Search Results

Optical fiber has begun replacing copper in avionic networks. So far, however, it has been mainly restricted to non-critical applications (video transmission to the flight deck, IFE?). In order to take advantage of the high-bandwidth, low weight, no EMI properties of optical fibers in all data transmission networks, it will be necessary to improve the testing. One part of the puzzle, which is still missing, is the self-test button: the possibility to check the network and detect potential failures before they occur. The typical testing tool of a technician involved in optical fiber cables is the ?light source ? optical power meter? pair. With this tool, one can measure the insertion loss of the fiber link. A second important parameter, the return loss at each optical connector, is not analysed. In addition, this is only a global measurement, which does not allow the detection of possible weak points.

The copper-rotor induction-motor made its debut in automotive electric traction in 1990 in GM's Impact EV. Since then, this motor architecture has covered millions of miles on other vehicle platforms which will soon include Toyota's RAV4-EV. With the industry's attention focused on cost-effective alternatives to permanent-magnet traction motors, the induction motor has returned to the spotlight. This talk will overview where the copper-rotor induction-motor is today, how the technology has evolved since the days of the GM Impact, the state-of-play in its mass-manufacturing processes and today's major supply-chain players. Presenter Malcolm Burwell, International Copper Association Inc.

Abstract Current End-of-Life Vehicle (ELV) recycling processes are mainly based on mechanical separation techniques. These methods are designed to recycle those metals with the highest contribution in the vehicle weight such as steel, aluminum, and copper. However, a conventional vehicle uses around 50 different types of metals, some of them considered critical by the European Commission. The lack of specific recycling processes makes that these metals become downcycled in steel or aluminum or, in the worst case, end in landfills. With the aim to define several ecodesign recommendations from a raw material point of view, it is proposed to apply a thermodynamic methodology based on exergy analysis. This methodology uses an indicator called thermodynamic rarity to assess metal sustainability. It takes into account the quality of mineral commodities used in a vehicle as a function of their relative abundance in Nature and the energy intensity required to extract and process them.

A laboratory study was performed to optimize a zoned configuration of an iron (Fe) SCR catalyst and a copper (Cu) SCR catalyst in order to provide high NOx conversion at lean A/F ratios over a broad range of temperature for diesel and lean-burn gasoline applications. With an optimized space velocity of 8,300 hr-1, a 67% (by volume) Fe section followed by a 33% Cu section provided at least 80% NOx conversion from approximately 230°C to 640°C when evaluated with 500 ppm NO and NH3. To improve the lean lightoff performance of the SCR catalyst system during a cold start, a Cu SCR catalyst that was 1/4 as long as the rear Cu SCR catalyst was placed in front of the Fe SCR catalyst. When evaluated with an excess of NH3 (NH3/NO ratio of 2.2), the Cu+Fe+Cu SCR system had significantly improved lightoff performance relative to the Fe+Cu SCR system, although the front Cu SCR catalyst did decrease the NOx conversion at temperatures above 475°C by oxidizing some of the NH3 to N2 or NO.

A laboratory study was performed to assess the effects of SO2 poisoning on the NOx conversion of iron (Fe) and copper (Cu) SCR catalysts. Thermally aged samples of the catalysts were poisoned with SO2 under lean conditions. At various times during the poisonings, the samples were evaluated for NOx conversion with NO and NH3 using lean temperature ramps. The low temperature NOx conversions of both catalysts decreased by 10 to 20% after 1 to 4 hours of poisoning but were stable with continued exposure to the SO2. The poisoned Cu SCR catalyst could be desulfated repeatedly with 5 minutes of lean operation at 600°C. Initially, the poisoned Fe SCR catalyst required 5 minutes of lean operation at 750°C to recover its maximum NOx conversion.

This paper proposes a new motor design procedure for reducing motor loss in hybrid vehicles (HEV) and electric vehicles (EV). To find an optimum design in a short time, a non-linear magnetic circuit model was developed for interior permanent magnet synchronous motors (IPMSM). Speed-torque curves and motor losses were calculated based on this model. Combined with Energy Management Simulation, this model makes it possible to find an optimum motor design with minimum loss.

