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To characterize the stress flow behavior of engineering plastic glass fiber reinforced polypropylene (PPGF) commonly used in automotive interior and exterior components, mechanical property is measured using a universal material testing machine and a servo-hydraulic tensile testing machine under quasi-static, high temperature, and high strain rate conditions. Stress versus strain curves of materials under different conditions are obtained. Based on the measured results, a new parameter identification method of the Johnson-Cook (J-C) constitutive model is proposed by considering the adiabatic temperature rise effect. Firstly, a material-level experiment method is carried out for glass fiber reinforced polypropylene (PPGF) materials, and the influence of wide strain rate range, and large temperature span on the material properties is studied from a macroscopic perspective.

A natural fiber based polymer composite has the advantage of being more environment-friendly from a life cycle standpoint when compared to composites reinforced with widely-used synthetic fibers. The former category of composites also poses reduced health risks during handling, formulation and usage. In the current study, jute polymer laminates are studied, with the polymeric resin being a general purpose polyester applied layer-by-layer on bi-directionally woven jute plies. Fabrication of flat laminates following the hand layup method combined with compression molding yields a jute polymer composite of higher initial stiffness and tensile strength, compared to commonly used plastics, coupled with consistency for engineering design applications. However, the weight-saving potential of a lightweight material such as the current jute-polyester composite can be further enhanced through improvement of its behavior under mechanical loading.

Recently, the environmental temperature of vehicles is changing due to the electrification of vehicles and improved internal combustion engine system to reduce carbon emissions. However, mechanical properties of plastic materials change very sensitively to environmental temperature changes, and mechanical properties decrease when exposed to high temperatures. Therefore, it is important to estimate lifespan estimation of plastic parts according to temperature changes. In this paper, reliability analysis process to estimate the maximum service temperature of plastic parts was developed using aging data of material properties, environmental condition data of automotive parts, and field driving condition data. Changes in the mechanical properties of plastic materials such as glass fiber reinforced polyamide materials were tested. The environmental exposure temperature of the vehicle and parts was measured, and the general driving pattern of the vehicle was analyzed.

The world is on a “take-make-waste,” linear-growth economic trajectory where products are bought, used, and then discarded in direct progression with little to no consideration for recycling or reuse. This unsustainable path now requires an urgent call to action for all sectors in the global society: circularity is a must to restore the health of the planet and people. However, carbon-rich textile waste could potentially become a next-generation feedstock, and the mobility sector has the capacity to mobilize ecologically minded designs, supply chains, financing mechanisms, consumer education, cross-sector activation, and more to capitalize on this “new source of carbon.” Activating textile circularity will be one of the biggest business opportunities to drive top- and bottom-line growth for the mobility industry.

As a car OEM, we continuously strive to set the bar for competitors with every product. Consumer travel experiences are enhanced by increasing passenger cabin silence. There is only one steering system opening in the firewall panel, which is used for allowing intermediate shaft's fitment on the pinion shaft of the steering gear. The steering grommet is the sole component that covers the firewall cut-out without disrupting steering operations, which has a substantial impact on the NVH performance of the vehicle. It is typically used in cars to eliminate engine noise and dust entering to passenger compartment. The part is assembled inside the vehicle where the steering intermediate shaft passing through BIW firewall panel. We use a bearing, plastic bush, or direct rubber interference design in the steering grommet to accommodate the rotational input the driver provides to turn the automobile.

Vehicle aesthetic appearance is critical factor in the perceived quality of a vehicle. Auto OEM focuses on the improvement of perceived quality. The perceived quality of a vehicle is improved by achieving a superior finish on the visible parts. Plastic parts used in visible areas are painted to achieve a superior finish & aesthetic. However, the painting process is very energy intensive, releases a lot of harmful VOCs into the environment, emits carbon di-oxide into the environment & is a very costly process. Also, painted parts pose a challenge for recycling at the end of life. For painting one square meter area, around 6.5 Kg of co2 is released. Additionally, the painting cost contributes to around 60 % of the part cost. As the emphasis has increased on sustainability & reducing the cost, we took the challenge to develop novel mold in color material to eliminate the painting process without compromising the aesthetic & functional requirements of part.

Structural automotive components are subjected to fatigue damage under cyclic stresses and strains. The fatigue damage initiates at stress levels lower than the elastic limit of the material and results in cracks. The Initial fatigue cracks are difficult to detect, such cracks can develop rapidly and cause sudden and brittle failure in structures. Many structural automotive components are fabricated involving weld induced local conditions such as geometry of weld toe and localized tensile residual stresses. These conditions are favorable for initiation of fatigue damage at weld toe. In current work, sever plastic deformation (SPD) which is based on high frequency impact treatment using ultrasound energy was applied on weld toe of representative weld joints. The effect of SPD on weld toe geometry modification, microstructure and residual stresses were evaluated. Microscopic and X-ray diffraction techniques were used to study the effects of SPD.

