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The auxiliary power system of the X-15 airplane represents a uniqueness in its application. It must operate continuously in flight, in a space environment, during zero gravity, during reentry heating, and for a period of time which often exceeds the X-15 rocket engine operation by 1400 sec. The X-15 auxiliary power system must provide both hydraulic and closely regulated 400-cycle electrical power for operation of various X-15 systems. This paper describes the system, its functions, and its major components. A brief introduction to an X-15 research mission is included to illustrate the integration requirements of the auxiliary power system to the X-15 and the research system.

This book contains 46 papers covering the past ten years (1999-2008) of research on various by-wire systems, looking at the challenges faced by design engineers as traditional hydraulic or mechanical linkages are replaced by electronic control systems. Topics covered include: Architecture and Software Considerations; Brake-By-Wire Systems; Steer-By-Wire Systems; Drive-By-Wire Systems; Communication Networks The book also includes editor Ronald K. Jurgen's introduction "Replacing Hydraulics and Mechanics with Electronics" and a concluding section on future trends in X-By-Wire systems.

X-ray is an indispensable aid in locating and determining the extent of incipient failures in structure which is inaccessible by position or covered by multiple layers of metal. It is also the most feasible method for checking oil coolers for contamination; bonded honeycomb panels for water; fuel lines for erosion; and with a 360 deg emission tube, fuselage frames for structural integrity without removing the interior upholstery and panels from the passenger compartment or cargo compartments.

In order to analyze the effects of nozzle geometry on the structure of fuel sprays, quantitative x-ray measurements have been performed on sprays from nozzles with different degrees of hydro-grinding. The two nozzles were measured at injection pressures of 500 and 1000 bar in an ambient environment of 1 bar nitrogen gas. Time-resolved x-radiography was used to measure the two-dimensional mass distributions of the spray as a function of time for the entire spray event. The initial mass flow through the nozzles was determined from the x-ray data, the nozzles showed no appreciable differences in the early part of the injection event. The transverse mass distributions were fit with Gaussian curves, and the assumption of axisymmetry was used to calculate the volume fraction of each spray. It was observed that the nozzle which had undergone extensive hydro-grinding generated a more dense spray than the sharp-edged nozzle at an injection pressure of 1000 bar.

The sparking behavior in an internal combustion engine affects the fuel efficiency, engine-out emissions, and general drivability of a vehicle. As emissions regulations become progressively stringent, combustion strategies, including exhaust gas recirculation (EGR), lean-burn, and turbocharging are receiving increasing attention as models of higher efficiency advanced combustion engines with reduced emissions levels. Because these new strategies affect the working environment of the spark plug, ongoing research strives to understand the influence of external factors on the spark ignition process. Due to the short time and length scales involved and the harsh environment, experimental quantification of the deposited energy from the sparking event is difficult to obtain. In this paper, we present the results of x-ray radiography measurements of spark ignition plasma generated by a conventional spark plug.

The salient features of modern gasoline direct injection include cavitation, flash boiling, and plume/plume interaction, depending on the operating conditions. These complex phenomena make the prediction of the spray behavior particularly difficult. The present investigation combines mass-based experimental diagnostics with an advanced, in-house modeling capability in order to provide a multi-faceted study of the Engine Combustion Network’s Spray G injector. First, x-ray tomography is used to distinguish the actual injector geometry from the nominal geometry used in past works. The actual geometry is used as the basis of multidimensional CFD simulations which are compared to x-ray radiography measurements for validation under cold conditions. The influence of nozzle diameter and corner radius are of particular interest. Next, the model is used to simulate flash-boiling conditions, in order to understand how the cold flow behavior corresponds to flashing performance.

