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North American customer perception of Quality has changed over time and has shifted from Quality, Dependability, and Reliability (QDR) to Interior Sensory Quality (ISQ). ISQ is defined as the harmony of characteristics that combine to make an emotional connection to the vehicles’ interior. Vehicles need to correctly appeal to customers emotional side through providing class-leading ISQ. Hypotheses for specific interior areas were developed in order to identify key ISQ strengths, weaknesses, and preferences. These hypotheses were then tested at customer clinics held across the country. The key goals were to understand customer judgment of ISQ execution, understand customer ISQ priority, and understand customer preference of detailed component areas.

Internet privacy regulation has an enormous potential to impact the automotive industry financially. Automotive companies rely on Internet data collection to market directly to consumers successfully, advertise merchandise and services, and expedite a number of internal operations. Government legislation would inevitably require significant changes in these data collection methods and consequently produce large compliance costs. On the other hand, consumer distrust and business loss to the more stringently regulated European Union can also produce significant costs, if Internet privacy regulation is not more effectively enforced. The current method of enforcement, self-regulation, has been highly criticized despite considerable improvement from industry. Many privacy advocates are actively seeking legislation to remedy the problem.

This study reported black carbon (BC) mass and solid particle number emissions from a gasoline direct injection (GDI) vehicle and a port fuel injection (PFI) vehicle on splash blended E10 and iB16 fuels over the FTP-75 and US06 drive cycles at standard and cold ambient temperatures. For the FTP-75 drive cycle, the GDI vehicle had lower solid particle number and BC mass emissions from E10 (5.1×1012 particles/mile; 4.2 mg/mile) and iB16 (5.2×1012 particles/mile; 3.9 mg/mile) compared to E0 (7.2×1012 particles/mile; 7.0 mg/mi). Most of the reductions were attributed to the statistically significant reductions during the phases 1 and 2 of the FTP-75 drive cycle. iB16 was also observed to have statistically significant reduction on BC emissions when compared to E0 at cold ambient temperature but E10 did not show such BC reduction. For the PFI vehicle, most of the solid particle number and BC mass emissions were emitted primarily during phase 1 of the FTP-75 drive cycle.

Research on alternative fuels has made significant progress as demands for cleaner and more efficient engine operation intensifies. Liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) can offer a potential alternative fuel route in the Diesel fuel dominated heavy-duty transportation sector due to its low cost, high anti-knock limit relative to gasoline, and reduced emission levels. In this work, experimental investigations are performed to study the effects of LPG compositions on performance, emissions, and combustion behavior of a spark-ignited (SI) cooperative fuel research (CFR) engine under stoichiometric conditions. Four LPG blends (chemically pure propane, a representative US blend, HD-5, and a representative European blend) representing the present LPG market are chosen. The impact of fuel composition is studied under different compression ratios (CR), ranging from 7:1 to 10:1 with one-unit increments, and at constant engine speed, intake manifold air pressure (IMAP) and 50% burn crank angle (CA50).

Historically, major procurement decisions were made solely on the basis of performance and acquisition cost comparisons. Recently, due to budgetary constraints, economic issues and the escalation of acquisition and ownership costs, there has been increasing awareness in the importance of ownership costs and their contribution to overall Life Cycle Costs (LCC). This paper, supporting Air Recommended Practice 4293 Life Cycle Cost - Techniques and Applications (Reference 1), a development of AIR 1939 (Reference 2), examines the various elements of LCC and their respective roles in decision making. It distinguishes between the historical identification of “cost drivers”, budgeting and planning, project selection and investment appraisal. Differences between Commercial and Public Sector practices are discussed, and the implications of these differences on “spend to save” measures such as reliability modifications.

Using lift axles enables fleet to increase the load capacity of a vehicle, eliminating the need for multiple trips, thus reducing operational costs. In a project to assess the potential of reducing fuel consumption and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by lifting axles on unloaded semi-trailers, lift axle regulations in various jurisdictions and the studies that led to these regulations were analyzed. The SAE Fuel Consumption Test Procedures Type II (J1321) was used for fuel consumption track test evaluations. The tests were conducted on unloaded two-axle van semi-trailers, four-axle van semitrailers, and B-trains, and resulted in fuel savings of 1.3% to 4.8%, depending on vehicle configuration and the number of axles lifted during the test.

