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General Motors Powertrain Division has developed the next generation big block V8 engine for introduction in the 1996 model year. In addition to meeting tighter emission and on-board diagnostic legislation, this engine evolved to meet both customer requirements and competitive challenges. Starting with the proven dependability of the time tested big block V8, goals were set to substantially increase the power, torque, fuel economy and overall pleaseability of GM's large load capacity gasoline engine. The need for this new engine to meet packaging requirements in many vehicle platforms, both truck and OEM, as well as a requirement for minimal additional heat rejection over the engine being replaced, placed additional constraints on the design.

Engineers need to have a basic understanding of intellectual property: patents, trademarks, copyrights and trade secrets. This article is designed to serve as an introduction to patents as well as a guide for the technical professional who may or may not have the assistance of corporate legal counsel. Practical approaches to the three common issues that engineers are likely to get involved in: patent searching a product; avoiding patent infringement and protecting a new product idea are covered. Many facts about patents and intellectual property are introduced and a few myths are exposed.

This paper describes the risk of injury to the rider in a crash using a statistical model based on real-world accident data. We analyzed the road traffic accidents data in Los Angeles and Hanover. Logistic regression modeling technique was used to clarify the relationship among probabilities of minor, serious, fatal injury risk to the rider, and the influence of risk factors in accidents involving opposing vehicle contact point, motorcycle contact point, opposing vehicle speed, motorcycle speed, relative heading angle of impact, and helmet use. The odds ratio, which was adjusted for risk factors simultaneously, was estimated by using the developed technique, and was compared with the effects of risk factors individually. The results showed that there was a statistically significant relationship between minor and serious injuries and opposing vehicle speed, motorcycle speed and opposing vehicle contact point.

The Coast Guard has a primary duty to administer laws and promulgate and enforce regulations for the promotion of safety of life and property on the high seas and on waters subject to the jurisdiction of the United States. The rapid expansion of undersea activity indicates a need for government regulation without waiting for a disaster to provide the impetus. The expected Coast Guard relationship to civil submersible safety is discussed from the standpoint of legislation; preparation, promulgation and enformcement of regulations; duplication of efforts by other organizations; and avoidance of unnecessary interference with use of new developments and technical advancement.

Over the past 30 years, the computer-aided engineering (CAE) tools have been applied extensively in the automotive industry. In order to accelerate time-to-market while coping with legal limits that have become increasingly restrictive over the last decades, CAE has become an indispensable tool covering all major fields in a modern automotive product design process. However, when tackling complex real-life engineering problems, the computational models might become rather involved and thus less efficient. Therefore, the overall trend in the automotive industry is currently heading towards combined approaches, which allow the best of the both worlds, namely the experimental measurement and numerical simulation, to be merged into one integrated scheme. In this paper, the so-called patch transfer function (PTF) approach is adopted to solve coupled vibro-acoustic problems. In the PTF scheme, the interfaces between fluid and structure are discretised in terms of patches.

General agreement exists that the ultimate goals of traffic accident research are to reduce fatality, mitigate injury and decrease economic loss to society. Although massive quantities of data have been collected in local, national and international programs, attempts by analysts to use these data to explore ideas or support hypotheses have been met by a variety of problems. Specifically, the coded variables in the different files are not consistent and little information on accident etiology is collected. Examples of the inadequacies of present data in terms of the collected and coded variables are shown. The vehicular, environmental and human (consisting of human factors and injury factors) variables are disproportionately represented in most existing data files in terms of recognized statistical evidence of accident causation. A systems approach is needed to identify critical, currently neglected variables and develop units of measurement and data collection procedures.

A road test has been conducted to quantify the benefits provided by two additive packages in a fleet of modern cars from the European market. One of the packages contains a high-performance detergent, the other contains the same detergent at lower concentration and a spark-aiding constituent. The test was designed to enable a critical three-way comparison to be made between the base fuel and the same fuel treated with the additives. Dynamometer measurements were made according to both the existing ECE Regulation 15 and the proposed Extended ECE test procedures. Through careful test design and execution, it has been possible to assess the performance of the additives at a high statistical confidence level. Both provide a consistently high level of inlet system cleanliness which leads to substantial reductions in fuel consumption and exhaust HC and CO emissions. NOx increases slightly, but the sum of HC+NOx (controlled in ECE legislation) does not.