Side door latches in an automotive play a major role in occupants’ safety. The latches consist of both retention assembly and actuator assembly. The actuator assembly majorly consists of motor, gear & other components and these are protected through a Plastic Lower case and Housing. The Lower case (over-mold) with the Electrical Component Carrier - ECC (pre-mold) plays an important role in providing electrical power supply to the latch system. Since these parts are manufactured with terminal traces & plastics, upfront mold flow simulations help the product teams to evaluate the short fills, warpage, and other quality aspects in the critical areas of these components. In the part assembly station, the ECC (pre-mold) and the Lower case (over-mold) are connected to the Motor on one side and the Connector on the other. The proper alignment of the pre-mold pins is of great importance and the pre-mold must not be externally visible once the molding is complete.

Diesel engines are known for their excellent low-end torque, better drivability, performance, and better fuel economy. The increase in customer demands pushes to deliver higher power and torque along with fuel economy. This requirement puts a great challenge on the overall weight of the engine. This paper explains the holistic approach followed along with optimizing the rocker arm cover to achieve the weight target without compromising on durability and cost in the commercial segment 2.5-liter Diesel Engine. This paper presents a complete overview of the design and development of Rocker Arm (RA) cover to meet Strength, Durability, NVH and Aesthetic in Commercial Engine where base design is in aluminum which is mounted on cylinder head with a separate breather system. From aluminum the base design of Rocker arm cover is optimized to sheet metal where in there is reduction of 43% in weight and cost saving of 13%.

The current Indian biofuel policy focuses on the use of alcohol as a potential gasoline blending component to achieve a target of 20% alcohol in gasoline by 2025. The automotive vehicle fuel system uses a variety of metals and non-metals (elastomers and plastics). The fuel system is designed to run with a dedicated fuel, say gasoline or diesel. The use of alternative fuels, i.e., fuels that blend with straight gasoline or diesel, is increasing, and it is critical to understand the impact of these fuels on engine fuel system components. High octane fuels like ethanol and methanol are blended with gasoline to increase engine performance and reduce exhaust emissions, but the alcohols are hygroscopic and corrosive in nature. These fuels' permeation, swelling, and other effects cause changes in material properties. The test fuel is a gasoline-ethanol-methanol (GEM blend of A20 blend), which contains 5% ethanol, 15% methanol, and 80% gasoline.

TWBs (tailored welded blanks) technology can open new avenues for obtaining components in the automotive, aerospace and electronics industries. Friction stir process (FSP) can control the properties by deep localized plastic deformation using the non-consumable tool. In this study, the primary objective is to investigate the effects of Graphene nanoparticles (GNPs) in AA7075 material and the effect of FSP graphene NPs on the forming limit curve of the TWBs through experiments. The micrographs of the weldment are obtained by metallography practices. Tensile specimens are separated for evaluating FSP weld zones. Obtained results exhibits the formability limit of AA7075 thin sheets and decrease FSP thin sheets formability as compared with the formability of base metals

The need to reduce weight and cost of battery systems for electric vehicles has led to continued interest in metal-to-plastic substitution and mixed-material designs for battery enclosures. However, the ever-increasing performance requirements of such systems pose a challenge for plastic materials to meet. In an effort to design a cost-effective, lightweight next-generation battery enclosure while meeting the latest requirements, a new thermal runaway test method was developed, and several materials were screened. The objectives of this development project were twofold. The first was to develop a small-scale test method representative of real-world thermal runaway conditions that could be used early in the design process.

This study investigated the plastic deformation behavior of 304 stainless steel thin-walled tubes under axial compression by means of numerical calculation and theoretical analysis. It was found that the plastic deformation length of thin-walled tube determined the formability of folds and the work done in the whole axial compression process. To reveal the relation between the range of plastic deformation length and tube geometry parameters, regression equations were established using the quadratic regression orthogonal design method. Experiments were conducted to validate the equations. The process windows for forming a single fold and tube joining at ends had been printed ultimately. The results showed that the regression equations can accurately predict the range of plastic deformation length for forming a single fold.

