Automotive Engineering Commons^™

Multi-Level Energy Optimization For Connected And Automated Vehicles: From Cooperative Multi-Vehicle Control To Individual Powertrain Management, Pruthwiraj Santhosh

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

The transportation sector currently accounts for nearly 30% of global energy consumption, necessitating urgent advancements in vehicle efficiency to meet Net Zero targets. Leveraging connectivity and automation, this dissertation proposes and validates methodologies to reduce the energy consumption of light-duty vehicles at both fleet and individual levels.

First, a validation framework is developed to bridge the “simulation-to-real world” gap in Cooperative Automated Vehicle (CAV) research. Moving beyond virtual simulations, the study establishes a methodology for physically validating centralized control architectures via a custom Cellular V2X network. By synchronizing vehicle-powertrain models with physical test vehicles, the framework successfully orchestrates complex arterial …

Development Of Stronger, More Extrudable 6xxx Series Alloys For Automotive Applications, Eli A. Harma

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

6xxx alloys are widely used in automotive extrusion structures for their high specific strength and formability. Advanced designs require greater formability and strength, creating an opportunity for high-strength, formable alloys. The 6xxx series forms β”-Mg₅Si₆ precipitates during age hardening and develops a fibrous microstructure during extrusion, both strengthening the alloy. Increasing Mg and Si to form more β” decreases formability. Thus, modifying texture can increase strength without reducing formability. Current alloys like 6005A add Mn and Cr to form dispersoids that inhibit recrystallization and promote strengthening textures; however, high Mn and Cr concentrations reduce formability. Replacing Mn …

Machine Learning And Multi-Scale Optimization For Control And Energy Management In Connected And Automated Vehicle Propulsion Systems, Joshua D. Orlando

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

This dissertation presents a multi-scale optimization framework leveraging machine learning (ML) to enhance energy efficiency in connected and automated vehicle (CAV) propulsion systems. As transportation transitions toward hybridization and automation, the integration of vehicle-to-everything (V2X) connectivity and advanced control algorithms offers unprecedented opportunities for energy reduction. This research addresses three critical scales of vehicle energy management: multiple vehicle-level coordination, component-level powertrain dynamics, and real-time vehicle parameter estimation.

First, the research investigates the energy consumption characteristics of heterogeneous propulsion systems—ranging from internal combustion engines to battery electric vehicles across light- and heavy-duty sectors—on arterial roadways. Utilizing Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) and …

Intelligent Systems For Synergistic Optimization Of Vehicle Dynamics And Energy Consumption In Connected And Automated Vehicles, Aman Poovalappil

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

This dissertation focuses on the development and validation of on-board, real-time estimation algorithms and the investigation of energy-saving strategies for modern light-duty vehicles, including connected and automated vehicles (CAVs). The accurate estimation of key vehicle parameters is critical for enhancing energy efficiency, enabling advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS), and optimizing vehicle performance and energy efficiency. First, this research introduces a novel real-time algorithm to dynamically learn vehicle mass using readily available sensor data. Based on longitudinal vehicle dynamics, a sensitivity analysis was conducted to identify the conditions under which mass estimation is most robust. The algorithm was extensively validated through on-road …

Numerical Modelling And Co-Optimization Of Gasoline Fuels For Gasoline Compression Ignition Using Multi Component Approach, Ashwin Karthik Purushothaman

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

Future mobility is expected to rely on a broad spectrum of powertrain technologies, including battery electric vehicles (BEVs), hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs), fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs) and traditional internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles. Despite the shift toward electrification, internal combustion engines are projected to remain a key component of future powertrains, either as the primary power source or as range extenders to generate electricity in hybrid systems. As such, significant research efforts continue to focus on enhancing the efficiency and reducing the emissions of ICEs to meet increasingly stringent regulatory and environmental targets. Gasoline compression ignition (GCI) has been …

Development And Verification Of Testing Platform For Torque Vectoring Controller, Nicholas Petersen

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

A foremost concept in the automotive industry in recent years has been that of a vehicle “digital twin”. A digital twin is an accurate simulation of a dynamic system for the use of rapid development. These digital twins have a critical advantage over physical testing, which have dominated vehicle development up to now. As the cost of physical testing continues to rise, simulation can deliver rapid system development in a low-cost format. No simulation environment is a perfect representation of reality, however, and physical testing is still necessary to validate systems for use in the real world. This is especially …

