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Automotive Engineering Commons

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Full-Text Articles in Automotive Engineering

Design And Development Of A Multi-Material, Cost-Competitive, Lightweight Mid-Size Sports Utility Vehicle’S Body-In-White, Amit M. Deshpande, Rushabh Rajesh Sadiwala, Nathan Brown, Sai Aditya Pradeep, Leon M. Headings, Ningxiner Zhao, Brad Losey, Ryan Hahnlen, Marcelo J. Dapino, Gang Li, Srikanth Pilla Oct 2022

Design And Development Of A Multi-Material, Cost-Competitive, Lightweight Mid-Size Sports Utility Vehicle’S Body-In-White, Amit M. Deshpande, Rushabh Rajesh Sadiwala, Nathan Brown, Sai Aditya Pradeep, Leon M. Headings, Ningxiner Zhao, Brad Losey, Ryan Hahnlen, Marcelo J. Dapino, Gang Li, Srikanth Pilla

Publications

Vehicle light-weighting has allowed automotive original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) to improve fuel efficiency, incorporate value-adding features without a weight penalty, and extract better performance. The typical body-in-white (BiW) accounts for up to 40% of the total vehicle mass, making it the focus of light-weighting efforts through a) conceptual redesign b) design optimization using state-of-the-art computer-aided engineering (CAE) tools, and c) use of advanced high strength steels (AHSS), aluminum, magnesium, and/or fiber-reinforced plastic (FRP) composites. However, most of these light-weighting efforts have been focused on luxury/sports vehicles, with a relatively high price range and an average production of 100,000 units/year or …


Reinventing The Wheel, Esther K. Unti, Ahmed Z. Shorab, Patrick B. Kragen, Adam M. Menashe Dec 2018

Reinventing The Wheel, Esther K. Unti, Ahmed Z. Shorab, Patrick B. Kragen, Adam M. Menashe

Mechanical Engineering

Reinventing the Wheel selected tires and designed wheels for the 2018 Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo Formula SAE combustion vehicle. Available tire options were evaluated for steady-state and transient performance as well as vehicle integration. A single-piece composite wheel with hollow spokes was designed to meet stiffness, strength, and tolerance requirements. A detailed study of wheel loading and geometric structural efficiency was performed. Finite element analysis was used to iterate the geometry and laminate. A two-piece male mold was designed and machined to manufacture the wheel. Removable silicone inserts were used to create the hollow spokes.


Manufacturing A Composite Wheel Prototype Using 3d Printed Molds, Steven Thuening Jan 2018

Manufacturing A Composite Wheel Prototype Using 3d Printed Molds, Steven Thuening

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

Throughout the evolution of high performance racing, a large emphasis has been on reducing the weight of the vehicle in order to improve its performance. Over the years, new designs and materials have been introduced reducing weight in a variety of different locations. Comparing weight reduced in different areas has shown that some areas are more valuable to reduce than others are. Perhaps one of the most beneficial locations are the wheels. This is because the mass of the wheel is considered unsprung and rotational. Because of this, large improvements towards the reduction of wheel mass have been developed in …


Analysis Of A Carbon Fiber Reinforced Polymer Impact Attenuator For A Formula Sae Vehicle Using Finite Element Analysis, John T. Rappolt Jun 2015

Analysis Of A Carbon Fiber Reinforced Polymer Impact Attenuator For A Formula Sae Vehicle Using Finite Element Analysis, John T. Rappolt

Master's Theses

The Hashin failure criteria and damage evolution model for laminated fiber reinforced polymers are explored. A series of tensile coupon finite element analyses are run to characterize the variables in the physical model as well as modeling techniques for using an explicit dynamic solver for a quasi-static problem. An attempt to validate the model on an axial tube crush is presented. It was found that fiber buckling was not occurring at the impactor-tube interface. Results and speculation as to why the failure initiation is incorrect are discussed. Lessons learned from the tube crush are applied successfully to the quasi-static Formula …


The Effect Of Cutting Blade Geometry And Material On Carbon Fiber Severing As Used In High-Volume Production Of Composites, Michael Francis Anthony Adamovsky Apr 2015

The Effect Of Cutting Blade Geometry And Material On Carbon Fiber Severing As Used In High-Volume Production Of Composites, Michael Francis Anthony Adamovsky

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Automotive manufacturers have started to actively look into weight savings options for mass production of vehicles that meet new government regulations. Falling prices of carbon fibers have made carbon fiber composites a promising material to be used. The study has focused on the fiber-severing unit incorporated in a high-volume composite production line in an attempt to better define the impact of blade geometry and material on the wear as experienced while cutting carbon fiber. A method to quantify the effect of usage on the cutting ability of a blade has been developed, as well as methods to measure blade wear. …