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Abstract The use of appropriate loads and regulations is of great importance in weld fatigue assessment of rail on-track maintenance equipment and similar vehicles for optimized design. The regulations and available loads, however, are often generalized for several categories, which proves to be overly conservative for some specific categories of machines. EN (European Norm) and AAR (Association of American Railroads) regulations play a pivotal role in determining the applicable loads and acceptance criteria within this study. The availability of track-induced fatigue load data for the cumulative damage approach in track maintenance machines is often limited. Consequently, the FEA-based validation of rail track maintenance equipment often resorts to the infinite life approach rather than cumulative damage approach for track-induced travel loads, resulting in overly conservative designs.

Abstract The water droplet erosion (WDE) on high-speed rotating wheels appears in several engineering fields such as wind turbines, stationary steam turbines, fuel cell turbines, and turbochargers. The main reasons for this phenomenon are the high relative velocity difference between the colliding particles and the rotor, as well as the presence of inadequate material structure and surface parameters. One of the latest challenges in this area is the compressor wheels used in turbochargers, which has a speed up to 300,000 rpm and have typically been made of aluminum alloy for decades, to achieve the lowest possible rotor inertia. However, while in the past this component was only encountered with filtered air, nowadays, due to developments in compliance with tightening emission standards, various fluids also collide with the spinning blades, which can cause mechanical damage.

Abstract Water quality monitoring is needed for the effective management of water resources. Periodic sampling and regular inspection/analysis allow one to classify water and identify changes or trends in water quality over time. This article presents a novel concept of an Amphibious Hybrid Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (AHUAV) that can operate in air and water for rapid water sampling, real-time water quality analysis, and water body management. A methodology using the developed AHUAV system for water body management has also been proposed for an easier and effective way of monitoring water bodies using advanced drone technologies. Using drones for water body management can be a cost-effective and efficient way of carrying out regular inspections and continual monitoring.

Abstract The project of lean management is implemented in General Motors India Private Limited, Pune, India plant. The aim of the project is to improve manpower utilization by removing seven types of wastes using lean management system in kitting process. Lean manufacturing or management is the soul of Just-In-Time philosophy and is not new in Automobile manufacture sector where it born. Kitting area is analogs to the modern supermarket where required components, parts, consumables, subassemblies are kept in bins. These bins are placed in racks so that choosing right part at right time can be achieved easily. Video recording, in-person observation, feedback from online operators and other departments such as maintenance, control, supply chain etc. are taken. It is observed that the work content performed by current strength of operators can be performed by less number of operators. After executing this project, it was possible to reduce one operator and increase manpower utilization.

Abstract This study focused on using adsorbents to suppress engine oil deterioration as a result of the influence of biodiesel. Engine oil performance is affected by the use of biodiesel that results in short period of oil drain interval. Neat base oil, 80% blended with biodiesel, was 20% thermo oxidatively aged. Magnesium aluminum hydroxycarbonate and 1,3,5-trimethyl-2,4,6-tris(3,5-di-tert-buty-4-hydroxybenzyl)benzene were applied, and the formation of oligomers in the base oil-RME mixture was monitored. The adsorbents intercept the precursors of the aging procedure and, therefore, interfere with the aging process. The analysis with FTIR showed less to no formation of oligomers. About 90% reduction in the total acid number was observed, with about 90% reduction in viscosity increment. The adsorbents, therefore, have an enhanced influence on the oxidative stability of biodiesel and its blends.

Abstract Renewable energy sources provide an excellent opportunity for state departments of transportation (DOTs) to benefit from a dual use of land while providing flexible, resilient, affordable, and environmentally responsible modes of generation. Solar photovoltaic (PV) systems are particularly useful in this regard. This study presents a literature review on the types of solar project partnerships, application of solar PV systems by DOTs in the United States (U.S.), solar energy potential, energy policies, and incentives in Virginia. In addition, a feasibility assessment of installing solar PV systems at six (6) Virginia DOT (VDOT)-owned sites is presented. The review of the literature indicated that twenty state DOTs have implemented or are developing solar projects using their facilities. The feasibility assessment showed the benefits of installing solar PV systems at VDOT facilities.

