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The seat belt-shoulder harness restraint system is recognized as the most efficient, economical, available means of saving lives and reducing injuries in automobile accidents. A recent survey indicates that in accidents involving speeds up to 60 mph not a single motorist who was wearing seat belt-shoulder harnesses were killed. A recent report issued by a major auto-maker states that the seat belts-shoulder system is more effective from both a cost and life-saving point of view than the air bag or other presently proposed passive restraint systems. Despite the over-whelming evidenence and a concentrated public education program only about one-third of the American motoring public avails themselves of the protection of lap belts and less than 5% use shoulder harnesses.

The rolling resistance of a tire can have a marked effect on such factors as gasoline mileage and high speed durability. In an effort to understand better the mechanisms involved, 80 tires were analyzed. This analysis resulted in dividing the rolling resistance into a component (Ra) independent of speed, and a component (Rb), which is very speed dependent. The body of this paper discusses the effect of operating conditions and tire design variations on both of these components.

This paper describes the initial investigation and design of a lightweight racing motorcycle with a single-cylinder 2-stroke engine, capable of producing 60 bhp. The data discussed here pertain to the gas dynamic and mechanical parts and functions of the cycle. Designs of the various components are described and reports of tests on road and test beds verify the viability of this concept of a high specific output and large displacement cylinder for a lightweight, air-cooled motorcycle engine.

The increasing levels of affluence in the highly industrialized western societies have resulted in a drastic and increasing deterioration of the quality of man's environment. The economic facts in these societies are such that it actually “pays to pollute.” Air and water pollution, solid waste disposal, and noise pollution have become areas of major concern for the institutions of higher learning. Through instruction and research, knowledge toward the alleviation and control of environmental pollution must be disseminated and advanced. One of the major contributors to the present state of environmental deterioration is the almost absolute lack of well-defined control criteria. Much needs to be done in this area and the academic community has the know-how and economic remoteness to tackle this problem. One of the most fascinating facets of the environmental pollution problem is its interdisciplinary nature.

Introducing the direct study of environmental problems into university courses seems too difficult. The only practical way of alerting future engineers to their responsibility in considering the effect of their activities on the environment is indirectly. The development of courses in instrumentation and the use of experimental equipment are effective and do not require substantial modification of an engineering cirriculum. The intention of this paper is to describe certain experimental work to illustrate their use in the field of environmental problems.

The roles and responsibilities in this era of technological morality raise questions concerning active participation of engineers in ordinary day-to-day problems. Items of current interest, such as waste disposal, summer “brownouts,” locations of powerplants and their possible detrimental effects on ecology, are discussed; the feasibility of providing qualified group judgment on national policy is shown; the ways and means of publicizing the overall problems are presented.

The paper discusses two general definitions of adaptive control in an attempt to determine whether adaptive controls can effectively be employed in low-cost, high-quality auto production. Uses of adaptive control in various industries are described. Future applications are suggested in auto manufacture. Solid-state circuitry and computer control are major areas of such adaptive control application which are explored.

In view of impending changes in the British Standard concerned with ignition interference, to conform with the recent International Agreement (E.C.E. Regulation No. 10) and the probable corresponding amendment to the United Kingdom legislation, a series of road-side measurements of ignition interference radiation has been made on more than 10,000 vehicles. From the known suppression arrangements currently used on the vehicles measured, the results have been analysed as to their efficacy in relation to present United Kingdom legislation and the E.C.E. International Regulation; reference is also made to the SAE Standard J.551a and b. The effects of multisource ignition interference resulting from areas of high density traffic on the reception of VHF frequency-modulated radio and VHF positive-modulation TV signals are described.

Low Profile glass reinforced polyester Bulk Molding Compounds (BMC) and Sheet Molding Compounds (SMC) offer the automotive engineer two classes of materials with desirable properties for painted outside body parts. This paper compares methods of manufacture, molding parameters, and properties of BMC and SMC. Several applications are analyzed and reasons for material selection discussed.

The paper discusses the SAE Technical Program on RFI Measurements and is basically a tutorial review of radio frequency interference/electromagnetic interference (RFI/EMI) measurements on automobiles. The text is designed to provide engineers and technicians not familiar with RFI/EMI measurements with a basic appreciation of the measurements, the terminology used, the reasons for measurements, and how measured data should be presented. SAE Standard J551a is discussed. Given are background and data on basic descriptions of EMI and its effects on the environment; the basic history of electric field measurements and antennas; characteristics of receivers-including descriptions of heterodyning, mixing, peak detection, average detection, and quasi-peak detection-and a brief history of EMI receivers.

There has been a steady growth in the use of plastics due to better understanding of its performance, advantages, and limitations. Since 1960, reinforced plastics have played a greater role in the automotive industry in exterior applications. This paper explores the development and uses of glassfiber reinforced thermoplastics and glassfiber reinforced polyesters. Although many of the problems of these reinforced plastics have been solved, many refinements are needed; however, with these refinements, the use of reinforced plastics in the automotive industry will substantially increase by 1975, and thereafter.

