Search Results

In this current fast-paced world, releasing a defect free product on time is of utmost importance in the automotive domain. The automobile powertrain is designed with a fine balance of weight and power. Clutch, an intermediate part between engine & transmission in manual transmission vehicle plays crucial role for vehicle smooth drive & functionality. Hydraulic clutch slave cylinder (CSC) which is a part of clutch release system was observed with one failure mode in one of the vehicles during internal road validation. It facilitates to actuate the clutch diaphragm in order to disengage the clutch when clutch pedal is pressed and to re-engage the clutch back when the clutch pedal is released. CSC failure directly disconnects the response of leg to clutch and thus driver may lose vehicle control and can possibly cause a severe vehicle crash.

Vibrational fatigue is a metal fatigue caused by the forced vibrations which are purely random in nature. The phenomenon is predominantly important for the components/systems which are subjected to extreme vibration during its operation. In a vehicle, an engine is the main source of vibration. The vibrational fatigue, therefore, plays a key role in the deterioration of engine mounted components. Multiple test standards and methodologies are available for validating engine mounted parts of an automobile. These might not be appropriate in the case of an off- road vehicle as the vibrational exposure of engine mounted components of an off-road vehicle is entirely different. In the case of an off-road vehicle, the engine mounted components are subjected to a comparatively higher level of vibration for a longer duration of time as compared to the passenger cars.

Construction equipment off highway vehicles are heavy industry vehicles that run on diesel engines. To meet the emission norms, these engines have the Exhaust After Treatment System (EATS) which includes two primary subassemblies, i.e., a Diesel Oxidation Catalyst (DOC) subassembly to reduce the HC and CO emissions and a Selective catalytic Reduction (SCR) subassembly to reduce NOx emissions. Because of the excessive vibrations in the engine and continuous heavy-duty usage of the Construction equipment, any failures in the EATS system leading to escape of exhaust gas is a statuary non-compliance. Hence, understanding the effect of engine vibrations and proposing a cost-effective solution is paramount in designing the EATS system including the SCR assembly. A field-testing failure of an SCR assembly has been taken in consideration for this study.