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Abstract The efficiency of the traditional machining process becomes limited because of the mechanical properties and complexity of the geometric shape of the processed materials. This difficulty is resolved through the nonconventional machining process. Electric Discharge Machining (EDM) process is one of the popular nonconventional machining processes among all nonconventional machining processes for processing such materials. The main objective of the present research work is to evaluate the effect of percentage weight fraction of reinforcement and process parameters on machining responses during EDM of aluminum (Al) 7075-reinforced boron carbide (B4C) and graphite metal matrix composite (MMC) and optimization of the result.

Abstract Aluminum boron carbide (Al-B4C) composites have been a popular choice among scientists and designers for high-performance strength-to-weight ratio engineering applications. Requirements for such applications are met due to enhanced microstructure, mechanical properties, and ease of processing conditions. The performance and application of these composites are mostly dependent on certain parameters, like composition ratios of reinforcing particles, their sizes and wettability, the presence of additional phases, etc. Prominently, efforts are also being made to synthesize Al-B4C as functionally graded materials (FGMs) that have the potential to cater to the needs of advanced engineering applications and can facilitate new dimensions in the field of aluminum matrix composites (AMCs).

Abstract Fretting failure mode is commonly observed at the contact interface of mating parts, held together under normal load and subjected to vibratory and/or imbalanced system forces. This article presents the fretting fatigue life estimation of a complete flat-flat contact pair using a relatively new approach, i.e., deviatoric strain amplitude-based (SI) parameter, further combined with Ding’s empirical parameter D fret2, which considers the effect of resultant frictional work on fretting fatigue life. The results are compared with traditional critical plane-based methods like Smith-Watson-Topper (SWT) and Fatemi-Socie (FS). Observing high load-factor values corresponding to material yielding, non-linear material models are considered to account for possible plastic shakedown/ratcheting phenomenon. Overall good experimental correlation is observed for all three fatigue initiation methods, within a ±3N scatter band.

Abstract Possible oil contamination of aircraft bleed air is an ongoing operational issue for commercial aircraft. A sensitive and reliable method to detect contamination, especially at very low levels, has been elusive due, in part, to the lack of information about the physical nature of oil that results when entrained in the bleed air by an engine compressor. While it was expected that high shear rates in the compressors would result in very finely dispersed particles, detailed data on the size characteristics of these droplets were not available, making it difficult to develop reliable detection techniques. The goal of the reported research was to collect experimental data to provide this information. The concentration and size distribution of particles were measured for bleed air with different rates of controlled oil contamination under various engine operating conditions.

Abstract Although tread block deformation analysis is important, the deformation measurement is difficult because fast-rotating tires maintain a continuous contact with the road surface. Furthermore, capturing small displacements near the edge of tread blocks using a high-speed camera is difficult because of the particularly limited resolution. Additionally, the tread blocks being significantly deformed at the edge and susceptible to wear powder, the state change of the feature points, is highly probable. To overcome these problems, a system that obtains high-resolution images and measures the deformation of a fast-rotating body (tire) is proposed herein. The developed system captures the deformation behavior through intermittent imaging. To further measure the strain distribution, fine tracking markers are drawn on the tread block using a laser processing machine. The displacement of the marker is calculated using the particle mask correlation method.

Abstract In this article, we present a rigorous modular statistical approach for arguing the safety or its insufficiency of an autonomous vehicle through a concrete illustrative example. The methodology relies on making appropriate quantitative studies of the performance of constituent components. We explain the importance of sufficient and necessary conditions at the component level for the overall safety of the vehicle, as well as the cost-saving benefits of the approach. A simple concrete automated braking example studied illustrates how the separate perception system and Operational Design Domain (ODD) statistical analyses can be used to prove or disprove safety at the vehicle level.

Abstract In order for autonomous vehicles to be successfully integrated into the transportation system, they must be able to handle the variety of environments and driving scenarios that a human driver is able to. One such scenario is the use of a double lane change for obstacle avoidance with an unexpected change of friction coefficient present with below-freezing temperatures. A low-friction surface that is not detected by the vehicle could result in a vehicle running off the road during this maneuver. This article presents a modification to the commonly used pure pursuit control method that stabilizes the vehicle during this maneuver by dynamically changing the look-ahead distance based on cross-track error and vehicle velocity. Hardware results on an autonomous vehicle platform show an elimination of off-road occurrences for double lane change and a 46% reduction of off-road occurrences for single lane changes.

