Automotive Engineering Commons^™

Guided Target Control System Final Design Report, John Barry, Zachary Eagan, Ryan Mackintosh

Mechanical Engineering

Daimler Automotive, the parent company of Mercedes-benz requires improved methods for testing their Autonomous Emergency Braking Systems. To this end they have presented a series of four senior projects to California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo. One of the Projects is to build a facsimile of a human crossing the street. The other three projects of which this is a part; are to produce an autonomous car facsimile. These projects are intended for use in testing new Autonomous Emergency Braking Systems and may serve as the basis for future senior projects.

Small-Scale Intelligent Vehicle Design Platform, Christopher Grant, Jay Miley, Evan Phillips

Mechanical Engineering

Intelligent Vehicle Design is a growing field with the potential to save many lives by actively minimizing the impacts of human error. Though there are many ways to research intelligent vehicle control, full-scale implementations are expensive and dangerous and computer simulations have extremely steep learning curves. Researchers and students need an accessible, adaptable, and robust development platform to rapidly create and test autonomous control algorithms. While small-scale platforms are often designed from the ground up for specific projects, this requires analysis, design, and manufacture. The goal of this project is to develop a small-scale intelligent vehicle that can be configured …

Electric Vehicle Drivetrain, Jimmy Andrew King, Kevin Kristopher Moore, Charissa Cadence Seid

Mechanical Engineering

This document serves to outline the design and development of Sharpell Technologies' ST5 electric vehicle drivetrain. Background research was conducted on various drivetrain components and testing methods, leading to the development of our drivetrain’s design requirements. Compiled in this report are the specifications of the components that will be integrated into our drivetrain design. All component calculations and specifications can be located in the appendices. An in-depth manufacturing plan features the modifications necessary to create several key components such as the shafts and housing. The assembly plan details a step-by-step process in which the components are arranged to ensure a …

Carbon Fiber Monocoque Chassis Platform For Formula Sae And Formula Sae Electric Race Cars, Ford Eimon, Michael Gonzalez, Michal Kramarz, Nathan Powell, Kevin Ziemann

Mechanical Engineering

No abstract provided.

Are Solar Panels A Viable Power Source For A Green Energy Vehicle?, Mason C. Adams

Senior Theses

A solar cell powered go-kart has been built and tested. The result shows using solar energy alone cannot meet the requirement of running a regular passenger car. This is due to the limited surface area of the passenger car. This thesis also discusses the operating principles of solar panels, the physics of P type and N type semiconductors, and the formation of the PN junction, as well as the solar current. Modifications of an existing go-kart are described in detail in this thesis. Suggestions for making green vehicles are discussed as well.

It's No Accident: Evaluating The Effectiveness Of Vehicle Safety Inspections, Alex Hoagland, Trevor Woolley

FHSS Mentored Research Conference

Traffic fatalities have fallen steadily over the past two decades, particularly those due to car failure. Many have attributed this fall to safer vehicle technology. This trend has led many states to reevaluate mandatory vehicle safety inspection programs. This study sought to answer the question, does the elimination of vehicle safety inspections have an effect on traffic fatalities?

An Experimental Study On Drag Reduction Of Aftermarket Additions On An Suv, Christiana L. Katsoulos

Senior Honors Projects, 2010-2019

Over recent years, the awareness of climate change has become more prevalent worldwide and one major contributor to global warming has been the use of transportation. Vehicles contribute to global warming by releasing petroleum based emissions such as significant amounts of carbon dioxide and numerous other harmful environmental pollutants. SUVs contribute to the emissions problem more so than sedans, since they have lower gas mileage and need more gasoline regularly. The main functionality of sport utility vehicles, or SUVs, includes hauling or off-roading and fuel efficiency is not always the focus in the design process. However, aerodynamic enhancements could improve …

Brake Specific Fuel Consumption (Bsfc) In Gasoline Powered Cars, Michael Carlson, Dr. Cecilia J. Vogel

Celebration of Learning

The goal of this experiment was to determine which driving behaviors result in the highest fuel efficiency for a given trip. We collected data for speed (MPH), engine speed (RPM), engine power (Torque/LOD), and fuel consumption (MPG) using the ScanGauge II.

