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Unburned hydrocarbon (UHC) and carbon monoxide (CO) emission sources are examined in an optical, light-duty diesel engine operating under low load and engine speed, while employing a highly dilute, partially premixed low-temperature combustion (LTC) strategy. The impact of engine load and charge dilution on the UHC and CO sources is also evaluated. The progression of in-cylinder mixing and combustion processes is studied using ultraviolet planar laser-induced fluorescence (UV PLIF) to measure the spatial distributions of liquid- and vapor-phase hydrocarbon. A separate, deep-UV LIF technique is used to examine the clearance volume spatial distribution and composition of late-cycle UHC and CO. Homogeneous reactor simulations, utilizing detailed chemical kinetics and constrained by the measured cylinder pressure, are used to examine the impact of charge dilution and initial stoichiometry on oxidation behavior.

Cenex, the UK's centre of excellence for low carbon and fuel cell technologies, is currently deploying electric passenger cars and vans throughout the UK in a series of Government funded low carbon vehicle trials. This study, produced in partnership with Millbrook Proving Ground, investigates comments and concludes on energy consumption in electric vehicles with varying driving styles and driving duties. At Millbrook, the electric vehicle (EV) track cycle is designed to represent real world driving duties over city, rural, hill and high speed circuits. It is shown that the drive efficiencies over the EV track cycle vary significantly by driver and the largest variations are noted on tracks with the highest opportunities for regenerative energy capture. To further study the regenerative energy, a model is developed and the percentage of potential vehicle energy recovered during deceleration is quantified.

Cenex, the UK's first Centre of Excellence for low carbon and fuel cell technologies, reports the results from a six month fleet electric vehicle trial. The study focuses on, and refers to vehicle performance in five private sector fleets. On board telemetry and data logging record key parameters which allow monitoring and reporting of usage patterns and energy consumption. The paper demonstrates the effect of duty cycle of candidate case studied organizations and the low ambient temperatures observed during the trial on range. The study quantifies the utilization patterns of the EVs, journey statistics, range, CO2 emissions and explores the links between range, auxiliary power use and ambient temperature. A questionnaire issued to EV users during the trial quantifies perception of performance and fleet integration aspects as well as looking at the importance of different aspects of EV purchasing decisions.

It is a requirement for the British RAF that all lightning strikes are reported and for those since 1972 there is a strike database which is maintained by GAO Consultancy on behalf of QuietiQ (previously DERA) UK (The GAOC Database) This database currently contains 1065 entries which have details of height, weather conditions, attitude, damage, effect on crew etc. In addition to the database there are also two RAE Reports of a further 630 strikes which were notified between 1944 & 1957. Some of those make fascinating reading from a purely historical point but by transferring the information available in these archive records into a format compatible with the database reports it has been possible to look for similarities and differences between, for example, strike rates per month, height bands, strikes to different aircraft classifications in differing scenarios and resulting damage.

This paper describes a practical approach used within the UK contribution to the UNECE PMP study in adopting some of the recommendations stated in the draft 2007 regulations for the measurement of particulate mass emissions from heavy-duty diesel engines in the US. This approach was named “2007PM” but the intention was to align rather than fully comply with the draft requirements for the US. In the PMP test work, four main changes were made to the standard European method of particulate emissions measurement (SPM). These were adopted as the 2007PM method. These were the application of a cyclone pre-classifier to 2007PM - with a 50% cut-size at 2.5μm, the use of a single 47mm filter rather than primary and back-up filters, close control of the filter face temperature to 47°C +/-5°C by heating of the dilution air and an increased filter face velocity. Measurements were predominantly made from aerosols generated by engines equipped with Diesel Particulate Filters (DPFs).

The paper describes a closely coordinated UK research programme involving Research Establishments and Industry in hardware design, simulator tests and flight trials to investigate the interfaces and interactions between Advanced Flight Systems, the Aircrew and Air Traffic Control, Reference is made to the work of the Royal Signals and Radar Establishment (RSRE) to describe developments in Air Traffic Management. Work in the UK on Flight Deck design has centred on the Advanced Flight Deck simulator at British Aerospace, Weybridge, and an example of their work is described. The flight test programme of the Royal Aircraft Establishment (RAE) Bedford BAC 1–11 and its equipment fit are described, together with recent examples of area navigation accuracy achieved in flight using conventional ground aids. A future programme is discussed in which the integration of all these new system elements will be investigated. Some of the problems which will be addressed are discussed.