This paper aims to indicate the advantages and any drawbacks of high frequency alternating current (HFAC) power for vehicle auxiliary electrical systems. Generally, benefits of HFAC include efficient power distribution and transformation, space and weight saving and load galvanic isolation. In addition, HFAC bus topologies are distributed to the point of use, lending the system to easy fault detection. The paper is structured as follows: first, the main findings of the most relevant automotive HFAC studies are outlined. Next, an HFAC architecture is proposed which is compared to the existing 14V and proposed 42V centralised DC networks in terms of power distribution efficiency and wiring harness weight saving. For this analysis, the case study of a medium-sized passenger vehicle is considered, and a group of intermittent and continuous auxiliary loads with a cumulative power of 2.8kW.

Honda has been proposing and developing a Transverse Flux Motor (T.F. motor) in order to shorten axial length of the motor for hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs). In contrast to conventional motors that are composed of a stator core (made from magnetic steel sheet) and winding wires, the T.F. motor is a new type of three-dimensional magnetic circuit motor composed of a soft magnetic composites (SMC) core and a coil. While reducing axial length and achieving a simple stator architecture comprised of just five parts, the new motor raises issues including the need to improve motor efficiency and the development of techniques for the manufacture of rectangular wave-shaped coils. To improve motor efficiency, we conducted a parameter study of the SMC core material and manufacturing conditions to establish the optimum required specifications for reducing iron loss.

In the sensitive automotive applications like the safety restraint systems (SRS), twisted lines can be used to link the components of the system because of their property of reduction of the electromagnetic interference (EMI) coupling. Compared to the parallel lines, the twisted lines present the drawback to consume more copper in their manufacturing due to the greater length of their conductors. A parametric study based on the numerical modeling and the measurement of twisted lines is conducted in order to analyze the effect of the twisting pitch and of the untwisted part of these lines on the level of EMI coupling. This study will enable to optimize these two parameters in order to reduce the level of EMI coupling as well as the length of the conductors of the lines.

Non-road Tier 4 Final emissions standards offer opportunities for engines to be certified with DOC + SCR aftertreatment systems (ATS), where particulate matter (PM) emissions will be controlled by engine measures. These non-filter systems will not experience high thermal conditions common for filter regeneration and, therefore, will not have the secondary benefit of thermal events removing sulfur from the DOC and SCR aftertreatment. An experimental program was conducted on DOC + SCR systems in which the DOC was selected for the anticipated NO2 and sulfur management requirements of a fixed volume of 3 SCR types (vanadia, copper and iron). Each system was optimized to NOx conversion levels of 90%+ on NRTC cycles then exposed to accelerated sulfur poisoning and various cycles of increasing temperature after each poisoning to observe the performance recovery of the system. Specific sulfur management strategies are defined, depending on technology.

Laboratory testing is conducted on a wireless charging system by the Idaho National Laboratory in support of the U.S. Department of Energy's Advanced Vehicle Testing Activity. System efficiency and magnetic and electric field strength are measured during wireless charger operation over a wide range of conditions, including coil gap, offset alignment, and power transfer rate. Component surface temperatures are monitored at a full-power charge rate. The PLUGLESS™ inductive charging system from the Evatran Group, Inc. is tested in a laboratory setting and results are detailed.

For high torque permanent magnet wheel motor, this paper describes an experimental research method to optimize and identify the motor parameters based on the results of offline calculation. In order to improve the accuracy of motor parameters identification, the motor model considering the affect of iron loss was established, and the motor parameters were identified using genetic algorithm (GA). Based on this, parameters validation experiment was performed. The results show that: parameters obtained by this method can be used to describe the steady-state and transient-state response of permanent magnet synchronous motors accurately.

The paper proposes a design optimisation of an Interior Permanent Magnet synchronous motors with maximum output power density and suitable for wide constant-power region operation. In this paper, analytical magnetic and electrical models of the machine are developed to calculate parameters and variables of the machine needed for a design optimization such as flux, resistance and inductances. And then, the thermal aspect is modelled using a thermal lumped-parameter network which allows to estimate the machine temperatures at key points such as the windings and the magnet. These models are included in the optimization loop and so are evaluated at each iteration. The optimization method uses a differential evolution algorithm (DEA). Finally, output performances of the designed motor are verified by finite element analysis (FEA).

Failure mode and fatigue behavior of dissimilar laser welds in lap-shear specimens of aluminum and copper sheets are investigated. Quasi-static tests and fatigue tests of laser-welded lap-shear specimens under different load ranges with the load ratio of 0.1 were conducted. Optical micrographs of the welds after the tests were examined to understand the failure modes of the specimens. For the specimens tested under quasi-static loading conditions, the micrograph indicates that the specimen failed through the fusion zone of the aluminum sheet. For the specimens tested under cyclic loading conditions, two types of failure modes were observed under different load ranges. One failure mode has a kinked crack initiating from the interfacial surface between the aluminum and copper sheets and growing into the aluminum fusion zone at an angle close to 90°.

