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Active Sound Design (ASD) allows the Personalized Engine Sound System to be implemented for different types of vehicles and in different geographical regions. While this process is possible, it requires a lot of on-road tuning and therefore is very time consuming. This study presents an efficient way of tuning ASD sounds based on binaural synthesis in a lab environment instead of on-road tuning. The on-road vehicle operating sounds are reproduced by a desktop NVH simulator while the binaural ASD sounds are synthesized by convolving measured Binaural Vehicle Impulse Responses with the output of ASD multi-channel amplifier in real time. A set of binaural recordings on road are compared with the reproduced sound in the lab environment. The comparison results showed the validity of the proposed method for ASD. The main advantage of this approach is the possibility of back-to-back comparison across different ASD tunings.

In this article, a new method for achieving piano black appearance is discussed. Using a technique called Direct Coating, developed by Covestro, components have been produced with a smooth, high-gloss surface, which demonstrates improved scratch resistance and the ability to recover from minor scratches. For this development project, the Hyundai Santa Fe exterior door trim was selected due to the simple geometry and severe performance requirements. This allowed for optimization of molding conditions and comparison of the performance to the current production part. The prototype part demonstrated improved surface quality compared to paint, and passed car wash, chemical, and weathering test specifications. In addition to addressing quality issues, this method offers cost savings by eliminating the traditional painting process, which is expensive due to long cycle time, multi-step processing, and emissions regulations.

Connected and Autonomous Vehicles (CAV) rely on information obtained from sensors and communication to make decisions. In a Cooperative Vehicle Safety (CVS) system, information from remote vehicles (RV) is available at the host vehicle (HV) through the wireless network. Safety applications such as crash warning algorithms use this information to estimate the RV and HV states. However, this information is uncertain and sparse due to communication losses, limitations of communication protocols in high congestion scenarios, and perception errors caused by sensor limitations. In this paper we present a novel approach to improve the robustness of the CVS systems, by proposing an architecture that divide application and information/perception subsystems and a novel prediction method based on non-parametric Bayesian inference to mitigate the detrimental effect of data loss on the performance of safety applications.

This paper discusses a technology for reducing the gas flow noise generated from the noise of the vehicle, especially the exhaust system. The primary function of the heat protector is thermal shutdown. However, due to the increase in engine power, downsizing of engines, and the rise of consumer's eye level, solutions about noise are now emphasized. To meet these needs, a new concept of heat protector manufacturing technology is required. A key component of this technology is the manufacturing technology of three-ply composite board which can absorb sound from the existing sound insulation aluminum heat protector. For this purpose, mold technology for punching aluminum sheet, optimization technique for punching effect, specific pattern design for high-strength/high-forming, sound absorbing material selection and composite sheet molding technology, and noise vibration reduction mounting technology for plate joining were developed.

This paper presents the influence of radiated noise from engine surface according to assembly condition between the engine block and oil pan. At the first, the force exciting the main bearing of cylinder block is calculated by using a multi-body dynamics model of the engine crankshaft. Secondly, the modal analysis is processed to obtain the mode contribution and modal participation factors for the FEM of a virtual cylinder block. Thirdly, the radiated noise from a structure is calculated by acoustic-FEM analysis. This structure is assembled by the virtual oil pan with a rigid connection method and a soft connection method. The sandwich panel connection model is used for the soft connection method. The sound radiated from this assemble structure is calculated according to two different connection properties respectively. The sound matrices for two results are compared using an objective method.

Recently, customers' demands for future mobility have increased, such as movement in narrow spaces, increased driving freedom, and ease of parking. The key technology to meet these demands is the four-wheel independent steering system. In this study, we introduce the concept design process for a four-corner steering module and how to prove the design. In addition, we introduce a control method for basic driving modes, such as short U-turn, diagonal driving, crab driving, and zero radius turning. Finally, we propose a special driving mode using the instantaneous rotation center of the 4WS system.

The H-point is a critical part of vehicle design as it is the basis for many engineering dimensions within the vehicle interior. A complete design process includes comparisons of the design to competitive benchmark vehicles. However, the competitive design considerations needed to determine the common standard H-point reference are often unknown. The SAE Human Accommodation and Design Devices (HADD) technical committee recently published a new standard benchmark SgRP procedure [2]. This new standard practice needed to be tested with respect to the accuracy and repeatability for determining the unknown h-point design parameters within industry benchmarking tolerances. In 2019, the SAE HADD committee conducted a study to evaluate the reproducibility of the new procedure. This paper presents detailed results of that study and discusses opportunities for applying the new benchmark practice.

