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Use of Computer Aided Engineering (CAE) tools for virtual validation has become an essential part of every product development process. Using CAE tools, accurate prediction of potential failure locations is possible even before building the proto. This paper presents a detailed case study of virtual validation of Backhoe Loader (BHL) dipper arm using CAE tools (MBD: Multi Body Dynamics and FEA: Finite Element Analysis) and comparison of simulation results with test data. In this paper, we have illustrated the modelling of Backhoe Loader in MSc ADAMS software. The detail ADAMS model was created and validated. The component mass, Center of Gravity (C.G) and Mass Moment of Inertia (MOI) was taken from CAD data. Trenching is simulated by operating the different hydraulic cylinders of the BHL. Loader arm cylinders and stabilizer cylinders are operated to lift the machine tires above the ground level.

For Automatic transmission application, crankshaft torque is transferred to torque converter through flex plate. As the flex plate has no functional requirement of storing energy as in case of Manual Transmission (MT) flywheel, flex plate design can be optimized to great extent. Flex plate structure must have compliance to allow the axial deformation of torque convertor due to ballooning pressure generated inside the converter. Flex plate experiences dynamic torque and centrifugal forces due to high rotational speed. It should have compliance to accommodate the assembly misalignments with torque convertor in both axial and radial directions. In this paper, sequential and hybrid optimization techniques are described to optimize the flex plate design with stress, stiffness and mass as design constraints. The load path, corrugation length and axial stiffness of flex plate captured accurately using this hybrid optimization.

Precise control over mixture formation withhigh fuel pressure and multiple injections allows Gasoline Direct Injection (GDI) engines to be operated satisfactorily at extreme conditions wherePort Fuel Injection (PFI) engines wouldnormally struggle due to combustion instability issues. Catalyst heating phase is one such important condition which is initiated after a cold engine start to improve the effectiveness of the three-way catalyst (TWC). For a given TWC specification, fast light-offof TWC is achieved in the catalyst heating phase by increasing the exhaust gas temperature with higher exhaust mass flow. The duration of this phase must be as short as possible, as it is a trade-off between achieving sufficient TWC light off performance and fuel efficiency.

Hybrid Electric Vehicles (HEVs), Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles (PHEVs), Extended Range Electric Vehicles (EREVs), Battery Electric Vehicles' (BEVs) development is gaining traction across all geographies to help meet ever increasing fuel economy regulations and as a pathway to offset concerns due to climate change and improve the overall green quotient of automobiles. These technologies have primarily shifted towards Li-ion batteries for Energy Storage (due to energy density and mass). In order to make actual business sense of these technologies, of which, battery is a major cost driver, it is necessary for these batteries to provide similar performance and life expectancy across the operating and soak (storage) range of the vehicles, as well as provide the requirements at a competitive cost.

Aerodynamic simulation using commercial CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics) codes is now an integral part of the vehicle design process. Aerodynamic prediction and vehicle development program runs in parallel. This requires a good agreement between experimental measurements and CFD prediction of aerodynamic behavior of a vehicle. The comparison between experimental and simulation results show differences, as it may not be possible to replicate effect of all the wind tunnel parameters in the simulation. This paper presents the details of aerodynamic simulation process of a Crossover and its validation with the experimental results available from the wind tunnel tests. The results are compared for different configurations such as- closing the grille openings, removing the rearview mirror, adding ski-rack and using different tyres. This study also includes the effect of different wind speeds and yaw angles on the coefficient of drag.

Continually increasing customer demands and legislative Requirements regarding fuel economy, emissions, Performance, drive ability and comfort need to be met by every OEM's developing vehicles worldwide. There is a serious pressure to reduce CO2 emission from automotive application which contributes to around 15.9% of the total CO2 production based on the Surveys done time to time. In a developing market like India, many foreign players are entering with lots of option for offering to this market. The parameters of prime importance here are fuel efficiency with good drive ability and at the same time affordable price. Diesel engines are finding these benefits and attracting the buyer over its counterpart (Gasoline). The road condition and the driving pattern in India compared with developed countries differ to a major extent. In India, the Low speed uses are predominating in Cities and in Ghats.

In today's fast growing automobile world, the Emission limits are stringent; customer expectations of vehicle performance and Fuel economy are more. Achieving these parameters for the given engine are challenging task for any automobile engineers. BS4 Emission limits are 50% more stringent than BS3 limits and from April 2010 onwards, all passenger cars which will be selling in 13 metro cities in India should be BS4 emission compliant. In this paper, we have described how BS4 limits were achieved in a MPV with 2.49 l, 70kW Common Rail Direct Injection Turbocharged Diesel engine, with push rod. During Emission development, the following processes were followed to meet BS4 emission limits without sacrificing the engine performance, Fuel Economy and Noise. Selecting suitable hardwares like Turbocharger, EGR cooler at engine level to reduce NOx and Unburned Hydrocarbon Emissions with best Brake specific fuel consumption.

