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The auto industry is one of the major contributors for noise pollution in urban areas. Specifically, highly populated heavy commercial diesel vehicle such as buses, trucks are dominant because of its usage pattern, and capacity. This noise is contributed by various vehicle systems like engine, transmission, exhaust intake, tires etc. When the pass by noise levels exceeds regulatory limit, as per IS 3028, it is important for NVH automotive engineer to identify the sources & their ranking for contribution in pass by noise. The traditional methods of source identification such as windowing technique, sequential swapping of systems and subsystems which are time consuming.Also advanced method in which data acquisition with a synchronizing technology like telemetry or Wi-Fi for source ranking are effective for correctness.However they are time and resource consuming, which can adversely impact product development timeline.

Computed Tomography (CT) has become a potent instrument for non-invasive assessment of battery cell integrity, providing detailed insights into their internal structure. The present study explores the capabilities and advantages of employing CT for cell characterization through a systematic evaluation from various parameters. The evaluation results will be based on real-world experiments conducted on a standard battery cell, assessing the CT system’s ability to provide precise internal measurements, detect defects, and ensure the overall integrity of the cell. We outline a comprehensive framework that includes criteria such as system specifications, image quality, software capabilities, maintenance, service, and cost-effectiveness.

The stress concentration at welded joints and small crack propagation from some pre-existing discontinuities at notched regions control the fatigue life of typical welded structures. There are numerous FEM stress-based weld fatigue assessment approaches available commercially which unify FEM stresses with various fatigue software codes embedded with international weld standards. However, FEM stress-based approaches predict extensively conservative results. Considerable efforts & subjective decision making is required to arrive at desired level of weld life correlation with physical test results, in terms of weld life and failure location. This is majorly because of inconsistency & inaccuracy in capturing the hot spot stress results due to stress singularities occurring at the notched regions owing to the mesh sensitivity, modeling complexity.

A bus is integral part of public transportation in both rural and urban areas. It is also used for scheduled transport, tourism, and school transport. Buses are the common mode of transport all over the world. The growth in economy, the electrification of public transport, demand in shared transport, etc., is leading to a surge in the demand for buses and accelerating the overall growth of the bus industry. With the increased number of buses, the issue of safety of passengers and the crew assumes special importance. The comfort of driver and passenger in the vehicle involves the vibration performance and therefore, the structural integrity of buses is critically important. Bus safety act depicts the safety and comfort of bus operations, management of safety risks, continuous improvement in bus safety management, public confidence in the safety of bus transport, appropriate stakeholder involvement and the existence of a safety culture among bus service providers.

Underrun Protection devices (UPDs) are specially designed barriers fitted to the front, side, or rear of heavy trucks. In case of accidents, these devices prevent small vehicles such as bikes and passenger cars going underneath and thus minimizing the severity of such accident. Design and strength of UPD is such that it absorbs the impact energy and offers impact resistance to avoid the vehicle under run. Compliance to UPD safety regulations provides stringent requirements in terms of device design, dimensions, and its behavior under impact loading. Since accuracy of Computer Aided Engineering (CAE) predictions have improved, numerical tools like Finite element method (FEM) are extensively used for design, development, optimization, and performance verification with respect to target regulatory performance requirements. For improved accuracy of performance prediction through FEA, correct FE representation of sub-systems is very important.

In the modern and fast growing automotive sector, reliability & durability are two terms of utmost importance along with weight & cost optimization. Therefore it is important to explore new technology which has less weight, low manufacturing cost and better strength. The new technology developed always seek for a quick, cost effective and reliable methodology for its design validation so that any modification can be made by identifying the failures. This paper presents the rig level test methodology to validate and to correlate the CAE derived strain levels, life cycle & failure mode of newly developed light weight stabilizer link for EV Bus suspension

One of the very first customer touchpoint in a vehicle is quality of gear shifting. Gearshift quality is perceived as a symbol of refinement of a vehicle. Globally, lot of efforts are taken to refine the gearshift quality. Design improvements in internal components of transmission, cable and shifter assembly, knob design iterations are carried out to arrive at optimum gearshift quality at the vehicle level. Current practice for this activity includes processes such as design modification, manufacturing of proto components, assembly of components and fitment in the vehicle. This vehicle is then instrumented with sensors and data acquisition units to capture the parameters which determine the gearshift quality. This is an iterative process which goes on until necessary refinement/improvement is achieved. This process requires investment of lot of time, efforts and the budget. This paper describes a virtual approach to arrive at optimum design of components.

