Search Results

The energy consumption of a vehicle is typically determined either by testing or in simulation. While both approaches are valid, they only work for a specific drive cycle, they are time intensive, and they do not directly result in a closed-form relationship between key parameters and consumption. This paper presents an alternative approach that determines the consumption based on a simple analytical model of the vehicle and statistical parameters of the drive cycle, specifically the moments of the velocity. This results in a closed-form solution that can be used for analysis or synthesis. The drive cycle is quantified via its moments, specifically the average speed, the standard deviation of the speed as well as the higher order moments skewness, and the kurtosis. A mixed quadratic term is added to account for acceleration or aggressiveness, but it is noticeably distinct from the conventional metric of positive kinetic energy (PKE).

In motorsport power transmission systems, high-speed operation can be associated with significant rotordynamic effects. Changes in the natural frequencies of lateral (bending) vibrational modes as a function of spin speed are brought about by gyroscopic action linked to flexible shafts and mounted gear components. In the investigation of high-speed systems, it is important that these effects are included in the analysis in order to accurately predict the critical speeds encountered due to the action of the gear mesh and other sources of excitation. The rotordynamic behaviour of the system can interact with crucial physical parameters of the transmission, such as the stiffnesses of the gear mesh and rolling element-to-raceway contact in the bearings. In addition, the presence of the gear mesh acts to couple the lateral and torsional vibration modes of a dual-shaft transmission through which a torque flows.

Automotive clutches are prone to rigid body torsional vibrations during engagement, a phenomenon referred to as take-up judder. This is also accompanied by fore and aft vehicle motions. Aside from driver behaviour in sudden release of clutch pedal (resulting in loss of clamp load), and type and state of friction lining material, the interfacial slip speed and contact temperature can significantly affect the propensity of clutch to judder. The ability to accurately predict the judder phenomenon relies significantly on the determination of operational frictional characteristics of the clutch lining material. This is dependent upon contact pressure, temperature and interfacial slip speed. The current study investigates the ability to predict clutch judder vibration with the degree of complexity of the torsional dynamics model. For this purpose, the results from a four and nine degrees of freedom dynamics models are compared and discussed.

Noise, vibration and harshness (NVH) phenomena can manifest themselves during the engagement and disengagement of dry friction clutch systems. Such phenomena can have a negative impact on cabin occupants’ driving experience as well as on others in the immediate vicinity of the vehicle. Typically, unwanted NVH phenomena that pertain to the clutch system include Judder, Chatter, Squeal and Eek. These are recognized by the quality of the radiated noise, as well as the dynamics occurring during clutch actuation. The aim of the current study is to utilize a numerical clutch system model (fully coupling the main motions of the clutch components) to predict clutch dynamics during engagement manoeuvres. The model will be used to assess the effect of various clutch design parameters on mitigating system instability. The clutch model utilizes measured coefficient of friction data from a rotary tribometer at representative slip speeds and friction surface contact pressures.

Gear oscillations are one of the most common sources of Noise, Vibration and Harshness (NVH) issues manifested in automotive powertrains. These oscillations are generated mainly due to impacts of the meshing gear teeth over a broad frequency range. To mitigate NVH phenomena, automotive manufacturers traditionally couple linear tuned vibration absorbers to the driveline. Common palliatives used are clutch dampers and dual mass flywheels, which generally suppress vibrations effectively only over narrow frequency bands. Nonlinear Energy Sinks (NESs) are a class of vibration absorbers with essentially nonlinear characteristics that are designed for dissipating vibration energy over broad frequency ranges (due to the employed nonlinearity). The NES does not have a preferential natural frequency; this is rather characterized by the nonlinear stiffness.

Panel Discussions held at the SAE World Congress in both 2013 and 2014 observed that a shortage of good quality engineering talent formed a chronic and major challenge. (“Good quality” refers to applicants that would be shortlisted for interview.) While doubts have been expressed in some quarters, the shortage is confirmed by automotive sector employers and the Panel's view was that it was symptomatic of a range of issues, all of which have some bearing on the future of the profession. Initiatives to improve recruitment and retention have had varying degrees of success. Efforts need to be intensified in primary schools where negative perceptions develop and deepen. Schemes like AWIM that operate on a large scale and are designed to supplement school curricula should operate at an international level. Universities represent the entry point into the engineering profession and their role in the recruitment process as well as education and training is crucial.

