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Abstract The project of lean management is implemented in General Motors India Private Limited, Pune, India plant. The aim of the project is to improve manpower utilization by removing seven types of wastes using lean management system in kitting process. Lean manufacturing or management is the soul of Just-In-Time philosophy and is not new in Automobile manufacture sector where it born. Kitting area is analogs to the modern supermarket where required components, parts, consumables, subassemblies are kept in bins. These bins are placed in racks so that choosing right part at right time can be achieved easily. Video recording, in-person observation, feedback from online operators and other departments such as maintenance, control, supply chain etc. are taken. It is observed that the work content performed by current strength of operators can be performed by less number of operators. After executing this project, it was possible to reduce one operator and increase manpower utilization.

Abstract Carbon fiber reinforced plastic (CFRP) has been used in automobiles as well as airplanes. Because of its light weight and high strength, CFRP is a good choice for making vehicle bodies lighter, which would improve fuel economy. Conventional metal bodies provide a convenient body return for electric wiring and offer good shielding against electromagnetic fields. Although CFRP is a conductor, its conductivity is much lower than that of metals. Therefore, CFRP bodies are usually not useful for electric wiring. In thunderstorms, an automotive body is considered to be a Faraday cage that protects the vehicle’s occupants from the potential harms of lightning. Before CFRP becomes widely applied to automotive bodies, its electric and electromagnetic properties need to be investigated in order to determine whether it also works as a Faraday cage against lightning. In this article, CFRP and metal body vehicles were tested under artificial lightning.

Abstract The mechanical efficiency of the current continuously variable transmission (CVT) suffers from high pump loss induced by a high-pressure system. A novel wedge mechanism is designed into the CVT clamp actuation system to generate the majority of clamp force mechanically. Therefore, the hydraulic system can operate at a low-pressure level most of the time, and the pump loss is greatly reduced to improve the CVT’s mechanical efficiency. Through dynamic analysis and design optimization, 90% of clamp force is contributed by the wedge mechanism and the rest of the 10% is generated by a conventional hydraulic system. The optimal design is validated through dynamic modeling using Siemens Virtual.Lab software by simulating the wedge clamp force generation, ratio change dynamics, and system response under tip-in conditions. After that, we built prototype components that target 70% of the clamp force contributed by the wedge mechanism and tested them on a transmission dynamometer.

Abstract This article presents a fault diagnosis approach for roller bearing by applying the autocorrelation approach to filtered vibration measured signal. An optimal Morlet wavelet filter is applied to eliminate the frequency associated with interferential vibrations; the raw measured signal is filtered with a band-pass filter based on a Morlet wavelet function whose parameters are optimized based on maximum Kurtosis. Autocorrelation enhancement is applied to the filtered signal to further reduce the residual in-band noise and highlight the periodic impulsive feature. The proposed technique is used to analyze the experimental measured signal of investigated vehicle gearbox. An artificial fault is introduced in vehicle gearbox bearing an orthogonal placed groove on the inner race with the initial width of 0.6 mm approximately. The faulted bearing is a roller bearing located on the gearbox input shaft - on the clutch side.

Abstract Heat generation characteristics of lithium ion batteries are vital for both the optimization of the battery cells and thermal management system design of battery packs. Compared with other factors, internal resistance has great influence on the thermal behavior of Li-ion batteries. Focus on a 3 Ah pouch type battery cell with the NCM/C material system, this paper quantitatively evaluates the battery heat generation behavior using an Extended Volume-Accelerating Rate Calorimeter in combination with a battery cycler. Also, internal resistances of the battery cell are measured using both the hybrid pulse power characteristic (HPPC) and electro-chemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) methods. Experimental results show that the overall internal resistance obtained by the EIS method is close to the ohmic resistance measured by the HPPC method. Heat generation power of the battery cell is small during discharge processes lower than 0.5 C-rate.

Abstract ISO 26262 needs to be considered when developing safety-relevant E/E systems within the automotive industry. One part of the development process according to ISO 26262 is the derivation of the safety requirements for component functions. Here, one attribute of the safety requirements is the Automotive Safety Integrity Level (ASIL). The ASIL at a component level can be determined using ASIL allocation and decomposition. Considering complex systems such as vehicle electrical systems, countless possibilities can be identified for how the ASILs at a component level can be assigned in line with safety goals. In terms of efficiency, manual assignment is not expedient. Therefore, an algorithm for automated assignment of the ASILs will be introduced which considers constraints based on a fault tree analysis. The function of the approach will be demonstrated using the example of a vehicle electrical system from an automated vehicle.

