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When a vehicle is cruising, unpleasant noise in the 4 to 5 KHz high-frequency band can be heard at the center of all seats in the vehicle cabin. In order to specify the source of this noise, the correlation between the noise and airborne noise from the outer surface of the transmission was determined, and transfer path analysis was conducted for the interior of the transmission. The results indicated that the source of the noise was the 0th-order breathing mode specific to the drive motor. To make it possible to predict this at the desk, a vibrational analysis method was proposed for drive motors made up of laminated electrical steel sheets and segment-type coils. Material properties data for the electrical steel sheets and coils was employed in the drive motor vibrational analysis model without change. The shapes of the laminated electrical steel sheets and coils were also accurately modeled.

When a vehicle drives over road seams or a bumpy surface, low-frequency noise called drumming is generated, causing driver discomfort. The generation of drumming noise is closely related to the vibration characteristics of the suspension, body frame, and body panels, as well as the acoustic characteristics of the vehicle interior. It is therefore difficult to take measures to get rid of drumming after the basic vehicle construction has been finalized. Aiming to ensure drumming performance in the drawing review phase, we applied the Finite Element Method (FEM) to obtain acoustical transfer functions of the body, and Multi Body Simulation to get suspension load characteristics. This paper presents the results of the study of drumming prediction technology using this hybrid approach.

The strength characteristic of CFRP composite materials is often dependent on the internal micro-structural fracture mode. When performing a simulation on composite structures, it is necessary to take the fracture mode into account, especially in an automobile body structure with a complex three-dimensional shape, where inter-ply fractures tend to appear due to out-of-plane load inputs. In this paper, an energy-based inter-ply fracture model with fracture toughness criteria, and an intra-ply fracture model proposed by Ladeveze et al. were explained. FEM analyses were performed on three-dimensional test specimens applying both fracture models and the simulated results were compared with experimental ones. Reproducibility of the fracture mode was confirmed and the importance of combining both models was discussed.

In order to improve shift response, durability and transmission efficiency of the CVT system, it is essential to precisely understand the behavior of individual belt elements. Although there have been some previous works measuring the strain or load on belt elements, they have been performed for speed ranges that are far below actual vehicle operation speeds due to limits in measurement techniques. We therefore developed measurement equipment that can be fitted on a CVT belt to enable measurement during actual CVT operation, and obtained the strain on belt elements under transient conditions including acceleration and transmission ratio shifts. The results showed that the strain peaks due to normal force on V faces of elements around the entrance and/or exit of the pulleys. The bending component of the strain fluctuated on the straight section from the secondary pulley to the primary pulley.

Replacing the metal car roof with conventional solar modules results in the increase of total car weight and change of center of mass, which is not preferable for car designing. Therefore, weight reduction is required for solar modules to be equipped on vehicles. Exchanging glass to plastic for the cover plate of solar module is one of the major approaches to reduce weight; however, load bearing property, impact resistance, thermal deformation, and weatherability become new challenges. In this paper a new solar module structure that weighs as light as conventional steel car roofs, resolving these challenges is proposed.

Toyota Motor Corporation has mass-produced turbochargers with silicon nitride ceramic rotors since October, 1989. Those turbochargers have been introduced into Celica and MR-2 which are Toyota sporty-type passenger cars. The designing of ceramic rotor was carried out in order to ensure the strength and durability of the component as well as to obtain the same aerodynamic characteristics as in the metal rotor. A moment of inertia was reduced by 60% using ceramic rotor which improved turbocharger response. The ceramic rotor was joined to metal shaft by new method which compensated problems in both shrink fitting and active brazing methods. High temperature strength of silicon nitride material was improved by controlling the amount of sintering additives and sintering conditions. The ceramic injection moulding was employed to mass-produce rotors with complicated shape, applying optimun binder compositions and moulding conditions.

1 To predict accurately low frequency vibration caused by the power train, it is essential to consider both the non-steady state characteristics of the engine exciting force and the frequency and amplitude dependent non-linear characteristics of the various components of the transfer system. Conventional steady-state linear analysis using finite element methods (FEM) is unable to handle these characteristics, and as a result, its prediction accuracy is insufficient. This research is based on a multi-body dynamics (MBD) model that is capable of handling non-steady state and non-linear analysis, into which in-cylinder pressure prediction methods were incorporated. The technology developed took into consideration the non-linear characteristics of the transfer system and thereby enabled highly accurate predictions of all systems associated with the vibration reaching the vehicle body.

