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Product development in automotive industry is still deeply based on experimentation: test benches and road test facilities are used both for components testing and models validation. Nevertheless a growing role is played by numerical simulation and nowdays by virtual experimentation. The latter is required by the increasing complexity of the systems and cost saving. Moreover new products involve a higher level of integration between mechanics, electronics and computer science, which makes difficult a rapid and low cost prototyping. The design of the vehicle is currently applied to the overall system instead of assembling subsystems separately developed and tested. This approach requires that the same level of integration is achieved on numerical codes and simulators, to be able to operate hardware and software for virtual experimentation in mechatronic systems. This paper briefly describes the experience done since few years, by Fiat Auto and Politecnico di Torino (Dept.

In the last few years, the number of Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) on road vehicles has been increased with the aim of dramatically reducing road accidents. Therefore, the OEMs need to integrate and test these systems, to comply with the safety regulations. To lower the development cost, instead of experimental testing, many virtual simulation scenarios need to be tested for ADAS validation. The classic multibody vehicle approach, normally used to design and optimize vehicle dynamics performance, is not always suitable to cope with these new tasks; therefore, real-time lumped-parameter vehicle models implementation becomes more and more necessary. This paper aims at providing a methodology to convert experimentally validated light commercial vehicles (LCV) multibody models (MBM) into real-time lumped-parameter models (RTM).

The paper presents a simulation methodology created to support an integrated safety system development process which was tested for the side impact collision load case. The methodology is based on the coupled and complementary use of two software packages: PreScan and Madymo. PreScan was utilized for designing two traffic scenarios and the sensing and control systems for the side collision recognition, while Madymo was utilized for assessing the effects of pre-crash deployment of thorax airbag. The collision conditions from the scenarios were used as input to define a Madymo side collision model of the host vehicle and to investigate and optimize several airbag deployment parameters: pre-crash deployment time, airbag permeability, vent hole size and vent hole opening time.

The paper shortly describes an ABS/ESP Hardware-In-the-Loop (HIL) test bench built by the Vehicle Dynamics Team of the Department of Mechanics of Politecnico di Torino. It consists of a whole brake system, integrated through specific interface (e.g. wheel pressures signals) with a vehicle model running in real time on a dSPACE® board. Different commercial ABS strategies are compared, in a large spectrum of manoeuvres: slow brake apply manoeuvres, panic brake manoeuvres, μ-split brake manoeuvres, brake manoeuvres with a sudden variation of the friction coefficient between tyres and ground. The paper deals with the generation of all the signals required for activating a commercial ESP: steering wheel angle, body yaw rate, body lateral acceleration, engine control, etc… Some of them are transmitted by CAN. Typical handling manoeuvres are used to test the ESP: step steer, double step steer, ramp steer, etc… Several brake manoeuvres are simulated while turning.

H-ergo, a concept of light electric vehicle devoted to personal mobility, will here be presented. H-ergo is a low-noise, user-friendly, zero-emission vehicle, with a pleasant style. Its main features include high payload/vehicle mass ratio, electric energy supplied either by batteries or by fuel cell, ergonomic style in order to transport a driver or a person whit mobility problems, chassis design to minimize cost of production, variable wheelbase (through electric actuator). The paper presents the main ideas on which the vehicle design was based and summarizes the most important results obtained.

The paper presents a 4-wheel-steering (4WS) control strategy devoted to reduce the turn diameter for small longitudinal speed values and to obtain a yaw rate damping effect in dynamic manoeuvres. Moreover, the 4WS active system conceived produces compensation both for lateral wind and road irregularities. The main results obtained through a functional vehicle model are presented. 4WS was integrated with a Vehicle Dynamics Control (VDC), which was improved for turn while braking manoeuvres. The results due to integration were very good, with a reduction of both systems interventions. Finally, a VDC-4WS-Active Roll Control (ARC) integration was tried, based on only one reference body yaw rate for all the active systems. The main results obtained are presented and discussed.

In automotive market, today more than in the past, it is very important to reduce time to market and, mostly, developing costs before the final production start. Ideally, bench and on-road tests can be replaced by multi-body studies because virtual approach guarantees test conditions very close to reality and it is able to exactly replicate the standard procedures. Therefore, today, it is essential to create very reliable models, able to forecast the vehicle behavior on every road condition (including uneven surfaces). The aim of this study is to build an accurate multi-body model of a heavy-duty truck, check its handling performance, and correlate experimental and numerical data related to comfort tests for model tuning and validation purposes. Experimental results are recorded during tests carried out at different speeds and loading conditions on a Belgian blocks track. Simulation data are obtained reproducing the on-road test conditions in multi-body environment.

