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The present work compares the tribological properties of ZnO (Zinc Oxide) nanoparticle based lubricant with ZDDP (zinc dialkyl dithiophosphate) based lubricant. The nanolubricant was prepared by mixing the nanoparticles in base oil followed by ultrasonification and ZDDP based lubricant was prepared by mixing ZDDP and stirring with base oil. Base oil used was mineral base oil. Both the lubricants were tested at three different temperatures, loads and roughness values. The test was carried out on AISI 52100 steel samples prepared by wire cutting and were grinded to three different levels of surface roughness. Friction and wear tests were performed using a reciprocating sliding tribo-tester at three different loads and temperatures. Taguchi orthogonal array was used to reduce the number of experiments. SEM, EDS and AFM analysis were carried out to study the surface wear phenomenon.

In the fabrication of parts in auto and aero segments, the use of ceramic (SiCp, Al2O3p) reinforces aluminum alloy found to be increased than that of steel and cast iron. This matrix-reinforced alloy has a high strength to weight ratio along with higher modulus and hardness, the lower thermal coefficient of expansion, and improved tribological properties. To this extent, this paper investigates the turning characteristics and optimization study of newly developed metal matrix composites by the addition of both hard ceramic SiCp and soft stable lubricant molybdenum disulfide (MoS2p). The samples such as Sample 1: AlSi10Mg/3SiCp, Sample 2: AlSi10Mg/2MoS2p and Sample 3: AlSi10Mg/3SiCp /2MoS2p are prepared using the automated stir-casting machine. The particles are observed to be uniformly distributed in the composite. After density and hardness measurement, the samples are subjected to machining, and the responses are optimized by using response surface method.

Lithium (Li)-based batteries have wide applications in the everyday gadgets. Li-based batteries have prominent usage in the automotive sector. All the major OEMs for manufacturing hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) and electric vehicles (EVs) use only Li batteries and are still going to continue for the next decades. However, during the operation of these batteries, they are susceptible to environmental and battery factors. The amount of charge currently taken in or out influences the internal resistance and temperature of the battery. Therefore, the amount of heat generated by the Li-ion batteries during operation is critical for designing a cost-effective and efficient thermal management system (TMS) for HEVs and EVs.

Considerable weight of an automobile is constituted by the engine and there is scope for improvement in fuel efficiency and emission control through optimization of weight in the engine. In this work, AlSi10Mg alloy produced by the direct metal laser sintering (DMLS) is suggested for engine application which is a lightweight aluminum alloy. Mechanical properties like tensile strength, compressive strength, and hardness of both cast and DMLS manufactured alloy are compared followed by analysis of SEM images of tensile test fractured surfaces. Reciprocating wear test is carried out for one lakh cycles at 125°C temperature with SAE 40 grade oil as lubricant. Co-efficient of friction (COF), wear rate of the cast and DMLS manufactured samples are compared. Wear patterns are analyzed using SEM images of the wear tracks.

The cross flow design of a radiator and its heat transfer and temperature drop was simulated then validated by using a data acquisition system during both static and dynamic running conditions of a Formula SAE car. The data acquisition system simulated and validated the radiator's cross flow design and heat transfer, as well as the temperature drop, under static and dynamic conditions in a car. The optimal radiator design determines the engine's operating temperature and the desired temperature drop gain through proper design of the inner core, number of fins and tubes, and radiator material. The purpose of a properly designed radiator is to prevent the combustion engine from heating up above its operating temperature [1]. The radiator's design is based on the operating temperature of the CBR 600RR engine. The highest temperature recorded was around 105°C, and in the worst case scenario, it can reach 110°C.

Epoxy carbon fiber composite materials are known for their light weight and high performance. They can be effective substitutes for commonly used materials for making drive shafts. Fiber orientation angle plays a major role in determining such a drive shaft’s responses. The responses considered in this paper are critical buckling torque, fundamental natural frequency and total deformation. A drive shaft made of epoxy carbon unidirectional prepreg is generated using ANSYS 18.0 ACP Composite Prepost. The objective of this paper is to determine an optimal configuration of fiber orientation angles for four, five and six-layered epoxy carbon drive shaft which tends to increase critical buckling torque and fundamental natural frequency while decreasing the total deformation. The optimal configuration which satisfies this objective for the three responses is identified by Minitab 17 statistical software.

The drastic technological advancements in the field of autonomous vehicles and connected cars lead to substantial progression in the commercial values of automobile industries. However, these advancements force the Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) to shift from feedback-based reactive business analysis to operational-data based predictive analysis thereby enhancing both the customer satisfaction as well as business opportunities. The operational data is nothing but the parameters obtained from several parts of an automobile during its operation such as, temperature in radiator, viscosity of the engine oil and force applied over the brake disk. These operational data are gathered using several sensors implanted in different parts of an automobile and are continuously transmitted to backend computers to develop Digital Twin, which is a virtual model of the physical automobile.

In lieu of the drastic growth of the vehicle population, there is a huge consumption of fossil fuels and mineral oils for mobility. This leads to depletion in fossil fuels and mineral oils which are the by-products of petroleum. These fossil fuels can’t sustain for a long period of time because of its toxicity. In order to reduce the usage of existing mineral oil for lubrication, a source of non-edible oil from Jatropha curcus is processed as jatropha methyl ester (JME). It is holding high viscosity, density and easy blend with base oil. In this current work, the wear resistance of the lubricating oil is enhanced by the addition of nano-copper oxide particle blend with the base oil. The emission performance and tribological behavior have been experimentally tested in 98.2CC two-stroke air cooled engine. The 20% of JME blend with CuO nano particle provides better emission performance and wear characteristics than the other combination of blends.

