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A test cell was developed for evaluating a 6-speed automatic transmission. The target vehicle had an internal combustion 5.4L gasoline V8 engine. An electric dynamometer was used to closely simulate the engine characteristics. This included generating mean torque from the ECU engine map, with a transient capability of 10,000 rpm/second. Engine inertia was simulated with a transient capability of 20,000 rpm/second, and torque pulsation was simulated individually for each piston, with a transient capability of 50,000 rpm/second. Quantitative results are presented for the correlation between the engine driven and the dynamometer driven transmission performance over more than 60 test cycles. Concerns about using the virtual engine in validation testing are discussed, and related to the high frequency transient performance required from the electric dynamometer. Qualitative differences between the fueled engine and electric driven testing are presented.

This paper explores the extent to which standard dilution tunnel measurements of motor vehicle exhaust particulate matter modify particle number and size. Steady state size distributions made directly at the tailpipe, using an ejector pump, are compared to dilution tunnel measurements for three configurations of transfer hose used to transport exhaust from the vehicle tailpipe to the dilution tunnel. For gasoline vehicles run at a steady 50 - 70 mph, ejector pump and dilution tunnel measurements give consistent results of particle size and number when using an uninsulated stainless steel transfer hose. Both methods show particles in the 10 - 100 nm range at tailpipe concentrations of the order of 104 particles/cm3.

A process for creating a Customer Correlated, Accelerated, Life Test is presented. This process, which results in a model for predicting reliability, has been applied to a cold weather piston scuff problem. In this paper, the authors will discuss development of frequency distributions for customer environmental and operational use, establishment of customer based failure criteria, development of an accelerated test based on degradation, selection of testing strategies, data analyses, and measurement techniques.

Spark knock pressure oscillations can be detected by a cylinder pressure transducer or by an accelerometer mounted on the engine block. Accelerometer-based detection is lower cost but is affected by extraneous mechanical vibrations and the frequency response of the engine block and accelerometer. The knock oscillation frequency changes during the expansion stroke because the chamber geometry is changing due to the piston motion and the burned gases are cooling. Spectrogram analysis shows the time-dependent frequency content of the pressure and acceleration signals, revealing characteristic signatures of knock and mechanical vibrations. Illustrative spectrograms are presented which yield physical insight into accelerometer-based knock detection.

Torque converter clutch friction interface and automatic transmission fluid (ATF) temperatures, pressure difference across the clutch piston, flow through the friction material grooves, and engine crankshaft dynamic torque were measured for typical operating conditions on a running transmission. The friction coefficient, clutch unit pressure, fraction of heat rejected to ATF flowing through the grooves, and time dependent thermal response were determined. Simplified heat transfer calculations were compared with thermal data. Clutch interface temperatures were assessed as they relate to the process of friction material and ATF degradation. The inductively powered radiotelemetry system was found to be a robust and powerful tool for investigating continuously slipping clutch system performance.

A method has been developed for the acquisition and analysis of electrical signals, called combustion signals, from the cylinders of spark ignition engines based on using the spark plugs as ionization probes. A correlation has been established between the simultaneously recorded combustion and cylinder pressure signals based on which combustion signals could be used to identify three types of burns. These burn types were called good burns, slow burns, and misfires. The statistical occurrence of these burn types was also correlated with the hydrocarbon exhaust emission levels for engines operating under dynamometer simulated decelerations and for engines operating with various amounts of exhaust gas recirculation (EGR). Both production and experimental engines have been investigated. It was found that during both decelerations and operation with EGR, the degradation from good burns followed the same pattern irrespective of engine type.

Rheological measurements were performed on a series of lubricants for flexible fuel vehicles, and blends of water or methanol in these oils. A series of measurements, including kinematic viscosity, viscosity at low and high shear rates, low shear viscosity under borderline pumping conditions, and density were performed on all oils and blends. The effects of mixing conditions, such as mixing speed and temperature on these properties were also studied. Viscosity increases when water emulsifies in oils. Methanol exhibits limited solubility in all oils, but more so in synthetic base oils. Viscosity tests at 248 K (-25°C) do not indicate the onset of critical pumping conditions, even at high concentrations of water or methanol. Tests at high shear rates at 323 K (50°C) suggest that water-oil emulsions are quite stable, while methanol-oil blends lose their methanol content either due to evaporation or shear-induced separation.

