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The demand to reduce noise in the passenger cars is increasing. Tire vibration characteristics must be considered when studying road noise because of the strong interaction between tire vibration characteristics and interior car noise. Car manufacturers are keenly interested in studies on the prediction of NVH (Noise, Vibration and Harshness) performance, including viewing tires as substructure. Recently, studies have illustrated the effect that tire lateral bending mode have has on road noise, while most past studies of tire vibration focused on the circumference mode, which excited the vertical spindle force. Therefore, further study of tire lateral bending mode is necessary. Modeling of the tire lateral bending mode is described in this paper. First, lateral spindle force is measured under tire rolling conditions. Second, experimental modal analysis is performed to grasp tire lateral bending mode. Finally, a tire vibration model is built using the cylindrical shell theory.

This study examined methods of machining a microsurface texture on the surface of the rolling elements of a toroidal continuously variable transmission (CVT) for improving the traction coefficient. The microsurface texture of the toroidal surfaces consists of tiny circumferential grooves (referred to here as micro grooves) and a mirror-like surface finish similar to the rolling surface of bearings. Hard turning with a cubic boron nitride (cBN) cutting tool, grinding with a cBN wheel and micro forming were applied to machine the micro grooves. The results made clear the practical potential of each method. A micro forming device was also developed for use in actual production. A mirror-like surface finish and micro crowning of the convex portions of the microsurface texture were simultaneously executed by superfinishing them with a fine-grained elastic superfinishing stone.

This paper proposes a method of estimating road friction and tire slip angle in a cornering maneuver. The method can estimate front tire road friction accurately at low lateral acceleration because it is based on the tire self-aligning torque (SAT) that exhibits high sensitivity to road friction at low slip angles. Road friction and tire slip angle, which are mutually interdependent, are estimated simultaneously using an extended Kalman filter designed around a model describing the relationship between road friction and SAT and a vehicle lateral dynamic model. The front tire SAT is calculated with a mathematical model that describes the torque transmission characteristics from the electric power steering torque to SAT. Therefore, the proposed method is readily applicable to production vehicles. Results of an experimental study show that the change in road friction is instantaneously estimated at low lateral acceleration.

Traction control systems (TCSs) serve to control brake pressure and engine torque, thereby reducing driving wheel spin for improved stability and handling. Systems are divided into two basic types by the brake control configuration. One type is a one-channel left-right common control system and the other is a two-channel individual control system. This paper presents an analysis of these two types of TCS configurations in terms of handling, acceleration, stability, yaw convergence and other performance parameters. The systems are compared with and without a limited-slip differential (LSD) under various road conditions, based on experimental data and computer simulations. As a result of this work, certain Nissan models are now equipped with a new Nissan Traction Control System with a rear viscous LSD (Nissan V-TCS), which provides both the advantages of a rear viscous LSD in a small slip region and a two-channel TCS in a large slip region.

The use of CAE software in developing plastic components has advanced rapidly in recent years. This progress has been supported by the development of practical analytical tools, based on the finite element and boundary element methods, and on the dramatic improvements seen in computer performance. Following the introduction of a flow analysis program in 1982, Nissan has developed and implemented advanced programs for use in developing plastic components and has integrated the programs into a unified in-house system. This system is being utilized at the design and manufacturing stages of interior and exterior trim parts and has produced concrete results in different phases of component development. Work is now proceeding on the development of a system that can simultaneously analyze both the component performance and the factors that need to be considered in the manufacturing process.

This paper proposes a new hierarchical optimization technique for the vehicle body structure, by combining topology optimization and shape optimization based on the traction method. With the proposed approach, topology optimization is first performed on the overall allowable design domain in 3D. The surface is extracted from the optimization result and converted to a thin shell structure. Shape optimization based on the traction method is then applied to obtain an overall optimal body shape. In the shape optimization process, iterative calculations are performed in the course of consolidating parts by deleting those whose contribution is small. The result obtained by applying this method to the front frame structure of a vehicle is explained. The resultant optimal shape has stiffness greater than or equal to the original structure and is 35% lighter. This confirms the validity of the proposed technique. It was found, however, that some issues remain to be addressed.

