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As a part of safety intiative, Telco has designed, set up and proved a full-scale Crash Test Facillity to meet the development needs of safe cars for the global market. The paper describes the regulatory and development test which the facility can conduct using a full vehicle crash test system and an impact sled system. The paper describes the basic considerations such as modularity, self-reliance, unification of control and immediate usability of data on which the facility is founded. The paper then explains in detail various resources in the system: the civil infrastructure, the propulsion systems, the sensors and data acquisition system, the crash test dummies, high-speed photography, lighting, the software and the human resource.

The IAPAC Direct fuel Injection (DI) system, developed by IFP, has already well proven its capability to reduce pollutants emissions and fuel consumption of 2-stroke engines. This crankcase Compressed Air Assisted Fuel Injection Process allowing the introduction of the fuel separately from the scavenging air, minimizes the fuel short-circuiting. In earlier works, results of the implementation of the IAPAC system on cylinder displacement from 125 cc to 400 cc have been presented in various papers. These first prototypes were all using a camshaft to drive the IAPAC DI poppet valve, which was considered as a limitation for applying this system to small displacement 2-stroke engines. The new SCIP™ system is no more using a camshaft neither driveshaft, or any electric power supply to drive the DI air assisted injection valve.

Improved levels of powertrain refinement in vehicles have led to an increased occurrence of engine ancillary noise quality issues, including power-assisted steering, air-conditioning and other hydraulic pumps, in addition to alternators. Traditionally the development and target setting of these systems has been supported by a combination of both rig and vehicle based development. However, objective and subjective analysis of ancillary in-vehicle noise can be complex and difficult due to interactions with engine harmonics and broadband masking from other noise sources. Rig-based ancillary development exercises often fail to directly correlate with vehicle based measurements. To address these issues MIRA has developed a hybrid rig and synchronous sampling system, which has been applied successfully to both the Noise Vibration and Harshness (NVH) development of ancillary systems and their in-vehicle installation.

Exhaust emission and fuel consumption of a vehicle is influenced by its usage, operating conditions, traffic conditions as well as the individual behaviour of the driver. A study on the actual operating conditions for city buses has been carried out for Delhi city under a Government sponsored Project by The Automotive Research Association of India (ARAI). A bus operating on the normal city route was selected and equipped with sensors and data acquisition systems to record the vehicle parameters such as vehicle speed, distance, time, gear shifting pattern, engine speed, temperatures and other variables every second. The data collection exercise was carried out on six selected routes covering lean, average and peak periods of traffic and vehicle density. Earlier experience shows that data thus collected can be synthesised to fall into statistical repetitive driving sequences. This averaged data is converted into a most logical driving pattern or cycle for buses operating in Delhi city.

The mobility of a vehicle on deformable soil mainly depends on tyre soil interaction and its contact area. The larger the contract area, the lower is the ground pressure and hence greater the mobility on deformable soil. Knowledge of contact area at the tyre soil interface is very much necessary while determining mobility of a vehicle. This paper establishes a generalised relation for determination of contact area between sand tyre and deformable soil based on measurements of contact area of 145/70R20 tyre on a soil bin. It compares the results obtained by different authors on the subject with those using the relation reported in this paper and justifies universality of the relation developed.

This paper presents the results of experimental work conducted on a catalytically activated two stroke spark ignited engine, to investigate the cyclic variation of combustion parameters. A comparative study was carried out with the base engine for finding out the effect of catalytic activation. The catalyst selected was copper and coated on the inside surface of combustion chamber walls and piston crown by plasma spraying technique. Cylinder pressures were recorded for 2000 continuous cycles using a piezoelectric pressure pickup and PC based data acquisition system. The covariance (COV) were calculated for the 2000 cycles and compared with base engine. The results show that the catalyst coating accelerates the pre-flame reaction and shortens the combustion duration. The cyclic variation of combustion parameters were less than the base engine and there is a group of cycles which deviate from the normal cycles.

Stringent emissions standards for HC, CO and NOx have necessitated the development of thin wall ceramic substrates which offer higher surface area, larger open frontal area and lower thermal mass. Such substrates offer the additional benefit of being compact which make them ideal for manifold mounting in the engine compartment. These attributes of ceramic substrates, following washcoat and catalyst application, translate directly into quick light-off, high conversion efficiency and low back pressure. To preserve these advantages at high operating temperature and still meet 100,000 mile vehicle durability, the thermomechanical interaction between the substrate and thin wall washcoat system must be managed carefully via formulation, % loading and the calcination process. This paper presents the physical properties data for thin wall ceramic substrates before and after the washcoat application.

