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A new inter-disciplinary degree program has been developed at Lawrence Technological University: the Master of Science in Mechatronic Systems Engineering Degree (MS/MSE). It is one of a few MS-programs in mechatronics in the U.S.A. today. This inter-disciplinary program reflects the main areas of ground vehicle mechatronic systems and robotics. This paper presents areas of scientific and technological principles which the Mechanical Engineering, Electrical and Computer Engineering, and Math and Computer Science Departments bring to Mechatronic Systems Engineering and the new degree program. New foundations that make the basis for the program are discussed. One of the biggest challenges was developing foundations for mechanical engineering in mechatronic systems design and teaching them to engineers who have different professional backgrounds. The authors first developed new approaches and principles to designing mechanical subsystems as components of mechatronic systems.

All-wheel drive (AWD) vehicle performance considerably depends not only on total power amount needed for the vehicle motion in the given road/off-road conditions but also on the total power distribution among the drive wheels. In turn, this distribution is largely determined by the driveline system and its mechanisms installed in power dividing units. They are interwheel, interaxle reduction gears, and transfer cases. The paper presents analytical methods to evaluate the energy and, accordingly, fuel efficiency of vehicles with any arbitrary number of the drive wheels. The methods are based on vehicle power balance equations analysis and give formulas that functionally link the wheel circumferential forces with slip coefficients and other forces acting onto an AWD vehicle. The proposed methods take into consideration operational modes of vehicles that are tractive mode, load transportation, or a combination of both.

As proven, both friction in the gearing and movement of the contact point of the teeth in mesh along the pressure line generate vibrations of the axial components of the resultant force acting in a couple of mating straight bevel gears. The vibrations of the real forces in gearings cause an increased dynamic pressure on and, accordingly, damage of frictional surfaces of differential parts. The law of summing up the axial components of all the gearings in two and four pinion differentials depends on combinations of numbers of the side gear's and pinion's teeth. A classification of bevel gear differentials into four groups depending on those combinations has been carried out. Differentials of the four groups have different degrees of the axial force vibration. The paper presents a detailed method to evaluate theoretically the axial forces in each of the groups. As shown, differentials from one of the four groups (Group III) have decreased axial force vibrations.