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Several of the authors have recently developed procedures to efficiently evaluate experimentally the relative contributions of various wind noise paths and sources. These procedures are described and, as a case study, results are provided for the noise in the interior of a production automobile subjected to wind tunnel airflow. The present measurements and analysis indicate that for the tested vehicle significant contributions to interior noise are provided by underbody and wheel well flows, radiation from the roof and seal aspiration. A significant tone associated with vortex shedding from the radio antenna was also noted.

Reported tensile and fatigue properties of die cast AZ91D and AM60B magnesium alloys indicate that those values depend on the size and shape of the test samples and their global porosities. This paper reviews the mechanical properties reported in the open literature for these die cast alloys and indicates that section thickness and global porosity are inadequate for predicting the tensile and fatigue properties of die cast AZ91D and AM60B magnesium alloys.

Die cast AZ91D and AM60 magnesium alloy components are finding increasing usage in automotive applications. Both hot and cold chamber die cast components of these alloys generally exhibit several common microstructural features, including “skin”, porosity banding, and porosity distributed about the component centerline. Methods for quantitatively characterizing these microstructural features are described and representative values for skin thicknesses, porosity band dimensions and porosity band locations from selected die castings will be presented. The expected influence of these common microstrucutral features on mechanical properties and acceptability of die cast magnesium components for given applications are discussed.

This paper deals with a conceptual aircraft cargo loader “that can do everything” commonly referred to as The Super Loader. The Super Loader is intended for use at air terminals to transport loads such as palletized cargo, containers, wheeled vehicles, shelters, and airdrop platforms from the storage docks to the military and civil aircraft, and vice versa. The loader may be described as a self-propelled, air transportable (in a C-141, C-17, C-5) 60,000 lb lifting capacity, adjustable height vehicle that will load/off load all transport aircraft from a C-130 whose cargo deck is only 3 feet, 3 inches high to a B-747 whose main deck upper limit is about 18 feet high. The Super Loader must also service the lower lobes of wide-bodies and main decks of narrow-bodied aircraft like the DC-8 and B-707. In brief, this loader will be required to interface with both civil and military cargo systems, present and future.

Development of Terrain-Vehicle Systems Analysis involving statistically variable ground, has necessitated the development of field instrumentation for mass measurement of soil parameter input. To this end, the idea originally conceived and tested at U.S. Army's Land Locomotion Laboratory in Detroit, was revived and adapted to modern requirements. The Wheeled Automated Bevameter (WAB) was presented as a better vehicle analog for measuring soil parameters than the conventional plate-shearing instrument hitherto used. It yields itself to mass production of terrain input, without which further progress in Terramechanics, based on statistical changes of the environment may be impossible.

There have been plastics in automobiles almost as long as there have been plastics. This paper deals with plastic molded parts from the 1930’s through 1970. These parts include steering wheels, tail light lenses, knobs, electrical connectors, fasteners, speedometer wheels, distributor caps, water pump impellers, dials, and various decorative ornaments.