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In automotive market, today more than in the past, it is very important to reduce time to market and, mostly, developing costs before the final production start. Ideally, bench and on-road tests can be replaced by multi-body studies because virtual approach guarantees test conditions very close to reality and it is able to exactly replicate the standard procedures. Therefore, today, it is essential to create very reliable models, able to forecast the vehicle behavior on every road condition (including uneven surfaces). The aim of this study is to build an accurate multi-body model of a heavy-duty truck, check its handling performance, and correlate experimental and numerical data related to comfort tests for model tuning and validation purposes. Experimental results are recorded during tests carried out at different speeds and loading conditions on a Belgian blocks track. Simulation data are obtained reproducing the on-road test conditions in multi-body environment.

This paper presents the design and experimental validation of a localization method for autonomous driving. The investigated method proposes and compares the application of the Extended Kalman Filter (EKF) and Unscented Kalman Filter (UKF) to the sensor fusion of onboard data streaming from a Global Positioning System (GPS) sensor and an Inertial Navigation System (INS). In the paper, the design of the hardware layout and the proposed software architecture is presented. The method is experimentally validated in real time by using a properly instrumented all-wheel-drive electric racing vehicle and a compact Sport Utility Vehicle (SUV). The proposed algorithm is deployed on a high-performance computing platform with an embedded Graphical Processing Unit that is mounted on board the considered vehicles.

Development trends in modern common rail fuel injection systems (FIS) show dramatically increasing capabilities in terms of optimization of the fuel injection strategy through a constantly increasing number of injection events per engine cycle as well as through the modulation and shaping of the injection rate. In order to fully exploit the potential of the abovementioned fuel injection strategy optimization, numerical simulation can play a fundamental role by allowing the creation of a kind of a virtual test rig, where the input is the fuel injection rate and the optimization targets are the combustion outputs, such as the burn rate, the pollutant emissions, and the combustion noise (CN).

Active Roll Control (ARC) is one of the most promising active systems to improve vehicle comfort and handling. This paper describes the simulation based procedure adopted to conceive a double-channel Active Roll Control system, characterized by the hydraulic actuation of the stabilizer bars of a sedan. The first part of the paper presents the vehicle model adopted for this activity. It is Base Model Simulator (BMS), the 14 Degrees-of-Freedom vehicle model by Politecnico di Torino. It was validated through road tests. Then the paper describes the development of the control algorithm adopted to improve the roll dynamics of the vehicle. The implemented control algorithm is characterized by a first subsystem, capable of obtaining the desired values of body roll angle as a function of lateral acceleration during semi-stationary maneuvers.

An innovative hydraulic layout for Common Rail (C.R.) fuel injection systems was proposed and realized. The rail was replaced by a high-pressure pipe junction to have faster dynamic system response during engine transients, smaller pressure induced stresses and sensibly reduced production costs. Compared to a commercial rail, whose inside volume ranges from 20 to 40 cm3, such a junction provided a hydraulic capacitance of about 2 cm3 and had the main function of connecting the pump delivery to the electroinjector feeding pipes. In the design of the novel FIS layout, the choice of high-pressure pipe dimensions was critical for system performance optimization. Injector supplying pipes with length and inner diameter out of the actual production range were selected and applied, for stabilizing the system pressure level during an injection event and reduce pressure wave oscillations.

Steer by wire (SbW) system is examined, considering the positive effects of the lack of direct mechanical connection between steering wheel and rack. SbW system's steering wheel has to generate a resistant torque which adds to the friction one. Such torque must be felt as natural by the average driver and carry information about vehicle dynamic condition. System prototype is obtained from a classical steering system. Steering wheel is linked to a brushless 12V DC current electric motor designed to develop resistance torque, after steering column is removed, triple stadium planetary gear is necessary to increase the torque output. A hardware in the loop test bench is realized in order to test feedback torque generation and steering wheel efficiency influence on vehicle behaviour. Steering wheel is fixed to the bench and its rotation acquired by an optic encoder. Steering wheel angle is used as input for a ten degrees of freedom vehicle model through an acquisition data board.

It is well known that backpressure is one of the important parameters to be minimised during the exhaust system development. Unfortunately, during the first phases of an engineering process of a new engine, engine prototypes are not available yet. Due to this the exhaust system backpressure is generally evaluated using simulation software, and/or measuring the backpressure by a flow rig test at room temperature. Goal of this paper is to compare exhaust backpressure results obtained respectively: i) at the room temperature flow rig; ii) at the engine dyno bench; iii) by simulation with one of the most common 1D fluidodynamics simulation tool (Gt-Power). A correlation of the three different techniques is presented.

