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Increasing combustion pressure, low viscosity oils, less oil supply and the increasing stress due to downsizing of internal combustion engines (ICE) lead to higher loads within the bearing. As the mechanical and tribological loads on the piston pin bearings have a direct impact on the service life and function of the overall engine system, it is necessary to develop a robust tribological design approach. Regarding the piston pin bearing of a diesel engine, this study aims to describe the effects of different parameters on a DLC-coated piston pin within the bearing. Therefore, an external engine part test rig, which applies various forces to the connecting rod and measures the torque on a driven pin, is used to carry out validation measurements. The special feature of the test bench is the way the piston is beared. For the first experiments, the piston crown is placed against a plate (plate-bearing); later, this plate-bearing is replaced by a hydrostatic bearing.

Sunroof buffeting is examined experimentally and numerically in this paper. Despite the fact that some consider the simulation process for sunroof buffeting to be mature, there remain substantial uncertainties even in recently published methodologies. Capturing the frequencies and especially the sound pressure levels correctly is essential if CFD simulations are intended to be used during early stages of a car development process. Numerous experimental results of sunroof buffeting and the interior low-frequency characteristics of a 2013 Mercedes-Benz S-Class have been used to develop a simplified car model: a full-size S-Class model with slightly simplified geometries in the interior as well as at the exterior. To avoid the effects of numerous different materials in the interior, it is solely made from polyurethane and aluminum and built to maximize its structural rigidity and air-tightness.

As the late combustion phase in SI engines is of high importance for a further reduction of fuel consumption and especially emissions, the impacts of unburnt mass, located in a small volume with a relatively large surface near the wall and in the top land volume, is of high relevance throughout the range of operation. To investigate and quantify the respective interactions, a state of the art Mercedes-Benz single cylinder research SI-engine was equipped with extensive measurement technology. To detect the axial and radial temperature distribution, several surface thermocouples were applied in two layers around the top land volume. As an additional reference, multiple surface thermocouples in the cylinder head complement the highly dynamic temperature measurements in the boundary zones of the combustion chamber.

Computational models directly derived from data gained increased interest in recent years. Data-driven approaches have brought breakthroughs in different research areas such as image-, video- and audio-processing. Often denoted as Machine Learning (ML), today these approaches are not widely applied in the field of vehicle Noise, Vibration and Harshness (NVH). Works combining ML and NVH mainly discuss the topic with respect to psychoacoustics, traffic noise, structural health monitoring and as improvement to existing numerical simulation methods. Vehicle interior noise is a major quality criterion for today’s automotive customers. To estimate noise levels early in the development process, deterministic system descriptions are created by utilizing time-consuming measurement techniques. This paper examines whether pattern-recognizing algorithms are suitable to conduct the prediction process for a steering system.

In January 1996 Mercedes-Benz has introduced a new 4-cylinder engine OM 904 LA of the new engine family for light commercial vehicles. The power range of the OM 904 LA comprises ratings from 90 kW up to 125 kW at 2300 rpm. From the beginning of the design of this engine, a noise emission output as low as possible was strived for, aside from the high targets as far as durability, maintenace and fuel consumption are concerned. The basis is the development of noise regulations for commercial vehicles. The noise reduction measures have to be concentrated on the engine since up to now it still is one of the main noise emission sources at the vehicle. Already at the lay-out of the engine the prerequisits for a low-noise engine behaviour have been taken into consideration. The engine is equipped with a fuel injection system featuring particular unit injector pumps for each cylinder which is superior to the conventional in-line injection pump as far as acoustics are concerned.

The paper describes a predictive tool for the determination of air and coolant temperatures and heat exchange resulting from the operation of heat exchangers, e.g., radiator or air-conditioner condenser in the underhood of automotive engines. The paper describes a detailed computational model where both the fluid streams are numerically solved and the phase change of the refrigerant is taken into account in a condenser simulation. An actual underhood simulation with interactions with a radiator is presented. A numerical simulation for a condenser is also presented. Reasonable agreement is shown with the test data.

The real-time concentrations of benzene, toluene, xylene, trimethyl-benzene and naphthalene in vehicle exhaust have been monitored during the FTP-cycle with a time-resolution of 20 ms and a sensitivity of 50 ppb. Using a laser mass spectrometer, the aromatic hydrocarbons in unconditioned exhaust gas at sampling positions behind the exhaust valve, before and behind the catalytic converter have been analyzed. The comparison of the emissions sampled before and behind the catalytic converter reveals the effect of dealkylation of the aromatic hydrocarbons in the catalytic converter. Whereas most of the aromatic hydrocarbons are burned in the hot catalytic converter, however, bursts of aromatic hydrocarbons are released at transient motor operation. In these moments, which can be attributed to phases of closed throttle valve and very low engine load at gear changes, a significant part of the C1-, C2- and C3- benzenes has been converted into benzene.

