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The study and application of Topology Optimization (TO) has experienced great maturity in recent years, presenting itself as a highly influential and sought-after design tool in both the automotive and aerospace industries. TO has experienced development from single material topology optimization (SMTO) to multi-material topology optimization (MMTO), where material selection is simultaneously optimized with material existence. Today, MMTO for standard structural optimization responses are well supported. An additional and vital response in the design of structures is that of stress. Stress-driven or stress-controlled optimization techniques for SMTO are well understood and have been well-documented, evidenced by both published works and its availability in multiple commercial solvers. However, its integration into MMTO frameworks has not yet achieved reliable levels of accuracy and flexibility.

Present work investigates the relationship between the combustion parameters of a well-known ECN heavy-duty nozzle called Spray D and marine-size nozzles. The study is carried out in OpenFOAM software within the framework of RANS turbulence modelling, using a flamelet based tabulation technique known as FGM to model the combustion. The large nozzles are tested in a constant volume chamber representative of marine engines, for which a CFD setup is validated against inert data in literature. The reacting results have been validated first with experimental data, initializing the domain with a highly reactive environment (23% oxygen) and engine-like swirl. Then, a less reactive initial condition was set up in the domain (15% oxygen) without swirl, to achieve a Spray D-like environment.

In this study, a novel selective matching logic for a wheel/tire is proposed, to decrease the vehicle driving vibration caused by wheel/tire non-uniformity. The new logic was validated through matching simulation/in-line matching evaluation. A theoretical radial force variation model was established by considering the theoretical model of the existing references and the wheel/tire assembly mechanism. The model was validated with ZF’s high-speed uniformity equipment, which is standard in the tire industry. The validity of the new matching logic was verified through matching simulation and mass production in-line evaluation. In conclusion, the novel logic presented herein was demonstrated to effectively decrease the radial force variation caused by the wheel/tire.

Through real-time online optimization, the full potential of the performance and energy efficiency of multi-gear, multi-mode, series–parallel hybrid powertrains can be realized. The framework allows for the powertrain to be in its most efficient configuration amidst the constantly changing hardware constraints and performance objectives. Typically, the different gears and hybrid/electric modes are defined as discrete states, and for a given vehicle speed and driver power demand, a formulation of optimization costs, usually in terms of power, are assigned to each discrete states and the state which has the lowest cost is naturally selected as the desired of optimum state. However, the optimization results would be sensitive to numerical exactitude and would typically lead to a very noisy raw optimum state. The generic approach to stabilization includes adding hysteresis costs to state-transitions and time-debouncing.

In today’s rapidly evolving automotive world, reduction of time to market has prime importance for a new product development. It is critical to have significant front-loading of the development activities to reduce development time while achieving best in class performance targets. Driver-in-the-loop (DIL) simulators have shown significant potential for achieving it, through real time subjective feedback at preliminary stages of the vehicle development. Recent advances in technology of driving simulators have enabled quite accurate representation steering and handling performance, also good prediction on primary ride and low frequency vibrations. In conventional damper development, the definition of the initial dampers tuning specifications typically requires a mule vehicle, or atleast, a comparable vehicle. However, this approach is associated with protracted iterations that consume substantial time and cost.

Inverter is the power electronics component that drives the electrical motor of the electrical driven compressor (EDC) and communicates with the car network. The main function of the inverter is to convert the direct current (DC) voltage of the car battery into alternating current (AC) voltage, which is used to drive the three-phase electric motor. In recent days, inverters are present in all automotive products due to electrification. Inverter contains a printed circuit board (PCB) and electronic components, which are mounted inside a mechanical housing and enclosed by a protective cover. The performance of the electrical drive depends upon the functioning of the inverter. There is a strong demand from the customer to withstand the harsh environmental and testing conditions during its lifetime such as leakage, dust, vibration, thermal tests etc.

In-cabin Noise at low frequency (due to engine or road excitation) is a major issue for NVH engineers. Usually, noise transfer function (NTF) analysis is carried out, due to absence of accurate actual loads for sound pressure level (SPL) analysis. But NTF analysis comes with the challenge of having too many paths (~20 trimmed body attachment locations: engine and suspension mounts, along with 3 directions for each) to work on, which is cumbersome. Physical test transfer path analysis (TPA) is a process of root cause analysis, by which critical contributing paths can be obtained for a problem peak frequency. In addition to that, loads at the attachment points of trimmed body of test vehicle can be derived. Both these outputs are conventionally used in CAE analysis to work on either NTF or SPL. The drawback of this conventional approach is that the critical bands and paths suggested are based on the problem peak frequency of test vehicle which may be different in CAE.

