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All around the world, steps are being taken to improve the quality of our environment. Prominent among these are the definition, implementation, and attainment of increasingly stringent emissions regulations for all types of engines, including off-highway diesels. These rigorous regulations have driven use of technologies like after-treatment, advanced air systems, and advanced fuel systems. Fuel dispensed off-highway is routinely and significantly dirtier than fuel from on-highway outlets. Furthermore, fuels used in developing countries can be up to 30 times dirtier than the average fuels in North America. Poor fuel cleanliness, coupled with the higher pressures and performance demands of modern fuel systems, create life challenges greater than encountered with cleaner fuels. This can result in costly disruption of operations, loss of productivity, and customer dissatisfaction in the off-highway market.

The properties of aluminum alloys reinforced by ceramic nanoparticles (less than 100nm) would be enhanced considerably while the ductility is retained over that of the native alloy. The potential of bulk Al-based metal matrix nano-composites (Al MMNCs) cannot be fully developed for industrial applications unless complex structural Al MMNC components can be fabricated cost effectively, such as by casting. Reliable bulk Al MMNCs cannot be cast unless the nanoparticles can be dispersed and distributed uniformly in molten Al alloys. This paper investigates a high volume production method for high performance aluminum matrix nanocomposites, in particular, the application of high intensity ultrasonic cavitation in mixing and dispersing nano-sized ceramic particles in Al melts to cast bulk Al MMNCs for complex automobile structures. Nano-sized SiC particles have been dispersed in molten aluminum alloy A356 for casting.

Traffic state identification is a key problem in intelligent transportation system. As a new technology, connected and automated vehicle can play a role of identifying traffic state with the installation of onboard sensors. However, research of lane level traffic state identification is relatively lacked. Identifying lane level traffic state is helpful to lane selection in the process of driving and trajectory planning. In addition, traffic state identification precision with low penetration of connected and automated vehicles is relatively low. To fill this gap, this paper proposes a novel method of identifying traffic state in the presence of connected and automated vehicles with low penetration rate. Assuming connected and automated vehicles can obtain information of surrounding vehicles’, we use the perceptible information to estimate imperceptible information, then traffic state of road section can be inferred.

Mandated pollutant emission levels are shifting light-duty vehicles towards hybrid and electric powertrains. Heavy-duty applications, on the other hand, will continue to rely on internal combustion engines for the foreseeable future. Hence there remain clear environmental and economic reasons to further decrease IC engine emissions. Turbocharged diesels are the mainstay prime mover for heavy-duty vehicles and industrial machines, and transient performance is integral to maximizing productivity, while minimizing work cycle fuel consumption and CO2 emissions. 1D engine simulation tools are commonplace for “virtual” performance development, saving time and cost, and enabling product and emissions legislation cycles to be met. A known limitation however, is the predictive capability of the turbocharger turbine sub-model in these tools.

Nitrites have long been added to heavy-duty coolant to inhibit iron cylinder liner corrosion initiated by cavitation. However, in heavy-duty use, nitrites deplete from the coolant, which then must be refortified using supplemental coolant additives (SCA's). Recently, carboxylates have also been found to provide excellent cylinder liner protection in heavy-duty application. Unlike nitrites, carboxylate inhibitors deplete slowly and thus do not require continual refortification with SCA's. In the present paper laboratory aging experiments shed light on the mechanism of cylinder liner protection by these inhibitors. The performance of carboxylates, nitrites and mixtures of the two inhibitors are compared. Results correlate well with previously published fleet data. Specifically, rapid nitrite and slow carboxylate depletion are observed. More importantly, when nitrite and carboxylates are used in combination, nitrite depletion is repressed while carboxylates deplete at a very slow rate.

China has become the world’s largest vehicle market in terms of sales volume. Automobiles sales keep growing in recent years despite the declining economic growth rate. Due to the increasing attention given to the environmental impact, more stringent emission regulations are being drafted to control traditional internal combustion engine emissions. In order to reduce vehicle emissions, environmentally-friendly new-energy vehicles, such as electric vehicles and plug-in hybrid vehicles, are being promoted by government policies. The Chinese government plans to boost sales of new-energy cars to account for about five percent of China’s total vehicle sales. It is well known that more electric and electronic components will be integrated into a vehicle platform during vehicle electrification.

