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Computed Tomography (CT) has become a potent instrument for non-invasive assessment of battery cell integrity, providing detailed insights into their internal structure. The present study explores the capabilities and advantages of employing CT for cell characterization through a systematic evaluation from various parameters. The evaluation results will be based on real-world experiments conducted on a standard battery cell, assessing the CT system’s ability to provide precise internal measurements, detect defects, and ensure the overall integrity of the cell. We outline a comprehensive framework that includes criteria such as system specifications, image quality, software capabilities, maintenance, service, and cost-effectiveness.

The paper describes a first-of-its-kind attempt of authors to develop an intake manifold - combined with - rocker cover (IMCRC) in sheet molding compound (SMC) for 3 L and 4 L direct injection diesel engines with power ratings 75 kW and 92 kW respectively. The objective was to reduce overall engine weight, noise and cost. The intake manifold is designed to withstand absolute boost pressures of more than 2 bar, temperature in the range of 160 °C. and capable of carrying load of directly attached components such as an air intake pipe. It is worth to note that the designed SMC component always remains in the vicinity of the exhaust manifold by virtue of base engine layout constraint. The development if successful can expand the horizon of SMC in diesel engine application.

Anthropomorphic Test Devices (ATD) are the backbone of any crash research lab, their performance during the crash tests being of paramount importance to assess the vehicle performance. The Hybrid III 50th percentile dummy (H350) is one of the most recognized and accepted ATD for research in this field. However several unusual results of the dummy injuries in a vehicle crash test indicate some discrepancies exists in the dummy design. This prompted researchers to investigate such things and this paper is based on a project conducted to study the chest deflection of the hybrid 350 dummy. The project deals with assessing the dummy's chest deflection response sensitivity to load location as well as ambient operating conditions. The scope involved testing of the dummy chest by loading it quasi-statically on a UTM as well as dynamically impacting it on the dummy calibration rig. The chest deflection or thorax displacement data and loading data was gathered and analyzed further.

Spot welding is the primary joining method used in automobiles. Spot-weld plays a major role to maintain vehicle structural integrity during impact tests. Robust spot weld failure definitions is critical for accurate predictions of structural performance in safety simulations. Spot welds have a complex metallurgical structure, mainly consisting of fusion and heat affected zones. For accurate material property definitions in simulation models, huge number of inputs from test data is required. Multiple tests, using different spot weld joinery configurations, have to be conducted. In order to accurately represent the spot-weld behavior in CAE, detailed modeling is required using fine mesh. The current challenge in spot-weld failure assessment is developing a methodology having a better trade-off between prediction accuracy, testing efforts and computation time. In view of the above, cohesive zone models have been found to be very effective and accurate.

1 With increasing fuel price, the power train size is on a downward trend. For Fuel Economy maximization, the engine capacity and reduction ratios are getting reduced. So gradability of a vehicle is becoming a trade off factor for the power train size finalization in a car. At the same time OEMs are working hard to maintain profitability by reducing development and operational cost and time. In this complexly competitive scenario in automobile manufacturing, simulation is gaining an upper hand over actual testing as simulation consumes lesser time and resource as compared to actual testing. This paper is aimed at developing a simulation technique for restart or stop and start gradability which is a very critical parameter for finalization of engine torque characteristics and power train configuration. The simulation is done on AVL-CRUISE software.

The power output of an internal combustion engine is directly proportional to the amount of air that can be forced into the cylinder per cycle and the amount of fuel that can be burned efficiently. The amount of air is most effectively increased by means of a mechanical supercharger. The purpose of this paper is attempting the non mechanical supercharging ways (Supercharging by means of gas dynamic effects) for naturally aspirated (NA) diesel engines and understanding in a better way the induction gas dynamics and its influence on engine performance characteristics. Wave dynamics in the intake system has strong influence on the performance of naturally aspirated internal combustion (IC) engines. This paper presents an application of Helmholtz resonator in the induction system of the naturally aspirated diesel engine to improve the engine breathing efficiency (volumetric efficiency).

In the automotive industry, silicon adhesive has become increasingly popular due to its benefits in ease of assembly and cost savings associated with material and manufacturing processes. To meet the imperative of minimizing both time and expenses during the project's development phase, it becomes essential to select the appropriate gasket material and an optimal flange design at the outset of the design process. In order to achieve stringent emission standards such as Real Driving Emission (RDE) and Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) norms, a better sealing performance is an essential parameter. Various types of liquid gaskets such as silicon rubber based Room Temperature Vulcanizing (RTV) sealants and thermoset plastic based Anaerobic sealants are widely used in an Internal Combustion engine. They are commonly used for the components such as oil sump, bedplate, and gearbox housings, etc.

