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Improving the aerodynamic drag level of semi-trailers will contribute largely to reduce the fuel consumption and the emissions of harmful gases of heavy duty vehicles. The final step in product validation of aerodynamic drag reduction devices is often conducting fuel savings test during operational activities. During an operational test, data is gathered for a period when the vehicle is not equipped with an aerodynamic device and consequently for a period with the device equipped. A simple fuel consumption comparison between the periods does not give the desired accurate result as the operating conditions are different for the control and test period. In an attempt to take these varying conditions into account, the average fuel consumption per ride is modeled as a linear function of several independent variables: the wind conditions, the outside temperature, the humidity, the payload, the road inclination and the presence of the drag reduction device.

The winter of 2013-2014 provided an opportunity to operate off-road vehicles in cold weather for extended time as part of a vehicle/tier 4 diesel engine validation program. An unexpected area of study was the performance of high efficiency, on engine, fuel filters during continuous vehicle operation in cold weather. During the program we observed unexpected premature fuel filter plugging as indicated by an increase in pressure drop across the filter while in service. Field and laboratory testing was completed at John Deere and Donaldson to understand the cause of filter plugging. Although conditions were found where winter fuel additives could cause plugging of high efficiency filters, premature filter plugging occurred even when testing with #1 diesel fuel. This fuel contained no additives and was used at temperatures well above its cloud point.

This SAE Recommended Practice establishes uniform test procedures and performance requirements for engine-off heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems in order to achieve driver thermal comfort in both winter and summer rest periods. This specification will apply to heavy trucks with and without sleeper compartments, including but is not limited to Class 6, 7, and 8 powered vehicles.

This SAE test method establishes a uniform test procedure for determining the gravimetric (mass based) efficiency and pressure drop performance levels of operator enclosure panel type filters on off-road, self-propelled work machines used in earth moving, and forestry, as defined in SAE J1116 and for agricultural equipment as defined in ANSI/ASAE S390, and equipped with an operator enclosure with a powered fresh air system. ISO/TS 11155-1 may additionally be used, which describes the use of particle sizing devices to measure the fractional (particle size) efficiency of panel type filters for automotive cabin filter applications. Automotive cabin filters are similar to filters described in this procedure, and the ISO/TS 11155-1 test method is therefore directly applicable.

This SAE Recommended Practice establishes a uniform test procedure for determining performance levels of operator enclosure panel type air filters on off-road, self-propelled work machines used in construction, general-purpose industrial, agriculture, and forestry as defined in SAE J1116 and equipped with an operator enclosure with a powered fresh air system.

This SAE Recommended Practice was developed by SAE, and the section “Standard Classification and Specification for Service Greases” cooperatively with ASTM, and NLGI. It is intended to assist those concerned with the design of heavy duty vehicle components, and with the selection and marketing of greases for the lubrication of certain of those components on heavy duty vehicles like trucks and buses. The information contained herein will be helpful in understanding the terms related to properties, designations, and service applications of heavy duty vehicle greases.

This paper presents the development of a fluid quality sensor to provide a real-time, on-board oil quality assessment capability for commercial, military, and off-highway vehicle applications. The sensor provides for improved vehicle health state awareness and enables a condition-based approach to lubricant maintenance. The technology is based on a broadband approach to electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and is applicable to all high impedance fluids. The EIS results are fused with the measurements from a capacitive relative humidity sensing element and are normalized with respect to temperature as measured by an embedded thermistor. The authors' experiences in developing, packaging, and testing this technology are chronicled.

The paper contains experimental results of soil stress state under loading of commercial wheeled vehicles. The measurements were performed with the use of SSTs (Stress State Transducers), which enable to determine soil pressures needed for calculations of stress state at a point: principal stresses and their direction cosines as well as octahedral stresses. A detailed description of the measuring method with an introductory theory of operation of the SST together with some methodology aspects of soil pressure measurements are included. The field tests were conducted on three different soil surfaces: loess, sand and turf as well as on snow surface in winter conditions. For the tests, two vehicles were used: a 5,6T 4x4 truck and a 14T 6x6 truck. The vehicles were driven at constant low speed or at different speeds. Moreover, effects of wheel loading, reduced inflation pressure, drive modes (rolling or driving) were also analyzed.