Software systems on electronically controlled diesel truck engines typically provide diagnostic features to enable the engine mechanic to identify and debug system problems. As future systems become more sophisticated, so will the diagnostic requirements. The advantages of serviceability and accuracy found in todays electronic systems must not be allowed to degrade due to this increased sophistication. One method of maintaining a high level of serviceability and accuracy is to place an even greater priority on diagnostics and servicing in the initial design phase of the product than is done today. In particular, three major goals of future diagnostic systems should be separation of component failures from system failures, prognostication of failures and analysis of engine performance. This paper will discuss a system to realize these goals by dividing the diagnostic task into the Electronic System Diagnostics, Engine System Diagnostics and the Diagnostic Interface.

Off-highway machine mounting system isolation, especially the cab mounting system, significantly affects the operator comfort by providing damping to the harsh inputs and isolating the structure-borne energy from traveling into the cab. Mounting system isolation performance is decided not only by the isolation component, but also the mounting bracket structure, and should be treated as a system. This paper gives a review of how the mounting system isolates structural energy and the effect of the bracket structure stiffness to the mounting system isolation performance.

Catalytic converters have become a viable aftertreatment system for reducing emissions from on-highway diesel engines. This paper addresses the development and production qualification of a catalytic converter. The testing programs that were utilized to qualify the converter system for production included emissions performance, emissions durability, physical durability, and field test programs. This paper reports on the specific tests that were utilized for the emissions performance and emissions durability testing programs. An explanation on the development of an accelerated durability test program is also included. The physical durability section of the paper discusses the development and execution of laboratory bench tests to insure the catalytic converter/muffler maintains acceptable physical integrity.

Cost reduction in the automotive industry becomes a widely-adopted operational strategy not only for Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) that take cost leader generic corporation strategy, but also for many OEMs that take differentiation generic corporation strategy. Since differentiation generic strategy requires an organization to provide a product or service above the industry average level, a premium is typically included in the tag price for those products or services. Cost reduction measures could increase risks for the organizations that pursue differentiation strategy. Although manufacturers in the automotive industry dramatically improved production efficiency in past ten years, they are still facing the pressure of cost control. The big challenge in cost control for automakers and suppliers is increasing prices of raw materials, energy and labor costs. These costs create constraints for the traditional economic expansion model.

The application of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the automotive industry can dramatically reshape the industry. In past decades, many Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) applied neural network and pattern recognition technologies to powertrain calibration, emission prediction and virtual sensor development. The AI application is mostly focused on reducing product development and validation cost. AI technologies in these applications demonstrate certain cost-saving benefits, but are far from disruptive. A disruptive impact can be realized when AI applications finally bring cost-saving benefits directly to end users (e.g., automation of a vehicle or machine operation could dramatically improve the efficiency). However, there is still a gap between current technologies and those that can fully give a vehicle or machine intelligence, including reasoning, knowledge, planning and self-learning.

A modular and scalable Dense Medium Plasma Water Purification Reactor was developed, which uses atmospheric-pressure electrical discharges under water to generate highly reactive species to break down organic contaminants and microorganisms. Key benefits of this novel technology include: (i) extremely high efficiency in both decontamination and disinfection; (ii) operating continuously at ambient temperature and pressure; (iii) reducing demands on the containment vessel; and (iv) requiring no consumables. This plasma based technology was developed to replace the catalytic reactor being used in the planned International Space Station Water Processor Assembly.

A study was performed that takes into account both turbulence and chemical kinetic effects in the numerical simulation of diesel engine combustion in order to better understand the importance of their respective roles at changing operating conditions. An approach was developed which combines the simplicity and low computational and storage requests of the laminar-and-turbulent characteristic-time model with a detailed combustion chemistry model based on well-known simplified mechanisms. Assuming appropriate simplifications such as steady state or equilibrium for most of the radicals and intermediate species, the kinetics of hydrocarbons can be described by means of three overall steps. This approach was integrated in the KIVA-II code. The concept was validated and applied to a single-cylinder, heavy-duty engine. The simulation covers a wide range of operating conditions.

This paper presents a diagnostics methodology that has applications to internal combustion engines as well as other dynamic devices. Included is an overview of the theoretical foundation of the approach, discussions on its application to internal combustion engine diagnostics, and experimental engine data showing the application of this methodology. Also included are the recent developments addressing issues of the effect of motoring compression and expansion work on crankshaft speed fluctuations and the resulting torque estimation. The methodology consists of a hard-wired nonlinear to linear transformation of engine variables that allow all subsequent diagnostics and control calculations to use linear mathematics, which significantly simplifies the size and complexity of the engine control and diagnostics strategy and code.

