Search Results

Trivalent chromate coating is replacing the conventional hexavalent chromate coating applied on zinc plating. Zinc plating uses one of three types of plating baths (zincate, cyanide and chloride) according to the characteristics required of subject parts. It has been recognized that trivalent chromate coating provides different corrosion resistance depending on the type of zinc plating bath used. Zinc plating with chromate coating were analyzed to clarify the cause of the corrosion resistance variation with the type of zinc plating bath. It has been revealed that the chromate coating thickness and the condition of top SiO2 layer vary with the type of zinc plating bath, resulting in corrosion resistance variation.

It has been reported that engine oils containing magnesium detergents gel under special conditions. The authors have previously reported on the mechanism by which magnesium detergents form needle crystals, which is the main cause of the gelation[1]. For this article, the authors conducted tests in actual vehicles using several types of engine oils containing magnesium detergents, including oils for which gelation problems have been reported in the market. The gelation was reproduced, and the test oils were ranked by their propensity to gel. In addition, a laboratory test method was used in which water and CO2 were mixed into engine oil under controlled conditions, then left stored in a bottle for twenty days, after which the kinematic viscosity and the quantity of insolubles of the mixture were measured. The study demonstrated the correlation between the laboratory test method and the actual vehicle tests.

The details of Di-Air, a new NOx reduction system using continuous short pulse injections of hydrocarbons (HC) in front of a NOx storage and reduction (NSR) catalyst, have already been reported. This paper describes further studies into the deNOx mechanism, mainly from the standpoint of the contribution of HC and intermediates. In the process of a preliminary survey regarding HC oxidation behavior at the moment of injection, it was found that HC have unique advantages as a reductant. The addition of HC lead to the reduction or metallization of platinum group metals (PGM) while keeping the overall gas atmosphere in a lean state due to adsorbed HC. This causes local O₂ inhibition and generates reductive intermediate species such as R-NCO. Therefore, the specific benefits of HC were analyzed from the viewpoints of 1) the impact on the PGM state, 2) the characterization of intermediate species, and 3) Di-Air performance compared to other reductants.

Current and future engine technologies and fuels are mutually dependent. The increased use of alternative fuels has been linked to deterioration in performance of injectors, fuel filters and engines as a result of insoluble deposit formation. The present work aimed to study the impact of Diesel/biodiesel blends formulation (biodiesel feedstock and content) and temperature on the oxidation stability based on total acid number (TAN). The biofuels used in the fuel matrix were: rapeseed, soy and palm methyl esters (RME, SME and PME respectively). The Diesel/biodiesel blends were made with 0%v/v, 5%v/v, 10% v/v and 20%v/v of biodiesel blended with additive-free new Diesel. The oxidation stability of Diesel/biodiesel blends was to evaluate during 6 months fuels storage, under 20°C and 40°C, and fuels severe oxidation into a reactor vessel to better understand the parameters leading to fuel oxidation on-board.

The International Lubricant Standardization and Approval Committee (ILSAC) ATF subcommittee members have compared the two oxidation bench test methods, Aluminum Beaker Oxidation Test (ABOT) and Indiana Stirring Oxidation Stability Test (ISOT), using a number of factory-fill and service-fill ATFs obtained in Japan and in the US. In many cases, the ATFs were more severely oxidized after the ABOT procedure than after the same duration of the ISOT procedure. The relative severity of these two tests was influenced by the composition of the ATFs. The bench test oxidation data were compared with the transmission and the vehicle oxidation test data.

This paper introduces vehicle test method, data processing and result parameters of an objective evaluation method to quantify on-center handling at freeway driving. Vehicle test is conducted on a flat straight road with a low frequency sinusoidal steering angle input. The result consists of eleven parameters that describe relations of two quantities such as gain, non-linearity and lag time.

A one-dimensional (1-D) micro-kinetic reaction model with considering mass transport inside porous washcoat was developed to promote an effective development of multi-functional catalysts. The validation of this model has been done successfully through the comparison with a set of basic experiments. A numerical simulation study was conducted for the various catalyst configurations of three-way catalysts under Federal Test Procedure (FTP75) condition. It was found that a double layer type had a significant advantage in the total mass emissions, especially in NOx emissions. The reaction mechanisms in these catalysts were numerically clarified from the view point of detailed reaction dynamics. We concluded that the utilization of the numerical simulation with the detailed chemistry was effective for the optimization of catalyst design.