V2i-Based Adaptive Collision Avoidance For Safety And Traffic Efficiency, Vaishnavi Balambeed

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

To leverage the growing communication and connectivity among modern vehicles, Vehicle-to-Vehicle (V2V) and Vehicle-to-Infrastructure (V2I) systems are increasingly being used to implement active safety applications. However, current research often overlooks the impact of algorithms such as collision avoidance on traffic flow efficiency. This work investigates the adaptation of a collision avoidance algorithm implemented in V2I to incorporate a variable time headway and spacing control strategy. The proposed approach aims to maintain higher average speeds among vehicles, lower individual vehicle’s waiting, and travel times in the vicinity of the infrastructural unit while simultaneously avoiding collisions; thereby enhancing both safety and traffic …

Electrification Of A Heavy-Duty Off-Road Material Handler: Energy Savings And Emission Reductions, Bryant Goodenough

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

Federal regulations are driving the adoption of electrification technologies to reduce carbon dioxide equivalent (CO₂e) emissions, a metric that quantifies the global warming potential of various greenhouse gases in terms of carbon dioxide (CO₂). Although no specific CO₂ regulations exist for heavy-duty off-road machines, future reductions are likely, given stricter emissions standards for on-road vehicles. The heavy-duty off-road sector offers significant fuel-saving potential, as its focus has traditionally been on reliability and performance rather than fuel efficiency. This dissertation examines fuel and CO₂e savings opportunities on a heavy-duty off-road material handler, the Pettibone …

Investigation Of Operational Parameter Differences Between The Standard Ron Test Method And Knock-Limited Modern Spark-Ignition Engine Operation, Alexander Hoth

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

Octane numbers (ONs) are used worldwide to rate the knock propensity of gasoline-like fuels for spark-ignition engines, making ONs the leading indicator of fuel quality for commercial distribution. The ONs were established 90 years ago and have only received minor changes compared to significant advancements in modern engine operation and fuel composition. This has resulted in discrepancies between knock-limited modern engine operation and standard ON ratings. This dissertation used a standard CFR octane rating engine at Argonne National Laboratory that was instrumented with modern combustion research tools to investigate key differences between the Research Octane Number (RON) rating conditions and …

Application Of Fusion Based Deep Learning Models To Improve Millimeter Wave Beamforming, Abishek Subramanian

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

This study addresses the challenge of selecting millimeter Wave (mmWave) beamforming pairs for vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) communication, to mitigate latency in highly dynamic vehicular environments. We investigate the use of out-of-band sensor data as side information to model mmWave ray tracing paths and predicting a subset of top-K optimal beamforming pairs for efficient and low-latency searches. Unimodal-Fusion Deep Learning (F-DL) networks was applied to enhance mmWave beamforming process. We started by first investigating the centralized architecture, and then explored a novel distributed architecture through federated learning to minimize resource and latency overheads. The distributed architecture incorporates two biased client selection strategies: …

Study Of Eco-Driving And Charging Planning In Connected And Automated Vehicles Environment, Pradeep Bhat

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

In this dissertation, the development of eco-driving and charging planning algorithms in the connected and automated vehicle environment (CAV) are presented. CAV technologies provide opportunities for potential energy savings and efficiency improvement of transportation networks, which are explored through multiple research tasks in this study.

The objective of the first study presented in Chapter 2 is to reduce vehicle dynamic losses and required tractive force while completing trip distance within a given travel time. Sequential Quadratic Programming method is employed for this nonlinearly constrained optimization problem. The validation result illustrates the benefits of optimal velocity trajectories. The objective of the …

Neuroevolution And Machine Learning Research Applied To Connected Automated Vehicle And Powertrain Control, Frédéric F. Jacquelin

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

This dissertation focuses on advancing Predictive Energy Management (PrEM) functions applied to modern connected and automated vehicles (CAV) cohorts. PrEM aims to utilize connectivity and ADAS functions to adaptively minimize vehicle energy consumption in a wide array of operations, extending the original control designed around a reduced set of test cycle procedures to adapt to real-world stochastic operating conditions. This research document is built upon three journal publications covering two PrEM schemes; the global cohort and local vehicle optimization paths. Both optimal control solutions are generated using various Neuroevolution centric processes.

