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The vehicle Heating, Ventilation and Air conditioning (HVAC) system is designed to meet both the safety and thermal comfort requirements of the passengers inside the cabin. The thermal comfort requirement, however, is highly subjective and is usually met objectively by carrying out time dependent mapping of parameters like the velocity and temperature at various in-cabin locations. These target parameters are simulated for the vehicle interior for a case of hot soaking and its subsequent cool-down to test the efficacy of the AC system. Typically, AC performance is judged by air temperature at passenger locations, thermal comfort estimation along with time to reach comfortable condition for human. Simulating long transient vehicle cabin for thermal comfort evaluation is computationally expensive and involves complex cabin material modelling.

Groan is a low frequency noise generated when moderate brake pressure is applied between the surfaces of the brake disc and the brake pad at a low-speed condition. Brake groan is often very intense and can cause large numbers of customer complaints. During a groan noise event, vehicle structure and suspension components are excited by the brake system and result in a violent event that can be heard and felt during brake application. The cause of noise is friction variation of stick-slip phenomenon between friction material and disc. Creep groan is the structure-borne noise that is related to dynamic characteristic of the vehicle. However, it has been mainly improved through friction material modifications in the past. In this paper, transfer path of creep groan noise was analyzed by means TPA and structural countermeasure to creep groan noise was suggested. This paper discusses the approach for prediction and mitigation of brake groan noise for passenger vehicles having disc brakes.

Welding is one of the most convenient and extensively used manufacturing process across every industry and is recognized as a cost effective joining technique. The root cause of most of the fabricated structural failures lies in the uncertainties associated with the welding process. It is prone to generate high residual stresses due to non-volumetric changes during heating and cooling cycle. These residual stresses have a significant impact on fatigue life of component leading to poor quality joints. To alleviate these effects, designers and process engineers rely upon their experience and thumb rules but has its own limitations. This approach often leads to conservative designs and pre-mature failures. Recent advances in computational simulation techniques provide us opportunity to explore the complex phenomenon and generate deep insights. The paper demonstrates the methodology to evaluate the residual stresses due to welding in virtual environment.

This paper highlights the transition of multi-axis suspension test rig from fixed reacted type to semi-inertial type and the benefits derived thereof in simulation accuracies. The critical influence of ‘Mx’ and ‘Mz’ controls on simulation accuracies has been highlighted. The vital role of ‘Mz’ control in the resonance of wheel pan along ‘Z’ axis and thereof arresting unwanted failures modes in spindle has been duly emphasized. Finally, the role of constraints and boundary conditions on simulation accuracies has been demonstrated by replacing the reaction frame with vehicle body.

This paper proposes a cost effective method, with simple techniques, to evaluate Bump Steer and Brake Steer on a rigid axle vehicle under dynamic conditions. A relationship between calculated values, measured values and a subjective assessment of the vehicle lateral deviation is established. An array, of inter-relationship of the parameters such as offset of steering arm, draglink length, front spring stiffness, height of spring hanger bracket is done. Percentage of influence of the parameter change on the performance of the vehicle is evaluated and standard statistical analysis is used to arrive at inter-relationship of various parameters and ranking of their influence on lateral deviation of the vehicle under braking is established, there by resulting in reduction in iterative process. The results obtained display a good correlation with ADAMS Analysis to the tune of 90% and are in agreement with subjective assessment.

The use of Wheel Force Transducers (WFTs) to acquire data for laboratory simulation is becoming standard industry practice. However, in test rigs where we have only the suspension module and not the complete vehicle, does the reproduction of the orthogonal forces and moments at the wheel centre guarantee an accurate replication of the fatigue damage in the suspension components? The objective of this paper is to review the simulation methodology for a highly non-linear suspension in a 3 DOF (degree-of-freedom) suspension test rig in which the simulation was carried out using only the three orthogonal loads and vertical displacement. The damage at critical locations in the suspension is compared with that on the road and an assessment of the simulation using the WFT is made based on a comparison of the damage on the road vs. the rig.

This paper presents a systematic approach for designing an experiment in situations where expensive and time consuming computer simulations are used to evaluate product characteristics. In the presence of many design parameters, the critical step is to find the best possible experimental set up with minimum number of simulations. Usually in such situations, designers use their intuition and experience to carry out a number of simulation runs and choose the design that gives better performance. This intuitive approach can be considerably improved by using statistical methods. “Classical experimental designs” were compared with “space filling designs” in terms of their results and requirements. A typical clutch booster bracket is used as an example to demonstrate the methodology.

