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FibrMat™ is a dry cellulose fiber mat which can be formed into complex shapes and contours. The history, processing and end-product characteristics are discussed. Tooling and part design suggestions are made. Comparisons with competitive types of material are made.

In-cylinder fluid velocity is measured in an optically accessible, fired HSDI engine at idle. The velocity field is also calculated, including the full induction stroke, using multi-dimensional fluid dynamics and combustion simulation models. A detailed comparison between the measured and calculated velocities is performed to validate the computed results and to gain a physical understanding of the flow evolution. Motored measurements are also presented, to clarify the effects of the fuel injection process and combustion on the velocity field evolution. The calculated mean in-cylinder angular momentum (swirl ratio) and mean flow structures prior to injection agree well with the measurements. Modification of the mean flow by fuel injection and combustion is also well captured.

This paper will introduce SHIN-ETSU SIFEL®, which is based on a perfluoroether polymer backbone combined with an addition-curing silicone crosslinker. Perfluoroether elastomer offers a wider range of processing options, improved low temperature properties, long-term heat resistance, self-priming adhesion, excellent electrical properties, purity, and improved resistance to a wider range of fuels, solvents, acids, and bases compared to standard fluoroelastomers. The introduction of perfluoroether elastomers provides engineers with a wide range of opportunities to improve the processing and performance of sealing, coating and bonding operations across the spectrum of automotive and aerospace applications exposed to fuels and other harsh environments.

When performing a hard turning operation, many factors come into play in order to produce a quality part. Questions on tool geometry, tool material, tool coating, machine horsepower, spindle tooling, rigidity, coolant usage, spindle speeds and tool feeds, heat dissipation and gaging equipment, are all unknown factors in a first attempt at hard turning. How we dealt with these factors is the content of this paper.

Limitations of conventional glycol-extended RIM systems offer the opportunity for improvements in processing latitude. Several shortcomings have been eliminated with the introduction of amine-extended RIM materials. However, the initial amine systems required high throughput machinery to mold large, thin cross-section parts. An improved amine-extended RIM material has therefore been introduced, which maintains the processing advantages of the initial systems, but provides significantly better flowability.

Technical improvements recently brought to the main components for trucks and commercial vehicles (turbochargers, alternators, brakes,...) are reviewed in the paper. In conclusion it is stated that researches conducted in the heavy commercial vehicles field play an important role in technical automotive progress.

The automotive industry and mobile transport cause serious environmental problems as they are the main consumers of natural resources, energy as well as sources of environment pollution. Up-to-date international norms and requirements define responsibility of the producer for its product on all stages of its life. All that concerns ecologically harmful substances which may content in materials, toxicity of exhausted gases, impact on soil, hydrosphere and atmosphere, including green-house effect and destruction of ozone layer, and also end-of-life vehicle utilization. Although automobile scrap accounts for about 2–3% of the total scrap that is taken to landfills for disposal, the public perceives this percentage to be much higher. Available landfills are rapidly filling and new space is increasingly more difficult to locate.

The Evolution of Material Conditioning to a Technology. A dissertation on Material Conditioning in order to stabilize the flow properties of adhesives applied by automation, which results in uniform product quality, scrap reduction, and material costs savings. Several processing pitfalls and solutions will be presented.

A history of the development of rubber material specifications for molded, extruded and lathe cut products is discussed. This includes the philosophies of the writing committes as well as the thought processes to arrive at SAEJ200 - ASTMD2000 classification of specifications. A continuing need for further continuous involvement by SAE is mentioned.

It has the aim to discuss the evolution of electronics components, integrated circuits, new transistors concepts and associate its importance in the automotive modules. Today, the challenge is to have devices which consume less power, suitable for high-energy radiation environment, less parasitic capacitances, high speed, easier device isolation, high gain, easier scale-down of threshold voltage, no latch-up and higher integration density. The improvement of those characteristics mentioned and others in the electronic devices enable the automotive industry to have a more robust product and give the possibility to integrate new features in comfort, safety, infotainment and telematics modules. Finally, the intention is to discuss advanced structures, such as the silicon-on-insulator (SOI) and show how it affects the electronics modules applied for the automotive area.

