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Previous studies and recent practical aerodynamic evaluations have shown that aerodynamic drag of passenger vehicles with “ground simulation” with moving ground and rotating wheels may increase in some cases and decrease in other cases relative to the fixed ground and stationary wheel conditions. Accordingly, the effects of the ground simulation on the aerodynamic drag should be deeply understood for further drag reduction. Although the previous studies demonstrated what is changed by the ground simulation, the reason for the change has not been fully understood. In this article, the effects of wheels and wheel houses attachment and those by the ground simulation with ground movement and wheel rotation on the aerodynamic drag were investigated by quantification of the underfloor flow that plays a crucially important role on the formation of vortical structure around vehicles.

Vehicles equipped with in-wheel motors are being studied and developed as a type of electric vehicle. Since these motors are attached to the suspension, a large vertical suspension reaction force is generated during driving. Based on this mechanism, this paper describes the development of a method for independently controlling roll and pitch as well as yaw using driving force distribution control at each wheel. It also details the theoretical calculation of a method for decoupling the dynamic motions. Finally, it describes the application of these 3D dynamic motion control methods to a test vehicle and the confirmation of the performance improvement.

In-wheel motors (IWM) will be a key technology that contributes to the popularization of electric vehicles. Combining electric drive with IWM enables both good vehicle dynamics and a roomy interior. In addition, the responsiveness of IWM is also capable of raising dynamic control performance to an even higher level. IWM enable vertical body motion control as well as direct yaw control, electric skid control, and traction control. This means that IWM can replace most control actuators used in a vehicle chassis. The most important technology for IWM is to enable the motor to coexist with the brake and the suspension arms inside the wheel. The IWM drive unit described in this paper can be installed with a front double wishbone suspension, the most difficult configuration.

We have developed a vehicle test system called the Vehicle Dynamics Simulator (VDS). The system measures the handling characteristics in a transient state in the laboratory. The automobile suspensions are moved as on a road with the machine providing relative motion by force transducer platform beneath each tire. The detailed measurements of transitive motions and forces given to the wheel clarify the kinematics and compliance characteristics contributed to the good handling performance and stability. This paper presents the system introduction and the results of analyzing the suspensions characteristics by the new analytical technique for breaking down into a variety of compliance components in a transient state.

Improvement of vehicle dynamics in limit cornering have been studied. Simulations and tests have verified that vehicle stability and course trace performance in limit cornering have been improved by active brake control of each wheel. The controler manages vehicle yaw moment utilizing difference braking force between left and right wheels, and vehicle deceleration utilizing sum of braking forces of all wheels.

In the field of automobile disk wheels, demands for aluminum wheels have been increasing for the reason of ride comfort and better appearance. And over 90 percent of luxurious passenger cars are equipped with aluminum wheels. This trend is spurred also by the demand for higher fuel efficiency for the cause of environmental protection, which calls for weight reduction of automobiles. This paper reports our research on manufacturing light-weight, high-quality aluminum cast wheels; covering the entire process from basic design to casting, and placing emphasis on the following three points. 1) Determination of optimum wheel configuration through computer simulation 2) Selection of optimum material composition 3) Optimization of the thin plate casting conditions Combination of the above technologies developed for the purpose of weight reduction resulted in the weight reduction of approximately 20% over the conventional aluminum wheels.

The newly-developed 2JZ engine series is available in two types; a naturally aspirated 2JZ-GE and a turbo charged 2JZ-GTE. Both have in-Line-6 cylinder arrangement and displacement volume of 2.997 liters and have attained many features expected for the engines of new era by utilizing new technologies, such as DOHC 4 valve, high compression ratio, a highly rigid structural design which is realized by extensive use of the CAE, a serpentine accessory drive belt, and auto tensioners for timing belt and accessory belt systems. These engines are stroke up versions of the 1JZ engines. The 2JZ-GE engine, which has been developed for the SC300, delivers high performance of 169 KW/6000rpm and 284 Nm/4800rpm by adopting a variable induction system, a knock-control system with two sensors, etc. The other type, the 2JZ-GTE engine which has been developed for the Aristo in japan includes a TWO-WAY-TWIN-TURBO’ system equipped with ceramic turbine wheels.

A description is made of new control methods to improve response of wheel slip regulation. These methods enabled a new Traction Control (TRC) system based on throttle control rather than brake pressure to be developed. Major points are as follows: (1) Use of fuel injection cut-off to minimize delay (2) Additional adaptive throttle control logic By these means, a response nearly equal to that with brake pressure control is achieved at lower cost and with a considerable weight saving. Furthermore, the system, by suppressing noise and vibration, enhances the driver's control ability.