A new high performance 1.4 litre naturally aspirated IDI engine with advanced comet type precombustion chamber has been designed and developed within a duration of 2.5 years for Tata Minicar. The prototype could be developed in a short time of 8 months due to extensive use of CAD/CAM facilities and close interaction with suppliers along with simultaneous engineering methods. A power rating of 40.5 hp/lt could be achieved due to extensive optimisation of combustion parameters such as geometry of precombustion chamber and fuel injection parameters. This paper describes the features of this engine along with development strategy adopted to achieve the performance and durability targets.

Three catalysts such as Cu-X, Cu-Ni-X, and Cu-Fe-X based on X-Zeolite have been developed by exchanging its Na+ with copper, Iron and Nickel metal ions and tested in a commercial Maruti 800 cc S I engine and some encouraging results for reduction of NOx and CO have been obtained. The bi-metal catalysts are named based on the order of ion-exchange treatment. Out of three catalysts, Cu-X catalyst exhibits the best NOx and CO conversion performance while Cu-Ni-X shows better performance compared to Cu-Fe-X catalysts at any catalyst temperature. Maximum NOx and CO conversion efficiencies achieved with Cu-X catalyst are 62.2% and 62.4%, with Cu-Ni-X catalyst are 47.0% and 50.0%, and with Cu-Fe-X are 43.1% and 43.8% respectively. Unlike noble metals, the doped X-Zeolite catalysts studied here, exhibit significant NOx reduction for a wide range of A/F ratio and exhibit a slow rate of decrease with increase in A/F ratio.

A strong co-relation exists between composition of a fuel and the exhaust that is formed during combustion. In this context, with the stringent emission regulations, the chemical characteristics of fuels have become of increasing importance. Petroleum derived fuels are complex mixtures of hydrocarbons containing hundreds of different aliphatic and aromatic compounds. EPA, to control the exhaust pollutants, regularly publishes the international updates on limits for aromatic, olefins and saturate contents in gasoline fuels. The Indian legislative standard DOC No. MOST/CMVR/TAP-115/116 specifies olefin and aromatic contents to 20% and 45% max. by volume respectively for the Indian reference petrol. While, Indian specification IS: 2796-1995 has laid down the limits for benzene content to 5% max. by volume for leaded regular, unleaded regular & unleaded premium gasoline for the year 2000 norms.

In recent years the manufacturing industry has viewed the engineering design and development functions as being market-led. It follows, therefore, that the needs and demands of the customer must be fully considered at all stages of the design process. This means that the range of ‘customer usage’ should be taken into account throughout the design, development and testing processes. Software tools can be used as an aid in defining the ‘optimum’ testing profiles or procedures for any product under development matched closely to a customer profile. Such a system requires inputs from both ‘standard’ test sequences and customer measurements, which have to be manipulated to provide a suitable acceleration factor to reduce test and development time scales. This paper discusses the methods developed over many years in achieving the goals of testing based on customer usage. It deals with the methods used to map the customer environment, especially in determining the 90th percentile user.

The intake manifold of a gasoline engine has a significant influence on the operational behavior of the engine. With respect to the dominating influence parameters on the full load behavior which are the runner length and cross section, the requirement of a variable intake manifold geometry becomes stronger than ever before. For the part load behavior, the intake charge motion is gaining more significance as well, which leads to new requirements for variable elements in the intake manifold. Besides these directly influencing layout parameters on the gas exchange and combustion process, secondary aspects such as the satisfaction of the acoustical requirements, the weight reduction and the integration of other components and functions into the complex intake manifold module will be discussed. The intake manifold of passenger car gasoline engines has undergone a significant development progress during the last two decades.

In 1998, Kubota Corporation introduced the second generation compact tractors we call the New Grand L Series to the global market. This series comes in four basic models with the power-take-off (PTO) output ranging from 19.1 to 28.0 kW (25.6 to 37.5 HP). These models retain the compact size and high HP output, which were the basic concepts of the Grand L series first launched in 1994. The second generation Tractors are equipped with a newly designed hydrostatic transmission (HST), and a operator friendly cab with an improved air conditioner system and excellent visibility. These new generation compact tractors feature improved control and comfort which results in high efficiency and excellent productivity. This paper discusses the engineering steps, proven results and brings out noteworthy features of the Hydrostatic Transmission system and the climate-controlled cab of the New Generation Grand L Series tractors (Table.1).