Motor vehicle crashes involving child Vulnerable Road Users (VRUs) remain a critical public health concern in the United States. While previous studies successfully utilized the crash scenario typology to examine traffic crashes, these studies focus on all types of motor vehicle crashes thus the method might not apply to VRU crashes. Therefore, to better understand the context and causes of child VRU crashes on the U.S. road, this paper proposes a multi-step framework to define crash scenario typology based on the Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) and the Crash Report Sampling System (CRSS). A comprehensive examination of the data elements in FARS and CRSS was first conducted to determine elements that could facilitate crash scenario identification from a systematic perspective. A follow-up context description depicts the typical behavioral, environmental, and vehicular conditions associated with an identified crash scenario.

The European emission legislation for two-wheeler vehicles driven by engines of ≤ 50 cm₃ is continuously developing. One of the most important issues in the near future will be the finalization of the European Commission's proposals for future steps in the emissions regulations as well as the verification of the impacts of current standards on the market. To have a basis for the discussion about these topics, the Association for Emissions Control by Catalyst (AECC) with the Institute for Internal Combustion Engines and Thermodynamics of Graz University of Technology (IVT) carried out an extensive test program to show the actual emission situation of state-of-the-art mopeds including mass and number of particulate matter as well as unregulated gaseous components. One of the main goals of these tests was to measure exhaust emissions without any modifications to the engines of standard production vehicles available on the European market.

A program for investigating frontal force accidents has been underway for approximately 2 years at Wayne State University. It differs from most investigations in that each accident was analyzed in detail. Accidents in which the cause of injury could not be accurately ascertained were eliminated. Thus, a limited number of cases were investigated in detail rather than depending on statistics from a large number of accidents. It was necessary to establish a comprehensive scale for the detailed investigations because available rating scales did not provide fine enough injury increments. A degree of injury scale has been devised which can be modified as new data on injury are acquired. The scale ranges from very minor injuries to fatalities with the following six major categories of injury in increasing order of severity: minor, moderate, moderate-severe, severe,critical, fatal. Each category has several subdivisions with a detailed description of each.

The major contribution of this effort to the investigation of head injury is the design and construction of a machine having the following functional goals: 1. Delivery of a reproducible acceleration-time profile to a primate head. 2. Capability of increasing the acceleration magnitude while retaining a similar acceleration-time profile. 3. The path traversed by the head must be constrained during the acceleration. 4. The forces applied to the head must be distributed so as not to produce gross damage to the brain or skull. The machine that has evolved is designated as the Head Acceleration Device II (HAD-II). Basically, this machine consists of an axial cam cut on the face of a flywheel, and the cam follower imparts the motion of the cam through a linkage to a helmet in which the test subject's head has been potted. The helmet is rigidly pivoted causing the head to be rotated through an arc of 45 degrees.

As a result of logical future market analysis, a light duty engine design study has been carried out, for automobile and light commercial vehicle applications. It sets a practical compromise between light weight and low cost, and embodies features not normally found in engines of this type. A newly developed combustion system complies with all likely legislation, as well as improving consumer acceptance of the diesel concept.

A digital memory fuel control unit has been developed for otto cycle engines which enables low pollution exhaust emissions to be achieved, coupled with good drivability and mechanical performance. The unit has been tested on a Triumph 2.5 PI vehicle, and the practical results achieved fall just short of the requirements of the 1975 federal and California legislation. The electronic controller receives signals relating to the engine's instantaneous operating conditions and, by reference to its digital memory, computes the optimum fuel required. The capacity of the controller's memory is effectively increased by an interpolation technique. The controller operates as an on-line process control computer, of cigar box dimensions, which is able to exist in the arduous automotive environment.