The X-Wing concept employs a single lifting system for all modes of flight. The lifting system is comprised of four very rigid, circulation control wings with blowing for lift modulation and control. For hover and low speed flight, the wings rotate such as the rotor of a helicopter. For high speed flight, the wings are stopped in an “X” configuration across the fuselage - from which the name of the concept is derived - with two forward-swept wings and two aft-swept wings. Such a vehicle is also envisioned to have an integrated gas turbine propulsive system for all flight modes. At low speeds, the gas generators) would drive a shaft to turn the wings and the circulation control compressor as well as a set of propulsive fans. For high-speed flight, the shaft would drive only the compressor and accessories as the fans propel the vehicle. The X-Wing concept has been underdevelopment for over 15 years.

The experimental XA-100 is a 5-passenger 4-door Chevrolet Corsica that has been retrofitted with an electric-motor propulsion system, batteries, and an on-board engine/alternator system. The XA-100 is designed 1) to travel on around-town and short freeway commute trips on battery power alone with zero exhaust emissions (zero-emissions vehicle (ZEV)) and 2) to travel as an ultra-low-emissions vehicle (ULEV) on long distance trips using an on-board engine/alternator (i.e., an auxiliary power unit (APU)) for electric power. In all other respects (e.g., performance, handling, user interface), the XA-100 is designed to retain the characteristics of the conventional Corsica to the greatest degree possible. The XA-100 was developed as a result of research sponsored in part by the California Energy Commission (CEC), with labor donated by members of the Electric Auto Association (EAA) and faculty, staff and students of Stanford University.

With the Xtend clutch a new concept for automatic wear compensation, which is suitable for push- and pull-type clutches of all sizes, has been developed. A very high level of accuracy of the adjusting process could be achieved under all operating conditions by the direct mechanical coupling to the wear of the clutch facings. It can be used without any changes to existing interfaces and possesses the same robustness and is as easy to handle as any conventional clutch.

The YF-23A Advanced Tactical prototype Fighter was a revolutionary statically unstable, twin engine aircraft that cruised at supersonic speeds without afterburner and was designed to out maneuver opponents at subsonic and supersonic speeds. Combining these capabilities into a chosen aircraft configuration demanded a flight control hydraulic system of unprecedented power and performance. Increased system reliability, and reduced maintenance also presented a challenging system design. The YF-23A's unique flight and maneuvering envelope required high surface rates and large actuator excursions at low flight speeds, as well as power to generate increased hinge moments at supersonic speeds. To achieve these specifications, Northrop developed a hydraulic system that utilized flow conservation and prioritization techniques. The hydraulic system configuration was maintained by using hydrologic, as well as electronic control.

A new chain saw powered by rotary engine has been developed with a view to prevent the current injuries due to vibration from chain saws. This paper covers the construction of the rotary engine and performances of the new chain saw including vibration measurements. Vibration acceleration of the new chain saw shows so low level compared with reciprocating engine saws that it would be quite promising for prevention of the vibration injuries.

This paper investigates the yaw dynamic behaviour of a seven axle tractor semitrailer combination vehicle developed by VRDE (Vehicle Research & Development). The semitrailer has four steerable axles which follow command steering law i.e. all axles of semitrailer are steered in a particular relation with articulation of tractor. A 4 dof (degree of freedom) linear yaw plane model was developed for this combination vehicle. Yaw response characteristics such as lateral acceleration, yaw rate and articulation angle for step and sine steer is obtained from this model. Effects of speed on the above parameters are also studied to the same steering inputs. Lateral tyre forces due to semitrailer steering at various speeds are estimated to understand its distribution on each axle. Steady state yaw rate and articulation angle gain are obtained to predict the understeer / oversteer behaviour of combination vehicle.

A new controllable limited slip differential is proposed and tested in software environment. It is characterized by the employment of a magnetorheological fluid, which presents the property of changing its rheology thanks to an applied magnetic field. A vehicle model has been designed and employed for the synthesis of a sliding controller. The control is based on a double level scheme: the upper controller aims to generate the target locking torque, while the lower controller generates, as control action, the supply current for the controllable limited slip differential. The obtained results show the effectiveness of the device in terms of vehicle dynamics improvement. Indeed, the results reached by the vehicle in presence of the new differential confirm the improved performances for both steady and unsteady state manoeuvres.