Galvannealed steel sheet (GA) is very extensively used for vehicle panels. However ζ-phase (FeZn13) in GA coat causes poor stamping formability. Previously, there were no easy methods to evaluate the influence of ζ-phase on the frictional characteristics other than the X-ray diffraction method. This study will discuss the development of a new testing method: Dr. STAMP Method that is both efficient and convenient with pin-on-disc tester.

Two types of new conceptual lead free overlays are developed for automotive internal combustion(IC) engine bearings. The overlays are consisted of molybdenum disulfide(MoS2) and polyamideimide(PAI) resin for binding. One of the overlays is suitable for diesel engines with higher unit load and the other overlay is suitable for gasoline engines with higher sliding velocity. Both overlays indicate good corrosion resistance and wear resistance comparing with conventional lead base overlay. Moreover, higher fatigue resistance is obtained in combination with high performance lead free bearing alloy. These new bearings have the potential to become alternative materials to conventional copper lead bearings with lead base overlay.

Clarifying the impact of ETBE 8% blended fuel on current Japanese gasoline vehicles, under the Japan Clean Air Program II (JCAPII) we conducted exhaust emission tests, evaporative emission tests, durability tests on the exhaust after-treatment system, cold starting tests, and material immersion tests. ETBE 17% blended fuel was also investigated as a reference. The regulated exhaust emissions (CO, HC, and NOx) didn't increase with any increase of ETBE content in the fuel. In durability tests, no noticeable increase of exhaust emission after 40,000km was observed. In evaporative emissions tests, HSL (Hot Soak Loss) and DBL (Diurnal Breathing Loss) didn't increase. In cold starting tests, duration of cranking using ETBE 8% fuel was similar to that of ETBE 0%. In the material immersion tests, no influence of ETBE on these material properties was observed.

Toyota Motor Corporation has been developing technologies for reductions on the environmental load. This paper reports the following as a part of technological development for the painting process. Prior to the application of the E-coat, vehicle bodies are pretreated with zinc phosphates. This is applied to ensure good adhesion and corrosion resistance of the E-coat film. To obtain an excellent pretreatment film, surface conditioning with titanium colloid is generally applied before pretreatment. Since colloid flocculation control was difficult in the case of a conventional titanium colloid-type surface conditioner, the surface conditioner had to be renewed at approximately two-month intervals. The liquid life, however, increased remarkably as a result of adopting fine zinc-type surface conditioners and adding an organic protective surface layer. The water supply/discharge amount was decreased significantly compared with previous amounts.

To evaluate the influence of FAME, which has poor oxidation stability, on engine oil performance, an engine test was conducted under large volumes of fuel dilution by post-injection. The test showed that detergent consumption and polymerization of FAME were accelerated in engine oil, causing a severe deterioration in piston cleanliness and sludge protection performance of engine oil.

Transmission electron microscope (TEM) is a powerful tool for studying catalyst materials at nano-size and/or atomic level. Conventional TEM usually needs to be observed at room temperature in high vacuum conditions. A gaseous atmosphere and high temperature condition may change the properties of catalyst materials. Recently we developed an in situ observation system in TEM for observing the oxidation and reduction under a gas atmosphere at high temperature. Using the new in situ observation system in TEM, the morphological changes of the nano particle and support were observed in the heated gaseous atmosphere at atomic level in real time.

In recent years, alternative sources of fuel are receiving a lot of attention in the automotive industry. Fuels derived from an agricultural feedstock are an attractive option. Bio-fuels based on vegetable oils offer the advantage being a sustainable, annually renewable source of automobile fuel. One of key issues in using vegetable oil based fuels is its oxidation stability. Since diesel fuels from fossil oil have good oxidation stability, automobile companies have not considered fuel degradation when developing diesel engines and vehicles as compared with gasoline engines. This paper presents the results of oxidation stability testing on bio-fuels. Oxidation stability was determined using three test methods, ASTM D525, EN14112 and ASTM D2274. The effects of storage condition, bio-fuel composition and antioxidants on the degradation of bio-fuels were all investigated. ASTM D525 is an effective test method to determine the effects of storage condition on bio-fuels stability.

