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Because niobium-clad 304L stainless steel sheets are considered for use as bipolar plates in polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM) fuel cells, their mechanical behavior and failure mechanism are important to be examined. As-rolled and annealed specimens were tested in tension, bending and flattening. The effects of annealing temperature and time on the mechanical behavior and failure mechanism were investigated. Micrographic analyses of bent and flattened specimens showed that the as-rolled specimens have limited ductility and that the annealed specimens can develop an intermetallic layer of thickness of a few microns. The annealed specimens failed due to the breakage of intermetallic layer causing localized necking and the subsequent failure of Nb layer. The springback angles of the as-rolled and annealed specimens were also obtained from guided-bend tests.

Automotive engines are regularly utilized in the material handling market where LPG is often the primary fuel used. When compared to gasoline, the use of gaseous fuels (LPG and CNG) as well as alcohol based fuels, often result in significant increases in valve seat insert (VSI) and valve face wear. This phenomenon is widely recognized and the engine manufacturer is tasked to identify and incorporate appropriate valvetrain material and design features that can meet the ever increasing life expectations of the end-user. Alternate materials are often developed based on laboratory testing – testing that may not represent real world usage. The ultimate goal of the product engineer is to utilize accelerated lab test procedures that can be correlated to field life and field failure mechanisms, and then select appropriate materials/design features that meet the targeted life requirements.

In this work a detailed model to simulate the transient behavior of catalytic converters is presented. The model is able to predict the unsteady and reacting flows in the exhaust ducts, by solving the system of conservation equations of mass, momentum, energy and transport of reacting chemical species. The en-gine and the intake system have not been included in the simulation, imposing the measured values of mass flow, gas temperature and chemical composition as a boundary condition at the inlet of the exhaust system. A detailed analysis of the diffusion stage triggering is proposed along with simplifications of the physics, finalized to the reduction of the calculation time. Submodels for water condensation and its following evaporation on the monolith surface have been taken into account as well as oxygen storage promoted by ceria oxides.

A laboratory study was performed to optimize a zoned configuration of an iron (Fe) SCR catalyst and a copper (Cu) SCR catalyst in order to provide high NOx conversion at lean A/F ratios over a broad range of temperature for diesel and lean-burn gasoline applications. With an optimized space velocity of 8,300 hr-1, a 67% (by volume) Fe section followed by a 33% Cu section provided at least 80% NOx conversion from approximately 230°C to 640°C when evaluated with 500 ppm NO and NH3. To improve the lean lightoff performance of the SCR catalyst system during a cold start, a Cu SCR catalyst that was 1/4 as long as the rear Cu SCR catalyst was placed in front of the Fe SCR catalyst. When evaluated with an excess of NH3 (NH3/NO ratio of 2.2), the Cu+Fe+Cu SCR system had significantly improved lightoff performance relative to the Fe+Cu SCR system, although the front Cu SCR catalyst did decrease the NOx conversion at temperatures above 475°C by oxidizing some of the NH3 to N2 or NO.

A laboratory study was performed to assess the effects of SO2 poisoning on the NOx conversion of iron (Fe) and copper (Cu) SCR catalysts. Thermally aged samples of the catalysts were poisoned with SO2 under lean conditions. At various times during the poisonings, the samples were evaluated for NOx conversion with NO and NH3 using lean temperature ramps. The low temperature NOx conversions of both catalysts decreased by 10 to 20% after 1 to 4 hours of poisoning but were stable with continued exposure to the SO2. The poisoned Cu SCR catalyst could be desulfated repeatedly with 5 minutes of lean operation at 600°C. Initially, the poisoned Fe SCR catalyst required 5 minutes of lean operation at 750°C to recover its maximum NOx conversion.

The Moon is composed of a variety of oxygen-bearing minerals, providing a virtually unlimited quantity of raw material that can be processed to produce oxygen. One attractive method to extract oxygen from the lunar regolith is the carbothermal reduction process. This paper discusses recent development work conducted through the PILOT project under the NASA OPTIMA program. The OPTIMA test program utilizes a modular technology suite of ISRU excavation, oxygen extraction, oxygen storage, and oxygen distribution hardware sized to be consistent with the draft Constellation requirements for oxygen extraction from the regolith to support the early lunar outpost (1 MT O2/year).

The Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) mission to land a large rover on Mars is being prepared for Launch in 2011. A Multi-Mission Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generator (MMRTG) on the rover provides an electrical power of 110 W for use in the rover and the science payload. Unlike the solar arrays, MMRTG provides a constant electrical power during both day and night for all seasons (year around) and latitudes. The MMRTG dissipates about 2000 W of waste heat to produce the desired electrical power. One of the challenges for MSL Rover is the thermal management of the large amount of MMRTG waste heat. During operations on the surface of Mars this heat can be harnessed to maintain the rover and the science payload within their allowable limits during nights and winters without the use of electrical survival heaters. A mechanically pumped fluid loop heat rejection and recovery system (HRS) is used to pick up some of this waste heat and supply it to the rover and payload.

Many engineers have been working to reduce brake noise in many ways for a long time. So far, a progress has been made in preventing and predicting brake noise. Nevertheless, there are some discrepancies of brake noise generation propensity between testing for the prototype and the production. As known in general, the reason for this unpredicted brake noise occurrence in production is partly due to the variation of the resonant frequency, material and the other unpredictable or unmanageable variations of the components in a brake system. In this paper, effects of chemical components and casting process of gray iron brake disc on its resonant frequency variation have been studied. Especially this paper is focused on the variation in material aspects and manufacturing parameters during disc casting in usual production condition. And their effects are investigated by the variation of out-of-plane modal resonant frequency.

A series hydraulic hybrid concept (SHHV) has been explored as a potential pathway to an ultra-efficient city vehicle. Intended markets would be congested metropolitan areas, particularly in developing countries. The target fuel economy was ~100 mpg or 2.4 l/100km in city driving. Such an ambitious target requires multiple measures, i.e. low mass, favorable aerodynamics and ultra-efficient powertrain. The series hydraulic hybrid powertrain has been designed and analyzed for the selected light and aerodynamic platform with the expectation that (i) series configuration will maximize opportunities for regeneration and optimization of engine operation, (ii) inherent high power density of hydraulic propulsion and storage components will yield small, low-cost components, and (iii) high efficiency and high power limits for accumulator charging/discharging will enable very effective regeneration.

The applicability, interpretation, and implementation of the testing requirements, in various aerospace and military tubing material specifications have caused confusion across the tubing industry. Despite the release of AMS specifications, procurement entities continue to purchase material produced to the older and often cancelled Mil-T specifications. In addition to mechanical properties, these specifications cover requirements including composition, grain size, heat treating, passivation, pressure testing, formability, non-destructive testing, and sampling frequency. Confusion may result for tubing producers who also supply commercial grade tubing having similar mechanical properties aerospace tubing. Ultimately it is the responsibility of the tubing manufacturer to understand the risks involved in meeting the requirements of the aerospace material specifications, both Military and AMS.

Compliance with tighter emission regulations has increased the proportion of parasitic weight in commercial vehicles. In turn, the amount of payload must be reduced to comply with transportation weight requirements. A re-design of commercial vehicle components is necessary to decrease the vehicle weight and improve payload capacity. Side rails have traditionally been manufactured from high strength steels, but significant weight reductions can be achieved by substituting steel side rails with 6013 high strength aluminum alloy side rails. Material and stress analyses are presented in this paper in order to understand the effect of manufacturing process on the material's mechanical behavior. Metallographic and tensile test experiments for the 6013-T4 alloy were performed in preparation for residual stress measurements of a punching operation. Punched holes are critical to the function of the side rail and can lead to high stress levels and cracking.

In this paper, the microstructure-based finite element modeling method is used in investigating the loading path dependence of formability of transformation induced plasticity (TRIP) steels. For this purpose, the effects of different loading path on the forming limit diagrams (FLD) of TRIP steels are qualitatively examined using the representative volume element (RVE) of a commercial TRIP800 steel. First, the modeling method was introduced, where a combined isotropic/kinematic hardening rule is adopted for the constituent phases in order to correctly describe the cyclic deformation behaviors of TRIP steels during the forming process with combined loading paths which may include the unloading between the two consecutive loadings. Material parameters for the constituent phases remained the same as those in the authors' previous study [ 1 ] except for some adjustments for the martensite phase due to the introduction of the new combined hardening rule.

Predicting AHSS cracking during crash events and forming processes is an enabling technology for AHSS application. Several fracture criteria including MatFEM and Modified Mohr-Coulomb Criterion were developed recently. However, none of them are designed to cover more fracture modes such as bending fracture and tearing fracture with initial damage. A mixed-mode fracture criterion (MMFC) is proposed and developed to capture multiple fracture modes including in-plane shearing fracture, cross-thickness shearing fracture with bending effect and tearing fracture with initial damage. The associated calibration procedure for this criterion is developed. The criterion is implemented in a commercial FEA code and several lab validations are conducted. The results show its promising potential to predict AHSS cracking at large strain conditions.

