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For a light duty truck, the frame is a structural system and it must go through a series of proving ground events to meet fatigue performance requirement. Nowadays, in order to meet stringent CAFE standards, auto manufacturers are seeking to keep the vehicle weight as light as possible. The weight reduction on the frame is a challenging task as it still needs to maintain the strength, safety, and durability fatigue performance. CAE fatigue simulation is widely used in frame design before the physical proving ground tests are performed. A typical frame durability fatigue analysis includes both the base metal fatigue analysis and seam weld fatigue analysis. Usually the gauges of the frame components are dictated by the seam weld fatigue performance so opportunities for weight reduction may exist in areas away from the welds. One method to reduce frame weight is to cut lightening holes in the areas that have little impact on the frame fatigue performance.

The Wiegand Effect - a new magnetic pulse generating technology requiring no electrical input - has been recently introduced as the distributor trigger in a capacitive discharge ignition system for high-performance applications. In this paper an inductive system is described, utilizing a Wiegand trigger which provides constant angular dwell. The magnetic circuit of the Wiegand trigger has been further developed to permit its easy incorporation in a conventional automotive distributor. All of the electronics, including a unique electronic advance circuit are incorporated in the distributor bowl.

The design and characterization of a new ice crystal icing wind tunnel facility is introduced through this work. The arrangement proposed in this work involves water droplet freeze-out using liquid nitrogen evaporation followed by natural particle melting through dilution with warm air. The viability of the concept was first demonstrated theoretically using a conservation of energy analysis. Thermodynamic performance of the facility is dictated largely by the availability of the liquid nitrogen, and in order to establish a facility with modest operating costs, the proposed operation specified using a maximum of 20 liter of liquid nitrogen per run with a maximum duration of two minutes. The target operating conditions for the facility were: flow speed around 50 m/s, temperatures around 0 °C, and total water content up to 10 g/m3 with melting ratio up to 0.2.

In the USA truckers often spend the night in the driver's cab and use the engine during these rest periods to heat or cool the cab. This practice leads to environmentally detrimental pollutant and noise emissions as well as high fuel consumption. This prompted Behr GmbH & Co. to develop a device which eliminates these negative side-effects. Under normal driving conditions energy is extracted from the exhaust gas and stored in a zeolite reactor. When the vehicle is stationary for longer periods of time this stored energy can be used for cooling or heating the cab. In a variation of this system the exhaust gas heat exchanger is replaced by a fuel burner which is used to charge the zeolite reactor for the cooling process and which also serves as a direct source of heat for the cabin. Moreover, the materials used in the device are non-poisonous, ecologically compatible and recyclable.

The new zinc-air fuel battery system described in the paper uses pulverized zinc as its fuel. The pulverized zinc fuel is suspended in an aqueous KOH electrolyte, which serves as the carrier of the fuel, and is sequentially fed into each cell of the battery stack intermittently. The method of feeding fuel to each cell is fully detailed. The used fuel and the electrolyte of this new battery system can be removed from the battery and regenerated externally by an electrolytic process without any loss of zinc or electrolyte. Details of the construction and performance of two prototypes of this fuel battery system are presented. The energy density of these two prototypes was 32 Whr/lb and 42 Whr/lb, in the case of 5 hr and 10 hr operation, respectively.

New environmental regulations all over the world encourage the use of alternatives to cadmium plating for corrosion-protection systems used on steels. Boeing patents are pending on a non-cyanide replacement zinc-nickel alloy electroplating process with superior properties, including low hydrogen embrittlement and good corrosion protection, for use on high-strength steels and other substrates. Another advantage of this process is low cost because conventional electroplating tank facilities can be used and waste treatment cost can be reduced. The feasibility of this zinc-nickel plating process has been successfully demonstrated in the laboratory and is scheduled for manufacturing scale-up during 1983.