Brazil has implemented a new emission regulation for Light commercial vehicles named PROCONVE L6. This regulation follows Environmental Protection Act (EPA) driving cycle; FTP75. This cycle simulates an urban route of 12.07 km with frequent stops. The maximum speed is 91.2 km/h and the average speed is 31.5 km/h. The regulation has proposed that the gear shift pattern of the manual transmission vehicle can be varied according to the manufacturer's specification. This has lead to the strategy of optimizing gear shift pattern without compromising diesel combustion and engine-out emission with optimized exhaust-gas treatment-devices. The emission is demonstrated to Brazilan Authorities with good margins.

This paper establishes quick and accurate methods to experimentally determine the rigid body properties of a powertrain unit namely, the centre of gravity, the moment of inertia and the torque roll axis and also the rigid body dynamics of mounting system such as the rigid body modes, kinetic energy distribution, and elastic roll axis. The centre of gravity is determined using single point suspension and laser pointer to locate the axis passing through the centre of gravity. A special unifilar pendulum test rig is developed for determining the moment of inertia where an accelerometer measures the rotational oscillations for a given time period and the moment of inertia is determined by solving a set of inertial ellipsoid equations. An easy method of reorienting the powertrain is demonstrated in this paper.

Automotive steel wheel is a critical component for human safety. For validating steel wheel various tests will be performed at component and vehicle level. Cornering test performed at vehicle level is one of the tests, where wheel will be validated for high cornering loads. Cornering test performed at vehicle level consists of three different events i.e., rotations of vehicle in track1, rotations of vehicle track 2 and rotations of vehicle in track3. As wheel will experience different loading in each of the events of cornering test, correlating the virtual Finite Element Analysis (FEA) with physical test is quite challenging. If in FEA we can predict the damage and life very near to the physical validation, we can create a safe wheel for high cornering loads without any test concerns. Vent hole shape and Hat depth are two important aspects in wheel disc design. Vent hole shape and size will influence the heat dissipation of braking.

Drive cycles have been an integral part of emission tests and virtual simulations for decades. A drive cycle is a representation of running behavior of a typical vehicle, involving the drive pattern, road characteristics and traffic characteristics. Drive cycles are typically used to assess vehicle performance parameters, perform system sizing and perform accelerated testing on a test bed or a virtual test environment, hence reducing the expenses on road tests. This study is an attempt to design a relatively robust process to generate a real world drive cycle. It is based on a Six Sigma design approach which utilizes data acquired from real world road trials. It explicitly describes the process of generating a drive cycle which closely represents the real world road drive scenario. The study also focuses on validation of the process by simulation and statistical analysis.

In developing countries, the commercial vehicle industry is one of the key drivers for economic growth. The commercial vehicle industry in India is expected to reach 11,80,000 units by 2025 with a CAGR of 18% from CY 2020 to CY 2025 [1]. In the price sensitive segment of small commercial vehicles, it is imperative to incorporate accurate fuel economy measurement techniques during product development stage to deliver maximum value to the customer. In this approach, measuring the fuel consumption of small commercial vehicles in real world driving conditions in real time is one of the most critical aspects in engine calibration development and fine tuning. One of the challenges in measuring fuel consumption in sub 1 liter diesel engines is the very low fuel flow rate in the fuel feed line which keeps varying as per the driver demand.

The 48V mild-Hybrid system uses a 48V Lithium - Ion battery pack to boost the engine performance, to harness recuperative energy and to supply the accessory boardnet power requirement. Thermal management of the 48V battery pack is critical for its optimal utilization to realize the mild hybrid functionality, to meet CO2 reduction targets and useful life particularly under usage in hot ambient conditions. This paper discusses the various challenges and options of thermal management for the 48V battery pack based on the usage pattern and environmental conditions. The lifetime for a passively cooled battery pack is estimated for a typical Indian usage pattern. Active-air cooling is evaluated for the thermal management of the 48V mild-Hybrid battery pack. The tradeoffs are compared in terms of availability of hybrid functions and battery life.