The simulation described in this paper is intended to provide a flexible and economical tool for designing and evaluating inflatable safety restraints. It should be useful both for parameter studies and as a supplement to experiment. This two-dimensional digital simulation is now being completed as part of the CAL/AMA Two-Dimensional Crash Victim Simulation. This paper discusses the assumptions made to formulate the model, sketches the simulation organization, and outlines the three major submodels-thermodynamics, bag shape, and restraint forces.

Nickel-copper alloys, marketed under the name Monel, have been found to be extremely active NOx reduction catalysts. At temperatures above 1300 F, and under net reducing conditions, Monel will catalyze the removal of 90% or more of the NO in automotive exhaust at space velocities of up to 100,000 v/v/hr. On unleaded fuel, Monel catalysts have shown good activity maintenance in mileage accumulation runs as long as 31,000 miles. Catalyst life is limited by physical deterioration of the catalyst which causes increases in exhaust back pressure. On unleaded fuel, Monel in its present form will last approximately 10,000 miles at 1700 F (∼60 mph) before back pressure begins to rise rapidly. The presence of lead in the fuel substantially increases the rate of Monel deterioration. When Monel is used as part of a dual-bed catalyst system two problems, which appear to be generic to dual-bed catalyst systems, arise.

Exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) was found to be an effective means of reducing automotive NOx levels with no major unsolvable problems over 52,000 miles under city/suburban driving conditions. Compatible with air injection and engine modification systems for HC and CO control, EGR effectively reduced the NOx levels with no decrease in reduction over the 52,000 miles. Engine wear and engine cleanliness with EGR was normal for the mileage and driving regime. However, the throttle area and exhaust valves were found to be sensitive to leaded fuels.

A single-cylinder research engine was operated on pure hydrocarbons (HC) and simple mixtures of pure hydrocarbons to study the effect of fuel composition, equivalence ratio, and mixture temperature on exhaust emissions. Used as fuel components were hydrocarbons-n-pentane, 2-methyl-2-butene, isooctane, and m-xylene. Total hydrocarbon emission in terms of moles of exhaust HC/mole of fuel input was lowered by increasing the amount of xylene in the fuel when operating on the fuel-rich side of stoichiometric; total hydrocarbon emission was higher for higher aromatic fuels when air-fuel ratios approached the lean misfire limit; the effect of mixture temperature on hydrocarbon emission was insignificant. 1-Methyl-3-ethylbenzene was observed as a synthesis product of combustion in the exhaust from fuels containing m-xylene. With increasing m-xylene concentration in the fuel, the yield of 1-methyl-3-ethylbenzene increases, reaches a maximum, and then decreases.

A unique research test program of vehicle electromagnetic radiation that might cause radio interference has provided data in areas not previously studied. Reports are presented on: electromagnetic radiation from single vehicles versus multiple vehicle radiation (20-1000 MHz), horizontal versus vertical polarity of radiation from vehicles (20-1000 MHz), and microwave (1-2.5 GHz) radiation from vehicles. Included is a brief history of the automobile industry and SAE investigations of vehicle radio interference which have been undertaken since 1935.

The excellent performance of the modern automobile environmental control system tends to accentuate the passenger discomfort experienced during the engine warm-up period in very cold weather. Quick-heat systems utilizing combustion techniques can significantly reduce this warm-up period and can not only improve comfort, but also contribute to safety and improved engine life. These factors are discussed, together with details of a quick-heat system which reduced the warm-up time of a large American automobile by over 80% in actual tests.

The performance of eight refrigerants in an automotive air conditioning system has been analyzed. In addition, the problems of hose permeation and elastomer compatibility have been studied. The results indicated that two of these new refrigerants have promise in auotmotive air conditioning.

The dependence of the compressive stress-strain behavior of plastic foams on the loading geometry and its significance in relation to the cushioning design study for automobile safety is explored. Experimental load-deflection responses obtained under dynamic (impact) and static conditions using loading objects of various different geometry are analyzed. A strong interaction between the loading geometry and the material response existed. It was found that the stress-strain behavior of plastic foams varied, whether under static or dynamic conditions, with the loading geometry. The linear load-deflection response observed in the case of hemi-spherical loading differed from that of the convoluted faceform loading, while the response for the flat plate compression deviated from both.

To supplement the subjective appraisal of seat comfort, a new instrument capable of quantitative measurement and real-time display of a seat load has been developed. The pressure detecting part comprises 300 small pressure transducers of disc type installed inside an automobile bucket seat. Highly sensitive semiconductor strain gages are used as pressure sensing elements. The outputs from sensors are displayed on a CRT device whose screen is crosshatched into 300 parts corresponding to each sensor. Pressure distribution on a seat is shown by the difference in brightness on the screen. Brightness modulation can be made in five stages or on continuous level. The outputs are recorded and reproduced by a data recorder. Equipressure contours can be plotted through a digital computer. Some of the vehicle test results are described.