In the automotive industry there are now several methodologies available to estimate the Combustion Mechanical Breakdown (CMB) of engine radiated noise. This paper compares the results of two different CMB analysis methodologies (multiple regression vs. coherence) performed on a HSDI diesel powertrain installed in an Engine Noise Test Cell (ENTC) and highlights the specific differences in the way each method defines combustion and mechanical noise.

Drive components of live axle undergoes different loading conditions during field usage depending upon terrain conditions, vehicle loading and traffic conditions etc. During vehicle running, drive components of axle experiences variable torque levels, which results in the fatigue damage of the components. Testing of these drive components of axle on test rig for endurance life is an imperative part of axle development, owing to limitations of vehicle testing because of time and cost involved. Similarly, correlating field failures with rig testing is equally critical. In such situation, if a test cycle is derived correlating the field usage, rig testing can be effectively used for accelerated life testing and reliability prediction of these components. An approach is presented in the paper wherein test cycle is derived based on the data collected on vehicle in the field under service road and loading conditions.

During every clutch engagement energy is dissipated in clutch assembly because of relative slippage of clutch disc w.r.t. flywheel and pressure plate. Energy dissipated in clutch is governed by many design parameters like driveline configuration of the vehicle vis-a-vis vehicle mass, and operational parameters like road conditions, traffic conditions. Clutch burning failure, which is the major failure mode of clutch assembly, is governed by energy dissipation phenomenon during clutch engagement. Clutch undergoes different duty cycles during usage in city traffic, highways or hilly regions during its lifetime. A test schedule was derived using energy dissipated during every clutch engagement event as a base and using road load data collected on the vehicle. Road load data was collected in different road mix conditions comprised of city traffic, highway, hilly region, rough road for few hundred kilometers.

Steering pull during high speed braking of heavy commercial vehicles possesses a potential danger to the occupants. Even with negligible wheel-to-wheel brake torque variation, steering pull during the high speed braking has been observed. If the steering pull (i.e. steering rotation) is forcibly held at zero degree during high speed braking, the phenomena called axle twist, wheel turn and shock absorber deflection arise. In this work the data have been collected on the mentioned measures with an intention to develop a mathematical model which uses real time data, coming from feedback mechanism to predict the values of the measures in coming moments in order to aid steering system to ‘auto-correct’. Driven by the intention, ‘Time Series Analysis’, a well-known statistical methodology, has been explored to see how suitable it is in building the kind of model.

Use of adhesives in automotive require in-depth material, design, manufacturing & engineering knowledge. It is also necessary to understand functional requirements. For perfect and flawless adhesive joinery, the exact quantity of adhesive, its material composition, thickness of adhesive layer, substrate preparation methods for adhesive bonding, handling and curing time of the adhesive have to be studied & optimized. This paper attempts to describe different aspects of adhesive bonding in automotive industry to include: Selection of adhesives based on application and design of the components, surface preparation of adherend, designing of adhesive joint, curing conditions of adhesives, testing and validation of adhesive joints. Emphasis was given to study & verify the performance of different adhesive joints to meet end product requirements. Samples were prepared with a variety of adhesive and adherend combinations.

Structural adhesive is a good alternative to provide required strength at joinery of similar and dissimilar materials. Adhesive joinery plays a critical role to maintain structural integrity during vehicle crash scenario. Robust adhesive failure definitions are critical for accurate predictions of structural performance in crash Computer Aided Engineering (CAE) simulations. In this paper, structural adhesive material characterization challenges like comprehensive In-house testing and CAE correlation aspects are discussed. Considering the crash loading complexity, test plan is devised for identification of strength and failure characteristics at 0°, 45°, 75°, 90°, and Peel loading conditions. Coupon level test samples were prepared with high temperature curing of structural adhesive along with metal panels. Test fixtures were prepared to carryout testing using Instron VHS machine under quasi-static and dynamic loading.