The idea of grid friendly charging is to use electricity from the grid to charge batteries when electricity is available in surplus and cheap. There are several ways of achieving this, for example using droop control, using night time electricity tariffs, or using smart metering. The goal is twofold: to avoid putting additional load on the electricity grid and power generation, and to reduce the cost to the consumer. This paper looks at the saving potential when charging an electric car using real time tariffs provided by a smart meter, using the Ameren tariffs in Illinois as an example. If prices are known in advance (day-ahead pricing), the optimization only requires picking the cheapest time slots for charging the battery. Further savings can be made by using real time prices that are not known in advance, but the optimization problem then depends on price prediction models, and it becomes much more difficult to solve.

This paper presents an investigation into Elastohydrodynamic (EHL) modeling of differential hypoid gears that can be used in coupling with Newtonian (or multibody) dynamics to study Noise, Vibration and Harshness (NVH) phenomena, such as axle whine. The latter is a noise of a tonal nature, emitted from differential axles, characterised by the gear meshing frequency and its multiples. It appears at a variety of operating conditions; during drive and coasting, high and low torque loading. Key design targets for differential hypoid gears are improved efficiency and reduced vibration, which depend critically on the formation of an EHL lubricant film. The stiffness and damping of the oil film and friction generated in the contact can have important effects and cannot be neglected when examining the NVH behaviour of hypoid gears.

The dynamics of automotive differentials have been studied extensively to improve their efficiency and additionally, in recent years, generated noise and vibration. Various mathematical models have been proposed to describe the contact/impact of gear teeth pairs. However, the influence of vehicular cruising speed on the resisting torque has not been considered in sufficient detail. This can lead to unrealistic predictions with regards to loss of contact of teeth pair, a phenomenon which leads to NVH issues. The current work presents a torsional model of a hypoid gear pair. The resisting torque is a function of the traction force and aerodynamic drag, whilst the vehicle is cruising at nominally constant speed. The pinion input torque is derived through assumed instantaneous equilibrium conditions. In this approach, realistic excitation capturing the vehicle's driving conditions is imposed on the dynamics of the hypoid gear pair.

Extensive research has been performed for on-board hydrogen generation, such as pyrolysis of metal hydrides (e.g., LiH, MgH₂), hydrogen storages in adsorption materials (e.g., carbon nanotubes and graphites), compressed hydrogen tanks and the hydrolysis of chemical hydrides. Among these methods, the hydrolysis of NaBH₄ has attracted great attention due to the high stability of its alkaline solution and the relatively high energy density, with further advantages such as moderate temperature range (from -5°C to 100°C) requirement, non-flammable, no side reactions or other volatile products, high purity H₂ output. The H₂ energy density contained by the system is fully depend on the solubility of the complicated solution contains reactant, product and the solution stabilizer. In this work, an approach based on thermodynamic equilibrium was proposed to model the relationship between the solubility of an electrolyte and temperature, and the effect of another component on its solubility.

Modern automotive industry is driven by improved fuel efficiency, whilst simultaneously increasing output power and reducing size/weight of vehicle components. This trend has the drawback of inducing various Noise, Vibration and Harshness (NVH) concerns in the drivetrain, since fairly low energy excitation often suffices to excite natural modes of thin walled structures, such as the transmission bell housing. Transmission rattle is one of the many undesired NVH issues, originating from irregularities in engine torque output. The crankshaft speed fluctuations are transferred through the transmission input shaft. Transmission compactness also allows repetitive interaction of conjugate loose gear pairs. The engine fluctuations disturb the otherwise unintended, but orderly meshing of these loose gears. This often leads to radiation of a characteristic air-borne noise from the impact sites.

The importance of new technologies to improve the performance and fuel economy of internal combustion engines is now widely recognized and is essential to achieve CO₂ emissions targets and energy security. Increased hybridization, combustion improvements, friction reduction and ancillary developments are all playing an important part in achieving these goals. Turbocharging technology is established in the diesel engine field and will become more prominent as gasoline engine downsizing is more widely introduced to achieve significant fuel economy improvements. The work presented here introduces, for the first time, a new technology that applies conventional turbomachinery hardware to depressurize the exhaust system of almost any internal combustion engine by novel routing of the exhaust gases. The exhaust stroke of the piston is exposed to this low pressure leading to reduced or even reversed pumping losses, offering ≻5% increased engine torque and up to 5% reduced fuel consumption.