Rising gas prices and increasingly stringent vehicle emissions standards have pushed automakers to increase fuel economy. Mass reduction is the most practical method to increase fuel economy of a vehicle. New materials and CAE technology allow for lightweight automotive components to be designed and manufactured, which outperform traditional component designs. Topology optimization and other design optimization techniques are widely used by designers to create lightweight structural automotive parts. Other design optimization techniques include free-size, gauge, and size optimization. These optimization techniques are typically used in sequence or independently during the design process. Performing various types of design optimization simultaneously is only practical in certain cases, where different parts of the structure have different manufacturing constraints.

Increasing fuel prices and escalating emissions standards, are leading car manufacturers to develop vehicles with higher fuel efficiency. Reducing the mass of the vehicle is one technique to improve fuel efficiency. Shifting from metals to composite materials is a promising approach for great reductions to the vehicle mass. As more composite parts are introduced into vehicles, the approach to joining components is changing and requiring more investigation. Metallic chassis components are traditionally joined with mechanical fasteners, while composites are generally joined with adhesives. In a collaboration between Queen’s University and KCarbon, an automotive composite crossmember is being developed. A variety of lap joint geometries were modeled into a the crossmember assembly for composite-composite joints. Finite element-based optimization methods were applied to reduce mass of the crossmember. The optimized masses showed a 5% difference between the three joint geometries analyzed

Recently, keen interest has been focused on the reduction of fuel consumption through the development of eco-friendly and weight-effective vehicles. This is due in part to the strengthening of regulatory standards for fuel efficiency in each country. This study will focus on the optimization of the IP (Instrument Panel) module, in particular, the cowl crossbar, which in some vehicles, can account for more than 33% of the IP module weight. The design objectives of the cowl crossbar were to use continuous fiber thermoplastic composite materials to achieve high stiffness, while optimizing the strength to weight performance as evaluated through vehicle sled and crash testing. This research will introduce the development and optimization methodology for an alternative material, which achieved about a 30% weight reduction as compared to steel.

It is known that the major source of rumbling noise the combustion force of an engine. The combustion force excites the engine and induces vibrations of the powertrain. These vibrations are then transferred to the body of the vehicle via its structural transfer path. Moreover, the vibrations of the vehicle’s body emit internal vibra-acoustic noise. This noise is often referred to as the rumbling noise due to the structural borne path. If there are structural resonances among the structural paths such as the engine, transmission, mount bracket, suspension, and the vehicle’s body, the rumbling noise could be amplified. To identify the major resonances of the structural transfer path, classical transfer path analysis (CTPA) has been traditionally utilized. The method has a significant limitation in that it is necessary to decouple the substructures to obtain the contact force between individual components and to identify the transfer path of the structure-borne sound.

Limited fossil fuel resources, air pollution, and global warming all drive strengthening of fuel economy and vehicle emission standards globally. Much R&D continues to be dedicated to improve fuel efficiency of automobiles and to reduce exhaust gasses. These include improvement of engine/driveline performance for higher efficiency, development of alternative energy, and minimization of air resistance through aerodynamic design optimization. OEM weight reduction-focused research has extended into chassis components (steering knuckle, brakes, control arms, etc.) in sequence from body-in-white(BIW). Wheel bearings, one of the core components of a driveline and part of a vehicle’s unsprung mass, are also being required to reduce weight. Conventionally, wheel bearings have achieved “lightweighting” primarily through design optimization methods. They have been highly optimized today using steel based materials.

As demand for fuel efficiency rises, an increasing number of automotive companies are replacing their existing metal designs with carbon-fiber-reinforced polymer (CFRP) redesigns. Due to the handling and manufacturing processes associated with CFRP materials, engineers have more design freedom to create complex, light-weight designs, which would be infeasible to manufacture using metal. Additionally, it is likely that by redesigning with CFRP, many steel assemblies can be consolidated to significantly fewer parts, simplifying or potentially eliminating the assembly process. When designing an automotive crossmember using CFRP materials, designers often aim for a two-piece design (top and bottom), while utilizing reinforcement material where needed. The joining of these two pieces is typically accomplished with many mechanical fasteners and adhesives, significantly increasing the part count and the manufacturing complexity.