The process of assembling the bearing and crimp ring to the steering pinion shaft is intricate. The bearing is pressed into its position via the crimp ring, which is tipped inward and fully fitted into a groove on the pinion shaft. Only when the bearing is pressed to a low surface on the pinion shaft, the caulking force for the crimp ring is achieved. The final caulking distance for the crimp ring confirms the proper bearing position. Simulating this transient fitting process using CAE is a challenging topic. Key factors include controlling applied force, defining contact between bearing and pinion surface, and defining contact between crimp ring and bearing surface from full close to half open transition. The overall CAE process is validated through correlation with testing.

Metal cutting/machining is a widely used manufacturing process for producing high-precision parts at a low cost and with high throughput. In the automotive industry, engine components such as cylinder heads or engine blocks are all manufactured using such processes. Despite its cost benefits, manufacturers often face the problem of machining chips and cutting oil residue remaining on the finished surface or falling into the internal cavities after machining operations, and these wastes can be very difficult to clean. While part cleaning/washing equipment suppliers often claim that their washers have superior performance, determining the washing efficiency is challenging without means to visualize the water flow. In this paper, a virtual engineering methodology using particle-based CFD is developed to address the issue of metal chip cleanliness resulting from engine component machining operations. This methodology comprises two simulation methods.

In the ever-evolving landscape of automotive technology, the need for robust security measures and dependable vehicle performance has become paramount with connected vehicles and autonomous driving. The Unified Diagnostic Services (UDS) protocol is the diagnostic communication layer between various vehicle components which serves as a critical interface for vehicle servicing and for software updates. Fuzz testing is a dynamic software testing technique that involves the barrage of unexpected and invalid inputs to uncover vulnerabilities and erratic behavior. This paper presents the implementation of fuzz testing methodologies on the UDS layer, revealing the potential vulnerabilities that could be exploited by malicious entities. By employing both open-source and commercial fuzzing tools and techniques, this paper simulates real-world scenarios to assess the UDS layer’s resilience against anomalous data inputs.

Correct simulations of rotating wheels are essential for accurate aerodynamic investigations of passenger vehicles. Therefore, modern automotive wind tunnels are equipped with five-belt moving ground systems with wheel drive units (WDUs) connected to the underfloor balance. The pressure distribution on the exposed areas of the WDU belts results in undesired lift forces being measured which must be considered to obtain accurate lift values for the vehicle. This work investigates the parasitic WDU lift for various configurations of a crossover SUV using numerical simulations that have been correlated to wind tunnel data. Several parameters were considered in the investigation, such as WDU size, WDU placement, tyre variants and vehicle configurations. The results show that the parasitic lift is more sensitive to the width than the length of the WDU. However, the belt length is also important to consider, especially if the wheel cannot be placed centred.

The China Automotive Technology and Research Center (CATARC) has completed two new wind tunnels at its test centre in Tianjin, China: an aerodynamic/aeroacoustic wind tunnel (AAWT), and a climatic wind tunnel (CWT). The AAWT incorporates design features to provide both a very low fan power requirement and a very low background noise putting it amongst the quietest in the automotive world. These features are also combined with high flow quality, a full boundary layer control system with a 5-belt rolling road, an automated traversing system, and a complete acoustic measurement system including a 3-sided microphone array. The CWT, located in the same building as the AAWT, has a flexible nozzle to deliver 250 km/h with an 8.25 m2 nozzle, and 130 km/h with a 13.2 m2 nozzle. The temperature range of the CWT is -40 °C to +60 °C with a controlled humidity range of 5% to 95%. Additional integrated systems include a variable angle solar simulator array, and a rain and snow spray system.

One often reported roadblock to consumer acceptance of electric vehicles is driving range, which is a function of powertrain efficiency and vehicle mass. Electric vehicle gearbox design often is based on multiple parallel shafts, thereby creating significant packaging constraints. Industry perception holds that deep groove ball bearings (DGBB) are more efficient than tapered roller bearings (TRB), and standard spin-loss testing confirms those beliefs. However, spin-loss efficiency testing does not accurately reproduce typical real-world driving. A more realistic comparison of bearing efficiency is required to properly select bearings during the powertrain design stage. Recently completed testing focused on recreating application conditions (including bearing loads, speeds, misalignment, and load zones) for electric vehicle gearbox intermediate shafts.