Experimental Design methodologies have been applied in conjunction with objective functions for the optimization of the internal geometry of a rear muffler of a subcompact car equipped with a 1.4 liters displacement s.i. turbocharged engine. The muffler also features an innovative variable geometry design. The definition of an objective function summarising the silencing capability of the muffler has been driving the optimization process with the aim to reduce the tailpipe noise while maintaining acceptable pressure losses and complying with severe space constraints. Design of Experiments techniques for the reduction of experimental plans have been shown to be extremely effective to find out the optimum values of the design parameters, allowing a remarkable reduction of the time required by the design process in comparison with full factorial designs.

This paper documents an extensive study aimed at a better understanding of the peculiarities and performance of crankshaft mounted gerotor pumps for IC engines lubrication. At different extents, the modelling, simulation and testing of a specific unit are all considered. More emphasis, at the modelling phase, is dedicated to the physical and mathematical description of the flow losses mechanisms; the often intricate aspects of kinematics being deliberately left aside. The pressure relief valve is analysed at a considerable extent as is the modelling of the working fluid, a typically aerated subsystem in such applications. Simulation is grounded on AMESim, a relatively novel tool in the fluid power domain, that proves effective and compliant with user deeds and objectives. Testing, at steady-state conditions, forms the basis for the pro!gressive tuning of the simulation model and provides significant insight into this type of volumetric pump.

Different diagnostic techniques were experimentally tested on a common rail automotive 4 cylinder diesel engine in order to evaluate their capabilities to fulfill the California Air Resources Board (CARB) requirements concerning the monitoring of fuel injected quantity and timing. First, a comprehensive investigation on the sensitivity of pollutant emissions to fuel injection quantity and timing variations was carried out over 9 different engine operating points, representative of the FTP75 driving cycle: fuel injected quantity and injection timing were varied on a single cylinder at a time, until OBD thresholds were exceeded, while monitoring engine emissions, in-cylinder pressures and instantaneous crankshaft revolution speed.

The superior mobility of a military vehicle provides the combat crew with a tactical advantage through increased cross country speed. The suspension system plays a fundamental role in evaluating a vehicle mobility. A mathematical model that allows realistic simulations of vehicles operating in a wide spectrum of environmental conditions may help to lower costs and time required during their development. The paper concerns with vehicle-terrain interaction modeling, for a military tracked tank, through multi-body and block-oriented approaches. It is focused on the consequences that the suspension system has got on the comfort and on the performance. Thus through a multi-body software a realistic three dimensional model of a tracked fighting vehicle is developed. This virtual model confirms some experimental data available on its longitudinal dynamics. In order to simplify the multi-body simulations, a block-oriented approach is adopted to develop a model of the same vehicle.

Antilock Braking System (ABS) is designed to prevent wheels from locking, in order to enhance vehicle directional stability during braking manoeuvres. Basically, ABS closed-loop control logic uses tyres slip as control variable. Slip is estimated by comparing vehicle reference speed with the angular speed of each wheel. Thus it is crucial to correctly estimate the longitudinal vehicle speed, in order to get a control system capable of good performance. The control is also affected by road condition; since vehicles are not equipped with sensors able to measure the tyre/road friction coefficient, an other estimation has to be performed. The paper presents an algorithm for the estimation of longitudinal speed, based on the measurements of the four wheel angular speed. A method to assess the road friction, commonly known as “learning phase” is also described: it is carried out during the early stage of the active control intervention and relies on the wheel rotation sensors as well.

This paper deals with the development of a Lap Time Simulator in order to carry out a first approximate evaluation of the potential benefits related to the adoption of the Kinetic Energy Recovery System (KERS). KERS will be introduced in the 2009 Formula 1 Season. This system will be able to store energy during braking and then use it in order to supply an extra acceleration during traction. Different technologies (e.g. electrical, hydraulic and mechanical) could be applied in order to achieve this target. The lap time simulator developed by the authors permits to investigate the advantages both in terms of fuel consumption reduction and the improvement of the lap time.