A light weight,multifunctional plastic reinforcement has been developed for the outer body panels of vehicles. This new plastic reinforcement,composed mainly of polyvinylchloride resin, epoxy resin and an organic foaming agent, provides a 63% weight reduction over conventional plastic reinforcements, while adding the damping function to outer body panels. This paper introduces the process followed in developing the new plastic reinforcement and describes its characteristics. This new plastic reinforcement is already employed in the Nissan S-Cargo model, and it will be adopted in other passenger car models to be released in the near future.

CFRP (Carbon Fiber Reinforced Plastic) materials have been extensively used in racing cars because of its high stiffness and lightweight. Recently, car crash safety is becoming increasingly important even for racing cars. CFRP has also a merit on crash safety because it offers the freedom to set the material characteristics where needed and the needless of considering remaining length after the impact. In this analysis, a multi-layered shell material is applied to reproduce the crash characteristics of the CFRP structure. Fundamental crash test data of simple specimens are used to verify the material characteristics of CFRP, and applied to the Crash-Box of a Nissan GT500 racing car. The simulation showed good correlation with the actual test, and the final design was based on these analyses without the need of repeating impact tests.

A plastic intake manifold has been developed for the new QR engine. This manifold has an intricate shape owing to its performance and layout requirements. The die slide injection (DSI) method was selected to manufacture this complicated shape using the world's first application of a common mold forming technique for a three-piece structure. This paper describes the manufacturing technology and the measures adopted to ensure the strength of welded parts, which is a key point of this method. The benefits obtained by applying this plastic intake manifold to the new engine are also described.

In order to satisfy increasing customer demands on ride quality as well as expectations for off-road performance of sport-utility vehicles (SUVs), it is necessary to develop technologies which offer enhanced levels of both performances. For ride quality, it is important to minimize body roll angle during cornering, which is achieved by suppressing suspension travel, and also to reduce vertical motion during straight-ahead travel. While for off-road performance, it is necessary to allow a long suspension stroke to allow a high level of off-road traction by delivering driving force reliably to the surface. These two performance parameters require a tradeoff with respect to vehicle roll stiffness. To reconcile these conflicting performance requirements, for first time in the world we adopted for production vehicles the system which connects the four shock absorbers together.

The research into vibration characteristics of a loaded and rolling tire is essential for the prediction of spindle forces. There are tire vibration characteristics one of which is the first natural frequency of a loaded and rolling tire is lower than that of an unrolling tire. The vibration characteristics, for a loaded and rolling tire, are affected by the effect of rotation, restrictions of the vibration due to road contact, and the behavior of rubber dependent on amplitude strain. The consideration of the degradation of natural frequency is therefore necessary in the tire model for prediction of spindle forces. This paper describes an identification method for the tire equivalent stiffness of a tire model focused on vertical spindle forces. The first mode is dominant in vertical spindle forces. First, the natural frequencies in rolling and unrolling tires are identified by operational impact test.

This paper presents a new refrigeration lubricant for use with the HFC-134a retrofit refrigerant in automotive air-conditioning systems originally designed to use the CFC-12 refrigerant, one of the regulated CFCs scheduled to be phased out. This new retrofit lubricant provides high lubricity and excellent performance characteristics as a result of adopting a newly developed PAG base oil with a block polymer structure and a new antiwear additive formulation. In retrofit systems, it assures sufficient durability for wobble-plate-type variable displacement compressors, which experience severe lubrication conditions.

Research into stability at high speed shows that rear suspension characteristics play an important role in vehicle control and stability. In order to improve the cornering limit steering performance and traction of front-wheel-drive vehicles, where the front wheels bear a large proportion of the load and transmit the driving force, and to maintain vehicle stability when decelerating while cornering, rear suspension characteristics are needed that will fully draw out the cornering force capacity of the rear tires. This requirement continues to grow every year, along with demands for higher levels of comfort in passenger cars, including improved ride quality and quietness. It was against this background that the new multi-link beam rear suspension, which is installed in the new Maxima and Sentra models, was developed. This paper describes the aims, construction, characteristics and effects of this new suspension, with focus on vehicle control and stability.

