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During recent years, many industries have begun to take a closer look at life-cycle assessment (LCA) to determine its potential value as a environmental management tool. The automobile industry, for instance, has invested considerable sums in life-cycle inventory (LCI), with the expectation that this effort will result in a benchmark environmental profile for a generic vehicle, yielding valuable “design for environment” (DfE) guidance and facilitating communication on the environmental performance of the automobile industry to public and private sector audiences. However, as other industry segments have already begun to discover, LCI falls short of providing the quantitative environmental feedback needed to guide internal decision-making or to ensure that accurate environmental information is communicated to customers and other stakeholder audiences.

In order to reduce emissions of spare ignition engines using a three way catalyst, a stoichiometric air-fuel ratio must be guaranteed in stationary and transient operation of the engine. This aim can be reached by using a specific feed-forward structure for the control of the paths of air and fuel based on identification abilities of Artificial Intelligence. As approximators for multidimensional nonlinear static functions we will use specific Neural Networks (NN) together with sophisticated stability-proven learning structures. The acquired knowledge within the NN determines our control action mainly through using feed-forward structures. Our investigations are based on the so-called mean-value-modelling approach of SI engines; it is our aim to present this strategy.

The U.S. EPA initiated the Common Sense Initiative (CSI) to develop “Cleaner, Cheaper, Smarter” environmental policy and management practices. This paper addresses the application of life cycle design and assessment tools to automotive instrument panels (IP) as part of the Automotive Manufacturing Sector CSI pilot project investigation. For this study, an “average IP” was modeled based on the instrument panels of three mid-sized U.S. car models: 1995 Chevrolet Lumina, 1996 Dodge Intrepid and 1996 Ford Taurus. This “average IP” consisted of seventeen different materials and weighed over 22 kg (49 lbs.). A life cycle inventory analysis was conducted to evaluate the environmental burdens associated with materials production, manufacturing, use, and retirement. A thorough evaluation of solid waste production and energy consumption was completed and partial inventories of air emission and water effluent releases were also conducted.

Using the Life Cycle Analysis methodology, a detailed study of the car glass production phases (from the extraction of raw materials until the recycling) has been developped. This kind of approach goes in the board of the new Fiat strategies to achieve declared goals of environmental efficiency, not only to adapt its choices to new parameters of law, but also to obtain advantages of competitivity on the global market. In particular, with reference to the outline of FARE (Fiat Auto REcycling) project, the end of life of used glass for cars has been evaluated; the primary products of Fiat Punto model (windshield, windshield rear and lateral windows) are recovered to remanufacture and to get a new secondary product as the glass bottles for packaging (open loop recycling), since, until now, it is impossible to have a good quality of glass for cars from the same glass scraps.

Full Cost Accounting (FCA), and the methodology that scientifically supports it, Life-Cycle Assessment (LCA), is rapidly developing as a set of accounts that effectively links aspects of manufacturing processes to the health of ecosystems. LCA is a “cradle to grave” accounting for products that recognizes the environmental impacts of all life-cycle stages. It is the valuation and interpretation phases of LCA that interface with FCA. FCA attempts to objectively interpret LCA information for strategic decision making by converting it to a common monetary base. FCA will be one of the practical tools to achieve step-wise incremental change toward sustainable development. LCA/FCA has already become an integral part of a market-incentive approach to natural resource conservation. We examine the background, benefits, and uses of LCA and FCA.

Automobile manufacturers can choose either a water-based or a solvent-based OEM basecoat with abatement, to reduce VOC emissions. In practice both are capable of meeting EU standards, but which is better for the environment? To find an answer, life cycle assessment has been applied here to typical European coatings. The study concludes that there is no overall environmental benefit from either option since the emissions are about equally balanced in favour of each. Energy demand reduction and conservation measures applied to either technology should yield the greatest environmental benefits. Additional scope comes from better material usage through improved transfer efficiency.