The increased use of electronic systems has become a severe concern for electromagnetic pollution, leading to the development of materials to reduce electromagnetic interference (EMI). The present study investigated the EMI-shielding effectiveness (EMI-SE) of flax fiber polymer composite (FFC) in the available free space method by varying the wt.% of Rice husk ash (RHA) and hematite. The flax fiber was coated with the dip coating technique, and the coated fibers were used for preparing FFC by hand layup. The EMI-SE was measured at 32-33.5 dB in the X-band frequency range (8-12 GHz). As the cost is low and can be mass-produced, results show that the developed FFC are suitable for electric vehicle applications specifically to shield Electronic control units (ECU), where the interference effect needs to be reduced.

Natural fibers are one of the major ways to improve environmental pollution. In this study experimental investigation and simulation of honeycomb filled with cotton fabric, wood dust and polyurethane were carried out. This study determines the potential use of cotton fabric, wood dust as good sound absorbers. Automotive industries are looking forward to materials that have good acoustic properties, lightweight, strong and economical. This study provides a better understanding of sound-absorbing material with other mechanical properties. With simulation and experimental results, validation of works provides a wider industrial application for the interior of automotive industries including marine, aviation, railway industry and many more.

Heat transfer optimization is a crucial aspect of the design process for Formula Student race cars, particularly for the radiator, usually housed in a side pod. For the car to operate at peak performance, a well-designed radiator-sidepod system is essential such that it can dissipate heat generated by the engine faster, for the car to run in optimal performance. Testing the car physically for various radiator-sidepod design iterations is a very difficult task, also considering the costs to manufacture the radiator-sidepod setup. The objective of this study is to develop a comprehensive methodology for analysing heat transfer through radiator setup using Computational Fluid Dynamics and to validate it through experimental investigations, to enhance performance and efficiency of the radiator setup. It further explains how to find out its heat transfer efficiency, and to choose the right radiator-sidepod setup, giving optimal performance.

This paper presents the parametric study, process benefits, optimization and chip appearance of machining parameters on turning of the Inconel 718 using Nd: YAG laser source. To analyze the mentioned above effect on alloy 718, the cutting inserts of chemical vapor disposition coated (CVD) TiN/TICN/Al2O3 are used to turn at the time of machining. To evaluate the linear (mean effect plots) and interaction effect (3D surface plots) of laser parameters on the force, roughness and tool wear to keep the minimal, experiments of the L27 orthogonal array are done by selecting the controllable parameters viz speed, the rate of feed along with laser power. From the parametric study, increase in speed and laser power along with decrement in the rate of feed resulted in lower cutting force. But surface finish and tool wear reduced with a decline in speed and scale of feed and increased with increment in laser power.

The heat losses through exhaust gases and the engine coolant contribute significantly towards reduction in thermal efficiency of an Internal Combustion (IC) engine. This largely impacts the fuel economy and power output. Waste Heat Recovery (WHR) has proven to be an effective method of overcoming these challenges. A Rankine cycle is a reverse refrigeration cycle that circulates a working fluid through the four basic components namely the pump, evaporator, turbine and condenser. It is a popular WHR approach in automotive applications with varying levels of success in the past. As the heat transfer capability in organic working fluids is greater than the conventionally used inorganic fluids, the former is used to capture maximum waste heat from low grade heat sources such as the automobile engine. A dual-loop Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC) is proposed for a heavy duty IC Engine with working fluids R245fa and R236fa for the High Temperature (HT) and Low Temperature (LT) loops respectively.

The surface properties have a vital role in the overall performance of the parts like brake shoe pad and other frame system. The mechanical and residual stress measurements of aluminium alloy 5083 were investigated on friction stir processed plates using the reinforcements of chromium oxide (Cr2O3) and titanium dioxide (TiO2) separately as well as combination of these powders. A comparative study was made to analyze the effects of reinforcements, tool type (cylindrical and threaded), parameters and the volume fraction of the reinforcements. The mechanical properties such as surface hardness and residual stress of the friction stir processed specimens were investigated. The experimental results shows that there was a significant increase in surface hardness (118 HRC) as well as a decrease in residual stress compare to the base metal. This study also reveals that the threaded tool with a reinforcement of Cr2O3 and TiO2 reflected better mechanical properties than the cylindrical tool.

The radiator as heat exchanger plays a very significant role in an engine cooling system by maintaining the coolant at an optimum temperature. The present study aims at improving the performance of an automobile radiator by using nano-coolants. Nano-scale particles have been tested and proven to have enhanced thermal conductivity than their bulk counterparts due to their increased surface area-to-volume ratio. Thus the nanoparticles dispersed in the base fluids called nanofluids are used as a radiator coolant to improve the performance of the radiator. Aluminum oxide (Al2O3)-based nanofluid at 0.04%, 0.08%, 0.15% by volume concentrations is used in two different base fluids, one being water and the other ethylene glycol (30%) (EG)-water mixture. Coolant is supplied at three different inlet temperatures at 40°C, 50°C, and 60°C and at five different flow rates ranging from 2 L/min to 6 L/min at an interval of 1 L/min.