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Overcharging lithium-ion batteries is a failure mode that is observed if the battery management system (BMS) or battery charger fails to stop the charging process as intended. Overcharging can easily lead to thermal runaway in a battery. In this paper, nickel manganese cobalt (NMC) battery modules from the Chevrolet Bolt, lithium manganese oxide (LMO) battery modules from the Chevrolet Volt, and lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery modules from a hybrid transit bus were overcharged. The battery abuse and emissions tests were designed to intentionally drive the three different battery chemistries into thermal runaway while measuring battery temperatures, battery voltages, gaseous emissions, and feedback from volatile organic compound (VOC) sensors. Overcharging a battery can cause lithium plating and other exothermic reactions that will lead to thermal runaway.

This paper presents an experimental setup and an equivalent FEM simulation methodology to accurately predict the response of Engine Control Module (ECM) assembly mounted on a commercial vehicle subjected to road vibrations. Comprehensive vibration study is carried out. It involved Modal characteristics determination followed by random vibration characterization of the ECM assembly. A hammer impact experiment is first performed in lab to estimate the natural frequencies and mode shapes of ECM assembly. Mounting conditions in test specimen are kept similar to the actual mounting settings on vehicle. Natural frequencies and mode shapes predicted from free vibration experiment are compared with finite element (FE) based modal analysis. The importance of capturing the assembly stiffness more accurately by incorporating pre-stress effects like bolt-pretension and gravity, is emphasized.

As fuel economy becomes increasingly important in all markets, complete engine system optimization is required to meet future standards. In many applications, it is difficult to realize the optimum coolant or lubricant pump without first evaluating different sets of engine hardware and iterating on the flow and pressure requirements. For this study, a Heavy Duty Diesel (HDD) engine was run in a dynamometer test cell with full variability of the production coolant and lubricant pumps. Two test stands were developed to allow the engine coolant and lubricant pumps to be fully mapped during engine operation. The pumps were removed from the engine and powered by electric motors with inline torque meters. Each fluid circuit was instrumented with volume flow meters and pressure measurements at multiple locations. After development of the pump stands, research efforts were focused on hardware changes to reduce coolant and lubricant flow requirements of the HDD engine.

Various 1D simulation tools (KULI & LMS Amesim) and 3D simulation tools (ANSYS FLUENT®) can be used to size and evaluate truck cooling system design. In this paper, ANSYS FLUENT is used to analyze and validate the design of medium duty truck cooling systems. LMS Amesim is used to verify the quality of heat exchanger input data. This paper discusses design and simulation of parent and derivative trucks. As a first step, the parent truck was modeled in FLUENT (using standard' k - ε model) with detailed fan and underhood geometry. The fan is modeled using Multiple Reference Frame (MRF) method. Detailed geometry of heat exchangers is skipped. The heat exchangers are represented by regular shape cell zones with porous medium and dual cell heat exchanger models to account for their contributions to the entire system in both flow and temperature distribution. Good agreement is observed between numerical and experimental engine out temperatures at different engine operating conditions.

Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) analysis software is being developed by many companies and it is a valuable tool in designing hydraulic components. CFD analysis can provide accurate predictions of pressure drop in fluid flow paths and offer insight into the primary source of losses. When used in conjunction with solid modeling design software, the process of optimizing a design can be accomplished much quicker, reducing development costs and time. This paper presents a CFD analysis of an existing valve design and compares it to an improved design. The source of the primary losses of the existing valve will be identified which will lead to modifications to design features that minimize those losses. These modifications will be modeled and analyzed for predicted improvements. Pressure drop tests will be conducted on the original design to verify the analysis. Internal pressure loading of valve parts cannot easily be determined by testing.

An Automatic Tire Inflation System (ATIS), specifically designed for use on commercial long haul trailers, requires modification of the axles to direct air to the tires. The ATIS requires a drilled hole through the axle tube for the installation of a pneumatic fitting. The trucking industry expressed concern about the modification and its impact upon the axle structure, and the general durability of the system over a long period. A three-phase test program was developed and conducted to satisfy the concerns of the industry.

This paper presents a discussion on manual transmission torque losses and focuses specifically on the relationship between torque loss, input speed and torque. It also includes a discussion on other factors affecting torque loss, such as inclination angle and lube oil temperature. Manual transmissions used in compact light truck applications have torque losses that are a function of input speed and torque. Efficiency studies done on manual transmissions in the engine-driving mode indicate that torque losses, in other than direct-drive gears, are considerably more dependent on input torque than input speed. It was also observed that efficiency was significantly affected by the inclination angle and lube oil temperature.