Ethanol is a very attractive fuel from an end-use perspective because it has a high chemical octane number and a high latent heat of vaporization. When an engine is optimized to take advantage of these fuel properties, both efficiency and power can be increased through higher compression ratio, direct fuel injection, higher levels of boost, and a reduced need for enrichment to mitigate knock or protect the engine and aftertreatment system from overheating. The ASTM D5798 specification for high level ethanol blends, commonly called “E85,” underwent a major revision in 2011. The minimum ethanol content was revised downward from 68 vol% to 51 vol%, which combined with the use of low octane blending streams such as natural gasoline introduces the possibility of a lower octane “E85” fuel.

The heightened interest level in Fuel Economy for Heavy Duty Diesel Engines the industry has seen over the last few years continues to be high, and is not likely to change. Lowering the fuel consumption of all internal combustion engines remains a priority for years to come, driven by economic, legislative, and environmental reasons. While it is generally assumed that lower viscosity grade lubricants offer fuel economy benefits, there is a lot of confusion about exactly what drives the fuel economy benefits. Fuel Economy claims in trade literature vary over a broad range and it is difficult for the end user to determine what to expect when a change in lubricant viscosity is adopted for a fleet of vehicles in a certain type of operation. This publication makes an attempt at clarifying a number of these uncertainties with the help of additional engine test data, and more extensive data analysis.

The impact of additive and oil chemistry on low speed pre-ignition (LSPI) was evaluated. An additive metals matrix varied the levels of zinc dialkyldithiophosphate (ZDDP), calcium sulfonate, and molybdenum within the range of commercially available engine lubricants. A separate test matrix varied the detergent chemistry (calcium vs. magnesium), lubricant volatility, and base stock chemistry. All lubricants were evaluated on a LSPI test cycle developed by Southwest Research Institute within its Pre-Ignition Prevention Program (P3) using a GM LHU 2.0 L turbocharged GDI engine. It was observed that increasing the concentration of calcium leads to an increase in the LSPI rate. At low calcium levels, near-zero LSPI rates were observed. The addition of zinc and molybdenum additives had a negative effect on the LSPI rate; however, this was only seen at higher calcium concentrations.

Global emission legislations for diesel engines are becoming increasingly stringent. While the exhaust gas composition requirements for prior iterations of emission legislation could be met with improvements in the engine's combustion process, the next issue of European, North American and Japanese emission limits greater than 2005 will require more rigorous measures, mainly employment of exhaust gas aftertreatment systems. As a result, many American diesel OEMs are considering NOx adsorbers as a means to achieve 2007+ emission standards. Since the efficacy of a NOx adsorber over its lifetime is significantly affected by sulfur (“sulfur poisoning”), forthcoming reductions in diesel fuel sulfur (down to 15 ppm), have raised industry concerns regarding compatibility and possible poisoning effects of sulfur from the lubricant.

Lubricant formulation was found to have dramatic impact on legislated emissions in a study using an ultra low sulphur fuel, a 12 litre naturally aspirated Euro I representative engine and tested over the ECE R49 test cycle. An SAE 10W-40 high quality part-synthetic heavy duty diesel engine oil was found to generate over 20% less particulate matter than two fully synthetic products of higher performance specification (SAE 5W-40 and 10W-40), whereas the fully synthetic oils showed a 10% reduction in Nox. All three oils are commercially available. The part-synthetic and fully synthetic oils also reduced fuel consumption relative to the SAE 15W-40, all mineral oil reference oil (0.4 - 0.9%). Higher oil consumption related to lower lubricant viscosity index improver content in the synthetic products can explain the results although more work is needed. Alternatively, there is some evidence that the dynamic fuel injection timing may be effected by the lubricants viscometric properties.

A rigidly controlled vehicle test program was conducted to assess the impact of MMT fuel additive on the operation of Low Emission Vehicles (LEVs). Two pairs of each of five vehicle models were tested over extended mileage (75,000 to 100,000 miles). Vehicles were driven on a test track using a customer-type driving cycle and emission tested at regular intervals throughout the program. One vehicle of each pair used a Clear base fuel and the other used the same base fuel with the addition of MMT at a concentration of 8.3 mg Mn/L (0.031 or 1/32 g Mn/US gal). For the four light-duty vehicle models, seven of the eight MMT-fueled vehicles exceeded the NMOG emission certification standards; one Clear-fueled vehicle of one model exceeded the standards, but all other Clear-fueled vehicles met the standards. All four vehicles of the one medium-duty vehicle model met the certification standards, which are higher than those for light-duty vehicles.

