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Abstract Composite ceramic brake discs are made of ceramic material reinforced with carbon fibers and offer exceptional advantages that translate directly into higher vehicle performance. In the case of an electric vehicle, it could increase the range of the vehicle, and in the case of conventional internal combustion engine vehicles, it means lower fuel consumption (and consequently lower CO2 emissions). These discs are typically characterized by complex internal geometries, further complicated by the presence of drilling holes on both friction surfaces. To estimate the aerothermal performance of these discs, and for the thermal management of the vehicle, a reliable model for predicting the air flowing across the disc channels is needed. In this study, a real carbon-ceramic brake disc with drilling holes was investigated in a dedicated test rig simulating the wheel corner flow conditions experimentally using the particle image velocimetry technique and numerically.

Abstract Quantifying exhaust gas composition and temperature in vehicles with internal combustion engines (ICEs) is crucial to understanding and reducing emissions during transient engine operation. This is particularly important before the catalytic converter system lights off (i.e., during cold start). Most commercially available gas analyzers and temperature sensors are far too slow to measure these quantities on the timescale of individual cylinder-firing events, thus faster sensors are needed. A two-color mid-infrared (MIR) laser absorption spectroscopy (LAS) sensor for gas temperature and carbon monoxide (CO) mole fraction was developed and applied to address this technology gap. Two quantum cascade lasers (QCLs) were fiber coupled into one single-mode fiber to facilitate optical access in the test vehicle exhaust. The QCLs were time-multiplexed in order to scan across two CO absorption transitions near 2013 and 2060 cm–1 at 15 kHz.

Abstract Automotive interior coatings for flexible and rigid substrates represent an important segment within automotive coating space. These coatings are used to protect plastic substrates from mechanical and chemical damage, in addition to providing colour and design aesthetics. These coatings are expected to resist aggressive chemicals, fluids, and stains while maintaining their long-term physical appearance and mechanical integrity. Designing such coatings, therefore, poses significant challenges to the formulators in effectively balancing these properties. Among many factors affecting coating properties, the cross-link density (XLD) and solubility parameter (δ) of coatings are the most predominant factors.

Abstract Lightweight and high-strength high-pressure die casting (HPDC) aluminum has been widely used in automotive components such as the cylinder block, lower crankcase extension, transmission case, and drive unit. Die cast parts have good surface finishes with relatively higher material strength in the casting skin than the center core material, maintain consistent features and tolerance, and maximize metal yield, therefore making it the most cost-effective casting process for mass production of aluminum parts. However, due to the rapid filling rates, the HPDC process tends to form large porosity and oxides because of the entrapped gas and solidification shrinkage, thereby deteriorating the mechanical properties of the casting parts.

Abstract Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) is widely used to diagnose the state of health (SOH) of lithium-ion batteries. One of the essential steps for the diagnosis is to analyze EIS with an equivalent circuit model (ECM) to understand the changes of the internal physical and chemical processes. Due to numerous equivalent circuit elements in the ECM, existing parameter identification methods often fail to meet the requirements in terms of identification accuracy or convergence speed. Therefore, this article proposes a novel impedance model parameter identification method based on the random mutation differential evolution (RMDE) algorithm. Compared with methods such as nonlinear least squares, it does not depend on the initial values of the parameters. The method is compared with chaos particle swarm optimization (CPSO) algorithm and genetic algorithm (GA), showing advantages in many aspects.

Abstract Automated vehicles require some level of subsystem redundancy, whether to allow a transition time for driver re-engagement (L3) or continued operation in a faulted state (L4+). Highly automated vehicle developers need to have safe miles accumulated by vehicles to assess system maturity and experience new environments. This article presents a conceptual framework suggesting that hardware newly available to commercial vehicle application can be used to form a steering system that will remain operational upon a failure. The key points of a provisional safety case are presented, giving hope that a complete safety case is possible. This article will provide autonomous vehicle developers a view of a near term possibility for a highly automated commercial vehicle steering solution.

Abstract The acidification of lubricating oils during engine operation, and the subsequent additive neutralization, is an important challenge for Original Equipment Manufacturers and end-users. Often the decline in Total Base Number (TBN) and increase in Total Acid Number (TAN) is measured during engine operation as an indication of the oil’s condition and lifetime. This is clearly an oversimplification given that no consideration is given to the type of acid, how corrosive it is, or the type of base and how effective it is at neutralizing. Acids can be broadly categorized into mineral acids such as sulfuric/nitric and organic acids such as acetic. Traditionally, research has focused on understanding the effects of mineral acids such as sulfuric, which can be formed during the combustion of sulfur-containing fuel.

