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Oil analysis has been used for a number of years to determine the condition of lubricated machinery, and to predict failures from excessive wear of lubricated parts of the machine. The principal technique in use up to the present time has been spectrometric oil analysis. This technique is based on the concept that as a part wears, minute quantities of wear material enter the oil and are dispersed throughout the whole lubricating system. A sudden increase in the amount of a metal in the oil indicates that some part made of that metal has started to wear. The technique has been successful in several major applications, principally in the railroad industry on diesel locomotives and in connection with the monitoring of aircraft engines. The technique is widely used and has provided warnings of failures before they have resulted in catastrophes. Often the cause of the failure can be corrected before serious permanent damage is done to the machine.

SOILECTION is computer controlled fertilizer, chemicals, and micronutrients, on-the-go, according to the recommendations for the various soil types that exist in each field. It incorporates a soil map displayed on a computer screen in the vehicle and a navigation system to identify the location of the unit in the field, allowing it to change the preprogrammed formulation as it travels through the field. The primary benefits shown is reduced fertilization usage and/or higher yields.

Fiber Optic utilization in the Marine Industry for reliable serial data transmission is successfully in operation today. Initial utilization of CRT monitors indicate that Electro-Magnetic Interference potential problems can be more severe on shipboard than land-based due to the high density of equipment. Proper initial design and space allowances on the most susceptible part of the CRT can likely make EMI shielding easier on future installation. CRT software systems should be operating system software only with future expansion capability designed into the system initially. Future projects may desire to take advantage of existing capabilities of micro-processor based technology such as trending, field modifiable graphics, historical alarm and data logging, and hard copy color plots of CRT screens.

Once microprocessor technology is introduced, a new world of opportunities becomes available to the automotive designer. Electronics opens the way for new approaches to systems management, driver information, collision avoidance and active controls that were not possible before. Besides that, a considerable fraction of today's vehicles are now equipped with telephones and navigation units are joining. In the next couple of years TV, video and multi-media PC will have increasing use in vehicles. The challenge for the electrical system designer is to find a medium which can support the data transfer required by such applications while maintaining electromagnetic compatibility with all other vehicle systems. This study discusses the importance of fiber optics ( more specifically Plastic Optical Fiber - POF ) to achieve these requirements.

A simple and feasible approach to the measurement of oxides of nitrogen (NOx) from internal combustion engines is to collect engine exhaust in bags and subsequently analyze the samples with conventional laboratory equipment. The measurement technique that was developed for this purpose incorporates a portable apparatus for collecting bag samples and fuel specific NOx emission calculation methods outlined in the July 23, 1979, Federal Register, Stationary Internal Combustion Engines--Proposed Rules.

To help drivers monitor the road and to reduce blind spots, Camera/Video Imaging Systems (C/VISs) display live video from cameras mounted on the truck's exterior to drivers using displays inside the truck cabin. This study investigated drivers' performance with C/VISs in a real-world trucking operation. Twelve commercial drivers' performance with and without a C/VIS was continuously recorded while they each drove for four months. Half of the drivers used a commercially available C/VIS that had a side-view camera on each fender. The other drivers used an advanced C/VIS (A-C/VIS) that had side-view cameras, a rear-view camera, and night-vision capabilities. This paper presents the study's final results and expands on the preliminary results that were previously reported. Detailed analyses of drivers' involvement in Safety-Critical Events (SCEs), their lane change performance, and their opinions of the C/VISs are presented.

The objective of this research project was to compare B20 (20% biodiesel fuel) and ultra-low-sulfur (ULSD) diesel-fueled buses in terms of fuel economy, vehicle maintenance, engine performance, component wear, and lube oil performance. We examined 15 model year (MY) 2002 Gillig 40-foot transit buses equipped with MY 2002 Cummins ISM engines. The engines met 2004 U.S. emission standards and employed exhaust gas recirculation (EGR). For 18 months, eight of these buses operated exclusively on B20 and seven operated exclusively on ULSD. The B20 and ULSD study groups operated from different depots of the St. Louis (Missouri) Metro, with bus routes matched for duty cycle parity. The B20- and ULSD-fueled buses exhibited comparable fuel economy, reliability (as measured by miles between road calls), and total maintenance costs. Engine and fuel system maintenance costs were also the same for the two groups after correcting for the higher average mileage of the B20 group.