From the beginning of 1995 on, RB will start the production of the Vehicle Dynamics Control System. A key part of this system is the Yaw Rate Sensor described in this paper. The basic requirements for this sensor for automotive applications are: mass producibility, low cost, resistance against environmental influences (such as temperature, vibrations, EMI), stability of all characteristics over life time, high reliability and designed-in safety. Bosch developed a sensor on the basis of the “Vibrating Cylinder”. The sensor will be introduced into mass production in beginning of 1995.

As in the past several years, we provide here an overview of recent major regulatory and technological changes for reducing emissions from the transport and off-road sector. In the past, this review was focused mostly on improvement in engine efficiency and tailpipe emissions of criteria pollutants. However, starting last year [1] we have increased the scope to broadly address the increased focus on greenhouse gas emissions and the emergence of various non-conventional fuel pathways to achieve the various decarbonization goals. There are two broad themes that are emerging, and which we describe here. Firstly, that we are approaching the implementation of the last of the major regulations on criteria pollutant emissions from cars and trucks, led by Europe, through Euro 7 standards and US, through multi-pollutant standards for light- and heavy-duty vehicles.

A program has been completed to evaluate ultra-low sulfur diesel fuels and passive diesel particulate filters (DPFs) in truck and bus fleets operating in southern California. The fuels, ECD and ECD-1, are produced by ARCO (a BP Company) and have less than 15 ppm sulfur content. Vehicles were retrofitted with two types of catalyzed DPFs, and operated on ultra-low sulfur diesel fuel for over one year. Exhaust emissions, fuel economy and operating cost data were collected for the test vehicles, and compared with baseline control vehicles. Regulated emissions are presented from two rounds of tests. The first round emissions tests were conducted shortly after the vehicles were retrofitted with the DPFs. The second round emissions tests were conducted following approximately one year of operation. Several of the vehicles retrofitted with DPFs accumulated well over 100,000 miles of operation between test rounds.

Schlieren and shadowgraph imaging have been used for many years to identify refractive index gradients in various applications. For evaporating fuel sprays, these techniques can differentiate the boundary between spray regions and background ambient gases. Valuable information such as the penetration rate, spreading angle, spray structure, and spray pattern can be obtained using schlieren diagnostics. In this study, we present details of a z-type schlieren system setup and its application to port-fuel-injection gasoline sprays. The schlieren high-speed movies were used to obtain time histories of the spray penetration and spreading angle. Later, these global parameters were compared to specifications provided by the injector manufacturer. Also, diagnostic parameters such as the proportion of light cut-off at the focal point and the orientation of knife-edge (schlieren-stop) used to achieve the cut-off were examined.

With the introduction of the 5HP24 in early 1996, ZF has completed their product line for 5-speed transmissions. This transmission was especially developed for 8 cylinder engines and has achieved important improvements in fuel consumption, performance, comfort and reliability. This report shows, that 5-speed automatic transmissions result in a reduced fuel consumption, even in countries with speed limits. For example the 5HP24 incorporates the latest developments such as: converter wirth controlled slip clutch (CSC) measures to allow engine speed between 600 and 7200 rpm modern closed loop control shifting strategy performance improved Transmission Control Unit (TCU)

With the introduction of the ZF “myTronic6” (6 HP 26) in 2001, the Division Car Driveline Technology of the ZF Friedrichshafen AG has developed and introduced a new 6 speed stepped automatic transmission for passenger cars. This paper describes the gear set concept, the mechanical design and specific functions of this transmission. The 6 HP 26 is part of the new 6- speed program which comprises 3 transmission types. It will replace the existing ZF 5 speed program completely within the next years.

The current environmental situation in urban areas is demanding new concepts of transportation and innovative vehicle designs. More environmentally-friendly means of transport represent an important feature in local public transport. Improvements in the environmental situation are to be achieved by increased transition from individual transport to public transport on the one hand, and by having more environmentally-friendly buses on the other. Electric drive, whether as diesel, hybrid or zero-emission drive, has a central role to play in this. This report gives a survey of their estimated technical characteristics and possible applications.