This paper explores the potentiality of reducing noise and vibration of a vehicle transmission thanks to powertrain control integration with active braking. Due to external disturbances, coming from the driver, e.g. during tip-in / tip-out maneuvers, or from the road, e.g. crossing a speed bump or driving on a rough road, the torsional backlashes between transmission rotating components (gears, synchronizers, splines, CV joints), may lead to NVH issues known as clonk. This study initially focuses on the positive effect on transmission NVH performance of a concurrent application of a braking torque at the driving wheels and of an engine torque increase during these maneuvers; then a powertrain/brake integrated control strategy is proposed. The braking system is activated in advance with respect to the perturbation and it is deactivated immediately after to minimize losses.

To optimize a shift transient during clutch engagement (third phase of a gearshift) it is fundamental to define the engine velocity reference and the more appropriate instant at which to begin the clutch engagement itself. An analytical procedure to calculate the engine velocity reference value during the third phase of a gearshift and the moment when to begin the clutch engagement is presented. Simulation results obtained considering upshift and downshift with engine torque either applied or not are presented. The analytical solution presented permits to tune the third phase of the gearshift in an easier way than previous strategy based on look-up tables.

The first step toward a braking system ‘by wire’ is Electro-Hydraulic Braking System (EHB). The paper describes a method to evaluate through virtual experimentation the actual improvement in vehicle behaviour, from the point of view of both handling and comfort, including also pedal feeling, due to EHB. The first step consisted in modelling the hydraulic unit, comprehensive of sensors. Then it was conceived a control logic devoted to medium-low intensity braking manoeuvres, without ABS intervention, to determine an optimal braking force distribution and pedal feeling depending on the manoeuvre. A failsafe strategy, complete of on board diagnosis, to prevent dangerous system behaviour in the eventuality of a component failure was carried out and tested. Finally, EHB wheel pressure sensors were used to improve both ABS performance, increasing the adherence estimation, and Vehicle Dynamics Control (VDC) performance, through a more precise actuation.

A novel methodology, for the assessment of Dual Clutch Transmission vibrations during gear shifts, is proposed in this paper. It is based on the capability to predict through numerical simulation a typical dynamic quantity used to objectively evaluate the vibrational behavior of a gearbox during experimental tests, i.e. the acceleration of a point on the external surface of the gearbox housing. To achieve this result, a two-step approach is proposed: an accurate simulation of the internal transmission dynamics and an offline uncoupled computation of the gearbox housing acceleration from the output of the simulation. The first step required the definition of a suitable nonlinear lumped parameter model of the car equipped with a DCT that was implemented in Amesim software.

The paper deals with a method implemented to study braking systems design, modelling components' characteristics through commercial software. It summarizes the potential improvement possible by using modelling techniques in chassis systems design. The first part consisted in producing a passive braking system model. A first validation was carried out on a test bench by using components of different braking systems. Particular attention was devoted to booster modelization both in semi-stationary and dynamic conditions. The second part was callipers, roll-back and thermal phenomena modelization. Finally, it were modelled Anti-lock Braking System (ABS) and Vehicle Dynamics Control (VDC) Hydraulic Units and their integration with control strategies and with vehicle dynamics model.

Vehicles equipped with Automated Manual Transmissions (AMT) for gear shift control show many advantages in terms of reduction of fuel consumption and improvement of driving comfort and shifting quality. In order to increase both performance and efficiency, an important target is focused on the minimization of the typical torque interruption during the gear shift, especially in front of the conventional automatic transmission. Recently, AMT are proposed to be connected with planetary gears and friction brakes, in order to reduce the torque gap during the gear change process. This paper is focused on a block-oriented simulation methodology developed in Matlab/Simulink/Stateflow® environment, able to simulate the performance of a complete FWD powertrain and in particular to predict dynamic performance and overall efficiency of the AMT with innovative Torque Gap Filler devices (TGF).

