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The introduction of carburetor restrictor plates in NASCAR racing in 1988 necessitated the redesign of some engine components, such as the camshaft and exhaust headers, to re-optimize engine performance. This paper describes how an engine performance computer simulation code was used to quickly study the effects of the restrictor plate on the “breathing” processes of the Ford NASCAR V8 engine and determine the optimal intake and exhaust cam lobe profiles to maximize wide-open throttle torque and horsepower. The resulting camshaft design produced over 40 additional horsepower and greater average torque over the useful engine speed range for super speedways. The interaction between exhaust wavedynamics (i.e., “tuning”) and cam events was investigated and shown to be of critical importance to the optimization of the engine's trapping efficiency.

This paper outlines the key elements in a laboratory reliability verification test program for an automotive sub-system. Many of these elements are described in some detail through the various stages of development from prototype concept to production. By means of an actual case study, verification testing of the 1970 Ford Anti-Theft Steering Column, steps required to design tests which yield meaningful information and the rationale used to analyze the results are presented. The steering column on a late model automobile is a complex system which combines several functions and features; steering, shifting, warning devices (turn signal and emergency flashers), ignition switch, anti-theft devices plus several safety features. The effectiveness of the overall verification program is evaluated through the presentation of actual field-feedback results.

Chapters written by professional and academic experts in the field cover: analytical modeling and analysis, CEA modeling and numerical methods, techniques for dynamometer and road test evaluation, critical parameters that contribute to brake squeal, robust design processes to reduce/prevent brake squeal via up-front design, and more.

This book draws upon a variety of the author's experiences during more than 25 years in automotive safety. It gives an introduction to plain film radiographs (x-rays), computed tomograms (CTs), and magnetic resonance images (MRIs) such that vehicle safety professionals can use these techniques to help piece together the puzzle and provide a better understanding of the relationship between vehicle crash scenarios and occupant injury. For those with a primarily vehicle background, Neck Injury provides an overview of how x-rays, CTs, and MRIs may be used as a source of information to help analyze vehicle crashes and the associated injuries. For those with a clinical background, the book provides insight into how injuries relate to the vehicle crash. Chapters cover: Anatomy Imaging Injuries and Injury Mechanisms

This book presents an analysis on the potential effects of globalization on the automotive industry and the environment. Energy challenges, market economy growth, and population dynamics are considered. The authors also present future scenarios for transportation technologies to meet the ever growing global demand for transportation of goods and services while minimizing energy and environmental impacts and maximizing cost, value and widespread acceptance.

The increasing importance of safety performance in all aspects of motor vehicle design, development, manufacture and marketing makes it necessary for professionals working in these areas to be more aware of safety considerations. The background material and concepts presented in this book will be useful as a basis to aid in the understanding of future developments in this fascinating area.

Two rigid rollover test devices were constructed to have the approximate dimensions, mass and inertial properties of a mid-sized Car and Sport Utility Vehicle (SUV). The rigid devices were used to generate vehicle and occupant responses from a series of laboratory rollover tests. For each rigid rollover test, a deceleration sled was used to subject each rigid vehicle to nearly identical lateral speeds and decelerations. The rigid vehicles were limited to a single roll by tethering the vehicles to the deceleration cart. The vehicle's roll rate, roll angle, lateral acceleration and Anthropomorphic Test Devices (ATD) neck responses generated from the rigid SUV were compared to the responses of a full vehicle production SUV under similar test conditions. The rigid SUV and Car devices were then used to examine the effects of activating safety belt pre-tensioning systems and roof mounted side curtain airbags at various times on ATD neck forces and moments.

Ground impact caused by road debris can result in very severe fire accident of Electric Vehicles (EV). In order to study the ground impact accidents, a Finite Element model of the battery pack structure is carefully set up according to the practical designs of EVs. Based on this model, the sequence of the deformation process is studied, and the contribution of each component is clarified. Subsequently, four designs, including three enhanced shield plates and one enhanced housing box, are investigated. Results show that the BRAS (Blast Resistant Adaptive Sandwich) shield plate is the most effective structure to decrease the deformation of the battery cells. Compared with the baseline case, which adopts a 6.35-mm-thick aluminum sheet as the shield plate, the BRAS can reduce the shortening of cells by more than 50%. Another type of sandwich structure, the NavTruss, can also improve the safety of battery pack, but not as effectively as the BRAS.

