire-rope mechanical control cables.

In other power steering systems, electric motors provide the assistance instead of hydraulic systems. As with hydraulic types, power to the actuator (motor, in this case) is controlled by the rest of the power-steering system.

Some construction vehicles have a two-part frame with a rugged hinge in the middle; this hinge allows the front and rear axles to become non-parallel to steer the vehicle. Opposing hydraulic cylinders move the halves of the frame relative to each other to steer.