The paper discusses a gearbox design method based on an optimization algorithm coupled to a fully integrated tool to draw 3D virtual models, in order to verify both functionality and design. The aim of this activity is to explain how the state of the art of the gear design may be implemented through an optimization software for the geometrical parameters selection of helical gears of a manual transmission, starting from torque and speed time histories, the required set of gear ratios and the material properties. This approach can be useful in order to use either the experimental acquisitions or the simulation results to verify or design all of the single gear pairs that compose a gearbox. Genetic algorithm methods are applied to solve the optimization problems of gears design, due to their capabilities of managing objective functions discontinuous, non-differentiable, stochastic, or highly non-linear.

In the powertrain technology, designers must be careful on oil pan design in order to obtain the best noise, vibration and harshness (NVH) performance. This is a great issue for the automotive design because they affect the passengers' comfort. In order to reduce vibration and radiated noise in powertrain assembly, oil pan is one of the most critical components. The high stiffness of the oil pan permits to move up the natural modes of the component and, as a consequence, reduce the sound emission of the component itself. In addition, the optimized shape of the component allows the increase of natural frequency values of the engine assembly. The aim of this study is the development of a methodology to increase the oil pan stiffness starting from a sketch of the component and adding material where it is needed. The methodology is tested on a series of different models: they have the same geometry but different materials.

A numerical model for simulating a Common Rail Piezo Indirect Acting fuel injection-system under steady state as well as transient operating conditions was developed using a commercial code. A 1D flow model of the main hydraulic system components, including the rail, the rail to injector connecting pipe and the injector, was applied in order to predict the influence of the injector layout and of each part of the hydraulic circuit on the injection system performance. The numerical code was validated through the comparison of the numerical results with experimental data obtained on a high performance test bench of the Moehwald-Bosch MEP2000/ CA4000 type. The developed injection-system mathematical model was applied to the analysis of transient flows in the hydraulic circuit paying specific attention to the fluid dynamics internal to the injector.

Scope of this work is the analysis of the energy consumed by lubricating gear pumps for automotive applications during a driving cycle. This paper presents the lumped parameter simulation model of gerotor lubricating pumps and the comparison between numerical outcomes and experimental results. The model evaluates the power required to drive the pump and the cumulative energy consumed in the driving cycle. The influence of temperature variations on leakage flows, viscous friction torque and lubricating circuit permeability is taken into account. The simulation model has been validated by means of a test rig for hydraulic pumps able to reproduce the typical speed, temperature and load profiles during a NEDC driving cycle. Experimental tests, performed on a crankshaft mounted pump for diesel engines, have confirmed a good matching with the simulation model predictions in terms of instantaneous quantities and overall energy consumption.

Numerical simulation can be effectively used to reduce the experimental tests which are nowadays required for the analysis and calibration of engine control and diagnostic systems. In particular in this paper the use of a one-dimensional fluid-dynamic engine model of an 8 cylinders high-performance s.i. engine coupled with a vehicle and driveline model to simulate the effects of misfire events on the engine angular speed is described. Furthermore, the effect of cycle-to-cycle combustion variability was also evaluated, in order to take into account variations in the combustion process that can substantially increase the engine speed fluctuations under normal operating conditions, thus hindering the misfire detection. Finally, a comparison with experimental data obtained on a chassis dynamometer was carried out. After this accuracy assessment, the numerical simulation could be used to analyze different techniques for misfire detection, thus reducing the required experimental tests.

The unsteady flow effects in two different close coupled catalytic converters were investigated in order to achieve a better understanding of the steady state experimental tests which are usually performed to evaluate a flow distribution. Firstly the validity of a CFD model was achieved through a comparison of some steady state simulations with the results of HWA experimental measurements. Several different formulations of the uniformity index, that were found in literature, were then compared, trying to highlight the strengths and shortcomings of each one. Further information was derived from a comparison of the two catalysts that were tested to achieve a general methodology that would be useful for future analysis. Finally, a new approach to evaluate the flow distribution using a steady state analysis was proposed by comparing the results of a transient simulation that was obtained for a whole engine cycle.

The paper deals with a method implemented to study braking systems design, modelling components' characteristics through commercial software. It summarizes the potential improvement possible by using modelling techniques in chassis systems design. The first part consisted in producing a passive braking system model. A first validation was carried out on a test bench by using components of different braking systems. Particular attention was devoted to booster modelization both in semi-stationary and dynamic conditions. The second part was callipers, roll-back and thermal phenomena modelization. Finally, it were modelled Anti-lock Braking System (ABS) and Vehicle Dynamics Control (VDC) Hydraulic Units and their integration with control strategies and with vehicle dynamics model.