Chapter 1 discusses the methods and reasoning behind the …

An Experimental Study On The Impact Of Water Injection On The Performance And Emissions Of A Natural Gas – Diesel Pilot Engine, Nic Tuma

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

Natural gas has been gaining popularity as an alternative fuel due to its high availability, low CO2 emissions, and low cost. In this experimental study, water injection’s impact on medium and heavy-duty engine operation fueled by natural gas and pilot diesel injection for ignition was studied under stochiometric operation for use with a three-way catalytic converter to meet criteria emissions for off-road power generation. To retain high efficiencies, a high compression ratio of 17.3:1 was used. Maintaining stoichiometric operation with a high compression ratio leads to combustion knock, pre-ignition, and high NOx formation. Conventionally, cooled EGR can be used to …

Concept Evaluation And Development Of A Novel Approach For Integration Of Turbogeneration, Electrification And Supercharging On Heavy Duty Engines, Satyum Joshi

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

While many technologies such as electrically assisted turbocharging, exhaust energy recovery and mild hybridization have already proven to significantly increase heavy-duty engine efficiency, the key challenge to their widespread adoption has been their cost effectiveness and packaging. This research specifically addresses these challenges through evaluation and development of a novel technology concept termed as the Integrated Turbogeneration, Electrification and Supercharging (ITES) system. The concept integrates a secondary compressor, a turbocompound/expander turbine and an electric motor through a planetary gearset into the engine cranktrain. The approach enables a reduced system cost and space-claim, while maximizing the efficiency benefits of independent technologies. …

Design And Implementation Of An Oxidation Catalyst For A Spark Ignited Two Stroke Snowmobile Engine, Noah Squires

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

Spark ignited two stroke engines are under increasing pressure as emissions standards become stricter, making them a perfect candidate for a catalytic aftertreatment system. Yet several significant challenges to catalysis exist. Namely two stroke exhaust systems are very sensitive to back pressure changes and high emissions concentrations can make controlling the temperature of the catalytic reaction difficult. Therefore, it is imperative that a two stroke specific catalyst design process be developed. This project focused on beginning to develop such a design process. Key results of this work include finding a location for the catalyst in the exhaust system that offers …

The Effects Of Molybdenum, Chromium, And Niobium On Gray Iron For Brake Rotor Applications, Matthew Hasbrouck

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

Brake rotor composition and microstructure must be optimized for thermal and mechanical performance to avoid thermal-mechanical cracking, excessive wear, and to reduce noise. Niobium is an element that increases the strength and wear resistance of gray iron; however, the interaction of niobium with other common alloying elements (chromium and molybdenum) is not well understood. Thirteen gray cast iron alloys were produced with varying levels of carbon equivalent (CE), Cr, Mo, and Nb. Bars with four different diameters (8, 14, 22, and 30 mm) were cast from each alloy and microstructural and physical properties such as graphite flake morphology, pearlite spacing, …

Development And Validation Of Dynamic Programming Algorithm For Eco Approach And Departure, Vasu Goyal

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

Eco Approach and Departure (Eco-AnD) is a Connected and Automated Vehicle (CAV) technology developed to reduce energy for crossing a signalized intersection or set of intersections in a corridor that features vehicle to infrastructure (V2I) communication capability. Eco-AnD technology uses the information of the signal phase and timings (SPaT) received from the V2I communication to optimize the vehicle’s speed profile and produce an energy-efficient maneuver to cross the intersection.

