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The lack of knowledge of multiplex technology among mechanics is a cause for concern, and is therefore a threat to the successful introduction of multiplex. Today, a majority of Electronic Control Modules replaced at maintenance and/or service occasions are in fact fault free. A significant reason for this is that mechanics replaces wrong parts due to lack of understanding of how the electronic system works. With multiplex, this problem can increase an order of magnitude - if it is not recognised. The need for better training and education of maintenance personnel increases rapidly. Multimedia training courses in multiplex technology (general and vehicle specific) is a good opportunity to meet this need. Such a training course is as a proposal integrated in a PC/CD-ROM based Diagnostic tool. With this approach, the maintenance personnel can receive a high class, Just-In-Time, and enjoyable training program.

The role of tests employed in design verification and production is traditionally one which is static. Such tests are created in which ‘good’ signals are applied to the device-under-test (DUT); these tests are considered complete and are frozen once the DUT is released to production or production begins. However, the effort to reach zero parts-per-million (PPM) defect manufacturing rates demands more than such static tests can provide. Tests must evolve to support design, component, and process variability to support zero PPM. Test developers must strive to achieve maximum fault coverage at minimal test times. The real fault spectrum of a DUT, with which a manufacturing operation deals, evolves with process and design maturity over time. Additionally, there are field conditions which stress DUTs which cause them to fail and be returned, suggesting that the internal factory bounding of fault spectrums is too narrow.

Failures in automobile cable harnesses account for at least 30%of all automotive electronics failures, and contribute over 50% of the electronic control modules (ECUs) returned to the factory and marked “no trouble found.” This paper discusses the use of Wave Signature Analysis (WSA) and Time Domain Reflectometry (TDR)1 to detect actual and potential failures in cable harnesses. “Failures” here include not only the normal faults of the harness, connectors, sensors, and actuators, but also the loading effects and variability of wires that induce failures in ECUs. The technique can be employed throughout the cycle of harness life -- design and characterization, production testing, and diagnosis in the service bay. Solving these interconnect problems in the automobile will result in faster prototype development, better assembly line testing, and more accurate service diagnosis. The technology can either be employed as a stand-alone system or incorporated directly into the ECU module.

Our study was conducted to demonstrate the primary factors involved in fires which result from an automobile's electrical wire harness system with fuses. In our experiments we used modeled automobile wire harnesses to study the processes of ignition and the resultant fires. Current was passed through blade type fuses to a portion of the harness and was intermittently short-circuited by a grounded metal plate. The nominal current ratings of the fuses we used were lower than or equal to 30 amperes [A], and the operating current was 30A at 12 Volts. Current flowed to the harness specimens through a DC power source. We found that electrical tracking with scintillation, caused by a weak electric flow through carbonized wire insulation, rarely generated flames in the wire harnesses without blowing the fuse. Ignition was never observed on the insulation near the areas shorted by the arc and/or overloaded currents going to the wire elements.

This wire/busbar type junction block consists of busbar layers and a wire layer used for the output circuits. The wire layer is assembled onto the lower cover. The wire connects to a terminal which leads out of the cover for connection. Circuit routing is easy to change in this type of junction block (J/B); especially when compared to the traditional busbar type J/B. Because changing the wire routing is easy, many different vehicles can use the same J/B and development time is short. Fewer busbar layers result in a reduction in busbar tooling and weight of the J/B.

Temperatures exceeding 125°C can degrade many common types of electroplated finishes used in the electronic connector industry, including hard gold. Diffusion, oxidation and porosity can cause increases in contact resistance leading to subsequent component failure. An electroplated finish for use in high reliability electronic connectors has been developed which can withstand 200°C for more than 2000 hours with no measurable changes in contact resistance. Contact resistance data is presented for several common precious metal finishes, including two palladium-based finishes, shown to be extremely stable at 200°C for at least 2000 hours. The contact resistance was measured at dry circuit conditions according to ASTM B667-92, Standard Practice for Construction and Use of a Probe for Measuring Electrical Contact Resistance, at 0.25, 0.50, 0.75 and 1.00 N (25, 50, 75 and 100 grams) loads.

Today's interior systems design engineer has been challenged with providing significantly lighter, simpler and more cost-effective instrument panel (IP) design solutions, while simultaneously meeting rigorous occupant protection and quality standards. These issues provided the motivation behind the fully-integrated structural instrument panel design developed for Chrysler's Dodge Dakota Truck Platform. This total system design approach greatly depends on the stiffness and ductility of the engineering thermoplastic substrate and cross-sectional design for managing the energy of unrestrained occupants during frontal collisions. The structural IP consists of a fully integrated, three-piece monocoque thermoplastic structure that replaces the traditional retainer, air delivery ducts, steel beams and reinforcements typically used in IP designs.

BMW's concept for recycling old cars seeks to avoid shredder residues in the recycling process to the greatest possible extent. Any absolutely unavoidable, non-utilizable residues are to be suitable for disposal at domestic waste sites. An important feature of this recycling concept is the removal of operating fluids and dismantling of any components, parts and materials worthy of further use from old cars. This corporate policy, supported by legal standards calls for the automobile recycler to meet increasing demands in terms of facilities and equipment as internal processes. Proper fulfilment of these requirements is indeed a fundamental prerequisite for companies wishing to be accepted within the network of recycling plants. Like the production of vehicles, the subsequent utilisation and recycling of vehicles must be considered in the light of economic criteria.

A fully-integrated thermoplastic structural instrument panel (IP) system will be implemented on Chrysler's Dodge Dakota Truck Platform. The structural IP consists of a three-piece monocoque thermoplastic injection molded structure that replaces the traditional retainer, air delivery ducts, steel beams and reinforcements typically used in IP designs. Ribbed thermoplastic bolster systems have been incorporated as part of the energy management system. The structural IP provides the required stiffness to satisfy noise, vibration, and harshness (NVH) quality targets and the necessary strength and rigidity to effectively meet FMVSS No. 208 requirements for managing occupant and passenger air bag (PAB) deployment loading during 48 km/h (30 mph) frontal crashes.