Chassis Control Systems development methodology is nowadays strongly based on analyzing performance by using PC vehicle dynamics simulation. Generally, the overall design, test bench and road validation process is continuously accompanied by simulation. The Base Model Simulator was developed by the Vehicle Dynamics Group at the Department of Mechanics of Politecnico di Torino both to satisfy this requirement and for educational purposes. It considers a complete vehicle dynamics mathematical model, including driver, powertrain, driveline, vehicle body, suspensions, steering system, brakes, tires. The Base Model Simulator takes in account the suspensions system elastokinematics, including, for example, automatic computation of camber variation during the vehicle roll motions. Tire model considered are either Pacejka's models or experimental data.

This paper presents the methodology adopted by Politecnico di Torino Vehicle Dynamics Research Team to obtain objective indices for the evaluation of the comfort during the gear change process. Some test drivers and different passengers traveled on a test vehicle and assigned marks on the basis of their subjective feeling of comfort during the gearshifts. The comparison between the most significant subjective evaluations and the experimental values obtained by the instruments located on the vehicle is presented. As a consequence, some indices (based on physical parameters) to evaluate the efficiency and the comfort of the gearshift process are obtained. They are in good agreement with the subjective evaluations of the drivers and the passengers. The second part of the paper presents a driveline and vehicle model which was conceived to reproduce the phenomena experimented on the vehicle. The experimental validation of the model is presented.

A four wheel steer control logic is described. A first control logic release, obtained during previous research activity, is based only on feed forward (F.F.) but is here upgraded merging closed loop control (C.L.). Integration between F.F. and C.L. is described. Rear steering electromechanical actuator frequency response is analyzed, in order to consider its not ideal behaviour during control logic design. Several simulation are performed to qualitatively evaluate the error committed considering an ideal actuator during the control logic design. Specific manoeuvres are chosen to investigate about active system influence on vehicle handling; a 14 degrees of freedom vehicle model is validated in order to compare simulation results with experimental data.

The paper deals with the elaboration of an Active Roll Control (ARC) oriented both on comfort and handling improvement. The ARC determines hydraulically the variation of the equivalent stiffness of the anti-roll bars. The control strategies conceived were extensively validated through road tests managed on an Alfa Romeo sedan. The first part of the paper deals with comfort improvement, mainly consisting in an absence of bar effect during straight-ahead travel and in a modification of the roll characteristic of the car. To increase driver's handling feeling, it was necessary to optimise the ratio between front and rear roll stiffness. This purpose can be reached through control strategies based exclusively on lateral acceleration. Some control strategy corrections were necessary to optimise roll damping and front/rear roll stiffness balancing.

This paper investigates the effect of the powertrain mounting system on the linear and nonlinear torsional dynamical behaviour of a transmission system. To this aim, two dynamic models, one with rigid mounts and the other with flexible mounts, are presented and compared: the first model considers only the torsional dynamics of transmission and driveline, while the second model includes also a 3 degrees-of-freedom powertrain block. The mechanical coupling and interaction between the powertrain block and transmission system is discussed and formulated. These models are then analyzed in terms of vibrational mode shapes, natural frequencies and Frequency Response Functions (FRFs); a sensitivity analysis of the main transmission parameters, e.g. the gear ratio, is also presented.

Over the next decade, CO2 legislation will be more demanding and the automotive industry has seen in vehicle electrification a possible solution. This has led to an increasing need for advanced powertrain systems and systematic model-based control approaches, along with additional complexity. This represents a serious challenge for all the OEMs. This paper describes a novel reverse engineering methodology developed to estimate relevant powertrain data required for fuel consumption-oriented hybrid electric vehicle (HEV) modelling. The estimated quantities include high-voltage battery internal resistance, electric motor and transmission efficiency, gearshift thresholds, torque converter performance diagrams, engine fuel consumption map and front/rear hydraulic brake torque distribution. This activity provides a list of dedicated experimental tests, to be carried out on road or on a chassis dynamometer, aiming at powertrain characterization thanks to a suitable post-processing algorithm.

The paper deals with the Hardware-In-the-Loop based methodology which was adopted to evaluate the dynamic characteristics of Electronic Stability Program (ESP) and Electro-Hydraulic Brake (EHB) components. Firstly, it permits the identification of the time delays due to the hardware of the actuation system. Secondly, the link between the hardware of the hydraulic unit and a vehicle model running in real time permits the objective evaluation of the performance induced by the single components of different hydraulic units in terms of vehicle dynamics. The paper suggests the main parameters and tests which can help the car manufacturer in evaluating ESP hydraulic units, without expensive road tests.