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INTRODUCTION OF ALUMINIUM as a body construction material requires changes in part design such as added overcrowning, changes in pressing and assembly such as use of rope hemming, introduction of alkaline pickling for better results with welding, bonding, corrosion protection and use of wax when sanding. Changes in painting included the insulation of certain parts when EC-dipping and extensive corrosion testing to find optimum combinations of materials, cleaning and phosphating chemicals. Conventional corrosion-testing methods were found to give misleading results, especially for Al-alloys which contain copper.

We take the opportunity to present a recently established strategical partnership between ECCO Gleittechnik GmbH and FRIMECO Füllstoff Handels Ges.m.bH.. This co-operation allows us to present and market a new kind of fibrillized natural fibre for the Friction industry by combining ECCO's technical Know How in the field of natural fibres and FRIMECO's knowledge about the Friction Materials market.

A new process for a highly reliable ceramic substrate with electric circuit has been developed for power devices of automotive applications. The circuit conductor has high conductivity to accept a current of 10 to 200 Amperes, and has strong joining strength to ceramic substrates. The conductor is made of sintered copper powders with several kinds of diameters to get a porous structure, for reducing Young's modulus and thermal stress between the circuit conductor and ceramic substrate. Sintering shrinkage of the circuit conductor has been restrained, and joining strength to the ceramic substrates kept strong by an anchor effect. The copper circuit conductor realized electric resistivity of 2.3×10-6 ohm-cm, and coefficient of thermal conductivity, 290 W/mK. We have also confirmed superior reliabilities in the joining strength and conductivity by thermal cycling tests.

New efficient protection finish for magnesium die cast parts for automotive application, obtained by primer + application of paint by electrophoresis.

The corrosion of active metals such as magnesium and aluminum continues in spite of the recent development of more corrosion resistant alloys. Much of the corrosion occurs due to chloride ion attack aggravated by design problems that produce crevices and other corrosion prone surfaces. Many components made of obsolete alloys remain in service. In this paper basic protection schemes are reviewed for both magnesium and aluminum. Pretreatments and coating systems typically used are outlined with emphasis on problems at overhaul and reassembly. A novel coating primer/sealer process is described which provides a significantly more corrosion resistant surface for both magnesium and aluminum alloys. A mechanism for the operation of the coating film is offered; how it is combined with pretreatments to seal and prime the active metal surface is described. Data is supplied indicating corrosion resistance in salt spray tests, humidity tests and exposure to aerospace fluids.

In competitive markets the search of the differentiation is basic for the companies survival. That can be achieved through the new products development - NPD which is composed for five classic phases: sprouting of the idea, concept, validation of the concept, development and launching of the new product. Market successful new products can generate cost reduction and increments in market share and profit and, thus, Value Creation. This work analyses the Value Creation of the Brazilian automobile industry due to the influence of the development of new products under the perception of the managers of this industry. Results demonstrate to have a positive relation.

The performance and cost gap between conventional rubber mountings and hydraulic damped mountings will be closed by a Pneumatic Damped Rubber Mount. Mainly for small size vehicles this concept offers a suitable compromise for shake and acoustics. Conventional hydrobushes for engine mounting systems have some general problems such as poor endurance life and acoustic performance. A new Hydrobush Design overcomes these difficulties by a multi material design. Certainly, more complex systems require switchable hydraulic damped mounts. In particular, Diesel Engines often need better isolation at idle operation. An Electronic Switchable Hydromount has been developed and checked successfully in different vehicles. Finally, active technology offers a huge potential to influence vehicle NVH performance.

Vehicle front suspension systems are designed to achieve the best possible compromise between comfort and handling. Some inputs into the system are isolated by parts that link the suspension components to the frame. This presentation addresses two of these connector applications. They are the suspension arm bushings and the upper strut cushion. Conventional products as well as new innovative C.P.I.O. approaches are discussed. The TORSIDYNE slip bushing concept is applied to suspension arms. This approach replaces torsional rubber return with easy rotation while offering flexibility in the areas of radial, axial and conical rate. The ATADYNE principle is discussed for usage in upper strut mount applications. In addition to other features, it maintains a variable variable vertical rate regardless of the mount operating position.

Polyolefin-based materials such as polypropylene and TPO are widely used in the automotive industry due to their good balance of physical properties, ease of processing, recyclability, and low cost. Developing the proper stabilization formulations to meet the weatherability, long term thermal stability, and other requirements of automotive interior and exterior applications can be a challenging task. This paper will summarize the performance criteria that need to be considered in developing a stabilization system and will present an overview of several new products developed by Ciba to meet the needs of the automotive market. Data will be presented comparing the performance of new and existing stabilization systems for color and gloss retention of TPO and polypropylene during accelerated weathering (SAE J1960 and SAE J1885) and retention of tensile properties on long term heat aging at temperatures up to 150°C.