Abstract Neutralization of acidic contaminants in engine lubricating oil is an important topic for engine manufacturers. Often, the deterioration in total base number (TBN) and increase in total acid number (TAN) during engine test operation is used as an indication of oil lifetime. This is clearly an oversimplification given that no consideration is given to how corrosive the acid is, and how effective the base is at neutralizing different acids. The work detailed here will explore how the presence of inorganic acids can be combated by lubricant additives, such as overbased detergents, through rapid neutralization. To achieve this, stopped-flow UV/visible spectroscopy has been used to measure the reaction kinetics between an overbased detergent and sulfuric acid containing water-in-oil (w/o) microemulsion droplets. The key structural properties of overbased detergents that contribute to effective acid neutralization will be explored.

Abstract In this work, an in situ multispecies portable emission measurement system (PEMS) is presented. The system is based on tunable diode laser absorption spectroscopy (TDLAS) and is capable of measuring tailpipe emissions without the necessity of online calibration. It is intended for application on passenger cars within the real drive emission (RDE) procedure of the Worldwide Harmonized Light Duty Test Procedure (WLTP). In contrast to the extractive measurement principles of commercially available PEMS, the introduced measurement system does not require gas sampling or preconditioning and thus does not suffer from the same low-pass filter effects on the measurements. These differences are suspected to have an impact on certification-relevant measurement data. Measurements have been conducted on a 3-cylinder 1 liter EURO 6 b gasoline engine test bench to investigate the differences between the presented measurement system and a commercially available PEMS.

Abstract Intake-runner fluid dynamics represent a vital component in the global performance of internal combustion engines, but limited diagnostics exist to characterize these gas flows. In this work, a laser absorption-based sensor was developed to measure intake-runner gas temperature, pressure, and water (H2O) mole fraction with crank-angle resolution. The sensor was designed to target two temperature-sensitive 1.8 μm absorption transitions in ambient H2O vapor. A high-resolution study of both lines was conducted, and a novel, multi-harmonic wavelength-modulation-spectroscopy (WMS) detection technique was developed to achieve sensitive measurements at 31 kS/s (once per crank angle degree at 6000 RPM). The sensor was validated in the laboratory across a range of intake-relevant conditions and subsequently demonstrated during dynamometer (dyno) testing of a single-cylinder development engine under motored and fired conditions.

Abstract Effects of process parameters such as rotational speed, feed rate, and drill diameters on the drilling behavior of basalt-epoxy-based composites including 2.5 wt.% Al2O3 particles manufactured by mixing and compression method were investigated by Taguchi’s technique. The experimental results showed that the burr height (BH) increased considerably almost linearly with an increase in the drill diameter, while it remained stable with speed and decreased the feed rate slightly. There was an excellent correlation between the control factors and responses, BH of basalt fiber-reinforced plastics (BFRPs) through the Taguchi approach. The model had an adjusted R2 value of 96.3%. Generally, the inclusion of Al2O3 particles in BFRP increased its cutting force properties. Optimized drilling conditions for the input variables to produce the lowest response of the BH for composites were rotational speed of 560 rpm and feed rate of 0.28 mm/rev and a drill diameter of 4.5 mm.

Abstract The transportation industry is currently in a transition toward the use of zero-emission vehicles; however, reaching it will take a considerable amount of time. In the meantime, a diesel powertrain will remain the workhorse for most heavy-duty transportation. In order to reduce the engine’s environmental impact, biofuels, such as biodiesel, are used as drop-in fuels or fuel blends. The use of drop-in fuels may create challenges for the fuel system since sticky deposits can precipitate and cause injector malfunctioning or premature fuel filter plugging. It has been concluded in the past that these deposits have been caused by soft particles. In this article, soft particles created through the degradation of biodiesel and their effect on filters are studied. The article aims to analyze fuel filters and investigate the materials responsible for soft particle separation. The study includes three pre filters and three main filters that are commercially available truck filters.

Abstract Carbon fiber reinforced plastic (CFRP) has been used in automobiles as well as airplanes. Because of its light weight and high strength, CFRP is a good choice for making vehicle bodies lighter, which would improve fuel economy. Conventional metal bodies provide a convenient body return for electric wiring and offer good shielding against electromagnetic fields. Although CFRP is a conductor, its conductivity is much lower than that of metals. Therefore, CFRP bodies are usually not useful for electric wiring. In thunderstorms, an automotive body is considered to be a Faraday cage that protects the vehicle’s occupants from the potential harms of lightning. Before CFRP becomes widely applied to automotive bodies, its electric and electromagnetic properties need to be investigated in order to determine whether it also works as a Faraday cage against lightning. In this article, CFRP and metal body vehicles were tested under artificial lightning.