This paper describes the development and preliminary field evaluation of a combine feedrate sensor. The sensor employs electrical capacitance sensing techniques in a parallel plate configuration in which one plate is located in the table (or platform) with the other being the table auger. The sensor indicates the mass flowrate (feedrate) of material conveyed by the auger to the feeder. For comparison purposes, the combine harvester was intrumented for measurements of table auger torque and feeder displacement. Conventional bagging techniques of effluent over fixed time intervals were used to establish average feedrate. The results show that the capacitance sensor provides an indication of feedrate and more linear performance over a wider range of feedrate than the other two sensing techniques.

An antipersonnel landmine neutralizing mechanism, called the Mine Hammer, was designed with a prototype developed by the Agriculture and Bioresource Engineering Department, University of Saskatchewan and Defence Research and Development Canada -- Suffield. The Mine Hammer technology combined flail mechanisms and agriculture tillage interaction mechanics. The prototype was retrofitted to be powered by a 78.4 kW tractor and was field evaluated in August 2002. The test plots represented gravel road, prairie clay soil with stubble and full stand of Kochia weed for vegetation and simulated tree stump terrains. Dummy or mechanical replicas of antipersonnel landmines were placed at 0, 25, 50, 100 and 200mm depths. The Mine Hammer triggered and/or fragmented the replica landmines. Its mechanical neutralization effectiveness over the five test plots was 97%. The Mine Hammer produced a two layer overburden consisting of a loose till above a dense, compact soil layer.

The tractor engine related mounting brackets are very critical due to different aspects of vehicle performance, durability and noise. These mounting bracket have been designed as a framework to support engine external parts like muffler, exhaust tail pipe, alternator etc. Vibration and fatigue has been continuously a concern which may lead to structural failure and performance issues. Various such failures are faced regularly by automotive industry and finite element based analysis are used to resolve them. The resolution is done by playing with the component thicknesses, material, by providing additional support etc. However, due to large degree of uncertainty associated with the loading, boundary conditions, manufacturing, environmental effects; still there is some probability of failure. This paper focuses on a field failure issue of an exhaust system of a tractor and subsequent concern resolution.

The suspension system in a vehicle isolates the frame and body from road shocks and vibrations which would otherwise be transferred to the passengers and goods. Heavier goods vehicles use tandem axles at the rear for load carrying. Both the axles should be inter-connected to eliminate overloading of any one axle when this goes over a bump or a ditch. One of the inter-connecting mechanism used is leaf spring with tie rod, bell crank & linkages, when the first rear axle moves over a bump, the linkages equalize the loading on the second rear axle. This paper details about the failure analysis methodology to simulate the tie rod field failure using a six poster road simulator and to identify the root cause of the failure and further corrective actions.

The trend in contamination levels of the hydraulic fluid with two kinds of filters was studied and the quality of the fluid at the end of the test period was assessed by using on-line particle counting in the field. The quality of the fluid with finer filtration was found to be much better and well suited for extended use of the machinery[10]. This analysis resulted in an informed data-based decision about extending the oil change intervals on a Caterpillar 190 Ton Haul Truck, up to two times the normal change intervals, by using finer filters in place of coarse standard filters.

Methods of estimating tractor performance including power efficiency and fuel consumption under field operational conditions were discussed based on a tractor and a large square baler. Methods recommended by ASAE standards were used and results indicated that ASAE standards predicted 15% higher fuel consumption compared to that tested by Nebraska tractor test center. Field trials were conducted in switchgrass fields to verify and demonstrate these methods. Fuel consumption and the material capacity of the tractor-baler system were measured and also estimated using ASAE standards and Nebraska tractor test results. Field test results indicated that the fuel consumption of baling switchgrass was approximately 60% of the fuel consumption estimated with ASAE standards and tested by Nebraska tractor test center. Measured material capacity of the large square baler was approximately 40% of its theoretical capacity.

