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Two decorative films were developed for the front grille of vehicles. The first is an insert molded film that expresses the texture of aluminum. The typical problem of brightness loss due to elongation during molding is improved from both material and method perspectives by using this film. The other film is an embossed type formed by using the vacuum forming method. A matte design with a satin finish is achieved by embossing the embossments on carrier film on a clear layer surface. These films have excellent scratch resistance during car washes compared to conventional exterior decorative films, and they satisfy all coating quality requirements of automotive exteriors. These decorative film technologies were used on the new TSX.

The orientation of electrodeposited Pb alloy crystal was related to the morphology of the deposits, and the orientated electrodeposits of a Pb alloy mainly consisting of the (h00) plane have exhibited a good wetness characteristic for lubricant oil. As a result, the orientated electrodeposits of this Pb alloy used in the overlay of bearings has an anti-seizure parameter (PV) at least 30% higher than that of conventional deposits in terms of the sliding characteristic. The sintered lead-bronze alloy used as the bearing's lining material offers good fatigue strength, which was made possible by adopting a newly developed Cu-Sn alloy matrix and reducing the amount and grain size of the Pb phase. Studies on plane bearings of high performance have clarified through bearing characteristic and engine firing tests that combining the orientated Pb alloy overlay and strengthening the lining increases the anti-seizure property and improves durability with regard to bearing fatigue and wear.

In the cities of the U.S. the worsening ozone problem has attracted attention and prompted reinforcement of regulations against emissions of hydrocarbons (HC) from automobiles. To cope with this situation, a reduction of HC is a vital challenge for the automotive industry. HC emission comes mainly from a cold engine, which usually uses a richer air-fuel mixture to achieve stable combustion and secure good driveability. The purpose of this paper is to show that using a engine with variable valv1e timing and lift system (VTEC) (1)∼(2) it is possible to reduce considerably HC emission in cold-start conditions. In other words, it is able to employ a leaner mixture than in existing engines (A/F=15.5) by using the VTEC system to alter the valve timing and lift according to various driving conditions, thereby considerably reducing HC emissions due to the improvement and stabilization of engine combustion.

Two-part water-based adhesive for instrument crash pad vacuum forming was developed. It uses a self-emulsification type of urethane emulsion which does not contain any organic solvents as its main ingredient. And, a number of additives which are effective in improving adhesion to both an injection molded acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (ABS) foundation and the PVC/PPF skin have been blended in this urethane emulsion. So, this water-based adhesive has excellent initial adhesive properties, reliable durability and mass productivity which are all required of adhesives for instrument crash pad applications.

An electrically heated catalyst (EHC) and an electric pump driven secondary air supply were employed to heat and energize the catalyst immediately after starting the engine. This measure made it possible for a high performance in-line four-cylinder engine with an exhaust system layout of 4-2-1 to meet the Ultra Low Emissions Vehicle (ULEV) category of the Californian Air Resource Board (CARB).

From the viewpoint of waste treatment and natural resources conservation,there is a strong demand for the study of the technology whereby automotive coated bumpers collected from the market can be recycled into brand-new bumpers. One of the major subject matters for recycling bumper material is to retain the impact resistance of the substrate by separating out the flaky coating film. This is to report “Sandwich Injection Molding Technology” to fill the core layer with granulated polypropylene(PP) of used bumpers and the skin layer with virgin PP resin,eliminating the separation process of coated film from the substrate. Core layer material contains high-density-polyethylene(HDPE) additive which improves the impact resistance that may have been deteriorated by coating film residue. Also,the function of HDPE and mechanism to improve the characteristics of molded material are analyzed.

The purpose of this paper is to quantify the improvements possible for ULEV emissions by improved air-fuel ratio control during starting by modifying conventional fuel injection strategy with a first order wall-wetting-fuel model. Measurements of emissions during first 30 starting cycles of a ULEV engine, made with a fast response flame ionization detector (FID) and conventional fuel injection strategy, show that these account for 17% of the overall FTP-75 mode HC emissions. The wall-wetting-fuel model is a two coefficient model: α, the ratio of the injected fuel mass to the fuel mass inducted into the cylinder during a given cycle, and β, the ratio of the total fuel mass accumulated on the intake port wall to the mass inducted into the cylinder from the accumulated fuel at a given cycle.

When CNG, LPG, and other gas fuels were used for combustion in vehicles' engines, a large degree of valve seat wear was observed and it was difficult to provide the same wear resistance as for gasoline engines. Therefore, the mechanism of valve seat wear in gas fuel engines was analyzed and an alloy valve seat was developed. In addition to converting the matrix to an alloy, Co-Mo-Cr was used for the self-lubricating effect present in its hard particles. Also, in order to improve machinability, which is inversely related to wear resistance, a sintered alloy valve seat containing MnS was developed. As a result, wear resistance equal to that for gasoline engines was achieved.