The use of nylon plastics in the U.S. automotive industry has grown from tentative beginnings in a few gears and knobs to a multi-million pound business which places highly specialized engineered resins into virtually every area of a modern vehicle. The keys to this spectacular growth have been nylon’s basic properties which allowed replacement of metals and other materials with a substance that offered superior performance, and by nylon’s ability to be adapted and modified to meet ever changing and increasing performance demands.

There have been plastics in automobiles almost as long as there have been plastics. This paper deals with plastic molded parts from the 1930’s through 1970. These parts include steering wheels, tail light lenses, knobs, electrical connectors, fasteners, speedometer wheels, distributor caps, water pump impellers, dials, and various decorative ornaments.

This paper discusses the historical development of the transmission and power train in high speed military tracklaying vehicles. It is apparent that the final design of any power train system for military vehicle application must take into consideration factors such as vehicle performance criteria, vehicle weight class and influence, engine application, and mission profile. Detailed analyses of various power train systems, such as the X-700, XHM-1500, and HMPT-100, are presented. The basic aim was to shape the new hulls around the smallest practicable power package of engine cooling system, transmission, and steering-brake system. By including the steering and braking in the transmission unit much hull space could be saved, and the space saved could be used for installation of more powerful engines.

As the new generation of RISC powertrain MCUs propagate through the automotive development cycle, there will likely be more difficulty in debugging the ECU reliably and efficiently. Simply stated, there is less support for the development process in the new high-performance single-chip RISC MCUs, which could create critical and costly delays in the development cycle. Additionally, as powertrain MCUs continue to evolve, superscalar or multiple-issue RISC implementations may be used as the central processor. With the capability to issue multiple instructions in one clock cycle, this will only magnify the development support problem. Thus it is essential to address this impending problem with a strategy that both automotive and tools developers can agree. A strategy for development standards is presented in this paper, and a new powertrain MCU development interface standard is proposed.

Hardware is expensive. Coding is expensive. Changes are expensive. Implementing software rapid prototyping for Electronic Control Unit (ECU) development can avoid these expenses and resulting delays by enabling changes to existing code to allow easy calibration, experimentation or testing before committing to production software. Software-centric prototyping has been around for many years. In the past, experts used a technique called ‘code patching’ to do what is now called rapid prototyping. Using this method, these coders were able to change existing programs. Even in early vehicle control systems, there were a few people with the expertise to manually view and study code to enable a change in existing code. ATI took the idea of manually trying to change a program a step further. ATI invented a method of patching in new code on the ECU without the need for the original source code, any knowledge of assembler or hex code, or predefined hooks.

Sheet Molding Compound (SMC) has been used in various automotive applications since the early 1970's. Providing such advantages as corrosion resistance, weight reduction, and part consolidation, this versatile material has seen increased usage in each succeeding year. This paper will review the early FRP processes leading up to the development of SMC, a description of the process, and a detailed review of major automotive applications.

Several research studies have concluded that light trucks and vans (LTVs) are incompatible with cars in traffic collisions. These studies have noted that crash incompatibility is most severe in side crashes. These early research efforts however were conducted before complete introduction of crash injury countermeasures such as dynamic side impact protection. Based upon U.S. traffic accident statistics, this paper investigates the side crash compatibility of late model cars, light trucks and vans equipped with countermeasures designed specifically to provide side crash protection. The paper explores both LTV-to-car crash compatibility and crash incompatibility in car-to-car collisions.

The purpose of this paper is to discuss the development of Kohler Company's Small-Engine Noise Test Program. Particular emphasis will be placed on noise instrumentation and analysis techniques. The paper will not dwell on the specifics of each noise study technique, but will be an overview, describing the evolution of Kohler's Noise Test Program in general.

Styrene-based polymers have been used widely in automotive applications for more than 25 years, and during the past few years, the styrenic family has undergone a dramatic evolutionary change. With the downsizing of the automobile and the move to eliminate the painting of the plastic parts, new end-use requirements are being placed on the styrenic family. To meet these new performance requirements, old resins are being modified and new resins are being developed.

The development of the constant velocity universal joint offers the twofold advantage of correcting universal joint induced vibration in present day passenger cars, as well as allowing greater flexibility in driveline design. This paper discusses briefly various design variables which entered into the development of the constant velocity universal joint as well as qualification tests undertaken in the laboratory to determine performance suitability. Future applications to powered steering axles and swing axles may well improve the competitive position of this type universal joint.