The paper describes a feasibility test program on a 2 liter, 4 cylinder DI/TCI passenger car engine operated on the new alternative fuel Dimethyl Ether (DME, CH3 - O - CH3) with the aim of demonstrating its potential of meeting ULEV emissions (0.2 g/mi NOx in the FTP 75 test cycle) when installed in a full size passenger car. Special attention is drawn to the fuel injection equipment (FIE) as well as combustion system requirements towards the reduction of NOx and combustion noise while keeping energetic fuel consumption at the level of the baseline DI/TCI diesel engine. FIE and combustion system parameters were optimized on the steady state dynamometer by variation of a number of parameters, such as rate of injection, number of nozzle holes, compression ratio, piston bowl shape and exhaust gas recirculation.

The CBR (Controlled Burn Rate) technology for MPFI engines is known to enable the reduction of throttle losses of gasoline engines by high EGR (Exhaust Gas Recirculation) rates due to the dilution tolerance of the swirl charge motion system using port deactivation. Now a new aspect of CBR is being developed: extremely low emissions during and after cold start. This paper is focused on the combustion stability and low emission aspects of CBR technology. It is shown how engine out emissions and catalyst light off behavior of an engine can be significantly improved using port deactivation. The very stable combustion directly after engine start, extremely retarded ignition timings in combination with lean engine operation and open valve injection with minimized wall wetting lead to very low HC emissions and very high exhaust gas temperatures.

The ULSAB-Advanced Vehicle Concepts (AVC) chassis and suspension concepts surpass the ULSAB-AVC mass targets using steel. Steel technologies such as tailored blanks for wishbones, tailor tube hydroforming for trailing arms and high-strength steel stampings where there would normally be a heavier casting (steering knuckle). Furthermore the application of highstrength steel throughout all contributed to mass efficiency with excellent performance. State-of-the-art automotive technologies, such as an electrical parking brake and electro-hydraulic brake system also have contributed to the mass reduction achieved. This paper summarizes the chassis and suspension designs, including some of its specific steel applications. To understand the steel nomenclature used to describe

The ULSAB-Advanced Vehicle Concepts Program is focused on the development of steel applications for vehicles to be produced beginning in the year 2004. A “holistic” total vehicle development approach will be applied, including styling, package, closures, suspension, etc. The understanding of the interactions of all vehicle subsystems, their optimization in respect to size, mass, and performance, will lead the program to an optimized steel intensive vehicle concept. Benchmarking will provide the data for building the basis of the target setting, after which the program target will be established and guidelines for the design will be created. The ULSAB-AVC Program concentrates on the design of two size lightweight vehicles: One size fitting in the most popular European C-class (so-called Golf class); and the second size similar to the North American PNGV class (Partnership for a New Generation of Vehicles*).

The ULSAB-Advanced Vehicle Concepts (AVC) project presents a holistic approach to the development of a new advanced steel automotive vehicle architecture based on a 2000 lbs curb-weight vehicle. These advanced concepts will help automakers use the new steels more efficiently and provide a structural platform for achieving the following benefits: Safety Affordability Fuel Efficiency Environmentally friendly. The scope of the project encompasses the body-in-white structure, closures, suspensions, engine cradle, and all structural and safety relevant components. Porsche Engineering Services, Inc. (PES) conducted a comprehensive benchmarking of existing vehicle concepts and an investigation of trends in vehicle development. PES and the ULSAB-AVC Consortium established targets with reference to the U.S. PNGV (Partnership for a New Generation of Vehicles), EUCAR (The European CO2 reduction program) projects, and anticipated future IIHS and NHTSA safety requirements.

Vehicle weight reduction, reduced costs and improved safety performance are the main driving forces behind material selection for automotive applications. High strength steels (HSS) have demonstrated their ability to meet these demands and consequently have been the fastest growing light-weighting material in vehicle structures for the past decade. The evolution in steel technology in recent years has produced new grades of highly formable, advanced high strength steel (AHSS) grades that will continue to meet these automotive demands into the next decade. This paper provides an example of how these advanced automotive materials have been incorporated into the ULSAB-Advance Vehicle Concept (ULSAB-AVC) and how these materials enable cost- and mass-effective solutions that satisfy the increasing crash performance requirements placed on vehicle designs.