Abstract In the present study, a truck drive axle and its gear set are analysed. As the gear set is a hypoid or a spiral bevel one, sliding and so tooth friction are an important source of dissipation. Other losses are mainly due to rolling element bearings and oil churning. The power losses are first calculated according to relationships given in ISO technical report. As comparison with test results shows great discrepancies, some modifications of the previous formulae are proposed. The thermal exchanges are also reviewed. Finally, two methods to obtain the bulk temperatures of the gear set are compared: a classical approach which focuses on the gear set only and a global approach which considers the complete axle using the thermal-network method.

Abstract The simulation of lubricating pumps for internal combustion engines has always represented a challenge due to the high aeration level of the working fluid. In fact, the delivery pressure ripple is highly influenced by the effective fluid bulk modulus, which is significantly reduced by the presence of separated air. This paper presents a detailed lumped parameter model of a variable displacement vane pump with a two-level pressure setting, in which the fluid model takes into account the dynamics of release and dissolution of the air in the oil. The pump was modelled in the LMS Imagine.Lab Amesim® environment through customized libraries for the evaluation of the main geometric features. The model was validated experimentally in terms of pressure oscillations in conditions of low and high aeration. The fraction of separated air in the reservoir of the test rig was measured by means of an X-ray technique.

Abstract The influence of the intake valve lift of two Miller cycles on the in-cylinder flow field inside a DISI engine is studied experimentally since changes of the engine flow field directly affect the turbulent mixing and the combustion process. For the analysis of the impact of the valve timing on the general flow field topology and on the large-scale flow structures, high-speed stereo-scopic particle-image velocimetry measurements are conducted in the tumble plane and the cross-tumble plane. The direct comparison to a standard Otto intake valve lift curve reveals evidently different impacts on the flow field for both Miller cam shafts. A Miller cycle that features late intake valve closing shows a flow field comparable to the standard Otto valve timing and a tumble vortex of strong intensity can be identified.

Abstract Multi-body simulation is a well-established simulation technique in the analysis of internal combustion engines dynamics. The enhancement of multi-body simulation especially regarding flexible structures included effects of structural dynamics in the analysis and helped not only to broaden the field of application but also improved quality of the results. In connection to that there is a steady increase in the need for enhanced and refined modeling approaches for technical subsystems such as journal bearings. The paper on hand will present the elasto-hydrodynamic journal bearing module for the software FEV Virtual Engine which is a vertical application to the generic multi-body simulation suite Adams.

Abstract The torque strut is a key mount in three-point pendulum mounting system of powertrain. Its equivalent stiffness in two orthogonal directions is close to zero meanwhile the equivalent stiffness in another direction always remains the same as the original stiffness, which facilitates mounting system design and matching and has been widely used. In this article, it is aimed to answer the issues for the equivalence of torque strut mount theoretically, such as the equivalent linear stiffness, equivalent torsional stiffness and equivalent position. The torque strut mount has been simplified to an equivalent ordinary mount, the equivalent linear stiffness and equivalent torsional stiffness are derived, and has been verified by ADAMS, then the equivalent position is discussed. The effect of the mass of torque strut on powertrain modals is investigated.

Abstract A fully predictive one-dimensional model of a Common Rail injection apparatus for diesel passenger cars is presented and discussed. The apparatus includes high-pressure pump, high-pressure pipes, injectors, rail and a fuel-metering valve that is used to control the rail pressure level. A methodology for separately assessing the accuracy of the single submodels of the components is developed and proposed. The complete model of the injection system is finally validated by means of a comparison with experimental high-pressure and injected flow-rate time histories. The predictive model is applied to examine the fluid dynamics of the injection system during either steady-state or transient operations. The influence of the pump delivered flow-rate on the rail-pressure time history and on the injection performance is analysed for different energizing times and nominal rail pressure values.

Abstract Turbocharging can provide a low cost means for increasing the power output and fuel economy of an internal combustion engine. Currently, turbocharging is common in multi-cylinder engines, but due to the inconsistent nature of intake air flow, it is not commonly used in single-cylinder engines. In this article, we propose a novel method for turbocharging single-cylinder, four-stroke engines. Our method adds an air capacitor-an additional volume in series with the intake manifold, between the turbocharger compressor and the engine intake-to buffer the output from the turbocharger compressor and deliver pressurized air during the intake stroke. We analyzed the theoretical feasibility of air capacitor-based turbocharging for a single-cylinder engine, focusing on fill time, optimal volume, density gain, and thermal effects due to adiabatic compression of the intake air.