Access to Knowledge resources around the world demands special skills and calls for judicious investments. Networking is an effective tool and building networks through consortia approach is dire need of the hour. Although this approach has been used in academia, its application in industry, especially among corporate entities, is rare. This paper describes in brief an optimised way to access databases, subscriptions & memberships of different technical societies from global platforms for research & progress of Indian automotive industry. It is imperative for Indian automotive industry to enhance and strengthen its knowledge resource base, particularly in product development and manufacturing domains. This will enable the industry to achieve its mission -“AMP-2016” of becoming a hub for global auto industry. Instead of “compete and grow,” an approach of “collaborate and grow” is thought of.

This paper outlines a new chemical double-dip method for blue tinting anodized aluminum to obtain a “chrome-like” look. The excellent results of laboratory prepared samples on resistance of weathering and ultra-violet radiation are presented. Estimated operating costs are given and the practicality of retrofitting this process into existing automotive bright anodizing facilities is considered. Commercial scale trial is recommended based on subsequently successful plant test.

New techniques, using a special capacitive readout version of the Curtis mercury coulometer, are being used in an ampere-hour meter for rechargeable battery systems. The circuit meets one definition of the “perfect fuel” gage for battery powered vehicles. The unit consists of a small solid-state electronics module driving an indicating meter. It is powered from the battery and will directly and automatically indicate ampere-hours discharged and charged. The unit has an automatic stop when the meter displays “full” or 100% of capacity to permit a safe overcharge situation. Additionally, the unit can provide alarms and detectors for low capacity signals or auxiliary charge control functions. The system is currently under test on a number of battery-powered vehicle programs.

A concept of an entirely new single point tandem axle suspension designed only for highway operation, featuring a torsion rubber spring, independent wheel action, high spring deflection, controlled axle movement, and maximum arm articulation is presented. A superior ride, easier steering, reduced tire wear, weight reduction, ease of maintenance, elimination of friction, no lubrication required, and a balanced driveline under all load conditions are featured. NOTE: This is not a walking beam design of a suspension. This paper attempts to give as broad a picture as possible of the design, development, testing and operational features of the suspension.

By introducing HFC-134a as the replacement refrigerant for CFC-12 in motorcar air conditioning, the automobile industry will comply with the present national and international legislation for the phase-out of ozone-depleting substances. A transition to this new fluid will, however, result in emissions of several hundred thousand tonnes of a new and unfamiliar chemical compound to the atmosphere each year, involving both known negative consequences like global warming, and potential risks of serious unknown environmental effects. A new, efficient and environmentally benign automobile air conditioning system “MAC-2000” has been developed at The Norwegian Institute of Technology, in cooperation with Hydro Aluminium. The new system is based on a trans-critical vapour compression cycle with carbon dioxide as the refrigerant. Although working pressures and component design are different, the basic principle of the CO2 system is similar to present CFC/HFC units.

A low-pressure indicator incorporating high stability, high sensitivity to the required pressure, and nonsensitivity to engine vibration has been developed. This new indicator employs a peripherally fixed strain-generating disk and a wavy cone type of diaphragm, which is insulated from the outer body by a silicone O-ring. The generated strain was detected by a strain gage that had high compensating performance for the temperature. Analytical study was made to get the optimum design for disk thickness, diameter, and additional vibrating mass. The combination of this analytical study and the development of several new devices made possible the incorporation of various innovations in this newly developed low-pressure indicator which was designed to obtain data that would augment present methods of engine analysis.

This paper presents an alternative brake that uses two floating discs, with four rubbing surfaces, to provide a step change improvement in performance over existing products. The paper details the development of this product highlighting the test data, which demonstrates the significant improvements in specific torque, fluid consumption and cooling rates. The design retains conventional materials, existing processes and fits within current package constraints. The sliding discs, which compensate for wear, allow opportunities to simplify the caliper to a fixed design and allow integration with the steering knuckle. Performance, refinement and durability test results indicate the current status of the design as implemented on a small passenger car and an SUV, and show its compatibility with existing vehicle brake control systems. Design options to implement this technology within current and future vehicle systems are also described.

