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Advanced Vehicle Technologies (AVT), a Ballarat Australia based company, has developed the World's first diesel to 100% LPG conversion for heavy haul trucks. There is no diesel required or utilized on the trucks. The engine is converted with minimal changes into a spark ignition engine with equivalent power and torque of the diesel. The patented technology is now deployed in 2 Mercedes Actros trucks. The power output in engine dynamometer testing exceeds that of the diesel (in excess of 370 kW power and 2700 Nm torque). In on-road application the power curve is matched to the diesel specifications to avoid potential downstream power-train stress. Testing at the Department of Transport Energy & Infrastructure, Regency Park, SA have shown the Euro 3 truck converted to LPG is between Euro 4 and Euro 5 NOx levels, CO2 levels 10% better than diesel on DT80 test and about even with diesel on CUEDC tests.

The increased use of recycled resins can create a dilemma for automotive designers. On the one hand, there is a growing initiative to increase recycled materials content on vehicles, globally. On the other hand, traditional methods of recycling polymeric materials -both thermoplastics and thermosets - can lead to degradation of engineering, mechanical, processing, and / or aesthetic properties of the resin. In an era where quality rules, this situation forces designers to accept a much lower percentage of recyclate than they might otherwise wish to use or risk unacceptable property loss in molded parts - something no automaker can “afford ” for long. Hence, a valuable feedstream of materials (polymers) often ends up destined for a landfill once many consumer products are broken down and more easily reusable or recyclable materials are salvaged. As a case in point, each passenger car built globally contains an average of 15 - 20 kg of nylon polymers.

The problem of testing large gas turbines at full load in the factory has been solved with the construction of a load test facility utilizing a gas turbine compressor as the load absorption device. Design philosophy and features are reviewed, and a summary, of operating experience to date is presented.

Nine identical 40-ft. transit buses were operated on B20 and diesel for a period of two years - five of the buses operated exclusively on B20 (20% biodiesel blend) and the other four on petroleum diesel. The buses were model year 2000 Orion V equipped with Cummins ISM engines, and all operated on the same bus route. Each bus accumulated about 100,000 miles over the course of the study. B20 buses were compared to the petroleum diesel buses in terms of fuel economy, vehicle maintenance cost, road calls, and emissions. There was no difference between the on-road average fuel economy of the two groups (4.41 mpg) based on the in-use data, however laboratory testing revealed a nearly 2% reduction in fuel economy for the B20 vehicles. Engine and fuel system related maintenance costs were nearly identical for the two groups until the final month of the study.

An integration study was performed coupling an SP-100 reactor with either a Brayton or Stirling power conversion subsystem. A power level of 100 kWe was selected for the study. The power system was to be compatible with both the lunar and Mars surface environment and require no site preparation. In addition, the reactor was to have integral shielding and be completely self-contained, including its own auxiliary power for start-up. Initial reliability studies were performed to determine power conversion redundancy and engine module size. Previous studies were used to select the power conversion optimum operating conditions (ratio of hot-side temperature to cold-side temperature). Results of the study indicated that either the Brayton or Stirling power conversion subsystems could be integrated with the SP-100 reactor for either a lunar or Mars surface power application.

A prototype 2007 ISL Cummins diesel engine equipped with a diesel oxidation catalyst (DOC), diesel particle filter (DPF), variable geometry turbocharger (VGT), and cooled exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) was tested at Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) under a high-load accelerated durability cycle for 1000 hours with B20 soy-based biodiesel blends and ultra-low sulfur diesel (ULSD) fuel to determine the impact of B20 on engine durability, performance, emissions, and fuel consumption. At the completion of the 1000-hour test, a thorough engine teardown evaluation of the overhead, power transfer, cylinder, cooling, lube, air handling, gaskets, aftertreatment, and fuel system parts was performed. The engine operated successfully with no biodiesel-related failures. Results indicate that engine performance was essentially the same when tested at 125 and 1000 hours of accumulated durability operation.

This standard covers un-shielded (JUTP) and shielded (STP) balanced single twisted pair jacketed data cable intended for use in surface vehicle cables for 1 Gb/s ethernet applications. The tests in this standard are intended to qualify cables for normal operation in an automotive environment while maintaining the necessary electrical properties for reliable data transmission.

This standard covers un-shielded (JUTP) and shielded (STP) balanced single twisted pair jacketed data cable intended for use in surface vehicle cables for 1000BASE-T1 ethernet PHY (1 Gb/s) applications. The tests in this standard are intended to qualify cables for normal operation in an automotive environment while maintaining the necessary electrical properties for reliable data transmission.

This SAE Standard covers un-shielded balanced single twisted pair data cable intended for use in surface vehicle cables for ≤100 Mb/s Ethernet applications. The tests in this document are intended to qualify cables for normal operation in an automotive environment while maintaining the necessary electrical properties for reliable data transmission.

Up to now, various compressor models for automotive air conditioners have been manufactured to answer the needs of car manufacturers for fuel economy and quietness. The 10PC20 compressor, developed for automotive air conditioners, is the world's first swash plate type compressor having a continuously variable displacement mechanism. The 10PC20 is aimed at realizing a large displacement compressor with a continuously variable displacement mechanism, which has not been achieved until today. To achieve this goal, the 10PC20 design is based on the swash plate type compressor, consisting of double-headed pistons, which is adaptable to a large displacement and has excellent rotating balance and durability. The 10PC20 changes its displacement continuously by changing the inclination of the swash plate (swash plate angle) continuously. (See photo. 1 and 2) The 10PC20 adopts two variable displacement principles.