Engine designers need an objective measurement which can be tested on the engine to indicate acceptable idle quality. An experiment was performed to select objective measures based on cylinder pressure data, and two measures were selected. Standard deviation of indicated mean effective pressure (SDimep) is a measure of the statistical instability of combustion. Lowest normalized value (LNV) is a measure of the tendency toward misfire. These two measures are shown for a set of typical engines. The body of data shows the relation of SDimep and LNV to burn duration and timing.

AMONG the difficulties usually associated with measurement of combustion-chamber volume by liquid methods are amount of time required, contamination of combustion-chamber deposits, and inaccuracies arising from entrapped air. Use of a gaseous fluid such as air as the measuring medium eliminates most of the objectionable features of volume measurement with liquids. Techniques utilizing air for volume measurement fall into two basic classifications: dynamic or sonic methods, and static or pneumatic systems. Cylinder leakage and acoustic damping by engine deposits affect the accuracy of volume measurements based on dynamic properties of combustion-chamber volume, hence small volumes occupied by combustion-chamber carbon deposits must be measured separately by static or pneumatic means.

Application process, and performance in engine dynamometer and high mileage vehicle fleet durability tests of Plasmaspray coated bore aluminum block engines are discussed. Fuel economy, oil consumption, power and wear data for Ford 4.6L-V8 aluminum block engines utilizing very low cost iron/iron oxide base coatings, and stainless steel/BN solid film lubricant Plasmasprayed coatings are presented. Test results from Ford's 100 hour Piston & Gasket Engine Dynamometer Durability Tests, and Fleet Vehicle Durability Tests show ring/bore wear reductions of more than 40% relative to production cast iron bore systems with Oil Economy averaging more than 13,600 km/l (8000 mi/qt).

This research focuses on study of feasibility of using ceramic oxide coatings on the cylinder wall of hypoeutectic aluminum silicon alloy engine blocks. Coatings are achieved in an aqueous electrolytic bath and composed of both alpha and gamma phases of Al2O3 and have shown promising wear resistance. Composition and acidity level of the electrolyte creates a variation of surface roughness, coating hardness and thickness which has direct influence on the wear behavior of the sliding surfaces. The effect of load bearing and coating morphology on coefficient of friction was studied. SEM images of the substrate showed no predominant wear behavior or delamination. Coefficient of friction and wear rate were also measured. This study shows the importance of surface structure on oil retention and wear rate. Coarser coatings can be desirable under starved oil condition since they show lower coefficient of friction.

Many suppliers and OEMs adopted the concept of transmissibility ratio as a method of choice to evaluate the NVH performance of cylinder head cam covers. The was defined as the transfer function between the cam cover and the cylinder head average vibrations. The was shown to be independent of the engine speed and declared to be a characteristic intrinsic to the cam cover system. This paper examines the correlation between the predictions and the measured cam covers sound power. For this purpose, a comprehensive study was conducted using several cam covers with different materials, designs and isolation systems. The results indicated a moderate correlation between the and the sound power for the isolated covers only. Analysis of the measured cam cover and cylinder head vibrations shows the potential cause for this weak correlation and demonstrates the need for improving the definition in order to accurately guide the cam cover NVH design.

The 1997 Ford Explorer introduces a new two valve single overhead cam (SOHC) version of the 4.0L V6 engine. Maximum power output is increased to 153 KW net (205 HP) at 5000 rpm and 340 N-M of torque (250 lb-ft) at 3000 rpm, which represents a 28% increase in power and an 11% increase in torque over the existing 4.0L overhead valve (OHV) design. The new design's performance features are single overhead camshafts driven by a patented “Offset Y-drive” dual stage chain system, a plastic variable induction system, and aluminum cylinder heads. For quieter and smoother operation, a main bearing ladder frame and a unique second-order balance shaft (4x4 only) are added.

A new turbocharged 60° 2.7L 4V-V6 gasoline engine has been developed by Ford Motor Company for both pickup trucks and car applications. This engine was code named “Nano” due to its compact size; it features a 4-valves DOHC valvetrain, a CGI cylinder block, an Aluminum ladder, an integrated exhaust manifold and twin turbochargers. The goal of this engine is to deliver 120HP/L, ULEV70 emission, fuel efficiency improvements and leadership level NVH. This paper describes the upfront design and optimization process used for the NVH development of this engine. It showcases the use of analytical tools used to define the critical design features and discusses the NVH performance relative to competitive benchmarks.