Abstract Turbocharger compressor maps are used in engine performance modeling and simulation to predict engine air system operating conditions. Errors in compressor map data can result in inaccurate engine performance prediction. A method is described for conditioning compressor map data for use in engine performance simulation, by detecting and replacing suspect data points, and interpolating and extrapolating the map data. The method first characterizes enthalpy rise through the compressor, after removing data points likely influenced by heat transfer from turbine to compressor, using energy transfer coefficient vs. impeller outlet flow coefficient. This is done concurrently with estimating impeller outlet conditions using simplified geometry assumptions and a modified definition for compressor stage reaction.

Abstract Fuel economy is a crucial parameter in long-haulage heavy-duty vehicles. Researchers tended to focus initially on engine combustion efficiency, while modern researchers turn their attention to the energy consumption of engine accessories in an attempt to enhance fuel economy. The accessories investigated in this study include the cooling fan, water pump, air compressor, power steering pump, air-conditioning (AC) compressor, and generator. Normally, accessory energy consumption analysis is based on rig data and simulation results. Here, we focus on the disparate test environments between the rig and vehicle to establish a novel steady power test method; the proposed method provides accurate accessory power data under different working conditions. A typical highway driving cycle is selected to collect accessory duty-cycle. The heavy-duty vehicle accessories’ energy consumption distribution under highway road conditions is obtained through the repeated road tests.

Abstract In view of the fact that the current positioning methods of railway fasteners are easily affected by illumination intensity, bright spots, and shadows, a positioning method with relative grayscale invariance is proposed. The median filter is used to remove the noise in order to reduce the adverse effects on the subsequent processing results, and the baffle seat edge features are enhanced by improved Census transform. The mean-shift clustering algorithm is used to classify the edges to weaken the interference by short lines. Finally, the Hough transform is used to quickly extract the linear feature of the baffle seat edge and achieve the exact position of the fastener with the prior knowledge. Experimental results show that the proposed method can accurately locate and have good adaptability under different illumination conditions, and the position accuracy is increased by 4.3% and 8%, respectively, in sunny and rainy days.

Abstract The response time of the air braking system is the main parameter affecting the longitudinal braking distance of vehicles. In this article, in order to predict and control the response time of the braking system of semitrailers, an AMESim model of the semitrailer braking system involving the relay emergency valve (REV) and chambers was established on the basis of analyzing systematically the working characteristics of the braking system in different braking stages: feedback braking, relay braking, and emergency braking. A semitrailer braking test bench including the brake test circuit and data acquisition system was built to verify the model with typical maneuver. For further evaluating the semitrailer braking response time, an experiment under different control pressures was carried out. Experimental results revealed the necessity of controlling the response time.

Abstract Heavy commercial vehicles play an important role in creating the trade and economic balance of countries. Also, the durability and safety of heavy commercial vehicles come to the fore. Heavy commercial vehicles consist of two parts. These are the chassis area with the equipment that allows the vehicle to move and the cabin section where the driver is located. The cabin area is the most important area that ensures the highest level of driver safety. Considering that the production of trucks is increasing day by day, it is inevitable for companies to increase their R&D activities in the field of cabin and cabin suspension systems for much safer, durable, and comfortable trucks. This study aims to determine the safe torque value of the fasteners and their assembly sequence of the Cab Suspension Console, which is one of the most important connection parts in a truck and which can cause a fatal accident by breaking.

Abstract The spray/wall interaction plays a significant role on the mixture formation, combustion, and exhaust emissions. In the present study, the numerical code General Transport Equation Analysis (GTEA) is used to investigate the effect of fuel primary spray on the spray/wall interaction process. Taylor Analogy Breakup (TAB) model, Kelvin-Helmholtz-Rayleigh-Taylor (KH-RT) model, and Hybrid breakup (Hybrid) model are used to simulate the fuel spray process. By comparing the radius and height of the impinged spray, the performance of these breakup models is evaluated. Then, Bai and Gosman (BG) and Zhang and Jia (ZJ) spray/wall interaction models are implemented into GTEA code to describe the complicated spray/wall interaction process, and these interaction models are validated by the radius and height of the impinged spray and the size and velocity of the secondary droplets.