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The current battery carrier for commercial vehicles is made of steel and is designed to hold two batteries weighing approximately 80 kg to 100 kg. However, this battery carrier faces several issues including corrosion, chemical reactivity, high maintenance requirements and its heavy weight. To tackle these challenges, a fiber-reinforced composite battery carrier is designed and developed specifically for commercial vehicles. The objective is to identify a solution that can meet the performance requirements of both static and dynamic loading, thereby reducing the overall weight. The proposed composite battery carrier offers a lightweight design, requires minimal maintenance, possesses high tensile strength and stiffness and is corrosion and chemical resistant. Furthermore, it provides the flexibility to integrate battery cover locking arrangements for added convenience and security.

As the automotive industry focuses on fuel-efficient and eco-friendly vehicles along with reducing the carbon footprint, weight reduction becomes essential. Composite materials offer several advantages over metals, including lighter weight, corrosion resistance, low maintenance, longer lifespan, and the ability to customize their strength and stiffness according to specific loading requirements. This paper describes the design and development of the Rear Under Run Protection Device (RUPD) using composite materials. RUPD is designed to prevent rear under-running of passenger vehicles by heavy-duty trucks in the event of a crash. The structural strength and integrity of RUPD assembly are evaluated by applying loads and constraints in accordance with IS 14812:2005. The design objective was to reduce weight while maintaining a balance between strength, stiffness, weight, manufacturability, and cost.

For the design optimization of the electric bus body frame orienting frontal crash, considering the uncertainties that may affect the crashworthiness performance, a robust optimization scheme considering tolerance design is proposed, which maps the acceptable variations in objectives and feasibility into the parameter space, allowing for the analysis of robustness. Two contribution analysis methods, namely the entropy weight and TOPSIS method, along with the grey correlation calculations method, are adopted to screen all the design variables. Fifteen shape design variables with a relatively high impact are chosen for design optimization.

A major concern for a high-power density, heavy-duty engine is the durability of its components, which are subjected to high thermal loads from combustion. The thermal loads from combustion are unsteady and exhibit strong spatial gradients. Experimental techniques to characterize these thermal loads at high load conditions on a moving component such as the piston are challenging and expensive due to mechanical limitations. High performance computing has improved the capability of numerical techniques to predict these thermal loads with considerable accuracy. High-fidelity simulation techniques such as three-dimensional computational fluid dynamics and finite element thermal analysis were coupled offline and iterated by exchanging boundary conditions to predict the crank angle-resolved convective heat flux and surface temperature distribution on the piston of a heavy-duty diesel engine.

This paper investigates the tire-road interaction for tires equipped with two different solid rubber material definitions within a Finite Element Analysis virtual environment, ESI PAMCRASH. A Mixed Service Drive truck tire sized 315/80R22.5 is designed with two different solid rubber material definitions: a legacy hyperelastic solid Mooney-Rivlin material definition and an Ogden hyperelastic solid material definition. The popular Mooney-Rivlin is a material definition for solid rubber simulation that is not built with element elimination and is not easily applicable to thermal applications. The Ogden hyperelastic material definition for rubber simulations allows for element destruction. Therefore, it is of interest and more suited for designing a tire model with wear and thermal capabilities.

Leaf Springs are commonly used as a suspension in heavy commercial vehicles for higher load carrying capacity. The leaf springs connect the vehicle body with road profile through the axle & tire assembly. It provides the relative motion between the vehicle body and road profile to improve the ride & handling performance. The leaf springs are designed to provide linear stiffness and uniform strength characteristics throughout its travel. Leaf springs are generally subjected to dynamic loads which are induced due to different road profiles & driving patterns. Leaf spring design should be robust as any failure in leaf springs will put vehicle safety at risk and cost the vehicle manufacturer their reputation. The design of a leaf spring based on conventional methods predicts the higher stress levels at the leaf spring center clamp location and stress levels gradually reduce from the center to free ends of the leaf spring.

Threaded joints are considered the most basic of components. Although in use for over a century, significant problems still exist with their usage. Wheel bolt loosening in overloaded segments such as HD tippers and high-speed intercity buses poses a safety challenge for drivers, passengers, and pedestrians. Wheel nut loosening is a notable cause of service, fretting, and cracks in the mating components; contributing a significant chunk of warranty cost to the company. The need of the hour is to reinforce these joints while keeping resources at bay. This paper establishes a methodology for the evaluation and design of a safe wheel bolt joint interface including key parameters such as embedding, axial forces, and shear forces. It is necessary to obtain the minimum preload requirement for a wheel bolt joint to hold the clamped surfaces intact, which if not maintained otherwise would cause relative movement, play, shear load onto the bolt, and eventually failure.