Mechanical and thermal properties of the rubber compounds of a tire play an important role in the overall performance of the tire when it is in contact with the terrain. Although there are many studies conducted on the properties of the rubber compounds of the tire to improve some of the tire characteristics, such as the wear of the tread, there are a limited number of studies that focused on the performance of the tire when it is in contact with ice. This study is a part of a more comprehensive project looking into the tire-ice performance and modeling. In this study, to understand the effect of different rubber compounds on the tire performance, three identical tires from the same company have been chosen. The tires’ only difference is the material properties of the rubber. Two approaches have been implemented in this study.

Modern agricultural machines are very complex, requiring extensive monitoring of multiple operations at the same time as they travel over very rough terrain. Hence, the cabs must be designed to provide not only good visibility of all monitors and easy access to all controls, but operator comfort and safety as well. This includes climate control (temperature, humidity, dust, noise, etc.), vibration damping, easy access on to and off of the tractor, good visibility from the cab and no controls jutting out where they could constitute a hazard. Good cab design promotes efficiency, comfort and safety.

Cereal grains are subjected to physical forces produced by agricultural machinery during and after harvest. The resulting physical damages have biological consequences such as reduced germination and yield. Damages may be minimized by adjusting equipment to take into account the physical resistance of grain to mechanical and dynamic loading. This paper describes methods for evaluating grain-to-ear binding force and grain physical resistance and presents the results for barley, rye, spring wheat and winter wheat varieties. Results of research on relationships between physical forces and biological effects on varieties of spring wheat and winter wheat are also presented and discussed.

As part of a study commissioned by Transport Quebec aimed at evaluating the impact of commercial vehicles on the safety of railway crossings, the acceleration performances of various heavy vehicles (buses, straight trucks and tractor-trailer combinations) was measured. The goal of these tests was to identify the typical worst acceleration performances of classes of commercial vehicles used in the calculations of sight triangles at railway crossings. A total of 21 commercial vehicles were subjected to testing on test track facilities and on nine railway crossings representing typical configurations found in North-America. Results were used to develop a heavy vehicle acceleration mathematical model according to the vehicles' technical specifications. The acceleration performances were then combined with various criteria associated with driver perception-reaction times, and also driver performance and skill during gear shifting.

Heavy duty vehicle (HDV) segment, as an important source of emissions that strongly impact air quality and human health - especially in urban centers - has been continuously challenged by the increasingly stringent emission limits. The adoption of emission standards for the heavy duty industry was initially launched by the United States, followed by the European Union and Japan, and, subsequently, by other countries, like Australia, Brazil, China and India, among others, generally with a time lag. This continuous “cleaning” effort has led to the current rigorous emission limits - materialized by the so called U.S. EPA 2010 and Euro VI and their foreign variants - which have provided huge emissions reductions (HC, CO, NOx, PM and smoke and, more recently, CO2).

Nowadays, capacitive handles are increasing their use in high-end commercial vehicles. This particular handle applies a technology that permits to unlock and even lock the vehicle without a key. As benefit for current life, the customer has the possibility to access and close the vehicles more efficiently and faster, just possessing the key in the pocket or any close compartment that the user is carrying, for example, bag, purse, backpack. Even though, the design of capacitive exterior handle must follow several design strategies to avoid nonfunctional in rainy climate. Water could work as a blocker for the sensor signal captured, special design strategies that must be taken in order to minimize that the liquid could ingress the handle and even be retained on the region that sensor is located.

This SAE Standard provides a method to obtain consistent force-deflection data of finished (or unfinished, when specified) cushioned components of seats for off-road work machines as listed in SAE J1116. This data may be helpful in maintaining seat comfort characteristics and quality control. There is no intent to establish any acceptance criteria.

This SAE Standard provides a method to obtain consistent force-deflection data of finished (or unfinished, when specified) cushioned components of seats for off-road work machines as listed in SAE J1116. This data may be helpful in maintaining seat comfort characteristics and quality control. There is no intent to establish any acceptance criteria.

This SAE Standard provides a method to obtain consistent force-deflection data of finished (or unfinished, when specified) cushioned components of seats for off-road work machines as listed in SAE J1116. This data may be helpful in maintaining seat comfort characteristics and quality control. There is no intent to establish any acceptance criteria.

This SAE Standard provides a method to obtain consistent force-deflection data of finished (or unfinished, when specified) cushioned components of seats for off-road work machines as listed in SAE J1116. This data may be helpful in maintaining seat comfort characteristics and quality control. There is no intent to establish any acceptance criteria.

This procedure is intended for evaluating alarms on off-road self-propelled work machines while in a stationary, parked position.