Abstract The manufacturing of diesel injector nozzles requires precision processing to produce multiple micro-holes. An abrasive fluid containing a mixture of mineral oil and hard particles is used for rounding them, ensuring the hydrodynamics of the injection. As verified in a previous investigation, the viscosity of the fluid undergoes uncontrolled changes during hydro-erosive (HE) grinding. Such undesired viscosity changes are detrimental to the process and difficult to assess. The current investigation aims to study the possibility of using the refractive index of the oils used in the HE grinding for assessing their viscosities. A calibration curve correlating the refractive index and viscosity was obtained from the analysis of samples produced by mixing two distinct mineral oils in different proportions. The determined calibration curve was tested with 45 samples of filtered oil, collected directly from the tanks during the HE grinding.

Abstract The development of automated driving systems (ADS) necessitates procedures to validate system safety. The reliability of an ADS’s environment perception provided by lidar, radar, and camera sensors is of special interest in this context, because perception errors can be safety-critical. In this article, we formalize the reliability-based validation of environment perception for safe automated driving and discuss associated challenges. We describe a potential solution to a perception reliability validation by deriving performance requirements at the sensor level. We then summarize statistical methods to learn sensor perception reliabilities in field tests, on proving grounds, and through virtual simulations. With the developed safety validation framework, we show that, potentially, one can validate the safety of an ADS with feasible test effort.

Abstract Accelerated durability testing of automotive components has become a major interest for the ground vehicle Industries. This approach can predict the life characteristics of the vehicle by testing fatigue failure at higher stress level within a shorter period of time. Current tradition of laboratory testing includes a rigid fixture to mount the component with the shaker table. This approach is not accurate for the durability testing of most vehicle components especially for those parts connected directly with the tire and suspension system. In this work, the effects of the elastic support on modal parameters of the tested structure, such as natural frequencies, damping ratios and mode shapes, as well as the estimated structural fatigue life in the durability testing were studied through experimental testing and numerical simulations.

Corrigendum - The word "Differ" in the title should be corrected to "Different". The correct title is: Rapid Methodology to Simultaneous Quantification of Different Antioxidants in Biodiesel Using Infrared Spectrometry and Multivariate Calibration.

Abstract The paper presents a complete description of the design and manufacturing of a Carbon Fiber/epoxy mold with an embedded Carbon Fiber resistor heater, and the mold performances in terms of its surface temperature distribution and thermal deformations resulting from the heating. The mold was designed for manufacturing aileron skins from Vacuum Bag Only prepreg cured at 135°C. The glass transition temperature of the used resin-hardener system was about 175°C. To ensure homogenous temperature of the mold working surface in the course of curing, the Carbon Fiber heater was embedded in a layer of a highly heat-conductive cristobalite/epoxy composite, forming the core of the mold shell. Because the cristobalite/epoxy composite displayed much higher thermal expansion than CF/epoxy did, thermal stresses could arise due to this discrepancy in the course of heating.

Abstract Fossil fuel reserves are swiftly depleting when consumer demand for these fuels continues to rise. In order to meet the demand and diminish the pollution derived through conventional fuels, it is crucial to employ cleaner fuels made from substitutes such as waste biomass. Also, converting waste biomass to fuel can lower usage of landfills. There are many biomass resources that are suitable for fuel production, out of which groundnut is also a potential feedstock. Groundnut shell biomass was chosen for this study, as it is a waste leftover during shelling of groundnuts for various commercial applications. The procured groundnut shells were converted to oil using pyrolysis process and was distilled. Both the pyrolysis oil and the distilled oil were analyzed using Fourier transform infrared instrument wherein the presence of functional groups such as alcohols, amines, and carboxylic acids were identified.

Abstract Biodiesel was found to be the best candidate to replace diesel fuel mainly due to being renewable, biodegradable, and non-toxic and reduce greenhouse gases, which cause global warming. Nowadays, biodiesel is blended with diesel fuel in different concentrations depending on the country of usage and is used in diesel engines. Concerns about biodiesel were raised after premature fouling of fuel filters were reported before meeting their mileage requirement. Three filters from Brazil were analyzed using different techniques (Energy Dispersive X-Ray [EDX], Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy [FTIR], Thermogravimetric Analysis [TGA], Time of Flight-Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry [ToF-SIMS], and Gas Chromatography/Mass Spectrometry [GC/MS]) to understand the chemical composition of the filter deposits and highlight the main compounds responsible for the blockage.