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Facing a competitive and globalized market and with increasingly demanding customers, companies must constantly seek the development of practices in the development of new products. One of the current practices is the adoption of modularity. In that sense, the objective of this paper is to conduct an analysis of this practice in a Brazilian company, which manufactures agricultural machinery. The applicability of modular design in current products is focused. Therefore, a case study approach has been chosen. First, a review of the scientific literature was conducted, followed by field research, for collecting data based on interviews with product engineers and technical documentation. The case study shows the applicability of the modular design concept in a combine header, by increasing the number of repeated components. The modular header approach facilitates the implementation of engineering changes and allows greater standardization of components.

This paper focuses on the manufacturer's conflict in the conceptual design of commercial vehicles between highly customized special vehicles and the greatest possible degree of standardization. Modularity and standardization are crucial success factors for realizing high variance at the best cost efficiency in development and production as well for achieving the highest quality standards at reduced efforts for technical validation. The presented virtual design approach for commercial vehicle concepts allows for purposeful design and integration of new concepts and technologies on the component level in an existing product portfolio - not neglecting manufacture's portfolio requirements concerning standardization and modularity. The integrated tool chain helps to bring trade-offs to a head that exist in balancing between dedicated vehicles with best customer-relevant characteristics and standardized vehicles with the highest degree of commonality.

Emission, fuel economy and productivity in non-road mobile machinery (NRMM) depend largely on drive cycles. Understanding drive cycles can provide the in-depth information and knowledge that help the system integrator better optimize the vehicle management system. Some non-road engine test cycles already exist nowadays. However, these cycles are mainly for engine emission regulation purpose, and not closely tied to real world applications. Therefore, from both industries and academia, it has been the common practice to instrument and retrofit a vehicle, assign a professional driver operate the retrofitted vehicle for real testing, and compare the results to the baseline vehicle under the similar operating conditions. Obviously this approach is time consuming and resource intensive. In this paper, we attempt to address this issue by introducing a method of constructing standard drive cycles from in-field operation data.

Evolution in the standardization of steel sizes and chemistries has been taking place at Caterpillar over the last eight years. This has occurred through conscious optimization of several internal and external factors. The history, techniques and further potential of the project will be presented.

It has been widely reported that the overall vibration comfort performance of static and dynamics seats is strongly influenced by the biodynamic behaviour of the seated human body. The contributions of the seated occupant to the overall vibration attenuation of the coupled seat-occupant system are experimentally investigated as functions of the nature of excitation, static and dynamic properties of the seat, and the sitting posture. The study involved two different seats with natural frequencies in the vicinity of 1.5 Hz and 4 Hz, which would characterize the low natural frequency suspension as well as high natural frequency seats employed in automobiles and some industrial vehicles. The vibration isolation properties of the seats are evaluated with a rigid mass and two human subjects under different vibration excitations, including swept sine, broad-band random and standardized vibration spectra of selected vehicles.

In September 2005 the United States Army's Tank-Automotive Research, Development, and Engineering Center (TARDEC) instituted a ground mobility, robotics systems integration and evaluation laboratory: the TARDEC Robotics Skunk Works. The goal of this laboratory is to integrate and assess new and developing unmanned systems technologies to support efficient transitioning of the technologies to ATO and PM/PEO programs. The first unmanned system to enter the TARDEC Robotics Skunk Works will be the Tactical Amphibious Ground Support System - Common eXperimental (TAGS-CX). Key development design requirements for this modified COTS platform, which weighs less than 2 tons, include modularity and interoperability of ground robot systems and mission payloads.

The continuously integration of electrics and electronics (EE) in the last decades is one of the main key drivers for innovation and business success of the Automotive OEMs. This is also applicable for truck manufacturers. On the other side factors like the rising vehicle complexity, number of variants and the warranty costs for EE issues are increasing the pressure on the engineering teams responsible for the mechatronic systems. To address these issues one of the key activities in the European market (focus on Germany) during the last decade was to introduce industry-wide standards for the data transfer of wiring harness data between OEM and harness supplier. In this paper the benefits and technical background of using the standards KBL and KOMP formats within the MB-Trucks brand will be presented. Moreover the role of the Information Technology (IT) will be explained in detail.

In order to optimize the development of bolted joints used to components attachments in the Sidemember of commercial vehicles, the joints development has become relevant to better definition of the fasteners size, eliminating overweight and avoiding under or super-sized. This paper presents a development sequential approach of bolted joints applied on commercial vehicles ensuring the correct specifications usage of the fasteners and the joint to keep their clamp force. The evaluations were conducted based on theoretical and practical aspects applied on products and in the definition of all elements contained in a joint. The calculation methodology was developed based on standardized bolts and forces generated through the reactions of the components required for each vehicle family.

Automotive industry is progressively embracing newer technology for buses, as they are increasingly becoming the backbone of urban transportation. Buses are generally classified based on floor heights, lengths, seating capacity and applications besides lot of other parameters. Generally low floor / low entry buses are used for city transportation, while high floor / high deck buses are used for inter urban and intercity transportation. Yet in a few developing and underdeveloped geographies across the globe, high deck or the semi low floor buses are still used for city/urban transportation. There could be a lot of reasons like infrastructure limitations, the cost of ownership or in some cases even the topology of these geographies could be unfriendly towards low floor buses and low ground clearances. Varying customer requirements, applications and environmental factors necessitates a broad range of offerings from any bus OEM.