The Eco-AnD algorithm is devised for two vehicles (GM-Volt Gen II & GM-Bolt), both with different powertrain architectures but capable of working in electric-only mode. In simulations, the developed algorithm showed …

Experimental Evaluation And Simulation Of Torque Transmissibility Frequency Response Functions Of Vibration Isolators And Absorbers For Drivetrain Applications, Luke Jurmu

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

Four studies involving torsional vibration isolation performance of automotive drivetrain components, make up this dissertation. One study features a prototype planetary torsional vibration absorber, a unique device that targets low frequency torsion modes in automotive drivetrains. Two studies feature experiments on several torque converters, clutch locked and open, to validate models of the hardware. The last study details experiments on a centrifugal pendulum absorber in a torque converter, to characterize the viscous friction while submerged in automatic transmission fluid (ATF). The enclosed studies improve the state of the art of drivetrain vibration absorbers and isolators, by introducing a new vibration …

Development Of Autonomous Vehicle Motion Planning And Control Algorithm With D* Planner And Model Predictive Control In A Dynamic Environment, Somnath Mondal

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

The research in this report incorporates the improvement in the autonomous driving capability of self-driving cars in a dynamic environment. Global and local path planning are implemented using the D* path planning algorithm with a combined Cubic B-Spline trajectory generator, which generates an optimal obstacle free trajectory for the vehicle to follow and avoid collision. Model Predictive Control (MPC) is used for the longitudinal and the lateral control of the vehicle. The presented motion planning and control algorithm is tested using Model-In-the-Loop (MIL) method with the help of MATLAB® Driving Scenario Designer and Unreal Engine® Simulator by Epic Games®. Different …

Development Of An Eco Approach And Departure Application To Improve Energy Consumption Of A Plug-In Hybrid Vehicle In Charge Depleting Mode, Brandon Narodzonek

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

A recent study at Michigan Technological University as part of the NEXTCAR DOE APRA-E Project was conducted to determine the potential energy savings of a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) equipped with various Connected and Automated Vehicle (CAV) Technologies. One aspect of this study focused on the development of an Eco Approach and Departure (Eco AnD) Application that would further reduce the energy consumed around a signalized intersection.

Many modern intersections are equipped with traffic signals that can broadcast Basic Safety (BSM), MAP, and Signal Phase and Timing (SPaT) message sets that contain intersection ID, location, current phase, and cyclic …

Design Of An Anti-Jerk Controller For Both Locked And Slipping Torque Converter Conditions In A Vehicle, Syed Ahmad Nadeem

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

With the advancement in the automotive technologies, the customer scrutiny on the ride comfort of automobiles has come to light. Vehicle drivability is one of the important aspects that defines the ride comfort for a vehicle. Drivability of a vehicle is a qualitative measure and may differ from person to person, however, researches have come up to highlight a few parameters that can categorize the drivability performance of a vehicle into good or bad for a majority of the targeted audience. One of those parameters include shuffle, which is defined as the longitudinal oscillations that occurs in the drivetrain when …

Data Driven Sensor Fusion For Cycle-Cycle Imep Estimation, Cooper Heyne Minehart

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

As the world searches for ways to reduce humanity’s impact on the environment, the automotive industry looks to extend the viable use of the gasoline engine by improving efficiency. One way to improve engine efficiency is through more effective control – effective control systems require a feedback signal. Indicated mean effective pressure (IMEP) is a useful feedback signal for automotive control but is costly to measure directly.

Successful machine learning based sensor fusion requires effective feature extraction and model creation. Through a multistage application of machine learning to both the feature extraction process and the IMEP estimation process we are …

Energy Consumption And Savings Analysis Of A Phev In Real World Driving Through Vehicle Connectivity Using Vehicle Platooning, Blended Mode Operation And Engine Start-Stop Optimizers, Pruthwiraj Santhosh

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

This report presents an analysis on energy consumption of a Gen II Chevrolet Volt PHEV and its energy savings potential in Real World Driving scenarios with the help of vehicle connectivity. The research on the energy consumption analysis and optimization using connectivity will focus on four main areas of contribution which includes 1.) vehicle testing on a pre-defined drive cycle and alternative routing near the Michigan Tech campus and APS research center that is a continuation of previous students' works, 2) the energy savings potential of vehicle platooning and various vehicle platoon configurations, 3) the updating of a PHEV implementation …

A Study Of Model-Based Control Strategy For A Gasoline Turbocharged Direct Injection Spark Ignited Engine, Xin Wang