A machine vision system was developed to identify and locate harvestable spears of asparagus. An image acquisition vehicle was fabricated to videotape portions of asparagus rows from a commercial production field. Images were acquired using a monochrome CCD camera. The detection of reflectance properties of asparagus was enhanced by using optical bandpass filters for near-infrared radiation. Videotaped segments acquired in the field were analyzed. Image processing techniques based on geometrical characteristics of asparagus spears were used to identify and locate harvestable spears in the images. Harvestable spears measured in the field were compared to those found by machine vision. The vision system correctly identified from 86 to 97% of the harvestable spears in six 15 m row segments analyzed. The uncertainty in the location of spears was within a 2.97 by 5.39 cm window with 95% confidence.

This study evaluated the performance of heavy vehicle crash avoidance systems (CASs) by collecting naturalistic driving data from 150 truck tractors equipped with Meritor WABCO OnGuardTM or Bendix® Wingman® AdvancedTM products. These CASs provide drivers with audio-visual alerts of potential conflicts, and can apply automatic braking to mitigate or prevent a potential collision. Each truck tractor participated for up to one year between 2013 and 2015. Videos of the forward roadway and drivers’ faces were collected along with vehicle network data while drivers performed their normal duties on revenue-producing routes. The study evaluated the performance of CAS activations by classifying them into three categories based on whether a valid object was being tracked and whether drivers needed to react immediately.

This study reports the subjective results from a project investigating the effectiveness of several newly proposed metrics to compare fatigue performance between two distinct truck seat cushions, specifically standard foam versus air-inflated cushions. We also highlight some of the fundamental differences between air-inflated and foam seat cushion based on driver's perceptions. Road tests were performed using existing commercial trucks in the daily operations of Averitt Express. A retrofit air-inflated seat cushion was installed in the fleet's trucks, and the drivers were allowed to adjust to the seats over approximately one week. After this adjustment period, twelve drivers rode on both the air-inflated seat cushion and their original foam seat cushion during their regularly scheduled routes. Surveys were collected throughout the test sessions and the truck seats were fitted with instrumentation to capture physical measurements of seat pressure distribution.

On-road emission measurements of 23 VN-trucks on a randomly chosen driving cycle, consisting of 10 miles two-lane and 8 miles four-lane road, showed tailpipe NOx emissions on fleet average of 0.96 g/bhp-hr, or 1.06 g/bhp-hr when including the time the exhaust gas temperature was below 200°C. Complementary measurements in a SET-cycle (13 point OICA -cycle) on a chassis dynamometer showed a tailpipe emission of 0.008 g PM per bhp-hr. Moreover, cost analysis show that the diesel fuel consumption remains unchanged whether the truck running on ULSD is equipped with a Combined Exhaust gas AfterTreatment System (CEATS) installed or not.

A new type of lube oil cleaning system is successfully developed for semi-permanent use of oil by always keeping oil clean with the result of no oil change and no waste oil. It is in practical use in many marine diesel engines and in some other fields. In recent years, possibility of semi-permanent use of engines themselves has been expected based on the field data. A ship test for 7 years has verified the expected semi-permanent use of engines with almost no wear and constant thermal efficiency during the test. We present the characteristics of the oil cleaning system and the result of the test. Also, a new type of fuel oil cleaning system is presented which is useful for cleaning low quality fuel oil. As a whole, this test is the beginning of the new stage of our work following the semi-permanent use of lube oil, which has been verified and established in many diesel engines since the 1980s.

This paper features an application study on the impact of different blend levels of commercially-supplied biodiesel on engine and aftertreatment systems' durability and reliability as well as the impact on owning and operating factors: service intervals and fuel economy. The study was conducted on a bus application with a 2007 on highway emissions equipped engine running biodiesel blends of B5, B20, and B99 for a total period approaching 4500 hours. Biodiesel of waste cooking grease feedstock was used for the majority of the testing, including B5 and B20 blends. Biodiesel of soybean feedstock was used for testing on B99 blend. No negative impacts on engine and aftertreatment performance and durability or indication of future potential issues were found when using B5 and B20. For B99 measurable impacts on engine and aftertreatment performance and owning and operating cost were observed.