A cabin on an agricultural tractor is meant to protect the operator from harsh environment, dust and provide an air conditioned space. As it is an enclosed space, cabin structure should be a crashworthiness structure and should not cause serious injury to operator in case of tractor roll over. There are International standard like OECD Code 4, SAE J2194 which regulates the crashworthiness of this protective structure. The roll-over protective structure (ROPS) is characterized by the provision of space for a clearance zone large enough to protect the operator in case of tractor overturn. None of the cabin parts should enter into the clearance zone for operator safety. In addition to meeting ROPS test criteria, the cabin structural strength should be optimized for the required tractor life. In this paper, simulation process has been established to design an agricultural tractor cabin structure and its mountings to meet the above requirements.

In current scenario importance of fuel efficient vehicles, lesser emissions & energy efficiency are the major considerations for any vehicle manufacturer. To meet these expectations vehicle manufacturer are exploring alternate powertrains to reduce emissions and produce better fuel efficient vehicles. For any vehicle manufacturer component cost, weight and package volume are the major driving factors for success. This is even true for latest upcoming hybrid and electric vehicles as well. To gain advantage and introduce products faster, OEMs are inclined to electrify their existing platforms to compete with other manufacturers. To convert existing vehicles into hybrid vehicles, all the major components like e machine, High voltage battery, power electronics etc. needs to be carefully packaged along with existing components in the same package space.

Electric cars are the future of urban mobility which have very less carbon foot print. Unlike the conventional cars which uses BIW (Body in White), some of the electric cars are made with a space frame architecture, which is light weight and suitable for low volume production. In this architecture, underbody consists of frames, battery pack, electronics housing and electric motor. Underbody drag increases due to air entrapment around these components. Aerodynamic study for baseline model using CFD simulations showed that there was a considerable air resistance due to underbody components. To reduce the underbody drag, different add-ons are used and their effect on drag is studied. A front spoiler (air dam) is used to deflect the incoming air towards sides of the car. A under hood cover for front components, trailing arm cover for trailing arm and rear bumper cover for rear components were used to reduce underbody drag.

The effort involved in automotive software test/calibration at road level is very high and cost involved is also commendable because of the involved proto level samples. Further the on-road test/calibration process is sensitive to external factors like drive pattern and environmental conditions. It is always a challenge for any OEM, to come up with an efficient process, which optimizes development cost, time and reliability of the product. The model based test/calibration process is always a dream for any engineer to work on, as it has big advantage of cost, reproducibility and repeatability of test cases [1]. But the challenge lies in achieving the closeness to reality with limited availability of crucial data for model parameterization. Activity at test bed level bridges the gap between the on-road and model based test/calibration achieving high maturity level at optimal cost/time. Current vehicle has many systems, which work in synergy to create an impact on end customer.

The prime focus of automotive industries in recent times is to improve the energy efficiency of automotive subsystem and system as whole. Harvesting the waste energy and averaging the peak thermal loads using thermal energy storage (TES) materials and devices can help to improve the energy efficiency of automotive system and sub-system. The phase change materials (PCM) well suit the requirement of energy storage/release according to demand requirement. One such example of TES using PCM is extended automotive cabin comfort during vehicle idling and city traffics including start/stop of the engine at traffic stops. PCM as TES poses high density and capacity in thermal energy storage and release. It is due to latent heat absorption and release during phase change. Generally the latent heat of a material compare to it sensible heat is much higher, almost an order of 2. For example, latent heat of ice is almost 160 times higher than sensible heat for a kelvin temperature rise of ice.

A differential casing is one of the important elements in the vehicle power train, whose objective is to house differential gears and take different loads coming from these gears. The function of a differential is to drive a pair of wheels while allowing them to rotate at different speeds. While taking a turn, the outer wheel needs to travel more compared to the inner wheel. This is possible due to the differential which rotates them at different speeds. This Paper highlights a simplified methodology to capture the differential casing failure and to resolve the same. The methodology adopted was then correlated with the test measurements to increase the confidence. During physical tests, strains are measured at different orientations of the differential casing and correlated with simulation results.

Scooter segment growth is tremendously increasing in India. The increased competition challenges automotive manufacturers to deliver the high quality and high reliable product to the market. Higher reliability involves increased durability testing which involves time and cost. Stress testing a part of durability is initially conducted on prototype vehicles for structural design validation and then later on production units to ensure its structural integrity. The obtained data from the tests can be used for future structural design improvements. Scooters with small tires, suspension limitations transfers more loads to structure, challenges engineers to design robust structure without compromising on weight much. It is necessary to look at Real World Usage Pattern (RWUP) and to create a stress life cycle block for simulation of accelerated testing, thereby optimizing the testing time and the development costs.