The largest application of mercury in automotive applications occurs in underhood and trunk lamp activation switches. A reduction of mercury in this application will have a significant impact on automotive mercury usage. Using environmentally conscious design and manufacturing principles, this paper will investigate functional alternatives for the activation of underhood (U/H) and trunk lamp applications. Five alternatives to perform the activation function will be analyzed in four areas over their life cycles: Environmental Economic Engineering Manufacturing Each alternative will be ranked on criteria in each of these four areas using documented LCA processes. Totals will be generated for each area, then weighted and added to arrive at an overall score. Four groups of weightings will be used based on the vehicle type: small cars, mid-size cars, large/luxury cars, and trucks.

Environmental costs are a delayed financial burden that result from product decisions made early in the product life cycle--early material choices may create regulatory and waste management costs that were not factored into the acquisition cost. This paper outlines a step-wise approach to determine decision points; environmental, health, safety and recycling (EHS&R) cost drivers that affect decisions; and sources of information required to conduct a Life Cycle Management (LCM) review. Additionally, how LCM fits into the larger concurrent engineering framework is illustrated with an electrocoat primer example. Upstream and downstream supply chain processes are reviewed, as well as organizational challenges that affect the decision process.

Products and services cause different environmental problems during the different stages of their life cycle. The Life Cycle Assessment tool aims to identify possibilities to improve the environmental behavior of the systems under consideration. Herefor it is necessary to systematically collect and interpret material and energy flows for all relevant processes. The whole life cycle of a system has to be considered to prevent the neglecting of shift of possible important environmental aspects. In order to support designers, engineers and decision makers to make better informed decisions, it is necessary to perform LCA studies and economical assessments at a very early stage in product design. It is very well known, that the cost and environmental performance responsibility for a product lies mainly in the hand of the designers. Therefore management tools and procedures have to be found or developed to include LCA in this early stage.

Strategies adopted to define material fatigue properties as input data for new FEA-FLP integrated procedure used at the design stage of product development are discussed, highlighting the influences exerted by actual large scale production processes. Examples related to the main structural automotive components are also presented.

Since aluminum alloys have been widely used as structural materials in various mobility related industries, many studies concerning fatigue damage, and the growth behavior of long cracks in particular, have been conducted on these materials. However, the fatigue life of most land-vehicle structural components is controlled mainly by the growth behavior of small cracks which cannot be treated by long-crack methods such as linear elastic fracture mechanics. The behavior of small cracks must be studied to evaluate the fatigue life of these structures. In the present paper, the initiation and growth behavior of small cracks in plain specimens of 6061-T6 aluminum alloy are investigated. It was observed that a surface shear crack usually initiated within a grain, and its subsequent growth depended strongly on the microstructure. With regard to the crack growth behavior, multiple cracks generally initiated and grew to surface lengths exceeding 1 mm before fracture.

Operating requirements for automotive flexible couplings are rapidly becoming increasingly severe. Higher temperatures, tighter emission requirements along with extended warranties and governmental demands for increased gas mileage are rendering present stainless steel coupling alloys marginally acceptable or, more often, unacceptable for a growing number of engine platforms. Requirements for longer life are demanding improvements in fatigue and corrosion resistant properties over those of currently employed alloys. This paper characterizes the strength, fatigue and corrosion resistance of INCONEL® alloy 625LCF® and relates these properties to the ever increasing requirements of automotive flexible couplings. Tight control of property variation is demonstrated for the fatigue properties by presenting data on a range of heats with differing gauges. The effect of aging during service on room temperature tensile properties is examined.

The effect of Si-phase on the axial, low-cycle fatigue behavior of Al-Si eutectic alloys was investigated using test specimens prepared from alloys processed either by continuous casting or extrusion. Results indicate that, for continuous casting, all fatigue fractures resulted from shear-type crack initiation and propagation with an attendant shortening of fatigue life. For extruded material, fatigue cracks originated in the Si phase. In both instances, initiation and growth mechanisms were essentially identical to those observed in high-cycle fatigue. Cyclic properties obtained from phenomenological models are presented and discussed.