This paper is a discussion of the relative merits of the front, mid and rear engined car concepts. After discussing some basic packaging considerations, and implications in respect of legislation, the authors make comparisons of performance potential in respect of traction and aerodynamics. Limiting power weight ratios are derived. Primary and secondary ride implications are reviewed and effects on braking are mentioned. Steering and cornering characteristics are assessed by first establishing correlation between prediction and measurement using actual vehicles. Means of simplifying the prediction of steady state steering characteristics are described. Two “model” cars of front and mid engined configuration are then used to predict the steady state and dynamic steering consequences of various specification changes and some conclusions are drawn as to inherent differences.

This paper discusses a data sampling plan that provides an accident data file representative of the national population. It is a system for data processing, storage, and retrieval to allow early determination of trends in accident, injury, and fatality frequencies. The system of data collection discussed lies somewhere between the very detailed team approach and the routine police reporting as established independently by the states.

Increased research is being driven by the automotive industry facing challenges, requiring to comply with both current and future emissions legislation, and to lower the fuel consumption. The reason for this legislation is to restrict the harmful pollution which every year causes 3.3 million premature deaths worldwide [1]. One factor that causes this pollution is NOx emissions. NOx emission legislation has been reduced from 8 g/kWh (Euro I) down to 0.4 g/kWh (Euro VI) and recently new legislation for ammonia slip which increase the challenge of exhaust aftertreatment with a SCR system. In order to achieve a good NOx conversion together with a low slip of ammonia, small droplets of Urea solution needs to be injected which can be rapidly evaporated and mixed into the flow of exhaust gases.

Driving skills and driving experience develop differently between a civilian and a military service member. Since 2000, the Department of Defense reports that two-thirds of non-related to war fatalities among active duty service members were due to transportation-related incidents. In addition, vehicle crashes are the leading non-related to war cause of both fatalities and serious injuries among active duty Marines. A pilot safe driving program for Marines was jointly developed by the Richard Petty Driving Experience and Clemson University Automotive Safety Research Institute. The pilot program includes four modules based on leading causes of vehicle crashes, and uses classroom and behind the wheel components to improve and reinforce safe driving skills and knowledge. The assessment results of this pilot program conducted with 192 Marines in September 2011 at Camp LeJeune, NC are presented and discussed.

Identification of a framework for assessing the consequences of adopting IVHS applications is presented. IVHS applications modify vehicle-highway capacities by enhanced information processing. Mobility opportunities change and, if acted upon, change individual travel behavior. Changes in individual travel behavior affect aggregate travel behavior and transportation network loadings. Decisions to change the transportation system cycle through a three step social action process involving goals and aspirations, knowledge and technology, and financial and legal capacity to act. Action is then constrained by opportunities available in the environment. The transportation systems model presents a framework for designing research to estimate the requirements and consequences of adopting the new technology.

Rupture of the thoracic aorta is a leading cause of rapid fatality in automobile crashes, but the mechanism of this injury remains unknown. One commonly postulated mechanism is a differential motion of the aortic arch relative to the heart and its neighboring vessels caused by high-magnitude acceleration of the thorax. Recent Indy car crash data show, however, that humans can withstand accelerations exceeding 100 g with no injury to the thoracic vasculature. This paper presents a method to investigate the efficacy of acceleration as an aortic injury mechanism using high-acceleration, low chest deflection sled tests. The repeatability and predictability of the test method was evaluated using two Hybrid III tests and two tests with cadaver subjects. The cadaver tests resulted in sustained mid-spine accelerations of up to 80 g for 20 ms with peak mid-spine accelerations of up to 175 g, and maximum chest deflections lower than 11% of the total chest depth.

During driving, automobile and light truck occupants interface with almost all the components in the passenger compartment. These components are expected to provide not only ease of access to controls and comfort to the occupants, but also the necessary protection to decrease the likelihood of injuries during accidents. The passing of the revised Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) No 201 is aimed at improving the overall safety of vehicle occupants during impact situations Amendments are specifically focused at improving the protection provided by the upper compartment components, i e, header, rail, pillar and roof trim panels, to the occupants' heads impacting at high velocities. The present paper reviews the requirements established by the revised federal legislation and the design and material options to meet the requirements, and describes a systematic approach for designing and engineering trim panels for head impact protection