The principle strategy, the development emphasis, and the investigation parameters of a DI gasoline engine are discussed. Several different combustion systems are briefly described and one system where the spark plug is located near the fuel injector is investigated. In addition, the influence of different operating parameters are studied. Some reasons for the improvement in the efficiency of a DI gasoline engine are shown with the help of thermodynamic analysis and simulation calculations. These show that at a constant operating point (engine speed = 2000 rpm, bmep = 2 bar) there is a reduction of the fuel consumption of 23% at unthrottled conditions in comparison to the homogeneous stoichiometric operation. In particular, the reduction of the pumping and heat losses and the reduction of the exhaust gas energy are responsible for this fuel consumption reduction.

The demand for fuel-efficient, low-displacement engines for future passenger car applications led to investigations with small DI diesel engines in the advanced engineering department at Mercedes-Benz. Single-cylinder tests were carried out to compare a 2-valve concept with 241 cm3 displacement with a 422 cm3 4-valve design, both operated with a common rail injection system. Mean effective pressures at full load were about 10 % lower with the smaller displacement. With such engines a specific power of 40 kW/I and a specific torque of about 140 Nm/I should be possible. In the current stage of optimization, penalties in fuel economy could be reduced down to values below 3 %. The “4-cylinder DI diesel engine with 1 liter displacement” is an interesting alternative to small 3 cylinder concepts with higher displacement per cylinder. An introduction into series production will not only depend on the potential for further improvement in fuel economy of such small cylinder units.

The comparison of a light weight crankcase to the production cast iron crankcase of the new Mercedes Benz 2.9-liter direct injection (DI) five-cylinder turbo diesel engine with intercooler is described. The light weight crankcase is cast from the aluminum alloy A 356 while other engine components like oil pan, timing case cover and brackets are manufactured from a magnesium alloy. This paper describes the engine design with the simultaneous calculation, the mechanical development and the acoustic measurements. In this study an engine weight reduction of about 30 kg with comparable noise emission compared to the production engine with cast iron crankcase is realized.

The influence of different port designs on the generation of a swirl flow is described on the basis of stationary and non-stationary flow analyses. Subsequently, engine test bench analyses with a 3-valve one-cylinder engine were performed to assess the aforementioned port configurations with respect to their influence on the lean-burn behaviour. The most favourable port design was then used to analyse various combustion chamber shapes in order to further improve the engine behaviour during lean-burn operation and to select the most promising combustion chamber variant. Finally, the port and combustion chamber configurations thus identified were applied in vehicle simulation tests with lean-burn and EGR-burn operation to check the emission behaviour for compliance with the future European level 3 emission limits.

A new multicomponent exhaust gas analyzer has been applied to investigate the time-resolved concentrations of the aromatic hydrocarbon exhaust components benzene, toluene, xylene, trimethyl benzene under dynamic engine operation, such as sudden change of speed and load, misfiring and switching off the fuel mixture control. The analyzer consisting of a compact laser mass spectrometer is capable of measuring the concentrations of the individual aromatic hydrocarbon compounds simultaneously with 1 ppm sensitivity at a sampling rate of 50 Hz corresponding to a sampling period of 20 ms. High concentration peaks are observed for these substances at instationary motor operation. However, whereas the real-time concentrations of toluene, xylene, and trimethyl benzene show equal dependence on motor speed and load a different behavior has been observed for benzene even during the emission phase of single combustion cycles.

During recent years there has been a continuing increase in the demands for higher braking performance of commercial vehicle engines. Mercedes-Benz had introduced the engine brake with continuously open decompression valve (‘Konstantdrossel’) into series production in 1989 as an option (1). A further increase of braking power was to be achieved while retaining the additional decompression valve in the cylinder head. For this, the decompression valve was no longer kept open during the whole working cycle (continuously open decompression valve), but only for a short period from just before compression TDC to about 90...120° crank angle after compression TDC (pulsed decompression valve). The hydraulic actuating system which opens and closes the decompression valves was developed in cooperation with Mannesmann-Rexroth GmbH, Lohr, Germany. The engine braking performance attainable with this system is shown in comparison to other known engine braking systems.