In this study the volume and hardness were measured for thermoplastics and thermosetting resins with diesel containing up to 30% of the following blend stocks: biodiesel, renewable diesel, n-undecane, dibutoxymethane, 1-octanol, hexyl hexanoate, and 2-nonanone. Thermoplastics included polyphenylene sulfide (PPS), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF), polyoxymethylene (POM), polybutylene terephthalate (PBT), polypropylene (PP), high density polyethylene (HDPE), nylons, acetals, polyetherimide (PEI), polyetheretherketone (PEEK), a PET co-polymer, polyphthalamides (PPAs), polyarylamide (PARA) and ethylene tetrafluoroethylene (ETFE). Three thermosetting resins were also evaluated. The material specimens were exposed to the test fuels under ambient conditions for 16 weeks.

The sequence of manufacturing processes involved in the making of truck frame rail sections leave a certain amount of imperfections in the form of plastic deformation and residual stresses in it. These residual stresses along with the externally induced loading stresses together should not be allowed to cross the yield limit of the frame material as it leads to premature failure of frame rail before giving its expected life. One such manufacturing process inducing premature failure is studied in detail using experimental analyses and presented in this paper. The kink bending process employed on the already formed and bolt hole punched C section frame rail, leads to plastic deformation and material crowding around the bolt hole located near the kink bend area of the frame flange.

Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene (ABS) is a highly sought-after engineering plastic for industrial applications, particularly in modern aircrafts. It offers better balance of impact strength, tensile strength, thermal resistance, dimensional stability, processing ability and affordability, the aircraft interior parts are made up of ABS plastic. However, ABS plastic is not a good choice for heavy-duty industrial applications that require corrosion resistance, abrasion resistance and durability. Several studies have been published on surface metallization of ABS plastic using conventional electroplating and electroless methods, but there is little information is available on the use of thermal spray technique. This opens up a huge opportunity for research in this area to be conducted using most commonly used materials like zinc and low carbon steel. In the light of the above, the current work employs an electric arc spray technique to coat zinc and low carbon steel on ABS plastic.

As per current global trends, low tailpipe and evaporative emissions is a major focus area in automotive development. This has led to imposition of stringent emission limits on both tailpipe and evaporative emission norms. In the field of evaporative emissions, the fuel valves must meet zero-leak of fuel to canister requirement under different operating conditions. Corresponding sealing design iterations and evaluating the performance through lab testing is time and cost consuming. Present study considers FEA based sealing analysis considering elastomeric-plastic interface using ANSYS®. The designs are evaluated by comparing surface contact of seal with valve orifice. In present study, different combinations of shape, size of plastic and elastomeric parts, material stiffness, axis position of elastomeric & plastic parts and use of supporting structure for elastomeric parts were evaluated.

Due to recent advancements in interior noise level and the excessive use of different grade leathers and plastics in automotive interiors, squeak noise is one of the top customer complaints. Squeak is caused by friction induced vibration due to material incompatibility. To improve costumer perception, interior designs are following zero gap philosophy with little control on tolerances leading to squeak issues. Often manufacturers are left with costly passive treatments like coatings and felts. The best option is to select a compatible material with color and finish; however, this will reduce the design freedom. Material compatibility or stick-slip behavior can be analyzed with a tribology test stand. However, this test is performed on a specimen rather than actual geometry. There were instances, when a material pair was found incompatible when tested on a specimen, but never showed any issue in actual part and vice versa.

Polymers are substituting traditional materials, such as metals, in existing as well as new applications, both for structural and aesthetic applications as they are lightweight, customizable and are easy to mould into complex shapes. With such an extensive use of polymers, there is a need to carefully scrutinize their performance to ensure reliability. This is particularly the case in the automotive and electronic industries where the aesthetic appeal of their products is of prime concern and any visible scratch damage is undesirable. Concern for aesthetics has led to a need for the quantification of visibility due to scratch damage on polymeric surfaces Many painted plastic parts used in vehicles are being replaced with the molded-in color plastics for cost reduction and also due to environmental concerns associated with solvent emissions. There are multiple methods used for scratch evaluation of polymers and paints.

Plastic automotive lamp assemblies are vented by a variety of methods to reduce the likelihood of condensation forming in the lamp and to prevent water ingress lamp warranty returns. Previously, it has been shown that the humidity in a vented automotive lamp can be described empirically by a decreasing exponential (i.e. decay). It was also shown that this formula by applying Fick’s Law of Diffusion, particularly the exponential constant (k), can be related to basic physical properties of the lamp system. Specifically, the exponential constant is a ratio of the product of a characteristic cross-section area of the vent and the permeability of water vapor over the product of the lamp volume and a characteristic length of the vent. This description was shown to be less accurate at time t greater than 30 minutes and additional details of the vented lamp system were proposed for better fit to the experimental data.