Brake drum is an important component in automotive, which is a link between axle and wheel. It performance is of utmost importance as it is related to the safety of the car as well to the passengers. Many design parameters are taken into consideration while designing the brake drum. The sensitivity of these parameters is studied for optimum design of brake drum. The critical parameters in terms of reliability, safety & durability could be the cross section, thickness of hub, interference & surface roughness between bearing and hub, wheel loading, heat generation on drum, manufacturing and assembly process. The brake drum design is derived by considering these parameters. Hence the sensitivity of these parameters is studied both virtually & physically, in detail. The optimum value of each parameter could be chosen complying each other's values.

The brake systems are given top priority by automotive OEMs in the development of medium and heavy commercial trucks and buses, which can carry increased loads. When trucks and buses are travelling at high speeds or crossing downhill, during braking operations, the friction faces (brake drum and liner) experience a significant rise in temperature due to the conversion of kinetic energy into heat energy within seconds. This lowers the friction coefficient at the interface, resulting in distortions, thermal cracks, hub grease burning, and overheating. Drum brake system designs must be improved and optimized to dissipate more heat from the brake drum assembly and prevent brake failure. Nowadays advance transient numerical simulations assist in the design, development and optimization of the brake system to visualize 3D flow physics and temperature variations throughout the brake duty cycles. In the current study, different Cases of drum brakes to improve cooling efficiency are evaluated.

Computed Tomography (CT) has become a potent instrument for non-invasive assessment of battery cell integrity, providing detailed insights into their internal structure. The present study explores the capabilities and advantages of employing CT for cell characterization through a systematic evaluation from various parameters. The evaluation results will be based on real-world experiments conducted on a standard battery cell, assessing the CT system’s ability to provide precise internal measurements, detect defects, and ensure the overall integrity of the cell. We outline a comprehensive framework that includes criteria such as system specifications, image quality, software capabilities, maintenance, service, and cost-effectiveness.

In the automotive industry, silicon adhesive has become increasingly popular due to its benefits in ease of assembly and cost savings associated with material and manufacturing processes. To meet the imperative of minimizing both time and expenses during the project's development phase, it becomes essential to select the appropriate gasket material and an optimal flange design at the outset of the design process. In order to achieve stringent emission standards such as Real Driving Emission (RDE) and Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) norms, a better sealing performance is an essential parameter. Various types of liquid gaskets such as silicon rubber based Room Temperature Vulcanizing (RTV) sealants and thermoset plastic based Anaerobic sealants are widely used in an Internal Combustion engine. They are commonly used for the components such as oil sump, bedplate, and gearbox housings, etc.

The stress concentration at welded joints and small crack propagation from some pre-existing discontinuities at notched regions control the fatigue life of typical welded structures. There are numerous FEM stress-based weld fatigue assessment approaches available commercially which unify FEM stresses with various fatigue software codes embedded with international weld standards. However, FEM stress-based approaches predict extensively conservative results. Considerable efforts & subjective decision making is required to arrive at desired level of weld life correlation with physical test results, in terms of weld life and failure location. This is majorly because of inconsistency & inaccuracy in capturing the hot spot stress results due to stress singularities occurring at the notched regions owing to the mesh sensitivity, modeling complexity.

A bus is integral part of public transportation in both rural and urban areas. It is also used for scheduled transport, tourism, and school transport. Buses are the common mode of transport all over the world. The growth in economy, the electrification of public transport, demand in shared transport, etc., is leading to a surge in the demand for buses and accelerating the overall growth of the bus industry. With the increased number of buses, the issue of safety of passengers and the crew assumes special importance. The comfort of driver and passenger in the vehicle involves the vibration performance and therefore, the structural integrity of buses is critically important. Bus safety act depicts the safety and comfort of bus operations, management of safety risks, continuous improvement in bus safety management, public confidence in the safety of bus transport, appropriate stakeholder involvement and the existence of a safety culture among bus service providers.

Underrun Protection devices (UPDs) are specially designed barriers fitted to the front, side, or rear of heavy trucks. In case of accidents, these devices prevent small vehicles such as bikes and passenger cars going underneath and thus minimizing the severity of such accident. Design and strength of UPD is such that it absorbs the impact energy and offers impact resistance to avoid the vehicle under run. Compliance to UPD safety regulations provides stringent requirements in terms of device design, dimensions, and its behavior under impact loading. Since accuracy of Computer Aided Engineering (CAE) predictions have improved, numerical tools like Finite element method (FEM) are extensively used for design, development, optimization, and performance verification with respect to target regulatory performance requirements. For improved accuracy of performance prediction through FEA, correct FE representation of sub-systems is very important.