In multiaxial fatigue, a combination of random loads produces a complex state of stress at a point. These loads may be independent or partially related. Generally, the principal plane at the stress point varies with time which causes difficulty in assessing fatigue damage. This paper examines multiaxial stress using conditioned spectral analysis which, in certain circumstances, reduces the loads to a set of independent loads each of which is associated with a principal plane, allowing a separate assessment of fatigue damage with respect to each principal plane.

In a collaborative investigation of ZF Friedrichshafen AG and the Fraunhofer-Institut für Betriebsfestigkeit LBF [1], both constant and variable amplitude fatigue tests were performed on induction-hardened automatic transmission shafts made from Ck 35 mod. steel. The objectives of the project were to evaluate the safety reserves of the shafts and to apply several selected methods to assess fatigue life, to compare these methods and to gain insights for future component developments.

The function of the engine air cleaning filter is to remove the particulate matter in the intake air to protect the engine and its components from wear and contamination. For a specific filter, the efficiency is a function of the size of the particles being collected and the air flow velocity through the filter. Traditional tests of engine air cleaners are based on the use of specific test dusts, such as the AC Coarse and AC Fine, to determine the mass collection efficiency. However, they do not provide information on the size dependent performance of the filters, and the variation in filter performance under different particle challenge conditions. The use of a fractional efficiency test method will help to provide this missing information. The purpose of this paper is to describe a fractional efficiency test system that has been designed to evaluate the fractional cleaning efficiency of engine air cleaning filters in the size range between 0.3 and 10 mm particle diameter.

The purpose of this study is to compare the dust loading behavior of ten filter media. The filters are used in engine air filtration, self-cleaning industrial air cleaners, building heating ventilation and cooling (HVAC), automotive cabin air filtration, air respirators, and general purpose air cleaning. Several types of filter media are tested. The filters include cellulose, synthetic (felt), glass, dual-layered glass/cellulose, mixed synthetic/glass, gradient packing glass, and electrically charged fibers. The initial pressure drops and fractional collection efficiencies as a function of particle size are reported. The filters were evaluated with two test dusts to investigate the size-dependent dust loading behavior. The two test dusts are SAE fine and submicron alumina powder (median diameter 0.25 μm). The results are analyzed and compared. It was found that the cellulose filters exhibited surface loading behavior and have the fastest growth of pressure drops.

The primary purpose of using automotive engine and interior air filtration systems is to reduce the airborne contaminant level entering the engine and passenger compartment. However, the reasons for using such systems are different. The engine air filter should protect the engine from potentially abrasive contaminants causing engine wear. On the other hand, a well designed interior air filter can reduce the concentration of respirable particles, especially allergens, while increasing passenger comfort. The performance of engine and cabin air filters is evaluated by measuring filtration characteristics according to SAE J726 and J1669 standards respectively. To achieve the maximum performance of the filtration system under real conditions, the definition of filter performance must be closely related to the application of the filter. In this paper, standards and filtration characteristics for both applications will be investigated.

Torque converter clutch friction interface and automatic transmission fluid (ATF) temperatures, pressure difference across the clutch piston, flow through the friction material grooves, and engine crankshaft dynamic torque were measured for typical operating conditions on a running transmission. The friction coefficient, clutch unit pressure, fraction of heat rejected to ATF flowing through the grooves, and time dependent thermal response were determined. Simplified heat transfer calculations were compared with thermal data. Clutch interface temperatures were assessed as they relate to the process of friction material and ATF degradation. The inductively powered radiotelemetry system was found to be a robust and powerful tool for investigating continuously slipping clutch system performance.

The quantification of automotive interior air filter performance can involve several laboratory tests including pressure drop, efficiency, dust holding capacity and a variety of physical properties of the filters. Since cabin air filtration is one of the fastest growing global automotive filter markets, the need for a reliable test procedure has become critical. The SAE J1699 and DIN 71460 test procedures describe the measurement of filter performance characteristics; however, the recommended test stand design, instrumentation and challenge aerosol are not the same. This paper presents the results of an examination of the differences between both standards and their influence on measured filter performance characteristics. The accurate determination of filter performance can be achieved when the sources of test variability are controlled and minimized.