The UltraLight Steel Auto Body Advanced Vehicle Concepts (ULSAB-AVC) program is the most recent addition to the global steel industry's series of lightweighting initiatives. It succeeds ULSAB [1, 2], ULSAC [3] and ULSAS [4]. These programs offer steel solutions to the challenges facing automakers around the world today: to increase vehicle fuel efficiency while improving safety, performance and maintaining affordability. This paper focuses on the manufacturing aspects and processes used in the two steel vehicles designed in the ULSAB-AVC program: Stamping Tailor Welded Blanks Tubes, including tailored tubes Sheet and tube hydroforming Forming simulations Joining for assembly

The goal of ULSAB-Advanced Vehicle Concepts (AVC) is to develop a platform with the highest number of shared parts possible between two vehicle classes -European C-Class and the North American PNGV-Class concepts. Aggressive targets for mass and safety are considered --all the while maintaining affordable cost and achieving safety goals anticipated for 2004 and beyond. The objective of the CAE analysis of crashworthiness for ULSAB-AVC is to analyze and optimize the vehicle structure to provide the opportunity for development of complete vehicles that will obtain excellent star ratings. This paper will discuss crash safety and crash energy management aspects of the ULSAB-AVC, including important considerations for selecting advanced high-strength steels for crashworthiness applications, body-in-white design and materials selection procedures, BIW concept design and major load paths, and performance against crashworthiness targets.

Following the success of the UltraLight Steel Auto Body (ULSAB) in 1997, the UltraLight Steel Auto Closure (ULSAC) Consortium representing steel producers from all over the world was founded. Porsche Engineering Services, Inc. (PES) was commissioned to conduct a concept study for the development of UltraLight Steel Auto Closure concept designs for all types of automotive closures that were structurally sound at affordable cost. The Validation Phase began in November 1998. In spring 2000, the ULSAC DH Door Structures featuring stamped Door Outer Panels were built and tested for structural performance, dent resistance and oil canning. The tested doors show state-of-the-art structural performance compared to today's frameless door structures, and the mass reduction ranges from 22 to 42% compared to the normalized mass of benchmarked doors. In the Validation Phase, a cost model was developed and the cost to produce the ULSAC frameless door structure was calculated.

A Consortium of steel producing organizations has been working to reduce the mass of automobiles. An initiative identified as ULSAS (UltraLight Steel Automotive Suspension) is in progress which considers automotive rear suspension systems. The programme has evaluated and established the current status of material and process technology utilization and its application to rear suspension systems. Extensive studies have generated over fifty five design ideas which provide an indication of the potential opportunities for performance improvement that could be realised through the focused application of steel technologies. Work is in progress developing these ideas and quantifying the performance improvements.

Exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) cooler fouling has emerged as an important issue in diesel engine development. Uncertainty about the level of impact that fuel chemistry may have upon this issue has resulted in a need to investigate the cooler fouling process with emerging non-traditional fuel sources to gage their impact on the process. This study reports experiments using both ultra-low sulfur diesel (ULSD) and 20% biodiesel (B20) at elevated exhaust hydrocarbon conditions to investigate the EGR cooler fouling process. The results show that there is little difference between the degradation in cooler effectiveness for ULSD and B20 at identical conditions. At lower coolant temperatures, B20 exhibits elevated organic fractions in the deposits compared with ULSD, but this does not appear to lead to incremental performance degradation under the conditions studied.

From the early beginning of space programs metallic Thermal Protection Systems (TPS) have been considered as promising technology to protect space vehicles against the severe aerodynamic heating encountered during re-entry into earth's atmosphere. The goal of “airplane-like” operations for future RLV's led to a renewed interest in TPS more durable than that developed for the space shuttle orbiter. This triggered developments of metallic TPS recently performed on the X-33. The same motivation is basis for the metallic TPS development within the frame of the German ASTRA ULTIMATE project since the thermal protection system contributes essentially to the overall mass and defines the operational cost of a space transportation system with its inspection, maintenance and repair capabilities. For these reasons the TPS dictates the overall economical operation of a future RLV. In Europe considerable effort has been spent to investigate future RLV concepts.

From the early beginning of space programs metallic Thermal Protection Systems (TPS) have been considered as promising technology to protect space vehicles against the severe aerodynamic heating encountered during re-entry into earth’s atmosphere. The goal of “airplane-like” operations for future RLV’s led to a renewed interest in TPS more durable than that developed for the space shuttle orbiter. This triggered developments of metallic TPS recently performed on the X-33. The same motivation is basis for the metallic TPS development within the frame of the German ASTRA ULTIMATE project since the thermal protection system contributes essentially to the overall mass and defines the operational cost of a space transportation system with its inspection, maintenance and repair capabilities. For these reasons the TPS dictates the overall economical operation of a future RLV. In Europe considerable effort has been spent to investigate future RLV concepts.