Electrical Optimization Of A Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicle, Andre J. Napier

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

Hybrid electric vehicles electrification and optimization is a prominent part of today’s automotive industry. GM and the Department of Energy challenge 16 universities across North America to redesign a Chevrolet Camaro into a hybrid electric vehicle. This thesis will address how Embry Riddle Aeronautical University’s EcoCAR team electrified and optimized the vehicle. The objective of the thesis is to optimize the electric portion of the vehicle, particularly the low voltage circuitry. Prior work is discussed in detail on the vehicle communication bus, building the power distribution unit and the approach the electrical team took when building the electric portion of …

Supervisory Controls Strategy To Reduce Utility Factor Weighted Criteria Emissions For A Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicle, Thomas Francis Gorgia Iii

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

Criteria emission reduction techniques are being more sought out in the automotive industry due to current government regulation for light duty vehicles. Parallel-series plug in hybrid electric vehicles can have multiple strategies to balance emissions and fuel consumption. Common controls strategies in industry target fuel economy by using a large electric vehicle range, known as charge depletion, followed by maintaining a state of charge after a specific vehicle threshold, or charge sustaining. A charge preserve strategy works by running an engine at an optimal loading condition, the engine will burn the fuel more complete reducing criteria emissions. Charge preserve will …

Optimization Of Roadway Electrification Integrating Wireless Power Transfer: Technoeconomic Assessment And Lifecycle Analysis, Braden J. Limb

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Electric vehicles are the main technology currently being pursued to reduce dependence on fossil fuels in the transportation sector. These vehicles provide both reduced greenhouse gas emissions and decreased operating costs when compared to conventional internal combustion vehicles, while providing the flexibility to use both renewable and fossil energy. However, these vehicles have seen limited consumer adoption due to their large purchase prices and limited driving range. Both purchase price and driving range are related to the large onboard battery systems required for electric vehicle travel.

One solution to decrease dependence on large battery systems has focused on charging vehicles …

High Performance Computing Simulations To Identify Process Parameter Designs For Profitable Titanium Machining, Mathew Kuttolamadom, Joshua Jones, Laine Mears, James Von Oehsen, Thomas Kurfess, John Ziegert

Publications

The objective of this paper was to conduct a study of the multi-level multi-variable design space in titanium machining through high performance computing (HPC) simulations that was otherwise too vast to be explored by physical experiments alone. For tool wear-based performance metrics, this resulted in a validated set of machining parameters for achieving profitable material removal rates (MRR) (optimized cost of processing and tooling) across multiple operational configurations, alloys, tool geometries, and process conditions. The approach was to include all machining-related variables and their distributions available within the software as inputs to finite-element models (FEM) of the machining process. The …

Dynamic Understeer Control Using Active Rear Toe, Mark Oliver Dixon Kaufman

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

This thesis was conducted to show the ability of Active Rear Toe to control the understeer characteristics of a vehicle. Active rear toe is the ability to control the angle of the rear wheels around the vertical axis, allowing the car’s turning radius to change. By changing this radius, the lateral acceleration can be controlled, therefore the understeer of the vehicle can be controlled. The controls scheme is a sliding mode control, specifically a hyperbolic tangent boundary layer and a type 1 zeno controller. The system shows effectiveness to control the understeer of the vehicle up until limit grip on …

Optimizing Jets For Wake Control Of Ground Vehicles, Domenic Barsotti, Sandra Boetcher

Publications

A system of wake control for a ground vehicle to help promote increased fuel efficiencies of the ground vehicle by modifying an air flow wake generated during the movement of the vehicle in a forward direction. The system includes at least one slot jet configured to be located along a rear profile portion of the ground vehicle. The at least one slot jet is configured to provide a continuous flow of air at a non-zero velocity when the ground vehicle is moving in a forward direction, the non-zero velocity being at least partially directed in a rearward direction with an …