In the last decades, the locomotion of wheeled and tracked vehicles on soft soils has been widely investigated due to the large interest in planetary, agricultural, and military applications. The development of a tire-soft soil contact model which accurately represents the micro and macro-scale interactions plays a crucial role for the performance assessment in off-road conditions since vehicle traction and handling are strongly influenced by the soil characteristics. In this framework, the analysis of realistic operative conditions turns out to be a challenging research target. In this research work, a semi-empirical model describing the interaction between a tire and homogeneous and fine-grained soils is developed in Matlab/Simulink. The stress distribution and the resulting forces at the contact patch are based on well-known terramechanics theories, such as pressure-sinkage Bekker’s approach and Mohr-Coulomb’s failure criterion.

Abstract The use of appropriate loads and regulations is of great importance in weld fatigue assessment of rail on-track maintenance equipment and similar vehicles for optimized design. The regulations and available loads, however, are often generalized for several categories, which proves to be overly conservative for some specific categories of machines. EN (European Norm) and AAR (Association of American Railroads) regulations play a pivotal role in determining the applicable loads and acceptance criteria within this study. The availability of track-induced fatigue load data for the cumulative damage approach in track maintenance machines is often limited. Consequently, the FEA-based validation of rail track maintenance equipment often resorts to the infinite life approach rather than cumulative damage approach for track-induced travel loads, resulting in overly conservative designs.

Aluminium composites are remarkably used in automotive, aerospace, and agricultural sectors because of their lightweight with definable mechanical properties. The stir casting route was followed to fabricate cylindrical samples with base aluminium alloy LM4, LM4/SiC, LM4/Al2O3, and LM4/SiC/Al2O3. The tensile strength, compressive strength, hardness, and micro-structural analysis were performed on samples and Finite element analysis (FEA) was adopted to predict the failure modes of composites. The composites experimental results were found to be in line with the FEA results, however, the LM4/SiC/Al2O3 revealed better results on the mechanical properties when compared with other composite configurations. The mechanical properties improvement like hardness 5%-11%, tensile strength 10.26%-20.67%, compressive strength 15.19% - 32.58% and 71.52 - 82.1% reduction in dimension have been achieved in LM4/SiC/Al2O3 composite comparing to base metal.

The design and analysis of the roll cage for the ATV car are the subjects of this report. The roll cage is one of the key elements of an ATV car. It is the primary component of an ATV, on which the engine, steering, and gearbox are mounted. The vehicle's sprung mass is beneath the roll cage. The initiation of cracks and the deformation of the vehicle are caused by forces acting on it from various directions. Stresses are consequently produced. FEA of the roll cage is used in this paper in an effort to identify these areas. We have performed torsional analysis as well as front, rear, side impact, and rollover crash analyses. These analyses were all completed using ANSYS Workbench 2020 R1. The design process complies with all guidelines outlined in the SAE rule book of E-Baja.

Lightweight materials are in great demand in the automotive sector to enhance system performance. The automotive sector uses composite materials to strengthen the physical and mechanical qualities of light weight materials and to improve their functionality. Automotive elements such as the body shell, braking system, steering, engine, battery, seat, dashboard, bumper, wheel, door panelling, and gearbox are made of lightweight materials. Lightweight automotive metals are gradually replacing low-carbon steel and cast iron in automobile manufacture. Aluminium alloys, Magnesium alloys, Titanium alloys, advanced high-strength steel, Ultra-high strength steel, carbon fiber-reinforced polymers, and polymer composites are examples of materials used for light weighing or automobile decreased weight. The ever-present demand for fuel-efficient and ecologically friendly transport vehicles has heightened awareness of lowering weight and performance development.

Aluminum alloys are employed in agricultural equipment, aerospace sectors, medical instruments, machinery, automobiles, etc. due to their physical and mechanical characteristics. The geometrical shape and size of the parts are modified in turning operation by using a single-point cutting tool. A356 aluminum alloy is widely used in various engineering sectors, hence there is a necessity to produce A-356 components with quality. The inappropriate cutting parameters used in turning operation entail high production costs and reduce tool life. Box–Behnken design (BBD) based on response surface methodology (RSM) was used to design the experiments such that the experiment trials were conducted by varying cutting parameters like N-spindle speed (rpm), f-feed rate (mm/rev), and d-depth of cut (mm). The multi-objective responses, such as surface roughness (SR) and metal removal rate (MRR) were analyzed with the desirability method.