This paper describes an analytical model that may be used to determine the impact of maintainability (operational and resource requirements) on aircraft system design. The major advantage of analytical computer oriented models is the depth and detail of investigation that can be accomplished as a basis for design decisions. The model, designated SOURCE (Simulation of Utilization, Resources, Cost, and Efficiency), is designed to accept empirical data to determine realistically the interrelationships between maintainability and aircraft design characteristics.

This paper contains a discussion of the maintainability technology and controls developed and implemented during early design of the F-111 to ensure the achievement of desirable maintainability goals. The validity of the approach, which entails determination and prediction of maintainability parameters, is verified by actual examples. The major maintainability design decisions applicable to the program are also discussed briefly.

Weight-critical design involves closer than usual tolerances. Precision machine shop tolerances are usually impractical in a production shop. However, combinations of present techniques, along with some new innovations, result in further reduction of redundant weight. Tolerance optimization, probability of structural integrity and higher than usual rejection rates of detail parts are involved in design tradeoff. Manufacturing philosophy is critical, making “machine-it-to-nominal-and-above” passé. Weight incentive programs, coupled with close supervision, can be made to be successful. The engineer must consider all aspects of rejection rate/weight/strength/time/cost, if his design is to be successful.

The purpose of this paper is to emphasize the need for accessibility in the assembly and maintenance of spacecraft. This is especially pertinent because accessibility to subsystems for replacement, repair, and maintenance has proven to be one of the more costly phases of preflight preparation. The most successful programs in this day and age have been when the design and manufacturing engineers work side by side around a mockup where solutions to the problems can be visually seen and solved, keeping in mind the assembly as related to accessibility. Therefore, it will be shown that in order to overcome the difficulties, designers should adapt a hard, fast ground rule that each unit must be accessible and individually removable without disturbing the other units.

The air-conditioning system can significantly impact the fuel economy and tailpipe emissions of automobiles. If the peak soak temperature of the passenger compartment can be reduced, the air-conditioner compressor can potentially be downsized while maintaining human thermal comfort. Solar reflective film is one way to reduce the peak soak temperature by reducing the solar heat gain into the passenger compartment. A 3M non-metallic solar reflective film (SRF) was tested in two minivans and two sport utility vehicles (SUV). The peak soak temperature was reduced resulting in a quicker cooldown. Using these data, a reduction in air-conditioner size was estimated and the fuel economy and tailpipe emissions were predicted.

Microelectronic devices are the natural next phase in the evolutionary cycle which comprises miniaturized, transistorized, and solid state components. Microelectronics refers to a miniature device that will make it possible to manufacture electronic equipment smaller than has been done in the past. Of greater significance than the smallness of the devices is the reliability, maintainability, and ultimately the cost factors of such devices. This paper describes various microelectronic devices currently in use and presents photographic illustrations. New products will be manufactured and marketed which will make far greater use of such devices, and, in many instances, cause a significant change in design concepts used to achieve the functions of avionics in General Aviation aircraft.

This paper describes two case studies in which multiple microphone processing (beamforming) and microphone location were evaluated to determine their impact on improving embedded automatic speech recognition (ASR) in a vehicle hands-free environment. While each of these case studies was performed using slightly different evaluation set-ups, some specific and general conclusions can be drawn to help guide engineers in selecting the proper microphone location and configuration in a vehicle for the improvement of ASR. There were some outcomes that were common to both dual microphone solutions. When considering both solutions, neither was equally effective across all background noise sources. Both systems appear to be far more effective for noise conditions in which higher frequency energy is present, such as that due to high levels of wind noise and/or HVAC (heating, ventilation and air conditioning) blower noise.

Vulcan XC 72R was modified in two different ways (i.g., treated by the NH3 gas or urea). The impact of modification strategies was analyzed by correlating the structure and chemical properties of carbons with the catalytic activity and stability of corresponding catalysts. Pt clusters are homogeneously distributed through the nitrogen-doped carbon support. Electronegative nitrogen atoms create positive charge on neighbor carbon atoms. The increased interaction between the carbon support and PtCl62- restrains the nucleation of platinum. N2 adsorption-desorption results indicated that abundant of micropores were created and the proportion of micropores obviously increased from 2.8 % to 11.4 %. XPS measurement distinguished different N functionalities. Pyridinic-N and pyrrolic-N were introduced on the surface of carbon support. Pt/NC catalyst exhibits the best ORR performance among all as-prepared catalysts in 0.1 M KOH solution.