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A computational fluid dynamics (CFD) guided design optimization was conducted for the piston bowl geometry for a heavy-duty diesel engine. The optimization goal was to minimize engine-out NOx emissions without sacrificing engine peak power and thermal efficiency. The CFD model was validated with experiments and the combustion system optimization was conducted under three selected operating conditions representing low speed, maximum torque, and rated power. A hundred piston bowl shapes were generated, of which 32 shapes with 3 spray angles for each shape were numerically analyzed and one optimized design of piston bowl geometry with spray angle was selected. On average, the optimized combustion system decreased nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions by 17% and soot emissions by 41% without compromising maximum engine power and fuel economy.

Insertion loss in one-third or octave bands is widely used in industry to assess the performance of large silencers and mufflers. However, there is no standard procedure for determining the transmission loss in one-third or octave bands using measured data or simulation. In this paper, assuming that the source is broadband, three different approaches to convert the narrowband transmission loss data into one-third and octave bands are investigated. Each method is described in detail. To validate the three different approaches, narrowband transmission loss data of a simple expansion chamber and a large bar silencer is converted into one-third and octave bands, and results obtained from the three approaches are demonstrated to agree well with one another.

Tie rod end clearance is an important parameter influencing automobile stability under slalom maneuver. In this paper the steering mechanism is simplified into a plane linkage mechanism and an analysis of the effects on vehicle stability exerted by kinematic pair clearance under slalom maneuver is also presented. A 4DOF mathematical model of vehicle maneuvering system is thus being built. On the basis of this model, we adopt the numerical analysis method to conduct a simulated analysis about the stability of prototype vehicle side slip angle as the clearance parameter changes. According to the results, vehicle slalom dynamics behaviors manifest itself in shifting from single cycle to chaos directly. With the increase in clearance, nearly no change is displayed in the upper critical frequency of vehicle slalom instability. However, an increasing rise is shown in the lower critical frequency.