Indicators Of Assessing Vehicle Safety Status Under Platoon Conditions At Freeway, Jianan Zhou

Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Issue on level freeway segment (Interstate 80) in Nebraska: • High truck percentage (higher than 25%) • Different speed profile - The speed of trucks are set to 67 mph, on average. - The speed of passenger cars are 75 mph, on average. • Result platoons - Approximately 85% of vehicles are observed in platoon. - the degree of freedom to maneuver for drivers are constrained by other in-platoon vehicles. - Vehicles in platoons may face unsafe situation. Goal: Develop indicators to assess the safety status of vehicles under platoon conditions at level freeway segment.

The data were collected at …

Bio-Mimicry Of A Leopard Tortoise’ Shoulder Girdle In Space Frame Design Of An Ambulance Body, Sarah A. Matiko

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

It appears that there is a need for affordable, functional and safe emergency medical support service vehicles in rural Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). It is inferred that the road conditions have an influence on the availability, durability and affordability of motorized and non-motorized vehicles in rural areas. Also, it is deduced that locally modified bicycle and motorcycle ambulances are not conducive to maternal patients during emergencies. This study investigates the feasibility of modelling an ergonomically and crashworthy patient compartment for road conditions in rural SSA. The patient compartment is modelled by establishing geometrical requirements via a design standard for emergency medical …

Wire Neutralization System, Scott A. Bradley, Jason Wiitanen, Timothy B. Smigowski, John T. Niemeyer, Andrew Culkin

Michigan Tech Patents

A wire neutralizing system for use with a vehicle including a frame adapted to be hitched to a vehicle. At least one wheel supports the frame while a bottom of the wheel rolls over terrain having buried wires. The system also includes a blade movable between a stowed position in which the blade is above the bottom of the wheel and a deployed position in which the blade is below the bottom of the wheel, such that the blade plows through the terrain to disable buried wires when in the deployed position.

Asme Baja Rc Car Drivetrain, Walter Lackey

All Undergraduate Projects

The ASME Baja car is a student built radio controlled car, which will compete with other schools in a variety races. The drivetrain aspect of the car must smoothly transfer power from the motor to the rear wheels of the car. The drivetrain must be designed in collaboration with the other team member’s suspension system to avoid interference. The majority of the parts in the drivetrain are purchased parts intended for various applications. These parts were chosen based on their proximity to the optimal calculated values. Power flows from the electric motor through a single gear reduction, then through a …

Utilizing Ground-Based Lidar Measurements To Aid Autonomous Airdrop Systems, Martin Cacan, Edward Scheuermann, Michael Ward, Mark Costello, Nathan Slegers

Faculty Publications - Biomedical, Mechanical, and Civil Engineering

Uncertainty in atmospheric winds represents one of the primary sources of landing error in airdrop systems. In this work, a ground-based LIDAR system samples the wind field at discrete points above the target and transmits real-time data to approaching autonomous airdrop systems. In simulation and experimentation, the inclusion of a light detection and ranging (LIDAR) system showed a maximum of 40% improvement over unaided autonomous airdrop systems. Wind information nearest ground level has the largest impact on improving accuracy.

Built-In Bicycle Rack For Cars, Scott A. Hansberry

All Undergraduate Projects

Transporting a bicycle after riding somewhere and then needing to be pickup can be problematic. Bicycles will not fit in most vehicles without removing components. There is also the risk of damaging the inside of the vehicle. Expecting everyone to have a bike rack for their vehicle is unrealistic because the bike rack could be considered unappealing visually, take up to much space in the trunk, or limit the vehicle owner’s access to the trunk. The solution to this problem is a bike rack that mounts onto your car and then mounts your bike onto the rack. Most people don’t …