This paper reviews the development of an electrical diagnostic presentation adopted for John Deere products worldwide. Deere has adopted IEC 617 electrical symbols and incorporated them into a standard presentation format to simplify and improve the communication of electrical information to dealer technicians who service John Deere equipment. The diagnostic presentation is designed to provide the end user, the service technician, a common method for diagnosing electrical problems. It utilizes a combination of diagrams prepared by product engineering and service groups. Engineering is responsible 1) for developing a functional schematic diagram to explain the operation, function and interaction of the electrical devices, and 2) for developing a wiring diagram to show the harness flattened out with connectors and devices.

The current practice for programming electronic control modules using SAE Recommended Practice J1708 permits each vendor to provide a unique hardware and software interface for his products. A standardized communications interface for J1708 communications at OEM Assembly Plants is needed to eliminate the impacts of the unique interfaces. Draft SAE Recommend Practice J2214, Vehicle Electronic Programming Stations [VEPS] System Specification for Programming J1708-capable components at OEM Assembly Plants is proposed to address these concerns and improve upon the file-based interface documented in SAE Information Report J1924, OEM/Vendor Interface Specification for Vehicle Electronic Programming Stations. J2214 references the proposed SAE Recommended Practice J1683, MS-DOS™ Interface for J1708 Communications to define the standard interface.

Standardized Class C communication networks are being developed for use in construction and agricultural equipment. Both an ISO and SAE standards are being developed. This paper attempts to summarize both standards and to discuss potential application of the standards.

To meet the demands of the future with the competitive environment that Fleet Managers are faced with, a more comprehensive and global strategy for the Utility Fleet Industry will be needed. Not only will Fleet Managers have to standardize the vehicles they have in their own individual fleets to gain an upper hand on soaring costs but they will also need to pool their ideas and develop vehicle chassis and equipment standards that can be used on a global basis. Only then will each Fleet Manager be able to reap the benefits of lower vehicle costs possible from industry wide standardization.

Lubricant formulations and lubricant additives have been slanted heavily toward protecting gear concentrated contacts from galling and wear. Much of the performance differentiation of these lubricants has been dependent on highly accelerated standardized laboratory testing. The area of contact fatigue has played a less important role in shaping lubricant formulations, but new test results for several commercially available gear lubricants suggest this area warrants a closer examintion. The implications of these findings for equipment applications are discussed, and suggestions are made for ways to minimize or avoid potential detrimental performance effects.

SAE research into the ISO 14000 series of standards offers insights into the opinions and attitudes of the experts, U.S. industry leaders and government representatives. A series of focus groups with industry leaders, in-depth interviews and a review of secondary research data, provide a perspective on the ISO 14000 series as it is understood on the eve of acceptance by the international community. This research study, sponsored by SAE, explores reactions to both the early components of the standard (14001 and environmental management systems scheduled to be adopted in the summer of 1996) and those portions of the standard still being developed which relate more specifically to product components and the global standardization of life cycle analysis and eco-labeling.

In today's vehicle, the electrical power distribution panel becomes the circuit protection, relay, and wire management center for the entire electrical system. This paper describes a new 3-D electrical distribution concept and presents a supporting design. The proposed design establishes circuits for connecting power inputs, outputs, and top loaded pluggable components by modifying a standardized flat conductive grid. The grid includes a repeating pattern of connecting rings and radial spokes. These spokes define circuit paths extending from and interconnecting each ring. At the final stages of manufacturing, the required circuit paths are created on a single sheet by selectively removing certain spokes. Multiple sheets are stacked with insulating barriers located between each layer. An interconnection between layers is realized by selectively positioning connecting pins through the ring nodes and interconnecting circuits defined on successive layers.

In the pursuit of Manufacturing Excellence, DivgiWarner follows Quality System Basics which includes operator training as one of the key elements. Any manufacturing process consists of 5M's. Out of these 5M's, Machine, Material, Method, Measurement can be engineered to get the desired output. Required control is possible with the fifth ‘M’ i.e. Man by providing Standardized Training, resulting in Repeatability & Reproducibility from each process. DivgiWarner has designed, developed and been practicing the unique process of Operator Training and Licensing. This paper describes the Operator Licensing process. The process is divided into seven subsections inclusive of: 1 Induction Training 2 Classroom Training 3 On-Job Training 4 Written Test and Evaluation 5 Issue Operator License i.e.

Solicitation of sales and the delivery of the product to the customer constitute the most important operative features of the motor-truck fleet supervised by the author. Endeavor is made to install the vehicles in the various fields along standardized lines. The volume and the extent of the business and the topographical conditions of each locality determine the size and the mechanical equipment of the vehicle that is employed, and it is installed only after a study of all the conditions pertaining to its operation. Adequate training of vehicle operators, not only along mechanical lines but also as direct sales representatives of the company, is made a feature; and so is accident prevention. These interests are promoted in various standard ways and are furthered by the publication of “house organs.” After a vehicle is installed the slogan adopted is: Keep It Moving With a Pay Load.

POWER-control requirements of agricultural implements are analyzed here from the standpoint of capacity and lifting rate. The factors affecting the implement linkage design to utilize the power-control capacity to the best advantage are also covered. The author reports that considerable progress has been made toward dimensional standardization of the cylinder and its location on the implement with respect to the SAE-ASAE standard hitch point on the tractor.