Accurately predicting real-world vehicle energy consumption is essential for optimizing vehicle designs, enhancing energy efficiency, and developing effective energy management strategies. This paper presents a data-driven approach that utilizes machine learning techniques and a comprehensive dataset of vehicle parameters and environmental factors to create precise energy consumption prediction models. The methodology involves recording real-world vehicle data using data loggers to extract information from the CAN bus systems for ICE and hybrid electric, as well as hydrogen and battery fuel cell vehicles. Data cleaning and cycle-based analysis are employed to process the dataset for accurate energy consumption prediction. This includes cycle detection and analysis using methods from statistics and signal processing, and then pattern recognition based on these metrics.

Internal combustion (IC) engines still power most of the vehicles on road and will likely to remain so in the near future, especially for heavy duty applications in which electrification is typically more challenging. Therefore, continued improvements on IC engines in terms of efficiency and longevity are necessary for a more sustainable transportation sector. Two important design objectives for heavy duty engines with wet liners are to reduce friction loss and to lower the risks of cavitation damages, both of which can be greatly influenced by the piston-liner clearance and the design of the piston skirt. However, engine design optimization is difficult due to the nonlinear interactions between the key design variables and the design objectives, as well as the multi-physics and multi-scale nature of the mechanisms that are relevant to the design objectives.

A new diesel engine, called the 6.7L Power Stroke® V-8 Turbo Diesel, and code named "Scorpion," was designed and developed by Ford Motor Company for the full-size pickup truck and light commercial vehicle markets. The combustion system includes the piston bowl, swirl level, number of nozzle holes, fuel spray angle, nozzle tip protrusion, nozzle hydraulic flow, and nozzle-hole taper. While all of these parameters could be explored through extensive hardware testing, 3-D CFD studies were utilized to quickly screen two bowl concepts and assess their sensitivities to a few of the other parameters. The two most promising bowl concepts were built into single-cylinder engines for optimization of the rest of the combustion system parameters. 1-D CFD models were used to set boundary conditions at intake valve closure for 3-D CFD which was used for the closed-cycle portion of the simulation.

The development of an integrated Perforated Manifold, Muffler, and Catalyst (PMMC) for an automotive engine exhaust system is described. The design aims to reduce tailpipe emissions and improve engine power while maintaining low sound output levels from the exhaust. The initial design, based on simplified acoustic and fluid dynamic considerations, is further refined through the use of a computational approach and bench tests. A final prototype is fabricated and evaluated using fired engine dynamometer experiments. The results confirm earlier analytical estimates for improved engine power and reductions of emissions and noise levels.

Obstacle detection technology has made significant progress in the last five years in the important product areas of quality, performance and affordability. Ford Motor Company's market research indicates that our customers are very interested in new safety features. Drivers consider obstacle detection and collision warning technology as the next breakthrough in safety technology. Ford recognizes the importance of moving from the collision mitigation to the collision avoidance paradigm. Fortunately, the first step in collision avoidance can be taken by equipping the vehicle with reliable and affordable obstacle detection sensors

Recent studies have shown that for a given RON, fuels with a higher sensitivity (RON-MON) tend to have better antiknock performance at most knock-limited conditions in modern engines. The underlying chemistry behind fuel sensitivity was therefore investigated to understand why this trend occurs. Chemical kinetic models were used to study fuels of varying sensitivities; in particular their autoignition delay times and chemical intermediates were compared. As is well known, non-sensitive fuels tend to be paraffins, while the higher sensitivity fuels tend to be olefins, aromatics, diolefins, napthenes, and alcohols. A more exact relationship between sensitivity and the fuel's chemical structure was not found to be apparent. High sensitivity fuels can have vastly different chemical structures. The results showed that the autoignition delay time (τ) behaved differently at different temperatures. At temperatures below 775 K and above 900 K, τ has a strong temperature dependence.

With the current trend of including the evaluation of the risk of brain injuries in vehicle crashes due to rotational kinematics of the head, two injury criteria have been introduced since 2013 – BrIC and DAMAGE. BrIC was developed by NHTSA in 2013 and was suggested for inclusion in the US NCAP for frontal and side crashes. DAMAGE has been developed by UVa under the sponsorship of JAMA and JARI and has been accepted tentatively by the EuroNCAP. Although BrIC in US crash testing is known and reported, DAMAGE in tests of the US fleet is relatively unknown. The current paper will report on DAMAGE in NCAP-like tests and potential future frontal crash tests involving substantial rotation about the three axes of occupant heads. Distribution of DAMAGE of three-point belted occupants without airbags will also be discussed. Prediction of brain injury risks from the tests have been compared to the risks in the real world.