High strength aluminium alloys are an ideal material in the automotive sector leading to a significant weight reduction and enhancement in product safety. In recent past extensive development in the field of high strength steel and aluminium was undertaken. This development has been propelled due to demand for light weight automotive parts. The high strength to weight ratio possessed by Al alloy helps in reducing the total weight of the vehicle without effecting the overall performance, thereby increasing the fuel economy, and reducing the carbon emission level. Joining of high strength aluminium alloy is critical to develop durable automotive products. Joining of high strength aluminium alloy for mass production in automobile industry is a challenging task. Laser welding is recognized as an advanced process to join materials with a laser beam of high-power, high- energy density.

Regenerative braking has become one of the major features for a hybrid vehicle as it converts brake energy into electrical energy storable into battery and leads to an increase in overall fuel efficiency of the vehicle. Traditional regenerative braking systems are designed such that the mechanical braking force from the friction brakes is varied in order to get maximum electric braking. This is the optimum method; however, such a system calls from electronics (Anti-lock Braking System) for regulation of mechanical braking leading to an increased cost. In this paper, the authors present a new strategy for implementing a regenerative brake strategy without changing the mechanical brake system of a conventional vehicle converted to a hybrid vehicle. The electric motor that serves as the traction motor or the Integrated Starter Generator (ISG) system, is used for regenerative braking also. There is no change in the other vehicle specifications as compared to the conventional vehicle.

Small goods carrier and passenger vehicles powered by Naturally Aspirated (NA) Direct Injection (DI) diesel engines are popular in Indian automobile market. However, they suffer from inherently high radiated noise and poorly perceived sound quality. This paper documents the steps taken to reduce the radiated noise level from such an engine through structural modifications of major noise radiating components identified in the sound power analysis. The work is summarized as follows; Baseline radiated noise measurements of power train and identification of major noise sources through sound intensity mapping and noise source ranking (NSR) in an Engine Noise Test Cell (ENTC) Design modifications for identified major sources in engine structure Vehicle level assessment of the radiated noise in a Vehicle Semi-Anechoic Chamber (VSAC) for all the design modifications. A reduction of 7 dB at hot idle and 4 - 8 dB in loaded speed sweep conditions was observed with the recommended modifications.

Most of the energy consumed in today's mobility industry is derived from fossil fuels. The demand for clean, renewable and affordable alternative energy is forcing the automotive industry to look beyond the conventional fossil fuels. Fuels options like liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), compressed natural gas (CNG) and ethanol blends are quickly finding widespread acceptance as alternative sources. This paper presents the results of experimental studies conducted on a 1.2-liter MPI engine with three different alternate fuels. The fuels considered for the evaluation (apart from base gasoline) are 10% ethanol-blended fuel (E10), LPG (gaseous propane: butane mix) and CNG (gaseous methane). Experiments were conducted to compare their effect on engine performance and emissions. The test results show that E10 has the lowest power drop whereas CNG has the highest power drop (12%) as compared to gasoline. The maximum power drop in LPG is 4%, which is close to the theoretical predictions.

Integrating safety features may lead to changes in vehicle interior component designs. Considering this complexity, design guidelines have to take care of aspects which may help in package feasibility studies that consider systems performance requirements. Occupant restraints systems for protection in side crashes generally comprise of Side Airbag (SAB) and Curtain Airbag (IC). These components have to be integrated considering design and styling aspects of interior trims, seat contours and body structure for performance efficient package definition. In side crashes, occupant injury risk increases due to hard contact with intruding structure. This risk could be minimized by cushioning the occupant contact through provision of SAB and Inflatable IC. This paper explains the methodology for deciding the package definitions using Knowlwdge Based Engineering (KBE) tools.

Depletion of fossil fuel reserves, the unsteadiness of their prices and the increasingly stricter exhaust emission legislation put forward attention of world towards use of alternate fuels. The ever increasing demand for ecologically friendly vehicles can be met by use of clean fuels like Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) and Hydrogen (H2). Lower carbon to hydrogen ratio of CNG makes it a cleaner fuel, due to this CNG is gaining popularity as an internal combustion (IC) engine fuel in transport sector. Hydrogen fuel for IC engines is also being considered as a future fuel due to its simple carbon less structure. However, several obstacles have to be overcome before widespread utilization of hydrogen as an IC engine fuel can occur in the transport sector. The 18 percent hydrogen enriched CNG fuel referred to as HCNG has the potential to lower emissions and could be considered a first step towards promotion of a Hydrogen economy.