To maximise the benefits of SEA modelling, during vehicle development, requires accurate SEA models to be created and optimised quickly. Pelzer have created a program called Pexmet which is an interactive environment, tailored for rapid airborne transmission loss optimisation. This paper highlights the methodology, user interface and subsequent advantages of this approach and its unique ability to interact directly with designers who may have little formal training in SEA.

Asian countries hold a vast majority of the global two-wheeler population. Currently majority of these two wheelers are fueled by carburetors owing to their low cost and ease of maintenance. As these countries try to adopt emission norms similar to that of Euro 6 in a few years from now, they will be migrating to an injection system like port fuel injection (PFI), as it offers good control over emissions by using closed loop corrections, based on the exhaust lambda feedback. Stanadyne R&D has developed an innovative injection system that can be applied for such port fuel injection in two-wheelers. In this innovative design, the pump and injector are integrated into a single unit, making the system simple, compact and less expensive. The integrated injector uses a solenoid and spring arrangement, for pressurizing the fuel in a small chamber, and consumes less current. The pressurized fuel is then injected through orifice to produce spray in the intake port.

To meet the requirements for higher horsepower and torque as well as lower fuel consumption and emissions, we have developed a new “Intelligent Variable Valve Timing (VV-i)” system. It gives continuously variable intake cam phasing by up to 60 degrees crank angle (CA) . This system not only increases WOT output by optimizing intake valve closing timing but also reduces fuel consumption and NOx/ HC emissions under part load by increasing intake and exhaust valve overlap on 4 stroke Spark Ignited engines. VVT-i has been applied to optimize a new 3-liter inline 6 engine for higher torque and at the same time better fuel economy with continuous and wide-range cam phasing.

Since the intake and exhaust valve timings that provide the best fuel economy, idle stability, or highest power change according to the engine operating zone, a variable valve timing system is very beneficial. Also, roller followers, which reduce mechanical friction loss of a valve train mainly at low engine speed, are commonly used to improve fuel economy in urban driving conditions. This paper presents a newly developed 4-valve variable-valve-timing mechanism with roller followers. Different intake- and exhaust-valve timings and lifts are selected independently, depending upon whether engine speed is low or high. Durability tests of running at maximum engine speed and switching between low- and high-speed cams were conducted and good test results were obtained.

In this paper, the fuel consumpion and exhaust gas emission characteristics of a newly developed 1.5ℓ CVCC engine are compared with those of a conventional engine, the pressure and temperature of combustion gas in each cylinder are measured on real time in order to clarify the differences between these characteristics, arid combustion analyses are made on the basis thereof. Basically, this CVCC engine differs little from original CVCC engines, in which, however, the auxiliary combustion chamber is located closer to the center of the main combustion chamber than in original ones and torch opening is modified to be of the multi-opening type so that the torch flame spreads all over the main combustion chamber.

Diesel particle filters (DPF) have become a standard aftertreatment component for all current and future on-road diesel engines used in the US. In Europe the introduction of EUVI is expected to also result in the broad implementation of DPF's. The anticipated general trend in engine technology towards higher engine-out NOx/PM ratios results in a somewhat changing set of boundary conditions for the DPF predominantly enabling passive regeneration of the DPF. This enables the design of a novel filter concept optimized for low pressure drop, low thermal mass for optimized regeneration and fast heat-up of a downstream SCR system, therefore reducing CO₂ implications for the DPF operation. In this paper we will discuss results from a next-generation cordierite DPF designed to address these future needs.

Aircraft manufacturers spend millions of dollars reworking blown fastener holes, especially in portable tool drilling situations. Oval, tapered, rifled, and oversize holes are costly rework issues currently commonplace in the industry. The most common causes of imperfectly drilled holes include spindle runout, insufficient clamp and feed force, out-of-balance drill feed forces, spindle windup, and lack of adequate feed control. This paper will focus on a next-generation drilling machine that utilizes a unique combination of hydraulics and pneumatics to solve the problems associated with legacy drilling units. Several design elements will be examined, such as the use of an on-board, 1000 PSI hydraulic pump, controlling both drill feed and clamp force. This greatly reduces the size and weight of the clamp and feed cylinders compared to legacy air systems, while increasing their force and rigidity.