When a specialty tractor is operated by mounting the front loader or backhoes, the loads are distributed proportionately to the front and rear axles. The maximum load and fatigue life were identified as the main parameters in predicting fatigue failure. This paper mainly focuses on predicting front axle loads and fatigue life in front loader applications. To design a new front axle for the loader application, an existing front axle assembly that was designed for orchard, sprayer, and small farm application is selected for study and to extend it for front loader application with minimal design modifications. The major challenge is to estimate the dynamic loads coming to the front axle due to the front loader application and validate it for a different set of load cases as per the design verification plan. Hence a methodology was framed to estimate the actual loads using MBD, validate with field measurements, and verify the new front axle design using those loads in FEA.

Abstract During mining material hauling, the chassis frame structure of rear dump trucks is subjected to fatigue loading due to uneven road conditions. This loading often leads to crack propagation in the frame rails, necessitating the determination of stresses in the critical zone during the design stage to ensure structural integrity. In this study, a computer-aided engineering (CAE) methodology is employed to size and select the rectangular profile cross section of the chassis frame rail. A detailed design investigation of the chassis frame is conducted to assess its load resistance, structural flexibility, and weld joint fatigue life under critical stresses arising from combined bending and torsion loads. The optimization process aims to determine the optimal rail size and material thickness, striking a balance between minimizing mass and maximizing structural reliability.

Tractors primarily serve agricultural functions but are also employed in various other applications such as loading, construction, and hauling. Tractors comprise several key assembly, including the engine, transmission, front hood assembly, and skid, among others. The hood is a critical assembly of the tractor, enclosing the engine and its associated parts. It is constructed from sheet metal with a 'Class A' surface finish for aesthetic purposes. The Hood is locked using latch mechanism mounted on the tractor chassis. The primary function of the hood is to facilitate the opening and closing of the hood assembly during servicing, and it often undergoes rough handling. Therefore, it becomes imperative to validate the durability of the hood assembly to ensure it can withstand the real-world conditions it encounters during these operations.

Construction equipment off highway vehicles are heavy industry vehicles that run on diesel engines. To meet the emission norms, these engines have the Exhaust After Treatment System (EATS) which includes two primary subassemblies, i.e., a Diesel Oxidation Catalyst (DOC) subassembly to reduce the HC and CO emissions and a Selective catalytic Reduction (SCR) subassembly to reduce NOx emissions. Because of the excessive vibrations in the engine and continuous heavy-duty usage of the Construction equipment, any failures in the EATS system leading to escape of exhaust gas is a statuary non-compliance. Hence, understanding the effect of engine vibrations and proposing a cost-effective solution is paramount in designing the EATS system including the SCR assembly. A field-testing failure of an SCR assembly has been taken in consideration for this study.

With the rise of worldwide trends towards light weighting and the move towards electric vehicles, it is now more important than ever for the automotive industry to develop and implement lightweight materials that will result in significant weight reduction and product improvements. A great deal of research has been done on how to best combine and configure honeycomb cores with the right face sheets for Truck-Mounted Container Applications. Honeycomb structures possess the ability to bring about superior structural rigidity when the core parameters are selected and optimized based on the automotive application requirements.

A bus is integral part of public transportation in both rural and urban areas. It is also used for scheduled transport, tourism, and school transport. Buses are the common mode of transport all over the world. The growth in economy, the electrification of public transport, demand in shared transport, etc., is leading to a surge in the demand for buses and accelerating the overall growth of the bus industry. With the increased number of buses, the issue of safety of passengers and the crew assumes special importance. The comfort of driver and passenger in the vehicle involves the vibration performance and therefore, the structural integrity of buses is critically important. Bus safety act depicts the safety and comfort of bus operations, management of safety risks, continuous improvement in bus safety management, public confidence in the safety of bus transport, appropriate stakeholder involvement and the existence of a safety culture among bus service providers.

Tippers used for transporting blue metal, construction and mining material is designed with different types of load body to suit the material being carried, capacity and its application. These load bodies are constructed with high strength material to withstand forces under various operating conditions. Structural strength verification of load body using FEM is conducted, by modelling forces due to payload as a pressure function on the panels of the load body. The spatial variation of pressure is typically assumed. In discrete element method (DEM) granular payload material such as gravel, wet or dry sand, coal etc., can be modelled by accounting its flow and interaction with structure of load body for prediction of force/pressure distribution. In this paper, coupled FE-DEM is used for determining pressure distribution on loading surfaces of a tipper body structure of a heavy commercial vehicle during loading, unloading and transportation.