An “Other Transaction” agreement, based upon 10 U.S.C 2371 authority was awarded to ITT Automotive (now Continental Teves) to integrate the commercial Continental Teves MK 50 Anti-lock Braking System (ABS) with low speed traction control on a M1097A2 High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle (HMMWV). Figure 1 shows the M1097A2 HMMWV at the Continental Teves Brimley Development Center. The use of the “Other Transaction” agreement allowed for the use of commercial accounting systems, bureaucratic Federal Acquisition Regulations were not required, government and contractor personnel were allowed to work together, and flexible intellectual property rights were negotiated. This new way of doing business made it easier to attract Non-Traditional Military Suppliers such as Continental Teves into doing business with the Army. The contractor will consider the needs and requirements of the HMMWV when designing the commercial truck ABS/Traction Control System (TCS) and Active Booster.

A phenomenological nozzle flow model has been developed and implemented in both the FIRE and KIVA-II codes to simulate the effects of the nozzle geometry on fuel injection and spray processes. The model takes account of the nozzle passage inlet configuration, flow losses and cavitation, the injection pressure and combustion chamber conditions and provides initial conditions for multidimensional spray modeling. The discharge coefficient of the injector, the effective injection velocity and the initial drop or injected liquid ‘blob’ sizes are calculated dynamically during the entire injection event. The model was coupled with the wave breakup model to simulate experiments of non-vaporizing sprays under diesel conditions. Good agreement was obtained in liquid penetration, spray angle and drop size (Sauter Mean Diameter). The integrated model was also used to model combustion in a Cummins single-cylinder optical engine with good agreement.

A number of prototype automotive interior trim products were developed from polyurethane-cored headliner scrap by utilization of isocyanate-based binders: 1) rear-seat-to-back-window trim panels (Deville and Eldorado Chimsl covers), 2) package trays (Neon PL-tray, Buick/Oldsmobile G-trays), and 3) sun-shades (Accord/Acura sun-shades). The technology for the manufacture of these products is outlined in this paper as well as their mechanical, acoustical, and other properties relevant to the automotive interior trim applications.

Under constant pressure through both national and EC-wide regulations as well as increased consumer awareness the automotive industry has become more and more concerned with improving the environmental profiles of its products. Namely the end-of-life aspects have been pushed into the center of interest. Trying to minimize disassembly cost and to increase potential revalorisation profits, companies strive to integrate environmental constraints early in the design phase. This paper describes how Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) and Design for the Environment (DFE) respectively contribute towards the objective of improved environmental profiles of automotives and especially the handling of end-of-life vehicules.

Cars cause a lot of pollutants during the utilization phase. Within the last years environmental legislation tried to reduce the emissions by the introduction of very tight laws. The results are impressive: Most of the car exhaust emissions like carbonmonoxid and nitrous oxides have been reduced. At this stage new emission reduction limits in Europe as well as in the United States can only be achieved if the formulation of the catalyst system is significantly changed. An increased use of precious metals and rare earth materials is the result of such a modification which succeeds in a more expensive design of the total catalyst systems. More expensive means not only cost aspects but also the environmental burdens related to the increased production of precious metals and other catalyst components. The Life Cycle Engineering (LCE) of the catalyst system which achieves the new legislation is demonstrated as well as the effects to the usage phase.

With the change of the state structure has also changed spending power, the development of private property and businesses, which had a big influence on the dimension and structure of the vehicle fleet. In Slovakia, where the average age of the road motor vehicles is higher than the projected durability, intensity of innovation can essentially lower the negative influences of motorism. In the paper there are analysed factors, mainly the possibility of lowering emissions through lowering the average age of vehicles, domestic possibilities and import of motor vehicles, solvency of the population and also through improving of technical conditions and holding on emission standards.

LCA. is becoming one of the main instruments for isolating environmentally winning alternatives in industrial decisions. It is also true that in the car industry decisions have to be taken more and more quickly since the time to market in the last years has been strongly reduced. This is one of the reasons that fast LCA. techniques are being taken in consideration. This work illustrates some guidelines for fast LCA. techniques to be used, in well defined situations, for evaluating different recycling opportunities.