With the electrification trend in the automotive industry, the main contributors to in-vehicle noise profile are represented by drivetrain, road and wind noise. To tackle the problem in an early stage, the industry is developing advanced techniques guaranteeing modularity and independent description of each contributor. Component-based Transfer Path Analysis (C-TPA) allows individual characterization of substructures that can be assembled into a virtual vehicle assembly, allowing the manufacturers to switch between different designs, to handle the increased number of vehicle variants and increasing complexity of products. A major challenge in this methodology is to describe the subsystem in its realistic operational boundary conditions and preload. Moreover, to measure such component, it should be free at the connection interfaces, which logically creates significant difficulties to create the required conditions during the test campaign.

Today, many car manufacturers and their suppliers are very interested in power-operated door handles, known as auto flush door handles. These handles have a distinguishing feature in terms of the way they operate. They are hidden in door skins and deployed automatically when users need to open the door. It is obvious that it is a major exterior styling point that makes customers interested in the vehicles that apply it. To make this auto flush door handle, however, there lie difficulties. First, because there is no sufficient space inside a door, applying these handles can be a constraint in exterior design unless the structures of them are kinematic optimized. The insufficient space can also cause problems in appearance of the handles when they are deployed. The purpose of this study is to establish the kinematic system of auto flush door handle to overcome the exterior handicaps such as the excessive exposure of the internal area on the deployed position.

Fiber-reinforced plastics (FRPs), produced through injection molding, are increasingly preferred over steel in automotive applications due to their lightweight, moldability, and excellent physical properties. However, the expanding use of FRPs presents a critical challenge: deformation stability. The occurrence of warping significantly compromises the initial product quality due to challenges in part mounting and interference with surrounding parts. Consequently, mitigating warpage in FRP-based injection parts is paramount for achieving high-quality parts. In this study, we present a holistic approach to address warpage in injection-molded parts using FRP. We employed a systematic Design of Experiments (DOE) methodology to optimize materials, processes, and equipment, with a focus on reducing warpage, particularly for the exterior part. First, we optimized material using a mixture design in DOE, emphasizing reinforcements favorable for warpage mitigation.

This study deals with the fatigue life prediction methodology of welding simulation components involving arc welding. First, a method for deriving the cyclic deformation and fatigue properties of the weld metal (that is also called ER70S-3 in AWS, American Welding Standard) is explained using solid bar specimens. Then, welded tube specimens were used with two symmetric welds and subjected to axial, torsion, and combined in-phase and out-of-phase axial-torsion loads. In most previous studies the weld bead’s start/stop were arbitrarily removed by overlapping the starting and stop point. Because it can reduce fatigue data scatter. However, in this study make the two symmetric weld’s start/stops exposed to applying load. Because the shape of the weld bead generated after the welding process can act as a notch (Ex. root notch at weld start / Crater at weld stop) to an applied stress. Accordingly, they were intentionally designed to cause stress concentrations on start/stops.

Optimizing the specifications of the parts that make up the vehicle is essential to develop a high performance and quality vehicle with price competitiveness. Optimizing parts specifications for quality and affordability means optimizing various factors such as engineering design specifications and manufacturing processes of parts. This optimization process must be carried out in the early stages of development to maximize its effectiveness. Therefore, in this paper, we studied the methodology of building a database for parts of already developed vehicles and optimizing them on a data basis. A methodology for collecting, standardizing, and analyzing data was studied to define information necessary for specification optimization. In addition, AI technology was used to derive optimization specifications based on the 3D shape of the parts. Through this study, body parts specification optimization system using AI technology was developed.

This study delves into the microstructural and mechanical characteristics of AlSi10Mg alloy produced through the Laser Powder Bed Fusion (L-PBF) method. The investigation identified optimal process parameters for AlSi10Mg alloy based on Volume Energy Density (VED). Manufacturing conditions in the L-PBF process involve factors like laser power, scan speed, hatching distance, and layer thickness. Generally, high laser power may lead to spattering, while low laser power can result in lack-of-fusion areas. Similarly, high scan speeds may cause lack-of-fusion, and low scan speeds can induce spattering. Ensuring the quality of specimens and parts necessitates optimizing these process parameters. To address the low elongation properties in the as-built condition, heat treatment was employed. The initial microstructure of AlSi10Mg alloy in its as-built state comprises a cell structure with α-Al cell walls and eutectic Si.