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

To meet increasingly stringent fuel economy and emissions legislation, more advanced technologies have been added to spark-ignition (SI) engines, thus exponentially increase the complexity and calibration work of traditional map-based engine control. To achieve better engine performance without introducing significant calibration efforts and make the developed control system easily adapt to future engines upgrades and designs, this research proposes a model-based optimal control system for cycle-by-cycle Gasoline Turbocharged Direct Injection (GTDI) SI engine control, which aims to deliver the requested torque output and operate the engine to achieve the best achievable fuel economy and minimum emission under wide range of …

Real-Time Predictive Control Of Connected Vehicle Powertrains For Improved Energy Efficiency, Joseph Oncken

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

The continued push for the reduction of energy consumption across the automotive vehicle fleet has led to widespread adoption of hybrid and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEV) by auto manufacturers. In addition, connected and automated vehicle (CAV) technologies have seen rapid development in recent years and bring with them the potential to significantly impact vehicle energy consumption. This dissertation studies predictive control methods for PHEV powertrains that are enabled by CAV technologies with the goal of reducing vehicle energy consumption.

First, a real-time predictive powertrain controller for PHEV energy management is developed. This controller utilizes predictions of future vehicle velocity …

Vehicle Dynamics Modeling For Autonomous Drifting And Clothoid Based Waypoint Interpolation, Shubham Vatsa

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

The advent of autonomous vehicles necessitates a redefinition of road safety regulations, considering a controller can possess better driving skills than an average person. The work presented here partly focuses on a vehicle dynamics model development to help imitate and control vehicle drifting maneuvers. As we see, a professional driver drifting through the traffic while keeping the car safe, it can be utilized to avoid accidents at high speeds, if required. Although drifting can produce higher yaw rates than the regular driving regime, these control capabilities have not yet been exploited in the current automotive control systems. Therefore, this report …

Hybrid Electric Vehicle Energy Management Strategy With Consideration Of Battery Aging, Bin Zhou

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

The equivalent consumption minimization strategy (ECMS) is a well-known energy management strategy for Hybrid Electric Vehicles (HEV). ECMS is very computationally efficient since it yields an instantaneous optimal control. ECMS has been shown to minimize fuel consumption under certain conditions. But, minimizing the fuel consumption often leads to excessive battery damage. The objective of this dissertation is to develop a real-time implementable optimal energy management strategy which improves both the fuel economy and battery aging for Hybrid Electric Vehicles by using ECMS. This work introduces a new optimal control problem where the cost function includes terms for both fuel consumption …

Measurement Of Current Distribution In The Land Channel Direction Of A Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell, Chinmay Kulkarni

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

A fully functional proton exchange membrane fuel cell with single land channel geometry on the cathode and segmented anode current collector with 9 mm² active area with a 350μm spatial resolution was utilized to measure the local current distribution in the land channel direction. A distinguished printed circuit board approach was used for the data acquisition to adapt to any flow field design.

Performance of this segmented cell was examined at dry, wet and moderate humidity settings to study the water transport phenomenon in the PEMFC. In the dry condition at 60 ͦ C with 0% relative humidity, the …

Sensor Fusion And Non-Linear Mpc Controller Development Studies For Intelligent Autonomous Vehicular Systems, Ahammad Basha Dudekula

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

The demand for safety and fuel efficiency on ground vehicles and advancement in embedded systems created the opportunity to develop Autonomous controller. The present thesis work is three fold and it encompasses all elements that are required to prototype the autonomous intelligent system including simulation, state handling and real time implementation. The Autonomous vehicle operation is mainly dependent upon accurate state estimation and thus a major concern of implementing the autonomous navigation is obtaining robust and accurate data from sensors. This is especially true, in case of Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) sensor data. The IMU consists of a 3-axis gyro, …

Radio Frequency Studies Of Soot Loading And Ammonia Storage On A Diesel Particulate Filter With A Scr Catalyst Coating, Shreyans Sethia

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

The radio frequency (RF) measurement technique has been shown to be a viable method for measurement of the amount of soot loaded onto DPF’s ^[1] and the amount of NH₃ stored on SCR catalysts ^[2]. In one of the configurations, a microwave resonant cavity is formed by the metal can encasing the enclosed catalyst. Two metal probes acting as antennas are placed on either side of the catalyst. Power transmitted between the antennas is monitored as the frequency of the signal is swept. At certain frequencies, resonance is achieved. Measurements of the resonance frequencies, amplitude at resonance, and …