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The frame rail has an impact on the crash performance of body-on-frame (BOF) and uni-body vehicles. Recent developments in materials and forming technology have prompted research into improving the energy absorption and deformation mode of the frame rail design. It is worthwhile from a timing and cost standpoint to predict the behavior of the front rail in a crash situation through finite element techniques. This study focuses on improving the correlation of the frame component Finite Element model to physical test data through sensitivity analysis. The first part of the study concentrated on predicting and improving the performance of the front rail in a frontal crash [1]. However, frame rails in an offset crash or side crash undergo a large amount of bending. This paper discusses appropriate modeling and testing procedures for front rails in a bending situation.

This paper presents a modelling approach to the design optimization of Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) systems. The present study is concerned with ammonia slip and conversion efficiency of oxides of nitrogen (NOx), which are two major issues of SCR technologies. A Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) code is employed to simulate the mixing characteristics with the purpose of optimization of the concentration distribution of the reducing agent. The physical processes including urea spray atomization, droplet evaporation, urea decomposition and turbulent mixing are accounted for in the modelling method. The Lagrangian discrete phase model is used to describe the urea spray, which contains sub-models for droplet breakup and evaporation. A reaction model of urea decomposition is proposed. The geometry of a specific example includes two air-assisted fluid nozzles, optimized mixing elements of the static mixer, and the SCR converter with two layers of substrates.

The front rail plays an important role in the performance of body-on-frame (BOF) vehicles in frontal crashes. New developments in materials and forming technology have led to the exploration of different configurations to improve crash performance. This paper presents the initial stages of an ongoing study to investigate the effects of the cross section of steel columns on crash performance in automotive applications. Because accurate prediction of the performance of these rails can help reduce the amount of physical crash testing necessary, the focus of this paper is on appropriate testing and modeling procedures for different rail configurations. In the first part of this paper, the Finite Element Analysis (FEA) methodology is presented with respect to correlation with real world tests. The effects of various parameters are described, along with the optimum configuration for model correlation.

This paper presents a 3-D CFD modelling of flow and heterogeneous reactions in catalytic converters. The pressure and velocity fields in the catalytic converters are calculated by the state of the art modelling technique for the flow resistance of catalyst substrate. A surface reaction model is applied to predict the performance of a three-way Pt/Rh catalyst. A reaction mechanism with detailed catalytic surface reactions for the 3-way catalyst is applied. The novelty of this approach is the use of a surface chemistry solver coupled with a 3-D CFD code in the entire computational domain of the catalyst substrate that allows flow distribution for complex configurations to be accounted for. The concentrations of the gas species and the site species are obtained. A comparison between the simulation results and the experimental data of a three-way catalyst was made.

In designing an automobile seat, it is important to minimize the fatigue experienced by the driver resulting from long-term sitting. In this study eight healthy male subjects participated in two group experiments that were A-group and B-group. Acupoints combined with magnetism stimuli were put on to the subjects for reducing postural fatigue in B-group during the simulated driving. The surface electromyography (sEMG) of muscle activity at L4/L5 as well as subjective self-reporting on fatigue were recorded and tested. Analyzing and comparing the EMG median frequency and the subjective evaluations between two groups a conclusion that acupoints combined with magnetism stimuli could reduce the driver postural fatigue was drawn.

The remarkable evolution of steel technology in recent years has resulted in the development of new High Strength Steels (HSS) that are increasingly used in today's automobiles. The advanced performance of these grades in ductility and rapid hardening characteristics provides an opportunity to stamp complex geometries with in-panel material strengths far exceeding those of conventional high strength grades of steel. This provides an opportunity to improve an automotive body's performance in crash, durability and strength while reducing the overall weight of the vehicle. An improved understanding of the forming characteristics of these advanced HSS and accurate prediction of the material processing strain will allow vehicle designers to fully explore the opportunities of increased yield, strain hardening, formability and strength and the potential this creates to reduce mass and improve the performance of the automotive body.