A method applicable in the design stage to predict fatigue strength of a motorcycle exhaust system was developed. In this prediction method, a vibrating stress, thermal stresses, stresses resulting from the assembling of the exhaust system components and a deterioration of fatigue strength of materials originated from high temperature were simultaneously taken into account. For the prediction of the vibrating stress, flexible multibody dynamics was applied to get modeling accuracy for vibration characteristics of the entire motorcycle and the exciting force delivered from engine vibrations. The thermal conduction analysis and the thermal deformation analysis based on finite element method (FEM) were applied for the prediction of thermal stresses in the exhaust system components. The temperature distribution on the surfaces of the exhaust system components is required for calculations of the thermal stresses.

Initiation and propagation of ductile fractures in crashed automotive components made from high strength steels are investigated in order to understand the mechanism of fracture propagation. Fracture of these components is often prone to occur at the sheet edge in a strain concentration zone under crash deformation. The fracture then extends intricately to the inside of the structure under the influence of the local stress and strain field. In this study, a simple tensile test and a 3-point bending test of high strength steels with tensile strengths of 590 MPa and 1180 MPa are carried out. In the tensile test, a coupon having a hole and a notch is deformed in a uniaxial condition. The effect of the notch type on the strain concentration and fracture behavior are investigated by using a digital imaging strain measurement system.

Various deformation shapes of the vehicle body were investigated for the purpose to establish vehicle body's performance criteria which correlates well to handling performance and ride comfort. Using evaluations by experienced test driver, the fact that the rigidity of each body deformation correlated well to different dynamic performance was found. With careful verification test, simple lateral frequency response was chosen as the criteria for handling performance and vertical response was chosen for ride comfort. These were applied to the development of our recent production vehicle body. Finite element analysis simulation with these criteria helped to make new construction to meet body performance targets with minimum weight during planning-stage of the development. Also, the targets of ride comfort and handling performance of actual vehicle were accomplished with very little structural change during the testing and improvement stage of the vehicle development.

A rubber sealing for a water-cooled battery pack plays a significant role to prevent water immersion into the inside of the pack. The appropriate design including the adjacent parts achieves a weight reduction of the battery pack by reducing the battery tray thickness and the quantity of bolts used in the whole battery pack. Generally, finite element analysis (FEA) is effective for the design optimization before proto-typing. However, the application to the sealing for a battery pack requires a large scale analysis, including the complicated contacts and large deformation of the rubber sealing, and results in unpractically long computation time and frequent computation errors due to the finite element distortion. A multi-scale structural analysis and the process on the rubber sealing for the battery pack has been developed to solve the above issues. This approach consists of 3 steps, which are single-unit, entire-scale and detailed structural analysis.

This study developed a material model with a damage function that supports finite element analyses in crash strength analyses of beams manufactured using randomly-oriented long fiber thermoplastics composites. These materials are composites with randomly-oriented carbon tow having a fiber length of approximately one inch, and are isotropic in-plane from a macro perspective, but exhibit different damage properties for tension and compression. In the out-of-plane direction, the influence of the resin matrix properties increases, and the materials properties are similar to those of laminate materials. This means they are anisotropic materials with physical properties that differ from those in the in-plane direction. In order to verify the influence of these characteristics, the damage process was observed by three-point bending of a flat plate, which is a mixed mode that includes tension, compression, and out-of-plane shear.

Carbon neutrality has become a significant target. One essential parameter regarding energy consumption and emissions is the mass of vehicles. Lightweight design improves the result of vehicle life cycle assessment (LCA), increases efficiency, and can be a step towards sustainability and CO2 neutrality. Weight reduction through structural optimization is a challenging task. Typical design development procedures have to be overcome. Instead of just a facelift or the creation of a derivative of the predecessor design, completely alternative design creation methods have to be applied. Automated structural optimization is one tool for exploring completely new design approaches. Different methods are available and weight reduction is the focus of topology optimization. This paper describes a fatigue life homogenization method that enables the weight reduction of vehicle parts. The applied CAE process combines fatigue life prediction and topology optimization.

Recently, the eigenvalue analysis and the frequency response analysis using the finite element method (FEM) is commonly used, since the vibration characteristic of the powertrain is an important specification which causes the influence on the booming noise and the durability of each parts. However, the eigenvalue analysis and the frequency response analysis cannot take into account of the dynamic behavior of the cranktrain and thenonlinear characteristics. This paper presents a new approach which considers the dynamic behavior of the crankshaft and thenonlinear oil film characteristics of the main bearings and the engine mounts for accurately predicting the vibration level at the engine mounting points under running conditions. By applying this approach to an in-line four cylinder engine, the predicted vibration level is reasonably comparable with experimental result.