In a heavy commercial vehicle, the engine cooling package is designed by considering peak heat load on the vehicle cooling system from an engine end. In cooling systems, the major unit that consumes most power from the engine is the engine cooling fan. It was seen from the vehicle measured duty cycle data, for most of the time engine operates at part load condition. Regardless of demand from the engine cooling system, engine fan was operating continuously at equivalent speed of the engine. This results in continuous consumption of productive engine power from the fan end ultimately affecting vehicle fuel economy. The present study shows that low idle speed viscous fan has the potential to meet stringent engine cooling performance requirements and consumes less engine power throughout an actual vehicle duty cycle. Experiments were conducted on test vehicle with different fan speeds.

Gasoline engines with Multi point fuel injection (MPFI) technology are being developed with naturally aspirated and/or turbocharged engines. Wherein a MPFI and turbo charged combination engines have certain challenges during development stages. One of the important challenge is design of air intake and exhaust system. With MPFI turbocharged engine combination, the under bonnet heat management is crucial task for drivability. The heat management of air intake plays a vital role in drivability part therefore a design layout of air intake path is an important aspect. Drivability can be categorized as low end, mid-range and top end drivability. Turbocharged MPFI engines have a typical phenomenon of ‘Lag in response’ in the low-end region. This ‘Lag in response’ phenomenon at low-end drivability region can be overcome through optimization of air intake system and optimization of exhaust back pressure.

Petroleum Oil, Lubricants (POL) & Liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) tanker vehicles are special application segment that holds a significant Market share for commercial vehicles. These vehicles need to comply additional Safety regulations specified by Petroleum and explosives safety organization (PESO). For compliance to Rule-70, Protective heat shield on exhaust system needs to be designed and validated in order to avoid any catastrophic failure. The paper demonstrates the methodology to identify the worst case scenario for the existing commercial vehicle segment. Based on detail digital mock up (DMU) review Metallic heat shield was designed on after treatment system (ATS). The flexible heat shield was designed for exhaust pipe & joints in order to restrain the heat flow to the surrounding aggregates. After finalising design, CFD analysis was carried out to find out the thermal effects on various components and results within acceptable limits.

Important vehicle performance parameters such as, fuel economy and high speed stability are directly influenced by its aerodynamic drag and lift. Wind tunnel testing to asses these parameters requires heavy investment especially when test wind tunnel is not available in the country where vehicle development center is present. Hence to save cost and to compress development time, it is essential to asses and optimize parameters of a vehicle in very early stages of development. Using numerical flow simulations optimization runs can be carried out digitally. Industry demands prediction of aerodynamic drag and lift coefficients (CD,CL) within an accuracy of a few counts, consuming minimal HPC resources and in a short turnaround time. Different OEMs deploy different testing methods and different softwares for numerical simulations.

A hybrid electric powertrain being a complex system requires analysis of all its subsystems to optimally utilize, size components for performance evaluation and control strategy development. An integrated high fidelity model of these can lower development costs, time and achieve the targeted performance while allowing for early redefinition of the system. A high fidelity model of a sedan car featuring chassis with longitudinal and lateral dynamics, suspension with joints, tires calculating longitudinal & lateral forces during vehicle motion, Engine model with combustion & dynamics of reciprocating and rotating components, Electric motors, Battery system, and gearbox with synchronizers and friction components was developed. Powertrain components were interconnected using 3D rotational flanges. Weight distribution was accomplished by appropriately locating various powertrain components using 3D supporting mounts, which help to study the mount forces as well.

Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG)-powered vehicles use a pressure regulator/vaporizer to expand and modulate the gas pressure to meet the engine's operational demands. This expansion process is accompanied by a phase change wherein liquid LPG is converted to its gaseous form. This consequently reduces the temperature of the working fluid which may result in freezing (Joule-Thompson effect). In order to aid complete phase change and avoid any freezing, the vaporizer is heated either electrically or by the engine coolant circulation. Any inefficiency in the heating may lead to improper phase change and can result in a phenomenon known as "liquid carryover," wherein a liquid LPG gets entrained in the downstream gas circuit where the gaseous form is demanded. The liquid carryover (if any) leads to the improper engine functioning leading to driveability and emission issues.

An emissions, combustion noise and performance study were conducted to explore the effects of two different multiple injections strategies on emissions, combustion noise and performances without altering EGR %. The experiments were done on a six cylinder inline CRDI diesel production engine. The aim of this study is to improve performances (brake specific fuel consumption [BSFC], torque) and combustion noise (reduction) using multiple injection strategies without violating emission regulations. The other objective of this carried-out analysis is to examine the influence of different operating parameters (Speed and Load) and main injection timing combined, on same multiple injection strategies (Pilot- main – after {PMA}and Early - pilot- main –after {EPMA}) by means of analyzing emissions/soot, combustion noise and performances data.