Abstract Advances in hybrid vehicles and electric vehicles (EV) are creating a need for a new generation of lubricants and new lubricant performance tests. Copper corrosion is one prominent concern for hybrid vehicles and EVs and is routinely assessed using a coupon test. This is characterized as metal dissolution, a surface tarnish, or a corrosion layer where a corrosion product remains on the surface and is characterized by a qualitative visual rating. This deficiency does not provide insight into the nature of the corrosion deposit. In an electric drive unit, there are multiple sources of the electric potential present, which can significantly alter the formation of a corrosion deposit which is not assessed in the coupon tests. The formation of a conductive corrosion deposit can result in catastrophic failure of the electric drive unit, either through direct shorting of the motor winding or failure of the power electronics.

Abstract Sustainable practices are taking precedence across many industries, as evident from their shift towards the use of environmentally responsible materials, such as natural fiber-reinforced acrylated epoxidized soybean oil (NF-AESO). However, due to the lower reactivity of AESO, the curing reaction usually requires higher temperatures and longer curing time (e.g., 150°C for 6-12 h), thus making the entire process unsustainable. In this study, we demonstrate the potential power of photons towards manufacturing NF-AESO composites in a sustainable manner at room temperature (RT) within 10 min. Two photoinitiators, i.e., the 2,2-dimethoxy phenylacetophenone (DMPA) and 1-hydroxycyclohexyl phenyl ketone (HCPK), were evaluated and compared with the thermal initiator, i.e., tert-butyl perbenzoate (TBPB). Based on the mechanical performance of the AESOs, the photoinitiation system for NF-AESO was optimized.

Abstract Scenario-based testing is a promising approach to solving the challenge of proving the safe behavior of vehicles equipped with automated driving systems (ADS). Since an infinite number of concrete scenarios can theoretically occur in real-world road traffic, the extraction of scenarios relevant in terms of the safety-related behavior of these systems is a key aspect for their successful verification and validation. Therefore, a method for extracting multimodal urban traffic scenarios from naturalistic road traffic data in an unsupervised manner, minimizing the amount of (potentially biased) prior expert knowledge, is proposed. Rather than an (elaborate) rule-based assignment by extracting concrete scenarios into predefined functional scenarios, the presented method deploys an unsupervised machine learning pipeline. The approach allows for exploring the unknown nature of the data and their interpretation as test scenarios that experts could not have anticipated.

Abstract The lack of traceability in today’s supply-chain system for auto components makes counterfeiting a significant problem leading to millions of dollars of lost revenue every year and putting the lives of customers at risk. Traditional solutions are usually built upon hardware such as radio-frequency identification (RFID) tags and barcodes, and these solutions cannot stop attacks from supply-chain (insider) parties themselves as they can simply duplicate products in their local database. This industry-academia collaborative work studies the benefits and challenges associated with the use of distributed ledger (or blockchain) technology toward preventing counterfeiting in the presence of malicious supply-chain parties. We illustrate that the provision of a distributed and append-only ledger jointly governed by supply-chain parties themselves makes permissioned blockchains such as Hyperledger Fabric a promising approach toward mitigating counterfeiting.

Abstract This work develops a comprehensive thermohydrodynamic (THD) model for high-speed squeeze film dampers (SFDs) in the presence of lubricant inertia effects. Firstly, the generalized expression for Reynolds equation is developed. Additionally, in order to reduce the complexity of the hydrodynamic equations, an average radial viscosity is defined and integrated into the equations. Subsequently, an inertial correction to the pressure is incorporated by using a first-order perturbation technique to represent the effect of lubricant inertia on the hydrodynamic pressure distribution. Furthermore, a thermal model, including the energy equation, the Laplace heat conduction equations in the surrounding solids (i.e. the journal and the bush), and the thermal boundary conditions at the interfaces is constructed. Moreover, the system of partial differential hydrodynamic and thermal equations is simultaneously solved by using an iterative numerical algorithm.

Abstract The brake discs are subjected to thermal load due to sliding by the brake pad and fluctuating loads because of the braking load. This combined loading problem requires simulation using coupled thermo-mechanical analysis for design evaluation. This work presents a combined thermal and mechanical finite element analysis (FEA) and evolutionary optimization-based novel approach for estimating the optimal design parameters of the ventilated brake disc. Five parameters controlling the design: inboard plate thickness, outboard plate thickness, vane height, effective offset, and center hole radius were considered, and simulation runs were planned. A total of 27 brake disc designs with design parameters as recommended by the Taguchi method (L27) were modeled using SolidWorks, and the FEA simulation runs were carried out using the ANSYS thermal and structural analysis tool.