Climate change due to global warming calls for more fuel-efficient technologies. Parallel Full hybrids are one of the promising technologies to curb the climate change by reducing CO2 emissions significantly. Different parallel hybrid electric vehicle (HEV) architectures such as P0, P1, P2, P3 and P4 are adopted based on different parameters like fuel economy, drivability, performance, packaging, comfort and total cost of ownership of the vehicle. It is a great challenge to select right hybrid architecture for different vehicle segments. This paper compares P2 and P3 HEV with AMT transmission to evaluate most optimized architecture based on vehicle segment. Vehicles selected for study are from popular vehicle segments in India with AMT transmission i.e. Entry segment hatch and Compact SUV. HEV P2 and P3 architectures are simulated and studied with different vehicle segments for fuel economy, performance, drivability and TCO.

The art of rubber formulation science always has a scope for fine-tuning with changing the parameters like base polymer grade selection, filler selection, curing system/cross link density, manufacturing methods, and many. Hence forth the filler manufacturer arrived differentiation of the filler already, this paper provides a description of rubber formulation tuning for damped vibration automotive applications. Acicular spiky spherical and hollow spherical nano silica selected as filler. With the thorough knowledge of elastomeric formulation and with doping different new selected silica grades, an optimized DOE was done. New formulation development was focused on isolation characteristics without affecting other necessary properties. The different inputs for finite element calculations was studied with the effects of doping different fillers and also studied the resultant virtual output in damping coefficients.

ISOFIX anchorage plays a critical role in restraining child occupants during crashes. Effective design of ISOFIX anchorages is essential for achieving controlled child occupant kinematics. CAE simulations are extensively used for the development of ISOFIX anchorages. Comprehensive material characterization of ISOFIX wires play a vital role for achieving desired prediction accuracy. This paper covers the detailed process of ISOFIX material characterization for material failure prediction. ISOFIX wires are case hardened to exhibit required strength characteristics. Due to its material characteristics, the conventional material models don't give desired prediction accuracy for failure prediction. Therefore, advanced material models are developed in LS Dyna environment, which can accurately predict plastic and fracture behavior of ISOFIX wires.

In developing nations, most passenger vehicles are equipped with mobile air conditioning (MAC) systems that work on Hydro Fluoro Carbons (HFC) based refrigerants. These refrigerants have a high global warming potential (GWP) and hence adversely affect the environment. According to the Kigali amendment to Montreal Protocol, Article-5 Group-2 countries including India must start phasing down HFCs from 2028 and replace them with low Global Warming Potential (GWP) refrigerants. One such class of low GWP refrigerant is Hydro Fluoro Olefins (HFO) In order to replace HFCs with HFOs in existing MAC systems, the various system performance parameters with the new refrigerant are required to be evaluated. Performance evaluation of MAC system is rendered quicker and cost-effective by deploying a digital simulation tool. There is good correlation and confidence established for MAC performance prediction with HFCs through 1D CAE.

The dynamic response of structures to operating or occasional loads is crucial for design considerations, as it directly impacts the cumulative fatigue life. In practice, accurately discerning the precise loads and structural conditions, which involve considerations such as boundary conditions, geometry, and mechanical properties, can be quite challenging. Significant efforts are invested in identifying these factors and developing suitable prediction models. Nonetheless, the estimated forces and boundary conditions remain approximations, leading to uncertainties which affects the overall predictions and the analysis of how stress and strain develop in the structure during subsequent evaluations. Many researchers frequently employ a method where they estimate the forces acting on the system based on measurement data obtained at limited number of locations over the structure.

Sustainability has evolved from being just a niche engagement to a fundamental necessity. The reduction of carbon emissions from aspects of human activity has become desirable for its ability to mitigate the impact of climate change. The Transportation industry is a critical part of the global economy – any effort to curb emissions will have a significant impact on CO2 reduction. Engine lubricant can play an efficient and key role to enhance powertrain performance that have undergone significant hardware changes to reduce emissions. As part of a significant collaborative programme between Tata Motors and Infineum, a new engine oil formulation SAE 5W-30 API FA-4 has been developed and commercially introduced for use in the modern Bharat Stage 6 Phase 2 engines.