Noise reduction is generally accomplished by applying appropriate noise control treatments at strategic locations. Noise control treatments consisting of poroelastic materials in layers are extensively used in noise control products. Sound propagation through poroelastic materials is governed by macroscopic material and geometric properties. Thus, a knowledge of material properties is important to improve the acoustical performance of the resulting noise control products. Since the direct measurement of these properties is cumbersome, these have been usually estimated indirectly from easily measurable acoustic performance metrics such as normal incidence sound transmission and/or absorption coefficient, measured using readily available impedance tube. The existing inverse characterization approaches fulfilled the estimation by curve fitting measured and predicted acoustic models.

The study focuses on understanding the air and oil flow characteristics within a ball bearing during high-speed rotation, with a particular emphasis on optimizing frictional heat dissipation and oil lubrication methods. Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) techniques are employed to analyze the intricate three-dimensional airflow and oil flow patterns induced by the motion of rotating and orbiting balls within the bearing. A significant challenge in conducting three-dimensional CFD studies lies in effectively resolving the extremely thin gaps existing between the balls, races, and cages within the bearing assembly. In this research, we adopt the ball-bearing structured meshing strategy offered by Simerics-MP+ to meticulously address these micron-level clearances, while also accommodating the rolling and rotation of individual balls. Furthermore, we investigate the impact of different designs of the lubrication ports to channel oil to other locations compared to the ball bearings.

The paper introduces two methods for controlling motor voltage. One method requires the implementation of boost hardware, while the other allows for voltage control in battery failure mode without any additional hardware requirements. The boost voltage strategy for the hybrid system is based on managing boost modes, determining target voltages, and implementing PI control. The boost mode control includes different modes such as initial mode, normal mode, shutdown mode, and fault mode. Determining the boost target voltage involves regulating the boost converter with variable voltages depending on the operating states of the motor and generator. The second voltage control method without boost hardware is proposed in order to ensure that the vehicle can still function like a traditional car even under abnormal conditions of high-voltage battery failure in micro-mixing systems.

A need to develop a cooling method with high cooling performance like jet impingement is increased as high power of an inverter is required. Jet Impingement on the dimpled plate would increase thermal performance than that of flat plate. Many previous researchers have dealt with the multi jet impingement on flat plate and some results of the study on dimpled plate evaluate the effect on heat transfer coefficients on several limited cases, making it difficult to apply them to inverter designs. Therefore, in this paper, heat transfer performance, pressure drop, and robustness at micro-scale of jet impingement on the dimpled plate were investigated in detail and the correlations of each performance were proposed. Finally, the optimal design was presented. The cooling performance was influenced by the jet array and the effect of depth and width of the dimples.

Electric motor whine is a major NVH source for electric vehicles. Traditional mitigation methods focus on e-motor hardware optimization, which requires long development cycles and may not be easily modified when the hardware is built. This paper presents a control- and software-based strategy to reduce the most dominant motor order of an IPM motor for General Motors’ Ultium electric propulsion system, using the patented active Torque Ripple Cancellation (TRC) technology with harmonic current injection. TRC improves motor NVH directly at the source level by targeting the torque ripple excitations, which are caused by the electromagnetic harmonic forces due to current ripples. Such field forces are actively compensated by superposition of a phase-shifted force of the same spatial order by using of appropriate current.

Electric motor noise mitigation is a challenge in electric vehicles (EVs) due to the lack of engine masking noise. The design of the electric motor mounting configuration to the motor housing has significant impacts on the radiated noise of the drive unit. The stator can be bolted or interference-fit with the housing. A bolted stator creates motor whine and vibration excited by the motor torque ripple at certain torsional resonance frequencies. A stator with interference fit configuration stiffens the motor housing and pushes resonances to a higher frequency range, where masking noise levels are higher at faster vehicle speeds. However, this comes with additional cost and manufacturing process and may impact motor efficiency due to high stress on stators. In this paper, a thin sheet metal NVH ring is developed as a tunable stiffness device between the stator and the motor housing. It is pre-compressed and provides additional torsional rigidity to mitigate torsional excitations.

Effective design of the lubrication path greatly influences the durability of any transmission system. However, it is experimentally impossible to estimate the internal distribution of the automotive transmission fluid (ATF) to different parts of the transmission system due to its structural complexities. Hybrid vehicle transmission systems usually consist of different types of bearings (ball bearings, thrust bearings, roller bearings, etc.) in conjunction with gear systems. It is a perennial challenge to computationally simulate such complicated rotating systems. Hence, one-dimensional models have been the state of the art for designing these intricate transmission systems. Though quantifiable, the 1D models still rely heavily on some testing data. Furthermore, HEVs (hybrid electric vehicles) desire a more efficient lubrication system compared to their counterparts (Internal combustion engine vehicles) to extend the range of operation on a single charge.