Modern commercial vehicle engines are equipped with turbocharging and intercooling. This results in low emissions and fuel consumption. In the lower speed and load range and under transient conditions, these engines have disadvantages, as the fuel injection rate has to be limited to avoid excessive smoke emission. Also, the engine braking performance of highly charged, small displacement engines is also lower than that of large displacement engines. Mercedes-Benz decided to develop a combination of turbocharger and mechanical supercharger. In the lower speed range higher torque levels are possible and maximum torque is available without any lag especially in the transient mode with low smoke emission and fuel consumption. Vehicle performance during acceleration can be improved by up to 30%. During engine braking operation, the mechanical supercharger is activated throughout the whole engine speed range which results in a distinctive increase in braking power.

Secondary air injection after cold start gives two effects for reduced exhaust emissions: An exothermic reaction at the hot exhaust valves occurs, which increases the temperature of the exhaust gas. It gives sufficient air to the catalyst during the cold start fuel enrichment that is necessary to prevent driveability problems. Handicaps for the wide use of air injection include space constraints, weight and price. An electrical air blower was choosen to best satisfy all these requirements. The development steps are described. The result is a three stage radialblower with extremly high revolutions of about 18000 rpm. The system configuration and the outcome are demonstrated on the new C-Class of Mercedes-Benz. The results show emission reductions higher than 50 %, while also satisfying the development goals of noise, volume, weight and cost requirements.

The California Air Resources Board (CARB) has proposed procedures for the analysis of non-methane organic gases (NMOG) to determine the ozone forming potential (OFP) of automotive exhaust. For realization of these methods two differently configured GC systems are necessary. In order to reduce the efforts concerning costs, maintenance and quality control of two analytical instruments, a single run method is developed for routine analysis. This method allows identification and quantification of individual hydrocarbons (IHC) in the range of carbon numbers C2 to C12. Analytical problems arising from high contents of water and carbon dioxide in exhaust samples are discussed. Water reduction is obtained by a Nafion® Dryer by means of membrane diffusion of polar compounds. Contamination as well as memory effects due to this sample work up are described. Sample pre-concentration of 50-200 mL diluted automotive exhaust is performed using a triple phase “mixed bed” adsorption tube at O°C.

The objective was to develop a modem engine to succeed the M 102; 2.6 million of these units were made between 1979 and today making it the most successful Mercedes-Benz four-cylinder petrol engine to date. The new M 111 coordinated production set-up together with the familiar M 104 six-cylinder four-valve engines and the 600 diesel series. Emphasis has been deliberately given to improved torque rather than very high volumetric efficiency. This has made it possible to apply four-valve technology, which was originally only to be found in motor racing, in such a way that ordinary customers can benefit form advantages such as high torque and raised power output, as well as reduced fuel consumption and emissions. Extensive noise-reducing measures in the engine ensure that, despite the higher power output and lower engine weight, noise levels have also been improved.

After the introduction of four-valve technology for gasoline powered passenger cars, Mercedes-Benz consistently developed this technology also for Diesel engines. Based on the proven success of the prechamber combustion system, this new Diesel engine generation, which includes 4, 5 and 6-cylinder naturally-aspirated engines, will be the first four-valve Diesel engines to be installed in passenger cars. The naturally aspirated 3.0 liter 6-cylinder in-line engine which represents the high end of this generation will be offered for sale in all 50 states of the USA in the Executive Class models starting on January 1, 1994. Four-valve technology allows the prechamber to be located centrally between the intake and exhaust valves which results in a major improvement of the combustion process. In addition, this 6-cylinder engine has a resonance intake system controlled by two butterfly valves to maximize the volumetric efficiency of the engine.

During the past few years, economy of commercial vehicles has increased considerably due to higher engine outputs a+ lower engine speeds together with enhanced fuel economy. However, the average speed of commercial vehicles is not only determined by the speed attainable on level ground and on uphill gradients, but also to a large extent by the speed attainable on downhill gradients, with the latter depending on the available constant braking power. Since the displacement of commercial vehicle engines has not been increased or has even become smaller, their braking power has increased only slightly ot not at all. In order to enhance the overall economy of commercial vehicles, it was therefore necessary to increase the engine braking performance as well since the wheel brakes cannot be used for constant braking and additional systems for continuous operation are very complex.

Load control by means of early intake valve closing (EIVC) permits brake mean effective pressure (BMEP) to be improved by as much as 14 % at full load and pumping losses in part load to be reduced comparable to the unthrottled engine. Concomitant to this, though, the marginal conditions for good mixture formation and part load combustion optimized for efficiency are greatly impaired. With ideal mixture formation, improvements in specific part load consumption (BSFC) of the order of 8 to 12 % are achievable. The mixture formation which occurs at low part load in the combustion chamber itself is not effective as the charge motion induced by the inflow process with EIVC dies away rapidly and at the same time fuel still condenses. The inhomogeneities to which this gives rise impair ignition conditions and the combustion pattern, which greatly limits the actual useful work of the theoretical charge cycle benefit.