The demand for light weight vehicles continues to stimulate extensive research into the development of light weight casting alloys and optimization of their manufacturing processes. Of primary relevance are Aluminum (Al) and Magnesium (Mg) based alloys, which have successfully replaced selected iron based castings in automobiles. However, optimization of as-cast microstructure, processing and performance remains a challenge for some Al-based alloys. In this context, placement of chills in castings has been frequently used to locally manipulate the solidification conditions and microstructure of a casting. In this work, the effect of using an active copper chill on the residual strain profile of a sand-cast B319 aluminum alloy was investigated. Wedge-shaped castings were produced with three different cooling conditions: copper plate chill, copper pipe with cooling water and no chill (baseline).

We have achieved injection quantity range enhancement by using the current waveform control technique for direct injection (DI) gasoline injectors. In this study, we developed an injection quantity simulator to find out the mechanism of non-linear characteristics. We clarified the non-linear production mechanism by using the simulator. This simulator is a one-dimensional simulator that incorporates calculation results from both unsteady electromagnetic field analysis and hydraulic flow analysis into the motion equation of this simulation code. We investigated the relation between armature and the injection quantity by using the simulator. As a result, we clarified that the non-linearity was produced by the bounce of the armature in the opening action. Thus, we found that it is effective to reduce the armature bounce to improve the linearity of the injection quantity characteristics.

Stricter emission limitations for NOx and particulates in mobile diesel applications will require the combinations of active aftertreatment methods like Diesel Particulate Filters (DPF), Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) with urea and Lean NOx Trap (LNT) in the 2010's. A new concept is the combination of LNT+SCR, which enables on-board synthesis of ammonia (LNT), which is then removed on the SCR catalyst. The main application for this kind system will be light-duty vehicles, where LNTs are already used and the low temperature deNOx is a main target. That combinatory system was investigated by developing and selecting PtRh/LNT and SCR catalysts for that particulate application, where the maximum temperature may reach 800°C and SCR should proceed without NO2 assistance. Pt-rich, PtRh/LNT with reasonable high loadings above 80g/cft resulted in a high NOx efficiency in the experimental laboratory conditions which created also on LNTs a higher NH3 concentration for the SCR unit.

Ultrasonic fatigue tests (testing frequency around 20 kHz) have been conducted on four different cast aluminum alloys each with a distinct composition, heat treatment, and microstructure. Tests were performed in dry air, laboratory air and submerged in water. For some alloys, the ultrasonic fatigue lives were dramatically affected by the environment humidity. The effects of different factors like material composition, yield strength, secondary dendrite arm spacing and porosity were investigated; it was concluded that the material strength may be the key factor influencing the environmental humidity effect in ultrasonic fatigue testing. Further investigation on the effect of chemical composition, especially copper content, is needed.

Currently, there is a growing demand for application of plastic coverings for motorcycles in the market. Accordingly, decorative features for plastic coverings are increasingly important to enhance the attractiveness of exterior designs of those motorcycles. Under these circumstances, the magnetically formed decorative painting had been adopted to a mass-production model sold in Thailand in 2008. Magnetically formed decorative painting is a method in which the design patterns are formed by painting a material that contains flakes movable along with magnetic fields, while applying magnetic sheets in the ornamenting design shapes underneath the part being painted. It offers a three-dimensional appearance even though its surface has no protrusions or indentations. The degree of three-dimensionality on the paint surface appearance was defined as “plasticity” [1] (a term used in pictorial arts).

In this experimental study, an attempt is made to enhance the performance characteristics of diesel fuel with two different natural additives (NA). Borassus Flabelifer (NB1) and Oryza Sativa straws (NB2) were chosen as natural additives. The selected natural additives were milled for 150 hours using a planetary ball mill and their particle sizes ranging from 120 to 125 nm. The milled natural additives were doped into neat diesel using a magnetic stirrer followed by ultrasonication and their stability was ascertained. The presence of high carbon and oxygen content was noted on EDS results of milled powder. The properties of fuel were analyzed as per ASTM standards and it was observed that there was a marginal decrease in calorific value, flash point, and fire point of the fuel.