Compatibility is important in order to secure mutual protection in collisions between large and small vehicles. To enhance compatibility, good structural interaction and stiffness matching are important elements. This paper proposes a test method that uses a moving deformable barrier (MDB) to evaluate compatibility performance that includes not only structural interaction but also stiffness matching. This new deformable barrier is aimed at the simulation of offset Vehicle-to-Vehicle collisions with compact vehicles. This simulation is based on real world crash research, and takes into account three separate load interactions between the impacting vehicles. These areas of interaction include the impacting vehicle's power unit to the opposing vehicle's wheel, the impacting vehicle's lower rail to the opposing vehicle's lower rail, and the impacting vehicle's wheel to the opposing vehicle's power unit.

A highly anti-corrosive organic-inorganic hybrid paint for automotive steel parts has been developed. The inorganic component included in the paint is silicon dioxide (SiO2), which has the capability to passivate zinc. By application of the paint on a trivalent chromatetreated zinc-plated steel sheet or a trivalent chromate-treated zinc-nickel-plated steel sheet, high anti-corrosion protection can be provided to steel materials. Particularly in the case of application over a zinc-nickel-plated steel sheet, 0 mm corrosion depth after a cyclic corrosion test (CCT) of 450 cycles was demonstrated.

Test methods to evaluate vehicle compatibility are being studied worldwide. Compatibility performance is central in securing mutual protection in collisions between large and small vehicles. To consider compatibility performance, good structural interaction and stiffness matching are important. A test method using a novel moving deformable barrier (MDB) was developed to evaluate compatibility performance that includes consideration of both structural interaction and stiffness matching. This new barrier has the following features to represent an offset vehicle-to-vehicle collision with a compact car. The barrier width is divided at the lower rail position of the compact car, and the layer that simulates the characteristics of vehicle sections toward the interior is harder than the outward layer. This varying stiffness of the MDB helps simulate the horizontal interaction performance that occurs in real-world crashes.

This paper describes that a method has been developed to estimate the range of the scatter of Head Injury Criterion (HIC) values in pedestrian impact tests, which could help to reduce the range of the scatter of HIC values by applying the stochastic method for Finite Element (FE) analysis. A major advantage of this method is that it enables the range of scatter of HIC values to be estimated and to explain the mechanics of the behavior. The test procedure of pedestrian impact allows some tolerances for the resultant conditions of impact such that the distance of actual impact location from the selected point is within 10 mm and the impact velocity is within ±0.7 km/h [1]. A HIC value calculated by impact simulation under a deterministic impact condition with the nominal input data does not necessarily represent the variation of measured data in impactor tests.

Fuel economy measurement test is one of important engine tests to establish fuel economy engine oil performance standard to support CO2 emission reduction efforts in the automotive industry. On the other hand, it is difficult to develop an engine test without appropriate engine hardware that is designed to utilize low viscosity engine oils. A new firing fuel economy test was developed based on 2ZR-FXE engine designed for hybrid powertrain. The new test procedure aimed to provide the tool to evaluate new low viscosity grades such as 0W-8 and 0W-12 that were adapted in SAE J300 in 2015.

In recent years, the slip lock-up mechanism has been adopted widely, because of its fuel efficiency and its ability to improve NVH. This necessitates that the automatic transmission fluid (ATF) used in automatic transmissions with slip lock-up clutches requires anti-shudder performance characteristics. The test methods used to evaluate the anti-shudder performance of an ATF can be classified roughly into two types. One is specified to measure whether a μ-V slope of the ATF is positive or negative, the other is the evaluation of the shudder occurrence in the practical vehicle. The former are μ-V property tests from MERCON® V, ATF+4®, and JASO M349-98, the latter is the vehicle test from DEXRON®-III. Additionally, in the evaluation of the μ-V property, there are two tests using the modified SAE No.2 friction machine and the modified low velocity friction apparatus (LVFA).