In the automotive industry, silicon adhesive has become increasingly popular due to its benefits in ease of assembly and cost savings associated with material and manufacturing processes. To meet the imperative of minimizing both time and expenses during the project's development phase, it becomes essential to select the appropriate gasket material and an optimal flange design at the outset of the design process. In order to achieve stringent emission standards such as Real Driving Emission (RDE) and Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) norms, a better sealing performance is an essential parameter. Various types of liquid gaskets such as silicon rubber based Room Temperature Vulcanizing (RTV) sealants and thermoset plastic based Anaerobic sealants are widely used in an Internal Combustion engine. They are commonly used for the components such as oil sump, bedplate, and gearbox housings, etc.

Global concerns over availability and environmental impact of conventional fuels in recent years have resulted in evolution of Electric Vehicles. Research and development focus has shifted towards one of its main components, Lithium-ion battery. Development of high performing, long lasting batteries within challenging timelines is the need of the industry. Lithium-ion batteries undergo “battery ageing”, limiting its energy storage and power output, affecting the EV performance, cost & life span. It is critical to be able to predict the rate of battery ageing & the impact of different environmental conditions on battery lifetime/capacity. Conventionally, extensive physical vehicle level testing is carried out on batteries to map the battery capacity in various conditions. This is a lengthy & expensive process affecting the product development cycle, paving the way for an alternative process.

Groan is a low frequency noise generated when moderate brake pressure is applied between the surfaces of the brake disc and the brake pad at a low-speed condition. Brake groan is often very intense and can cause large numbers of customer complaints. During a groan noise event, vehicle structure and suspension components are excited by the brake system and result in a violent event that can be heard and felt during brake application. The cause of noise is friction variation of stick-slip phenomenon between friction material and disc. Creep groan is the structure-borne noise that is related to dynamic characteristic of the vehicle. However, it has been mainly improved through friction material modifications in the past. In this paper, transfer path of creep groan noise was analyzed by means TPA and structural countermeasure to creep groan noise was suggested. This paper discusses the approach for prediction and mitigation of brake groan noise for passenger vehicles having disc brakes.

Welding is one of the most convenient and extensively used manufacturing process across every industry and is recognized as a cost effective joining technique. The root cause of most of the fabricated structural failures lies in the uncertainties associated with the welding process. It is prone to generate high residual stresses due to non-volumetric changes during heating and cooling cycle. These residual stresses have a significant impact on fatigue life of component leading to poor quality joints. To alleviate these effects, designers and process engineers rely upon their experience and thumb rules but has its own limitations. This approach often leads to conservative designs and pre-mature failures. Recent advances in computational simulation techniques provide us opportunity to explore the complex phenomenon and generate deep insights. The paper demonstrates the methodology to evaluate the residual stresses due to welding in virtual environment.

This paper highlights the transition of multi-axis suspension test rig from fixed reacted type to semi-inertial type and the benefits derived thereof in simulation accuracies. The critical influence of ‘Mx’ and ‘Mz’ controls on simulation accuracies has been highlighted. The vital role of ‘Mz’ control in the resonance of wheel pan along ‘Z’ axis and thereof arresting unwanted failures modes in spindle has been duly emphasized. Finally, the role of constraints and boundary conditions on simulation accuracies has been demonstrated by replacing the reaction frame with vehicle body.

The basic function of steering system is to control the direction of the vehicle. The driver applies effort on the steering wheel and receives feedback through the steering system as a result of tire to road interaction. This feedback consists of a haptic (force) feedback which is directly felt by the driver and it is termed as steering feel. Precise steering feel gives better driving experience and is decisive factor for customer to buy a vehicle as well as for OEMs in building brand image. Along with steering parameters, suspension and tire parameters also has significant impact on steering feel. In past, modelling of the steering system was done at component level or with simplified vehicle system. Such approaches had not given accurate results of steering feel metric and resulted in incorrect steering design parameter selection. In order to replicate actual vehicle characteristics, complex and detailed modelling of steering, tire and suspension subsystems is necessary.

The goal of reducing fuel consumption and CO2-Emission is leading to turbo-charged combustion engines that deliver high torque at low speeds (down speeding). To meet NVH requirements damper technologies such as DMF (Dual Mass Flywheel) are established, leading to reduced space for the clutch system. Specific measures need to be considered if switching over from SMF (Single Mass Flywheel) to DMF [8]. Doing so has an impact on thermal behavior of the clutch system, for example due to reduced and different distribution of thermal masses and heat transfer to the surroundings. Taking these trends into account, clutch systems within vehicle powertrains are facing challenges to meet requirements e.g. clutch life, cost targets and space limitation. The clutch development process must also ensure delivery of a clutch system that meets requirements taking boundary conditions such as load cycles and driver behavior into account.