Automation of space-based scientific operations minimizes the crew time needs for experiments while increasing the efficiency and quality of science operations. ORBITEC has completed the development of a space qualifiable prototype of a Shared Multi-Use Remote Robotics Facility (SMURRF). SMURRF, sized for a Middeck Locker (MDL) application, provides a simple, flexible, and functional manipulator to assist space operations, in manned or unmanned modes, carried out in lockers or racks onboard the Space Shuttle and the International Space Station (ISS). It will be primarily operated in an automated mode with additional remote command/control capability from the ground or from space. Ground trials have demonstrated that many operations can be autonomously performed without the presence of a human operator.

Most of the history of systems engineering has been focused on processes for engineering a single complex system. However, most large enterprises design, manufacture, operate, sell, or support not one product but multiple product lines of related but varying systems. They seek to optimize time to market, costs of development and production, leverage of intellectual assets, best use of talented human resources, overall competitiveness, overall profitability and productivity. Optimizing globally across multiple product lines does not follow from treating each system family member as an independently engineered system or product. Traditional systems engineering principles can be generalized to apply to families. This article includes a multi-year case study of the actual use of a generic model-based systems engineering methodology for families, Systematica™, across the embedded electronic systems products of one of the world's largest manufacturers of heavy equipment.

A resin fuel lid capable of being electrostatically painted on-line with the vehicle body-in-white was developed to achieve a light weight fuel adapter assembly with improved color match to surrounding body panels when compared with outsourced painting. The fuel lid was molded out of a conductive, high heat capable PA/PPO resin, and painted with automotive body paint systems. Key development items for this part included validation of part conductivity, on-line capability of the resin material, development of an attachment scheme to achieve proper grounding of the part, determination of paint jig location for proper paint coverage and color match to the body, and evaluation of the final fit & finish. These studies were conducted in combination of both lab and on-line trials. Additionally, the final painted part assembly was extensively tested to achieve the appropriate quality of the surface treatment and strength and durability of the design construction.

This paper describes how a blend of silicon polymers, mixed with the right combination of fillers, enables the production of durable rubber IC engine head and exhaust gaskets. The resin blend, when mixed with glass fiber reinforcement, produces a liquid sealant suitable for exhaust gasket applications. The exhaust sealant and laminate head gaskets were tested on Ford 460 truck engines at Jasper Engine Company and completed more than 5,000 hours of durability testing without incident. Fabric reinforced polymer (FRP) head and exhaust gaskets can be laser cut from molded laminates, creating a ceramic glass-sealed edge. Thermogravimetric scans of typical gasket laminate material reveal an 88%-yield at 1000°C. FRP head gaskets also enable the cost-effective production of multiple spark ignition (MSI) head gaskets.

Regenerative testing methods can be used to allow the testing of hydraulic pumps and motors at significantly higher power and flow levels than that of the power supply used. This method can also increase the accuracy of system efficiency measurements. The increase in accuracy is realized because only the power added to compensate for the system losses needs to be measured with great accuracy. Typically, for the operation points of interest this will be a much smaller quantity than the overall power of the system. Knowing that the error in flow measurements is a function of the quantity measured, the benefit of measuring the losses becomes clear. An additional, distinct advantage of regenerative testing is that no dynamometer or load is needed. This results in a much simpler test setup. This paper documents the development of such a test program at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

An unsteady single spray of n-tridecane which was mixed with a small quantity of exciplex - forming dopants, that is naphthalene and TMPD, was impinged on a flat wall surface with high temperature of 550 K at a normal angle. These experiments were carried out in a quiescent N2 atmosphere with high temperature of 700 K and high pressure of 2.5 MPa. It was possible to generate the fluorescence emissions from the vapor and liquid phases in this spray, when a laser light sheet from a Nd:YAG laser was passing through the cross section of the spray containing its central axis. Then, clear 2 - D images of vapor and liquid phases in the spray were acquired simultaneously by this method. And, the vapor concentration was analyzed quantitatively by applying Lambert - Beer's law to the measured TMPD monomer fluorescence intensity from vapor phase, and by correcting the intensity for the effect of the quenching process due to the ambient temperature and fuel concentration.