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Squeak and rattle (SAR) noise audible inside a passenger car causes the product quality perceived by the customer to deteriorate. The consequences are high warranty costs and a loss in brand reputation for the vehicle manufacturer in the long run. Therefore, SAR noise must be prevented. This research shows the application and experimental validation of a novel method to predict SAR noise on an actual vehicle interior component. The novel method is based on non-linear theories in the frequency domain. It uses the harmonic balance method in combination with the alternating frequency/time domain method to solve the governing dynamic equations. The simulation approach is part of a process for SAR noise prediction in vehicle interior development presented herein. In the first step, a state-of-the-art linear frequency-domain simulation estimates an empirical risk index for SAR noise emission. Critical spots prone to SAR noise generation are located and ranked.

Electromechanical actuators (EMAs) play a crucial role in aircraft electrification, offering advantages in terms of aircraft-level weight, rigging and reliability compared to hydraulic actuators. To prevent backdriving, skewed roller braking devices called "no-backs" are employed to provide braking torque. These technology components are continuing to be improved with analysis driven design innovations eg. U.S. Pat. No. 8,393,568. The no-back mechanism has the rollers skewed around their own transverse axis that allow for a combination of rolling and sliding against the stator surfaces. This friction provides the necessary braking torque that prevents the backdriving. By controlling the friction radius and analyzing the Hertzian contact stresses, the brake can be sized for the desired duty cycle. No-backs can be configured to provide braking torque for both tensile and compressive backdriving loads.

Continuous improvements and innovations towards sustainability in the aviation industry has brought interest in electrified aviation. Electric aircrafts have short missions in which the temporal variability of thermal loads are high. Lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries have emerged as prominent power source candidate for electric aircrafts and Urban Air Mobility (UAM). UAMs and Electric aircrafts have large battery packs with battery capacity ranging in hundreds or thousands of kWh. If the battery is exposed to temperatures outside the optimum range, the life and the performance of the battery reduces drastically. Hence, it is crucial to have a Thermal Management System (TMS) which would reduce the heat load on battery in addition to cabin, and machinery thermal loads. Thermal management can be done through active or passive cooling. Adding a passive cooling system like Phase Change Material (PCM) to the TMS reduces the design maximum thermal loads.

Hypersonic flight vehicles have potential applications in strategic defence, space missions, and future civilian high-speed transportation systems. However, structural integration has significant challenges due to extreme aero-thermo-mechanical coupled effects. Scramjet-powered air-breathing hypersonic vehicles experience extreme heat loads induced by combustion, shock waves and viscous heat dissipation. An active cooling thermal protection system for scramjet applications has the highest potential for thermal load management, especially for long-duration flights, considering the weight penalty associated with the heavier passive thermal insulation structures. We consider the case of active cooling of scramjet engine structural walls with endothermic hydrocarbon fuel. We have developed a semi-analytical quasi-2D heat transfer model considering a prismatic core single cooling channel segment as a representative volume element (RVE) to analyse larger-scale problems.

The Selective Laser Melting (SLM) process is employed in high-precision layer-by-layer Additive Manufacturing (AM) on powder bed and aims to fabricate high-quality structural components. To gain a comprehensive understanding of the process and its optimization, both modeling and simulation in conjunction with extensive experimental studies along with laser calibration studies have been attempted. Multiscale and multi-physics-based simulations have the potential to bring out a new level of insight into the complex interaction of laser melting, solidification, and defect formation in the SLM parts. SLM process encompasses various physical phenomena during the formation of metal parts, starting with laser beam incidence and heat generation, heat transfer, melt/fluid flow, phase transition, and microstructure solidification. To effectively model this Multiphysics problem, it is imperative to consider different scales and compatible boundary conditions in the simulations.

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In recent years, the burgeoning applications of hydrogen fuel cells have ignited a growing trend in their integration within the transportation sector, with a particular focus on their potential use in multi-rotor drones. The heightened mass-based energy density of fuel cells positions them as promising alternatives to current lithium battery-powered drones, especially as the demand for extended flight durations increases. This article undertakes a comprehensive exploration, comparing the performance of lithium batteries against air-cooled fuel cells, specifically within the context of multi-rotor drones with a 3.5kW power requirement. The study reveals that, for the specified power demand, air-cooled fuel cells outperform lithium batteries, establishing them as a more efficient solution.