The development, evaluation, and selection of Plasma spray powder material for the coating of aluminum-alloy engine cylinder block bores was conducted to yield a bore system which provides numerous benefits relative to the present cast iron sleeve system. These include: a reduction in ring/bore wear, friction, and in engine oil consumption as well as a benefit in reduced corrosion. A reduction in engine weight, overall costs, and improvements in machining and honing operations are shown. Alternate thermal spray processes are also described in this investigation. Test evaluation leads to the selection of two plasma powder material spray systems. One system emphasizes low cost relative to the present system. The second system provides significant reduction in friction and ring/bore wear through the introduction of solid lubricant in the material composition.

While weight reduction in automotive design and manufacturing has been on-going for several years, in the area of powertrain technology lightweighting has been a difficult challenge to overcome due to functional requirements, as well as material and manufacturing constraints. The Multi Material Lightweight Vehicle (MMLV) developed by Magna International and Ford Motor Company is a result of US Department of Energy project DE-EE0005574. The project demonstrates the lightweighting potential of a five passenger sedan, while maintaining vehicle performance and occupant safety. Prototype vehicles were manufactured and limited full vehicle testing was conducted. The Mach-I vehicle design, comprised of commercially available materials and production processes, achieved a 364kg (23.5%) full vehicle mass reduction, enabling the application of a 1.0-liter three-cylinder engine resulting in a significant environmental benefit and fuel reduction.

The Multi Material Lightweight Vehicle (MMLV), developed by Magna International and Ford Motor Company, is a result of US Department of Energy project DE-EE0005574. The project demonstrated the lightweighting potential of a five-passenger sedan while maintaining vehicle performance and occupant safety. Prototype vehicles were manufactured and limited full-vehicle testing was conducted. The Mach-I vehicle design, comprised of commercially-available materials and production processes, achieved a 364 kg (23.5%) full-vehicle mass reduction. This resulted in environmental benefits and fuel economy improvements. A significant factor in the overall MMLV mass reduction was the decrease in the powertrain system weight from 340 kg (conventional) to 267 kg (MMLV). This enabled the application of a 1.0-liter three-cylinder engine as the main powerplant. By downsizing the engine, and by implementing material changes within the engine, the weight of the dressed engine was lowered by 29 kg.

Sector mesh modeling is the dominant computational approach for combustion system design optimization. The aim of this work is to quantify the errors descending from the sector mesh approach through three geometric modeling approaches to an optical diesel engine. A full engine geometry mesh is created, including valves and intake and exhaust ports and runners, and a full-cycle flow simulation is performed until fired TDC. Next, an axisymmetric sector cylinder mesh is initialized with homogeneous bulk in-cylinder initial conditions initialized from the full-cycle simulation. Finally, a 360-degree azimuthal mesh of the cylinder is initialized with flow and thermodynamics fields at IVC mapped from the full engine geometry using a conservative interpolation approach. A study of the in-cylinder flow features until TDC showed that the geometric features on the cylinder head (valve tilt and protrusion into the combustion chamber, valve recesses) have a large impact on flow complexity.

A novel method of desulfating lean NOx traps has been developed. Rapid, large amplitude modulation of the air to fuel ratio creates an exotherm of approximately 300°C in the LNT. AFR modulation results in oxidant and reductant breakthough in a three-way catalyst mounted upstream of the LNT. During lean modulation, oxygen is stored in the LNT. During rich modulation, the reductant reacts catalytically with the stored oxygen in the LNT, generating a substantial exotherm. Rich and lean AFR events are selected commensurate with the number of cylinders in the engine, resulting in each cylinder having exactly the same AFR history. This permits a deterministic programming of spark advance and precise coordination of spark advance with the transient fueling effect. The spark advance is retarded for the rich events and increases stepwise for groups of lean events. This strategy results in minimal disturbances in the engine imep.

Multidimensional models that are used for engine computations must include spray sub-models when the fuel is injected into the cylinder in liquid form. One of these spray sub-models is the droplet interaction model, which is separated into two parts: first, calculation of a collision rate between drops, and second, calculation of the outcome once a collision has occurred. This paper focuses on the problem of calculating the collision rate between drops accurately. Computing the collision rate between drops or particles when they are non-uniformly distributed and sharp gradients are present in their distribution is a challenging task. Traditionally the collisions between parcels of drops have been computed using the same spatial grid as is used for the Eulerian gas-phase calculations. Recently it has been proposed to use a secondary grid for the collision rate calculation that is independent of the gas-phase grid, as is done in the NTC collision algorithm.