Abstract Battery Drain problems can occur in the vehicle due to improper network management between electronic control units (ECUs). Aim of this paper is to identify the factors that cause transmission and cease of transmission of a network management message of an ECU along with its application messages that controls the sleep/wake-up performance of other ECUs in the network. Strategy used here is, based on the root cause analysis of problems found in Display unit in vehicle environment, the functional CAN signals impacting sleep/wake-up behavior is re-mapped along with the state flow transition of AUTOSAR NM Algorithm. A re-defined test case design and simulation for vehicle model is created. Especially it focuses on validating the impact of functional CAN signals on DUT’s sleep/wake-up performance.

Abstract The high-frequency noise issue is one of the most significant noise, vibration, and harshness problems, particularly in battery electric vehicles (BEVs). The sound package treatment is one of the most important approaches toward solving this problem. Owing to the limitations imposed by manufacturing error, assembly error, and the operating conditions, there is often a big difference between the actual values and the design values of the sound package components. Therefore, the sound package parameters include greater uncertainties. In this article, an uncertainty analysis method for BEV interior noise was developed based on an interval model to investigate the effect of sound package uncertainty on the interior noise of a BEV. An interval perturbation method was formulated to compute the uncertainty of the BEV’s interior noise.

Abstract While the design of nozzles for diatomic gases is very well established and covered by published works, the case of a diatomic gas dissociating to monatomic along a nozzle is a novel subject that needs a proper mathematical description. These novel studies are relevant to the definition of nozzles for gas-core Nuclear Thermal Rockets (NTR) that are receiving increased attention for the potential advantages they may deliver versus current generation rockets. The article thus reviews the design of the nozzles of gas-core NTR that use hydrogen as the propellant. Propellant temperatures are expected to reach 9,000-15,000 K. Above 1500 K, hydrogen begins to dissociate at low pressures, and around 3000 K dissociation also occurs at high pressures. At a given temperature, the lower the gas pressure the more molecules dissociate, and H2 → H + H. The properties of the gas are a function of the mass fractions of diatomic and monatomic hydrogen x H2 and x H = 1 − x H2.

Abstract A key problem of the construction of fully electric aircraft is the limited energy density of battery packs. It is generally accepted that this can only be overcome via new, denser battery chemistry together with a further increase in the efficiency of power utilization. One appealing approach for achieving the latter is using laser-assisted filler-based joining technologies, which offers unprecedented flexibility for achieving battery cell connections with the least possible electrical loss. This contribution presents our results on the effect of various experimental and process parameters on the electrical and mechanical properties of the laser-formed bond.

Abstract Improving the energy performance of batteries can increase the reliability of electric aircraft. To achieve this goal, battery management systems (BMS) are required to keep the temperature within the battery pack and cells below the safety limits and make the temperature distribution as even as possible. Batteries have a limited service life as a result of unwanted chemical reactions, physical changes that cause the loss of active materials in the structure, and internal resistance increase during the charging and discharging cycle of the battery. These changes usually affect the electrical performance of batteries. Battery life can be increased only by reducing or preventing unwanted chemical reactions. Lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries are a suitable option due to their high specific energy and energy density advantages. In this study, the necessity of heat management is emphasized. The discharge tests of the Li-ion battery provided 94.6 Wh under 10C and 90.9 Wh under 1C.

Abstract The range of an aircraft is determined by the amount of energy that its batteries can store. Today, larger batteries are used to increase the range of electric vehicles, although energy efficiency decreases as the weight of the vehicles increases. Among the elements, lithium (Li) is the lightest and has the highest electrochemical potential. Therefore, the use of Li-ion batteries is recommended for hybrid aircraft. In addition, Li-ion batteries are the most common type of battery that is used in portable electronic devices such as smartphones, tablets, and laptops. However, Li-ion batteries may explode due to temperature. Therefore, the thermal analysis of Li-ion batteries was investigated both experimentally and numerically. Li-ion batteries were connected in series (the number is 9). Noboru’s theory of heat generation was discussed in the estimation of energy data.

Abstract Jet engine hot parts (e.g., jet nozzle) are a crucial source of aircraft’s infrared (IR) signature from the rearview, in 1.9-2.9 μm and 3-5 μm bands. The exhaust nozzle design used in a jet aircraft affects its performance and IR signature (which is also affected just by performance) from the engine layout. For supersonic aircraft (typically for M ∞ > 1.5), a converging-diverging (C-D) nozzle is preferred over a convergent nozzle for optimum performance. The diverging section of the C-D nozzle has a full range of visibility from the rearview; hence, it was not considered a prudent choice for low IR observability. This theoretical study compares the IR signature of the C-D nozzle with that of the convergent nozzle from the rearview in 1.9-2.9 μm and 3-5 μm bands for the same thrust.