Aerospace structures manufacturers find themselves frequently engaged in large-scale 3D metrology operations, conducting precision measurements over a volume expressed in meters or tens of meters. Such measurements are often done by metrologists or other measurement experts and may be done in a somewhat ad-hoc fashion, i.e., executed in the most appropriate method according to the lights of the individual conducting the measurement. This approach is certainly flexible but there are arguments for invoking a more rigorous process. Production processes, in particular, demand an automated process for all such “routine” measurements. Automated metrology offers a number of advantages including enabling data configuration management, de-skilling of operation, real time input data error checking, enforcement of standards, consistent process execution and automated data archiving. It also reduces training, setup time, data manipulation and analysis time and improves reporting.

Carbon fiber-reinforced plastic (CFRP) is one of the most commonly used materials in the aerospace industry today. CFRP in pre-impregnated form is an anisotropic material whose properties can be controlled to a high level by the designer. Sometimes, these properties make the material hard to predict with regards to how the geometry affects manufacturing aspects. This paper describes eleven design rules originating from different guidelines that describe geometrical design choices and deals with manufacturability problems that are connected to them, why they are connected and how they can be minimized or avoided. Examples of design choices dealt with in the rules include double curvature shapes, assembly of uncured CFRP components and access for non-destructive testing (NDT). To verify the technical content and ensure practicability, the rules were developed by, inter alia, studying literature and performing case studies at SAAB Aerostructures.

Late developments in tires and in lightweight, high horsepower engines and transmissions have enabled the earthmoving and mining industry equipment manufacturers to design and produce several types of preproduction 100-ton capacity trucks. A straight-forward approach to the design of a 110-ton end dump truck on two axles with a hydro-mechanical drive was followed by KW-Dart Truck Co. to produce a low cost per ton-mile vehicle.

This paper shows some aspects of the automotive voltage energy system level shift from 14 to 42 Volts. New features and prospective emissions/fuel economy requirements are creating electrical power needs in future automobiles, which today's conventional system cannot adequately supply at 14 Vdc (nominal, with a 12 Volt battery). It will be necessary to provide electric motors, DC/DC converters, inverters, battery management, and other electronic controls to meet higher voltage requirements. Suppliers must now include 42 Volt components and systems within their product range and make these new components as light, small, and cost efficient as possible. This paper is a compilation of several published works aiming to offer a synthesis to introduce this subject to the Brazilian Automotive Market.

A drivetrain model incorporating detailed crankshaft and drivetrain dynamics has been incorporated into an unsteady gas dynamic computer simulation of a single-cylinder two-stroke engine. This study examines the change in predicted engine performance caused by relaxing the conventional assumption of constant crankshaft velocity, and a comparison of results is presented. Relaxing the assumption changed the predicted brake mean effective pressures by over 10%. Experimental validation of the simulation involved mounting an engine to a test bed and driving an inertia wheel through a fully characterized drivetrain. A high-speed data acquisition system measured signals from a position encoder mounted on the crankshaft and from a non-contact torque transducer. The time and position data were used to calculate instantaneous crankshaft speed, and these results were compared to the predicted profiles. Simulation results and experimental measurements are presented and discussed.

The characteristics of the combustion process in an improved design of a novel spark ignition engine studied by means of Computational Fluid Dynamics are presented. The engine is designed to work at low average combustion temperatures to achieve very low NOx emissions. The engine is a two-stroke, two piston in-line engine. The main combustion occurs in four combustion pre-chambers that have an annular shape with a nozzle on the side facing the cylinder. Fuel is directly injected into the pre-chambers by using high-pressure fuel injectors. A progressive burning process is expected to keep the flame inside the pre-chambers while the fast ejection of combustion products should produce effective mixing with the cold air in the cylinder. This fast dilution should guarantee a temperature drop of the combustion products thus reducing the formation of NOx via a thermal path.

This SAE Standard establishes the minimum construction and performance requirements for a 15 pole connector between towing vehicles and trailers, for trucks, trailers, and dollies, for 12 VDC nominal applications in conjunction with SAE J2742. The connector accommodates both power and ISO 11992-1 signal circuits along with dual ground wires to accommodate grounding requirements within the constraints of the SAE J2691 terminal capacity.

Transfer path analysis is a powerful tool to support the vehicle NVH development. On the one hand it is a fast method to gain an overview of the complex interplay in the vehicle noise generation process. On the other hand it can be used to identify critical noise paths and vehicle components responsible for specific noise phenomena. FEV has developed several tools, which are adapted to the considered noise phenomena: Powertrain induced interior noise and vibration is analyzed by VINS (Vehicle Interior Noise Simulation), which allows the deduction of improvement measures fast enough for application in the accelerated vehicle development process. Further on vehicle/powertrain combinations not realized in hardware can be evaluated by virtual installation of the powertrain in the vehicle, which is especially interesting in the context of engine downsizing from four to three or six to four cylinders.

The experience accumulated with a prototype 1000 HP diesel electric tractor since 1969 is described. The new 1500 HP V220 diesel electric tractors are described along with some of the initial operation of these two units. Experience with the initial 1000 HP unit and the two 1500 HP tractors confirm the necessity of additional testing and experimentation to refine the design to get greater productivity with reduced operator fatigue. The unpredictability of the load and operating surface are major problems that present a real challenge to the engineer.