Nonlinear crash finite element analysis was performed to simulate the dynamic response of the instrument panel substrate in the head impact test. The finite element software used for this study was LS-DYNA3D. This paper describes the modeling strategy such as boundary conditions and loading condition. Energy absorption rate and deflection of the instrument panel substrate were investigated. The impact performance of various substrate designs were also simulated and compared with the baseline design. It was found that thinner substrate in the areas of impact can give substrate additional compliance which results in a greater crash energy absorption.

Passenger side air bags have been rapidly accepted by the public for the protection they provide; however, in exchange, they have created an issue with fit and finish detracting from the harmony and flow-through styling presently in vogue in vehicles. With the current plethora of materials and processes used to manufacture separate passenger side air bag doors and the inability to build components to a line on line fit, attempts to tune all these factors is a lesson in frustration. In 1992, a design and development team from Textron, Chrysler, Dow, and Allied Signal were given the assignment of making the 1996 Voyager/Caravan the industies first fully integrated seamless passenger air bag (PAB) door.

In an effort to control vehicle development costs, engineering staff have fostered concurrent engineering methods. This is a method whereby interior styling is linked to conceptual development; system and component engineering are linked to systems validation, and product design is linked to manufacturing development. Specifically in systems engineering and validation, closed loop development efforts which employ computer aided engineering performance simulation in concert with high frequency systems performance data, expedite the validation of the product performance. In this manner, the actual loads of the event such as air bag deployment or knee intrusion during crash are related to the performance of the product. An example of this closed loop development effort shall be presented.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has proposed new regulations to reduce effluent pollutant concentrations for the metal products and machinery industry. The automotive industry is targeted in the second phase of this proposal. The EPA's priority pollutant list includes seven metals. Currently, traditional precipitation technology is recommended to treat these seven metals, resulting in metal hydroxide formation. Sulfur-bearing compounds are utilized to reduce metal concentration levels further. A new technology is discussed that demonstrates improved metals removal while reducing the environmental impact resulting from the use of sulfur compounds.

Automotive Shredder Residue (ASR), the waste generated by shredding operations in the recycling of metals from scrapped automobiles, is currently disposed of in landfill sites. In Japan, disposal regulations such as leachable lead control have been changed, and moreover landfill sites are getting scarce. Therefore how to control, treat and decrease ASR is a serious matter. This study presents methods for the recycling of automotive shredder residue into automobile components by dry mechanical processing steps. These steps sort the material into several categories accrding to its properties. The material fineness is improved by further, thorough, sorting steps.

Environmental issues continue to emerge as a significant concern of the public today. End-of-pipe controls have proven to be costly solutions and have not addressed the root causes of environmental issues. Pollution prevention programs better address concerns and produce more cost-effective solutions. Additionally, regulations can no longer be addressed in isolation. Industry must view regulatory requirements as other business matters are addressed. The integration of regulatory requirements into the business plan focuses the cost of compliance on appropriate products or processes and exposes formerly hidden costs. For highly outsourced OEM's, supplier participation is critical to the success of any program. The bounds of Early Supplier Involvement (ESI) are extended through an integrated global raw material strategy that encompasses regulated substance control, material selection and rationalization, and design for recyclability/separability.

Seven mist collectors from six manufacturers have been tested in such a way that the collection efficiency of each component in each collector as well as the efficiency of the total collector were determined. This testing program gave the collector manufacturers information about the performance of their equipment and gave the machining industry the ability to design future collectors to meet its specific needs. This paper reviews the results of this testing program and discusses how the results obtained enable better collector design.

Car manufacturers are working to improve environmental performance. Improvements in vehicle emissions, alternative powertrain concepts and increased recyclability are being sought. Decisions about recyclability can sometimes be at odds with other design requirements and in order to resolve these difficulties, a view of the total life of the product must be taken. Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) is a technique that quantifies some aspects of environmental performance by studying a product throughout its life, from raw material through to final disposal. Environmental needs will soon be integrated with the more familiar aims of cost, reliability, ease of manufacture, and efficiency.

Life cycle design (LCD) is a framework for designing product systems which are both economically and ecologically sustainable. Key elements of this framework are systems analysis, multicriteria analysis and multistakeholder participation. This paper illustrates the application of life cycle design for a comparative evaluation of a prototype sand-cast 2.0 l aluminum manifold for the 1995 Ford Contour and a 2.0 l equivalent of the 1.9 l multi-tube brazed aluminum manifold for the 1995 Ford Escort. A life cycle inventory analysis was performed for the intake manifolds by evaluating the energy and wastes in the raw material acquisition, material processing, manufacturing, use and retirement stages. The environmental data for the two manifolds were integrated with life cycle cost and performance data to enhance product design and decision making.

Mercury is a naturally occurring element and therefore neither created nor destroyed, but pushed and pulled throughout the biosphere. Mercury released in vapor form to the atmosphere can be transported and redeposited via atmospheric deposition. Recent international, federal and state regulatory initiatives have been directed toward effective use management and minimization of toxic substances in manufacturing and commerce. The concern is that these substances bioaccumulate in the food chain, posing a threat to human health and the environment. The most significant human health exposure to mercury is the dietary intake of fish and fish products, since mercury biomagnifies in aquatic species. The Michigan Environmental Science Board (MESB), a task force formed by the state of Michigan, has found a small margin of safety between background (i.e., natural) levels of mercury exposure and concentrations that can cause harm to humans. At the national level, the U.S.