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The retarder is an important auxiliary braking device of heavy vehicles. However, the stirring air in the working wheels of the idle retarder would cause the transmission loss when the vehicle is traveling in non-braking state [1]. For certain driving conditions, the air-friction characteristics in the working wheels of the idle retarder are analyzed first. Then the relationship between the air density and the torque produced by stirring air is studied. The thermal characteristics of the retarder in the idle condition are also concerned according to the energy flow and heat transfer. Meanwhile, the increased transmission loss caused by the rising temperature of the stirring air and its inference on the transmission stability are also studied. Finally, the optimal range of air vacuum degrees in the working wheel of the idle retarder is determined and the evaluations for the air-friction and the heat transfer characteristics are given for the vacuum degrees.

The paper studies on the basis of VOITH R133-2 hydraulic retarder, the inlet and outlet structures of the oil passage on the stator are rearranged, which are made a more uniform structure distribution. In order to find out the characteristics of this kind of structure arrangement. The flow passage models for two different structures are established, and the internal flow field characteristics are studied by using the CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics) method. The flow rules of the internal oil, the distribution of pressure field and velocity field as well as output braking torque are obtained. The results show that rearranged structure retarder has a more uniform pressure distribution and a lower output braking torque than original structure retarder. And the simulation verifies the effectiveness of simulating true flow by CFD in hydraulic retarder flow field and conduct retarder design and structure optimization.

A 2001 SAE paper et al. [1,2] compared the formability aspects of six different grades of galvanealed steel [IF (270E), C-Mn (440W-1), low C - high Mn (440W-2), HSLA440 (440R), HSLA590 (590R) and DP590 (590Y)]. This study has been expanded to evaluate five additional advanced galvanealed steel grades [Low yield type DP780 (780YL), High yield type DP780 (780YM), DP980 (980Y), TRIP590 (590T), and TRIP780 (780T)]. The study presents material properties, forming characteristics in several lab tests and spring back characteristics. The study provides the actual and relative performance of these eleven steels and conclusions on the advantages these grades provide in cost-effective and mass-effective solutions to the manufacturing and performance requirements of the automotive body.

The remarkable evolution of steel technology in recent years has resulted in the development of new High Strength Steels (HSS) that are increasingly used in today's automobiles. The advanced performance of these grades in ductility and rapid hardening characteristics provides an opportunity to stamp complex geometries with in-panel material strengths far exceeding those of conventional high strength grades of steel. This provides an opportunity to improve an automotive body's performance in crash, durability and strength while reducing the overall weight of the vehicle. An improved understanding of the forming characteristics of these advanced HSS and accurate prediction of the material processing strain will allow vehicle designers to fully explore the opportunities of increased yield, strain hardening, formability and strength and the potential this creates to reduce mass and improve the performance of the automotive body.

The frame rail has an impact on the crash performance of body-on-frame (BOF) and uni-body vehicles. Recent developments in materials and forming technology have prompted research into improving the energy absorption and deformation mode of the frame rail design. It is worthwhile from a timing and cost standpoint to predict the behavior of the front rail in a crash situation through finite element techniques. This study focuses on improving the correlation of the frame component Finite Element model to physical test data through sensitivity analysis. The first part of the study concentrated on predicting and improving the performance of the front rail in a frontal crash [1]. However, frame rails in an offset crash or side crash undergo a large amount of bending. This paper discusses appropriate modeling and testing procedures for front rails in a bending situation.

Over the past twelve years the Auto/Steel Partnership (A/SP) Tube Hydroforming Materials and Lubricants Team has been conducting projects to aid the implementation of tubular hydroforming in automotive applications. The approach taken has been to initially gain a basic understanding of the hydroforming process and potential issues and to then extend learning to real world applications of increasing complexity. The experimental project investigations have encompassed various steel grades with a recent focus on advanced high strength steel (AHSS) and tailor welded tubes (TWTs) in free expansion and corner fill processes using several types of lubricants. Project plans are developed based on identified knowledge gaps, barriers to implementation and technology needs as follows: Effects of forming operations prior to hydroforming including tube making, pre-bending and pre-forming. Forming limits (e.g. forming limit diagrams (FLDs)) and other failure criterion.

With the continuous increasing requirements of commercial vehicle weight and speed on highway transportation, conventional friction brake is difficult to meet the braking performance. To ensure the driving safety of the vehicle in the hilly region, the eddy current retarder (ECR) has been widely used due to its fast response, lower prices and convenient installation. ECR brakes the vehicle through the electromagnetic force generated by the current, and converted vehicle mechanical energy into heat through magnetic field. Air cooling structure is often used in the traditional ECR and cooling performance is limited, which causes low braking torque, thermal recession, and low reliability and so on. The water jacket has been equipped outside the eddy current region in this study, and the electric ECR is cooled through the water circulating in the circuit, which prolongs its working time.

The hydraulic retarder, which is an auxiliary brake device for enhancing traffic safety, has been widely used in kinds of heavy commercial vehicles. When the vehicle equipped with the retarder is traveling in non-braking state, the transmission loss would be caused because of the stirring air between working wheels of the rotor and the stator no matter if the retarder connects in parallel or in series with the transmission [1]. This paper introduces an elaborate hydraulic retarder air-friction reduction system (AFRS) which consists of a vacuum generating module and pneumatic control module. AFRS works to reduce the air friction by decreasing the gas density between working wheels when the retarder is in non-braking state. The pneumatic control model of hydraulic retarder is built first. Then various driving conditions are considered to verify the performance of the AFRS. The stability of the AFRS is analyzed based on the complete driveline model.