The aim of this paper is to compile the state of the art of engine control and develop scenarios for improvements in a number of applications of engine control where the pace of technology change is at its most marked. The first application is control of downsized engines with enhancement of combustion using direct injection, variable valve actuation and turbo charging. The second application is electrification of the powertrain with its impact on engine control. Various architectures are explored such as micro, mild, full hybrid and range extenders. The third application is exhaust gas after-treatment, with a focus on the trade-off between engine and after-treatment control. The fourth application is implementation of powertrain control systems, hardware, software, methods, and tools. The paper summarizes several examples where the performance depends on the availability of control systems for automotive applications.

The notion of open source systems has been well established in systems software and typified by the development of the Linux operating system. An open source community is a community of interest that makes use of software tools in research and development. Their ongoing development is part of the free flow of ideas on which the community. The motivation for the work reported in this paper is to provide the research community in engine controls with a ready access to a complete engine management solution and the component parts. The work described in this paper extends open source principles to engine control with a portable spark ignition (SI) control strategy assembled using Simulink. The underlying low level drivers are written in C and designed for portability. A calibration tool is written in C and works over a controller area network (CAN) link to the engine control unit (ECU). The ECU hardware is based on the Infineon Tricore microcontroller.

Steady state engine dynamometer testing provides the highest level of detail for understanding fundamental engine combustion. It can provide insight into pollutant formation mechanisms and methods for minimizing fuel consumption. However, steady-state dynamometer tests are normally carried out at test conditions far removed from the actual conditions that a vehicle engine encounters. This paper describes the application of a simple powertrain model to define steady-state engine test conditions that are more representative of real-world engine operation. The model uses a backward-facing, modular structure. The model is validated against two powertrain configurations: a conventional powertrain equipped with a continuously variable transmission (CVT) and a parallel hybrid powertrain. Powertrain parameters and performance data for validation for both cases are supplied from the literature. The model is shown to agree well with both sets of published experimental results.

The promise of thermo-electric (TE) technology in vehicles is a low maintenance solid state device for power generation. The Thermo-Electric Generator (TEG) will be located in the exhaust system and will make use of an energy flow between the warmer exhaust gas and the external environment. The potential to make use of an otherwise wasted flow of energy means that the overall system efficiency can be improved substantially. One of the barriers to a successful application of the technology is the device efficiency. The TE properties of even the most advanced materials are still not sufficient for a practical, cost effective device. However the rate of development is such that practical devices are likely to be available within the next fifteen years. In a previous paper [ 1 ], the potential for such a device was shown through an integrated vehicle simulation and TEG model.

An experiment is described in which students from two universities, one in the UK and one in the USA, worked together in multidisciplinary teams on aircraft design projects to satisfy the “capstone” design course requirements in their respective degree programs. Aeronautical, Mechanical, Industrial, and Systems Engineering students from Virginia Tech and Loughborough University were placed on teams to work on two different airplane designs. The paper describes the evolution of this educational collaboration and the organization of the experiment. It also reviews the program ’s successes and its problems. Recommendations are made for continuation of the program and to guide others who might be interested in pursuing a similar experiment.

The effects of child safety seats have been well documented in the medical literature. Scattered throughout the medical literature are individual case reports of cervical injury to children restrained in child restraint systems. A review of the literature is provided identifying previous documented cases. The authors also provide new case details of children with cervical spine injury without head contact. An overview of the growth of the infant and specific details in the cervical spine that may contribute to significant cervical injury without head impact is presented.

Crash injury reduction via lap-shoulder belt use has been well documented. As any interior car component, lap-shoulder belts may be related to injury in certain crashes. Relatively unknown is the fact that cervical fractures or fracture-dislocations to restrained front seat occupants where, in the crash, no head contact was evidenced by both medical records and car inspection. An extensive review of the available world's literature on car crash injuries revealed more than 100 such cases. A review of the NASS 80-88 was also conducted, revealing more examples. Cases from the author's own files are also detailed.