A multi-objective optimization model using a piston behavior simulation for the prediction of NV, friction and scuffing was created. This model was used to optimize the piston skirt form, helping to enable well-balanced forms to be sought. Optimization calculations, involving extended analyses and numerous design variables, conventionally necessitate long calculation times in order to achieve adequate outcomes. Because of this, in the present project data was converted into functions in order to help enable the complex piston skirt form to be expressed using a small amount of coefficients. Using the limit values for manufacturability and the degree of contribution to the target functions, the scope of design variables was restricted, and the time necessary for the analysis was significantly reduced. This has helped to enable optimal solutions to be determined within a practical time frame.

The search for clean automotive propulsion system has brought to study a new hybrid system. This hybrid system allows the mechanical energy produced by the thermal engine be partly stored in battery pack and partly be sent directly to the wheels without being converted into electrical energy. The main components of this system are: one battery pack, two electrical machine, one i.c. engine, and a three-axes planetary train. The i.c. engine has a constant speed, so that it is possible to minimise fuel waste. The first electrical machine drives the first axis of planetary train and is connected to the driving shaft of the i.c. engine through a friction drive; the role of this electrical machine is to modulate the torque of the i.c. engine. The second electrical machine drives the second axis of the planetary train and is running at a variable speed; the role of this electrical machine is to provide the kinematic control of the vehicle.

With ever more stringent regulations related to air pollution and CO2 emissions, there is a growing trend to address this through the downsizing of automotive engines. Turbochargers are used to improve engine power by using exhaust gas energy to provide boosted air pressure for better efficiency. They are a key element in powertrains of today and in the future. During real operating conditions, the rotational speed of a turbo varies greatly making this rotating machinery run in “continuous transient” phases and produces unwanted noises as a result. Recently, we identified a new source of aero noise while developing a new type of turbocharger. Our typical in-house procedure for characterizing usual aero broad band noise source was to use the 3-microphone methodology for measuring the acoustic intensity.

Since the commercial introduction of push-belt type continuously variable transmission (CVT) systems, customer specifications concerning power density (transmittable power, torque, transmission size, ratio coverage, and durability) have become increasingly demanding. Consequently, Van Doorne's Transmissie (VDT) developed a complete new Phase 7 push-belt with 26 innovative characteristics on ring and element level. Maximum power density is mainly determined by the ability of the push-belt rings to withstand the stresses generated during CVT operation. Enhanced power density can therefore be achieved by reducing the stresses exerted on the rings and/or by increasing the fatigue strength of the ring material. Engineering research ascertained the fatigue behaviour and failure modes, for push-belts manufactured with the maraging steel currently employed for ring manufacture. Ring fatigue crack initiation at titanium nitride inclusions has been recognized as a predominant failure mechanism.

This paper reviews briefly many of the tests currently being used to evaluate the quality of anodized aluminum, particularly that used for automotive trim applications. The advantages and disadvantages of each are related to the need for a more quantitative rapid test. A new quality control test developed by Alcoa for use with anodized aluminum is presented for consideration by the automotive industry. This test, based on the measurement of impedance of the anodized coating, is rapid, nondestructive, adaptable to different configurations, economical, independent of alloy, and highly discriminating with regard to coating thickness and seal.

In the next few years, the USA, EU, and Japan plan to introduce very stringent exhaust emissions regulations for heavy–duty diesel engines, in order to enhance the protection air quality. This builds upon the heavy–duty diesel engine exhaust emissions regulations already in effect. At the same time, improvement in fuel consumption of heavy–duty diesel engines will be very important for lowering vehicle operating costs, conserving fossil fuel resources, and reduction of CO2 (greenhouse gas) levels. This paper presents a detailed review of a quiescent combustion system for a heavy–duty diesel engine, which offers breakthrough performance in terms of the exhaust emissions – fuel consumption trade–off, compared with the more conventional swirl supported combustion system. This conclusion is supported by experimental results comparing quiescent and swirl supported versions of various combustion system configurations.

The first part of this article describes the different condenser technologies. Thereafter, the replacement of R12 refrigerant by R134a is studied. The modelling and computation are described. The results of parallel flow condenser simulations are compared with experimental test results in order to establish the validity of the model.

Repairing assessment on damageability of a vehicle is done by analyzing the damage itself and repairing costs for the damage that collisions caused. Korea, as it is in European countries, uses RCAR low speed collision test as a standard when analyzing. RCAR has announced its new plan to implement a new set of tests that includes bumper barrier tests in addition to existing structure tests. In order to adjust for the new RCAR test, it is more than necessary to adopt crush box technology; also, strength of bumper beams need to be brought up to match that of the North American version. In this report, a new system developed by introducing a new design to meet the RCAR requirement has been analyzed. The new structure which consists of crash boxes installed on existing performance-proved North American GMT beam has been assessed. All the adjustment and new development have been initiated in purpose of passing newly erected RCAR test.