Abstract High technology expertise and strong advancement in electric vehicles and Lithium (Li)-ion battery devices and systems have increased the speed of development and application of new equipment. It is reported that Li-ion battery life reduces almost by 60 days per degree temperature rise in an operational temperature of 30°C to 40°C, which makes cooling a high priority. The current study focuses on cooling the battery system using Phase Change Material (PCM) placed as bands of different dimensions around the prismatic battery. Eight novel designs of varying dimensions were constructed for three-volume scenarios. The heat generations considered in this study are 6,855 W/m3, 12,978 W/m3, 19,100 W/m3, and 63,970 W/m3. The data obtained was trained using an artificial neural network (ANN), and an equation was attained to fit the data. The optimum placement of PCM with respect to the number of bands and dimensions was achieved through a Genetic Algorithm.

Abstract Damage is accumulated by vehicles as they travel. Current damage methods allow for the total accumulated damage to be identified; however, they do not allow for identification of the road segments that induce the largest component of the damage. The objective of this article is to develop a measure, Localized Pseudo Damage (LPD), which defines the amount of damage each individual road excitation contributes to the total accumulated pseudo damage. A novel theoretical development of LPD along with analytical and discrete simulation analyses is presented. The results show that the LPD is causal and correctly identifies the location and magnitude of damaging events. This is further demonstrated with the application of the method on a real road surface.

Abstract Neutron diffraction is a powerful tool for noninvasive and nondestructive characterization of materials and can be applied even in large devices such as internal combustion engines thanks to neutrons’ exceptional ability to penetrate many materials. While proof-of-concept experiments have shown the ability to measure spatially and temporally resolved lattice strains in a small aluminum engine on a timescale of minutes over a limited spatial region, extending this capability to timescales on the order of a crank angle degree over the full volume of the combustion chamber requires careful design and optimization of the engine structure to minimize attenuation of the incident and diffracted neutrons to maximize count rates.

Abstract To protect ship equipment of river and sea transport, it is suggested to use polymeric protective coatings based on epoxy diane oligomer ED-20, polyethylene polyamine (PEPA) curing agent and filler, which is a departure from industrial production. Thus the purpose of the work is analysis of major dependency of the properties on the content of fillers that allowed to revealed the critical filler content (furnace black) in composites to form a protective coating with the required set of characteristics. The infrared (IR) spectral analysis was used to investigate the presence of bonds on the surface of particles of the PM-75 furnace black, which allows us to assess the degree of cross-linking of the polymer. The influence of the content of dispersed furnace black on the physicomechanical and thermophysical properties and the structure of the protective coating is investigated.

Abstract Equal-channel angular pressing (ECAP) is among the most applicable severe plastic deformation processes used to fabricate ultrafine-grained materials with superior mechanical properties. In this work, a commercial purity aluminum has been processed via ECAP process up to four passes. The influence of ECAP routes (A and Bc) on the mechanical properties of the material and its grain size was investigated. Microstructural observations of the as-annealed and the rods processed via ECAP were undertaken using optical microscopy. Hardness profiles and contour maps of sections cut perpendicularly and parallel to the load direction were assessed to investigate the effect of ECAP processing on the hardness distribution across the deformed rods. Compressive properties of the rods were also examined. In addition, digital images correlation was used to display the stress distribution along the longitudinal section of the processed sample during the compression test.

Abstract The causes of failure due to cracking in the resistance spot welding of the advanced high-strength steels dual-phase 590 (DP590) were investigated using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), optical microscopy, and the tensile-shear test. The results showed that by increasing the current amount, the formation of the melting zone occurred in the heat-affected zone, leading to the cracking in this area, reducing the tensile strength and decreasing the mechanical properties; the initiation and growth of cracking and failure in this region also happened. In the heat-affected zone, by increasing the current amount with the softening phenomenon, the recrystallized coarse grains also occurred, eventually resulting in the loss of mechanical properties. The results of the tensile-shear test also indicated that by increasing the current up to 12 kA, the strength was raised, but the ductility was reduced.

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