The effects of CNBR (cross-linked acrylonitrile butadiene rubber) modification on the fracture characteristics of epoxy adhesives were investigated under Mode I static loading. Fracture tests were conducted by using DCB (double cantilever beam) specimens. Rubber content, adhesive thickness and loading rate were changed. The crack extension resistance (given by energy release rate) of the epoxy adhesives was much improved by CNBR modification. For the rubber modified epoxy adhesives, the crack extension resistance becomes high with an increase in adhesive thickness as well as loading rate. The reason why the CNBR modification improves the crack extension resistance was explained based on the surface observation and fractal dimension of the fractured surface.

The effects of inclusion of glass beads and rubber modification on the fatigue fracture characteristics of an epoxy adhesive were investigated. Hybrid effects were also investigated when not only the epoxy adhesive was rubber modified but also when glass beads were mixed simultaneously. Fatigue crack growth resistance was greatly increased due to glass beads, CTBN and CNBR modifications at the second stage of crack growth (da/dN=10-4-10-3 mm/cycle). However, the energy release rate at threshold for both CNBR and CTBN modified adhesives were lower than that for the unmodified adhesive. No significant hybrid effects were distinguishable.

This paper presents a new electronic torque split four-wheel-drive system called All-Mode 4WD, which has been adopted in the latest generation of sport-utility vehicles (SUVs). As a torque split system designed specifically for SUV use, it provides stable driving performance matching the driver's intentions under all sorts of operating conditions, from a completely natural on-road driving feel to powerful traction for off-road travel.

The effects of temperature, crack tip opening rate and rubber content on static fracture characteristics of CNBR (Cross-linked acryloNitrile Butadiene Rubber) modified epoxy adhesives were investigated under mode I loading. Loading-unloading tests were statically performed by using DCB (Double Cantilever Beam) specimens. The fracture toughness increased with increasing the rubber content. The fracture toughness of CNBR modified and unmodified epoxy adhesives was much influenced by temperature and crack tip opening rate. The surface topology of fractured surface was changed by temperature and type of adhesive.

Judging from viewpoint of automotive safety and more space by eliminating a spare tire, the development of the run-flat tires is important. Many problems relating to weight increase and usability had to be solved in the course of the development of such tires. The “ N ” type run-flat tire, described in this paper, has a simple structure with reinforced side walls and additional beads to fit the rim flanges. Though this tire system brought about a small amount of weight increase, it needs no special part, therefore the conventional road wheels, air valves and tire changers may be used. We have tested and evaluated this tire system equipped with passenger cars as well as on the test machines. Especially vehicle dynamics such as steering, stability and so forth were tested. The test results indicated that this tire system is practical enough.

From the view point of vehicle weight reduction and saving resources, it would be desirable to decrease the steering effort eliminating the assistance of power. Therefore, we have analyzed the steering effort at low vehicle speeds where steering effort is great, and have introduced a theoretical model based on the contact surface deflection recovering process of rolling tires. This deflection comes from the lateral rigidity and the total deflection of tires. The following results were obtained from this study. As the vehicle speed increases, the steering effort decreases exponentially. As the steering speed increases or as the vehicle speed decreases, the steering effort increases and the effort approaches the final value which equals the static steering effort. The static steering effort is not relative to steering speed. These theoretical results are supported by vehicle experiments.

Down-gauging outer panels is an effective method for reducing the weight of an automobile body. We have succeeded in narrowing the thickness of outer panels by using rib-shaped plastic reinforcement. The plastic reinforcement consists of unhardened resin and an adhesive sheet, and it conforms well to the curved panel surface. In the body paint oven, it is hardened on the outer panels and forms a rib-shaped structure. This paper describes the composition of the resin material, the manufacturing process and the strength and rigidity of outer panels made with the rib-shaped reinforcement. It also discusses the weight reduction effect achieved by applying these panels to the doors of a production vehicle.