Abstract Inline piston pumps are extensively used in aircraft hydraulic systems. They can be found in engine-driven large-sized hydraulic pumps and zonal electric motor-driven mid-small sized pumps. Inline piston pumps are positive displacement pumps with variable volumetric flow controls. Positive displacement pumps can provide a variable flow rate over a wide range of suction pressures. Aircraft fly at high altitudes, and therefore these pumps have to work in extreme conditions such as low atmospheric pressure, low temperature. At low inlet pressures, the pump is highly susceptible to cavitation, i.e., insufficient filling capacity. The pressure below which pump flow rate drops drastically is known as critical inlet pressure. Extensive research has been carried out to study cavitation in inline piston pumps.

Abstract In this article, a unique design for Hydro-Pneumatic Energy Harvesting Suspension HPEHS system is introduced. The design includes a hydraulic rectifier to maintain one-way flow direction in order to obtain maximum power generation from the vertical oscillation of the suspension system and achieve handling and comfort car drive. A mathematical model is presented to study the system dynamics and non-linear effects for HPEHS system. A simulation model is created by using Advanced Modeling Environment Simulations software (AMEsim) to analyze system performance. Furthermore, a co-simulation platform model is developed using Matlab-Simulink and AMEsim to optimize the PID controller parameters of the external variable load resistor applied on the generator by using Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO).

Abstract Recently, electric heavy-duty tractor-trailers (EHDTTs) have assumed significance as they present an immediate solution to decarbonize the transportation sector. Hence, to illustrate the economic viability of electrifying the freight industry, a detailed numerical model to estimate the battery capacity for an EHDTT is proposed for a route between Washington, DC, to Knoxville, TN. This model incorporates the effects of the terrain, climate, vehicular forces, auxiliary loads, and payload in order to select the appropriate motor and optimize the battery capacity. Additionally, current and near-future battery chemistries are simulated in the model. Along with equations describing vehicular forces based on Newton’s second law of motion, the model utilizes the Hausmann and Depcik correlation to estimate the losses caused by the capacity offset of the batteries. Here, a Newton-Raphson iterative scheme determines the minimum battery capacity for the required state of charge.

Abstract Raceway Brinell damage is one major cause of wheel bearing (hub unit) noise during driving. Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) customers have asked continuously for its improvement to the wheel bearing supply base. Generally, raceway Brinelling in a wheel hub unit is a consequence of metallic yielding from high external loading in a severe environment usually involving a side impact to the wheel and tire. Thus, increasing the yielding strength of steel can lead to higher resistance to Brinell damage. Both the outer ring and hub based on Generation 3 (Gen. 3) wheel unit are typically manufactured using by AISI 1055 bearing quality steel (BQS); these components undergo controlled cooling to establish the core properties then case hardening via induction hardening (IH). This paper presents a modified grade of steel and its IH design that targets longer life and improves Brinell resistance developed by ILJIN AMRC (Advanced Materials Research Center).

Abstract In this study, an attempt is made to deduce the number of teeth in the driven sprocket of a Formula SAE (FSAE) car using Optimum Lap software based on track run simulation of the car, which comes out to be 51 teeth. The sprocket material was selected as Aluminum Alloy AL-7075 T6 because of its strength-to-weight ratio. In addition to it, the generative design strategy by Fusion-360 was utilized to automatically engender the slotted sprocket design on the ground of stress induced on it during operation. Furthermore, the design was verified virtually carrying out static structural and fatigue analysis under the worst-case scenario in CAE software. The overall weight reduction achieved was around 45%. Furthermore, the center-to-center distance between the sprockets and the number of chain links required were also calculated on the basis of space constraints and the wrap angle of the sprocket.

Abstract An analysis method for the stability of combined braking system of tractor-semitrailer based on phase-plane is investigated. Based on a 9 degree of freedom model, considering longitudinal load transfer, nonlinear model of tire and other factors, the braking stability of tractor-semitrailer is analyzed graphically on the phase plane. The stability of both tractor and semitrailer with different retarder gear is validated with the energy plane, β plane, yaw angle plane and hinged angle plane. The result indicates that in the long downhill with curve condition, both tractor and semitrailer show good stability when retarder is working at 1st and 2nd gear, and when it is at 3rd gear, the tractor is close to be unstable while semitrailer is unstable already. Besides, tractor and semitrailer both lose stability when retarder is working at the 4th gear.

Abstract When commercial vehicles drive in a mountainous area, the complex road condition and long slopes cause frequent acceleration and braking, which will use 25% more fuel. And the brake temperature rises rapidly due to continuous braking on the long-distance downslopes, which will make the brake drum fail with the brake temperature exceeding 308°C [1]. Meanwhile, the kinetic energy is wasted during the driving progress on the slopes when the vehicle rolls up and down. Our laboratory built a model that could calculate the distance from the top of the slope, where the driver could release the accelerator pedal. Thus, on the slope, the vehicle uses less fuel when it rolls up and less brakes when down. What we do in this article is use this model in a real vehicle and measure how well it works.