A new concept of an electromagnetic torque converter for hybrid electric vehicles is proposed. The electromagnetic torque converter, which is an electric system comprised of a set of double rotors and a stator, works as a high-efficiency transmission in the driving conditions of low gear ratio including a vehicle moving-off and as a starting device for an internal combustion engine. Moreover, it can be used for an electric vehicle driving as well as for a regenerative braking. In this concept, a high-efficiency drivetrain system for hybrid electric vehicles is constructed by replacing a fluid-type torque converter with the electromagnetic torque converter in the automatic transmission of a conventional vehicle. In this paper, we present the newly developed electromagnetic torque converter with a compact structure that enables mounting on a vehicle, and we evaluate its transmission efficiency by experiment.

Current vehicle acoustic performance prediction methods, CAE (computer aided engineering) or physical testing, have some difficulty predicting interior sound in the mid-frequency range (300 to 1000 Hz). It is in this frequency range where the overall acoustic performance becomes sensitive to not only the contributions of structure-borne sources, which can be studied using traditional finite element analysis (FEA) methods, but also the contribution of airborne noise sources which increase proportional to frequency. It is in this higher frequency range (>1000 Hz) that physical testing and statistical CAE methods are traditionally used for performance studies. This paper will discuss a study that was undertaken to test the capability of a finite element modeling method that can accurately simulate air-borne noise phenomena in the mid-frequency range.

In recent years, an increase in vehicle weight due to the electrification of automobiles, specifically EVs, has increased the input loads on anti-vibration rubber parts. Moreover, the characteristics of these loads have also changed due to the rotational drive of electric motors, regenerative braking, and other factors. When designing a vehicle, in advance it is necessary to set specifications that take into account the spring characteristics and durability of the anti-vibration rubber parts in order to meet functional requirements. In this study, the hyperelastic and fatigue characteristics (S-N diagram and Haigh diagram) of Rubbers which is widely used for anti-vibration rubber parts, were experimentally obtained, and structural and fatigue analyses using FEM (Finite Element Method) were conducted in conjunction with spring and fatigue tests of anti-vibration rubber parts to determine the correlation between their spring and fatigue characteristics.

The multilayer vehicle trim is well known for its effective influence upon noise and vibration characteristics not only in the high-frequency range but also in the low and mid-frequency ranges. FEM technologies which represent the accurate stiffness, mass and damping of trim parts such as the dash silencer and the floor carpet are essential in order to extend current body FEM capability to the road noise and the engine noise issues generated in the mid-frequency range. Conventional modeling methodologies such as local impedance and/or spring-mass modeling that express absorption and insulation properties of acoustic trim contain limitations in the mid-frequency range. There are few reliable FEM technologies to create practical vehicle models that represent the precise characteristics of the trim. In this paper, poroelastic modeling of acoustic multilayer trim was established by employing Biot theory.

This paper describes the development of a simplified fracture finite element (FE) model for resistance spot welds (RSW) of ultra-high-strength steel (UHSS) that can be incorporated into large-scale vehicle FE model. It is known that the RSW of UHSS generates two types of fracture modes: heat-affected zone (HAZ) and nugget zone fractures. Lap shear and peeling coupon tests using UHSS sheets found that the different RSW fracture modes occurred at different nugget diameters. To analyze this phenomenon, detailed simulated coupon tests were carried out using solid hexahedral elements. The analytical results revealed that RSW fractures are defined by both the application of plastic strain on the elements and the stress triaxiality state of the elements. A detailed model incorporating a new fracture criteria model recreated the different UHSS RSW fracture modes and achieved a close correlation with the coupon test results.

This paper discusses a method of predicting the torque distribution on planet gears originating in manufacturing errors, which is necessary for appropriate strength design of the gears in planetary gear sets. First, an expression of relation between manufacturing errors and the torque on the planet gears in a normal n-planet planetary gear set was derived. As a result, an equation expressing the distribution of torque to the planet gears was obtained. Tests were conducted to verify the validity of the equation in the case of a 4-planet planetary gear set. In order to predict the distribution of torque, it was necessary to estimate the stiffness of the planetary gear set that was the subject of the relational expression. These stiffness values were calculated by numerical analysis using a 3D FEM, into which blueprint values and material property values were input.