A new experimental method, that enables to estimate the body and driveline sensitivity to unit transmitting error of a hypoid gear for automotive rear axle gear noise, has been developed. Measurements were made by exciting the tooth of the drive-pinion gear and that of the ring gear separately using the special devices designed with regard to simulation of acceleration and deceleration. The characteristic of this method is to estimate the forces at the contact point of the gears. Estimation of these forces is carried out under the condition that the higher stiffness is provided by the tooth of the drive-pinion gear and that of the ring gear, compared with the stiffness of the driveshafts and that of the propeller shaft etc., and relative angular displacement of the torsional vibration between the teeth of the drive-pinion gear and those of the ring gear is constant.

A new type of torque transmit coupling has recently been developed for 4WD cars, that provides a better match to ABS, is of lighter weight, and uses a simpler operating mechanism. This coupling transmits torque with a multi-disc clutch that is engaged by the pressure of high viscosity silicone oil. The rotary blade generates variably the silicone oil pressure, according to both differential speed and direction of rotation between the front and rear wheels. This coupling provides a good match between 4WD performance and four wheel Anti-lock Braking System (ABS) by a modification of the rotary blade shape. No additional devices are needed. This paper describes the characteristics of this coupling and the in-vehicle performance.

Tire treadwear is a very complicated phenomenon that is influenced by various factors. Any quantitative treadwear estimating method applicable to tires on a vehicle has not yet been established. In this study the effects of acting force to the tire and tire attitude (dynamic wheel alignment) upon treadwear were made clear experimentally by taking notice of the fact that they are only the factors directly influencing tire treadwear provided that a tire and a road surface are determined. Furthermore, on the assumption that treadwear will increase linearly, an examination was made to find a method of estimating treadwear of tires on any vehicle in any running condition by using above-mentioned effects for the values of tire-acting force and dynamic wheel alignment calculated from the vehicle particular and running condition.

Toyota has developed a new full time 4WD system, called “EC-HYMATIC” or Electronically Controlled - HYdraulic Multi-plate clutch Active Traction Intelligent Control. This system permits an automatic torque transfer, depending on driving conditions, for front and rear wheels under control of the speed difference between the two. The system developed consists of a center differential, a speed difference control clutch system employing multi-plate clutch, and a gear set for rear axle drive. The speed difference control clutch system is controlled by a unique electro-hydraulic system using a microcomputer. An extensive use of computer simulations and vehicle test and evaluation has successfully developed an appropriate control strategy for the clutch system. The new 4WD system, EC-HYMATIC, considerably improves handling characteristics, traction performance and stability of a 4WD vehicle.

Excessive throttle pedal operation while driving on slippery roads causes the wheels to spin, consequently reducing vehicle stability and traction. Driving a vehicle under these conditions imposes additional and unneccessary burdens on the driver. To solve the problem, a traction control (TRC) system controlling engine torque and brake force has been developed to prevent the driven wheels from excessive spinning. The TRC system consists of some additional components to the Antilock Brake System (ABS), a system which had previously been developed to prevent wheels from locking up during hard braking. The combination of the ABS and the TRC system will now be effective to assist the driver to improve the vehicle driving performance on slippery road surfaces.

On the basis of the investigation of the airflow and temperature distributions between the car underside and the wind tunnel floor, methods to improve, the differential gear lubricant cooling performance in high speed running have been studied. It has been clarified that the differential gear lubricant temperature is nearly dominated by the convective heat transfer coefficient and the air temperature around the differential gear carrier. Control of the heat transfer coefficient and the air temperature around the differential gear carrier through the modification of the car underside configuration was found to be the most efficient method to decrease the temperature of the differential gear lubricant.

An experimental method for the reduction of the steering wheel vibration, occurring at high speed cruising and/or at engine idling, is described. The reduction of the vibration can be achieved by increasing the resonant frequency of the steering system, which is constructed of a steering wheel, steering column, its support member and so on. Mechanical impedance methods were applied to predict the resonant frequency by means of converting the diametrical moment of inertia of the steering wheel into an equivalent mass. This method provides an insight into how design should be changed to obtain further reduction of the steering wheel vibration. Practical applications are also discussed.

The wheel torque measuring system (abbr. WTMS) has been developed for evaluating the torque applied to each wheel of automotive vehicles under actual running conditions. WTMS is a novel type system in which the torque signal is transmitted by a high-performance and compact photo-telemetric coupling system. Within the torque measurement range of ±2.94 kN·m, the resolution of torque output is ±1 N·m so that torque can be measured with an extremely high degree of accuracy. Therefore, measurements can be taken from the high torque applied in the case of a quick accelerating test or a sudden braking test to the measurement of a low amount of torque such as running resistance of a vehicle.