Advanced High Strength Steels (AHSS) have been implemented in the automotive industry to balance the requirements for vehicle crash safety, emissions, and fuel economy. With lower ductility compared to conventional steels, the fracture behavior of AHSS components has to be considered in vehicle crash simulations to achieve a reliable crashworthiness prediction. Without considering the fracture behavior, component fracture cannot be predicted and subsequently the crash energy absorbed by the fractured component can be over-estimated. In full vehicle simulations, failure to predict component fracture sometimes leads to less predicted intrusion. In this paper, the feasibility of using computer simulations in predicting fracture during crash deformation is studied.

Scuffing is a common source of failure for many mechanical components in automobiles. 8625 alloy steel is commonly used in camshafts, gears, piston pins, shafts, and splines. The purpose of the research is to study the scuffing resistance of non-treated, carburized, nitrocarburized, and carbonitrided 8625 alloy steels. The scuffing resistance of the 8625 alloy steels was determined through pin-on-disk tests. The hardness and microstructure of the disks were analyzed using electron microscopy to determine wear mechanisms for each surface treated steel. The wear mechanisms were then related to the scuff resistance of the various materials.

Neutron diffraction is a powerful tool that can be used to identify the phases present and to measure the spacing of the atomic planes in a material. Thus, the residual stresses can be determined within a component and/or the phases present. New intercritically austempered irons rely on the unique properties of the austenite phase present in their microstructures. If these materials are to see widespread use, methods to verify the quality (behavior consistency) of these materials and to provide guidance for further optimization will be needed. Neutron diffraction studies were performed at the second generation neutron residual stress facility (NRSF2) at the High Flux Isotope Reactor (HFIR) at Oak Ridge National Laboratory on a variety of intercritically austempered irons. For similar materials, such as TRIP steels, the strengthening mechanism involves the transformation of metastable austenite to martensite during deformation.

The paper brings to evidence critical issues in the design of variable displacement vane pump controls for ICE lubrication. Tight packaging, high rotational speed and variable pressure setting are key aspects influencing the selection of pump geometric parameters as well as its displacement controls. A specific layout, where the pump displacement control is carried out by two linear actuators and a two-way pilot control valve, has been analysed. The paper focuses on the dimensioning of the front areas of the actuators considering two kinematic solutions, linear and rotational, for the external ring. Through a simulation model, validated by experimental tests, the influence of different pressure control strategies on the dimensioning has been investigated.

In August 2005, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) proposed to increase the roof strength requirement under Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) 216 from 1.5 to 2.5 times unloaded vehicle weight (UVW). To meet the new requirement with a minimum impact on vehicle weight and cost, the automotive community is working actively to develop improved roof architectures using advanced high strength steels (AHSS) and other lightweight materials such as structural foam. The objective of this study is to develop an optimized steel-only solution with low material and part-manufacturing costs. Since the new regulation will present a particular challenge to the roof architectures of large vans, pickup trucks and SUVs due to their large mass and size, a validated roof crush model on a B-Pillar-less light truck is utilized in this study.

As world-wide container volume increases and very large container ships emerge as a dominant player in the maritime cargo transport market, functional capabilities of container ports need to be greatly enhanced. To address this problem, KAIST is undertaking a project to design a novel container transport system, namely Mobile Harbor. Mobile Harbor refers to a system that can go out to a large container ship anchoring in the open sea, load and unload containers between the container ship and the Mobile Harbor, and transport them to their destinations. Designing Mobile Harbor presents a number of challenges as with many other large-scale engineering projects, especially at the beginning stage of the project.

There are numerous component applications that would benefit from localized austempering (heat treating only a portion of the component) for either improved wear properties or fatigue strength. Currently available methods for “surface austempering” of ductile iron are often expensive and not as well controlled as would be desired. This study was undertaken to find a better process. Locally Austempered Ductile Iron (LADI) is the result of those efforts. LADI is a surface hardening heat treatment process that will produce a localized case depth of an ausferrite microstructure (ADI) in a desired area of a component. This process has been jointly developed by Ajax Tocco Magnethermic Corporation (ATM) and Applied Process, Inc.- Technologies Division (AP) with support and collaboration from ThyssenKrupp Waupaca, Inc. (TKW). This paper describes the outcome of using this patent pending process (US #65/195,131).