Automotive Engineering Commons^™

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 …

Analytical And Boundary Element Solutions Of Bulk Reacting Lined Ducts And Parallel-Baffle Silencers, Jundong Li

Theses and Dissertations--Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering

Lined silencers of various configurations are used to attenuate the noise from building HVAC equipment, gas turbines, and other machinery. First-mode analytical solutions are presented for sound attenuation along rectangular lined ducts, parallel-baffle silencers, and circular lined ducts. The sound absorptive lining is treated using a bulk property model. The analytical solutions entail solving a nonlinear characteristic equation in the transverse direction after the rigid-wall boundary condition is applied. The solution is compared to the boundary element solution and a local impedance analytical solution for several test cases.

Strategically Managing Product Innovation To Create Consumer Value: An Analysis In The Context Of The Australian Electric Vehicle Market, Brendan Koehler

Theses

This thesis encompasses a body of research which looks to explore how strategic management, consumer value and product innovation interrelate. In particular, this research will evaluate such a unilateral relationship in specific reference to product innovations developed as a result of emerging and disruptive technology. Therefore, this research will be conducted in the context of the Australian electric vehicle industry. This industry was selected as it has displayed traits of an industry with companies that have a desire to incorporate electric vehicle product innovations into their portfolio from a strategic perspective; yet these product innovations have no particular consumer demand …

The Impact Of Active Aerodynamics On Motorcycles Using Computational Fluid Dynamics Simulations, Aditya Sripathi

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

Motorcycles are mostly utilized by commuters whose requirements are cheap and affordable transportation from point A to point B. Motorcycles also provide means to tour various places and have a leisure time for the majority of motorcyclists. Unfortunately, with pros also come cons such as accidents which are disabling or life-taking. According to motorcycle crash statistics produced every year, the majority of motorcycle crashes are caused due to facing unexpected obstacles in the path causing collisions due to insufficient braking time. Thus, this thesis serves as a mean to overcome this issue and provide a technological solution to the world …

Intelligent Ground Vehicle Competition, Austin R. Tyler, Chris R. Estock, Johnathan P. Johenning, Garrett W. Chonko, Allen C. Gilleland

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

The Intelligent Ground Vehicle Competition (IGVC) draws teams from various universities to compete in the annual autonomous vehicle challenge at the Oakland University campus. To compete, a vehicle must be fully autonomous and can navigate a course designated by various obstacles and painted white lines. Some design challenges are motor control, navigation, environment sensing and safety. A complex navigation system will utilize several tools including a high-precision differential GPS. The vehicle’s surroundings will be mapped using a combination of Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) and computer-vision enabled imaging. To comply with IGVC rules, the vehicle must also follow several safety …

Development Of A Test Level 3 Transition Between Guardrail And Portable Concrete Barriers, Robert W. Bielenberg, David Gutierrez, Ronald K. Faller, John D. Reid, Phil Tenhulzen

Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering: Faculty Publications

Road construction often requires that work zones be created and shielded by portable concrete barriers (PCBs) to protect workers and equipment from errant vehicles as well as to prevent motorists from striking other roadside hazards. For an existing W-beam guardrail system installed adjacent to the roadway and near the work zone, guardrail sections are removed so a PCB system can be placed. A study was done to develop a crashworthy transition between W-beam guardrail and PCB systems. Design concepts were developed and refined through computer simulation with LS-DYNA. Additionally, a study of critical impact points was conducted to determine impact …

Calibrating The Robertson’S Platoon Dispersion Model On A Coordinated Corridor With Advance Warning Flashers, Zhao Li, Laurence Rilett, Ernest Tufuor

Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering: Faculty Publications

Platoon dispersion (PD) is the foundation of traffic signal coordination in an urban traffic network. PD describes the phenomenon by which vehicles depart from an upstream intersection as a platoon and begin to disperse before they arrive at the downstream intersection. Recently, advance warning flashers (AWFs) have been applied in many high-speed corridors. There is a need to update the traditional PD model to include the effect of AWFs. This paper examines the traffic flow dispersion patterns when an AWF is present and tests the hypothesis that the AWF will affect PD on a coordinated signal corridor. Platoon vehicles, which …

การพัฒนาวัสดุกันกระสุนจากวัสดุผสมอีพอกซีเสริมแรงด้วยเส้นใยชานอ้อย, นนทลี อึ่งแก้ว

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

งานวิจัยนี้มีวัตถุประสงค์เพื่อพัฒนาวัสดุกันกระสุนจากวัสดุผสมที่ผลิตจากอีพอกซีเรซินเสริมแรงด้วยเส้นใยชานอ้อย ตามมาตรฐานที่กำหนดคือ NIJ-Type IIIA โดยทำสอบตามมาตรฐาน NIJ 0108.01 ballistic test วัสดุผสมใช้เส้นใยชานอ้อยในปริมาณ 0, 30, 50, 70 และ 90 Vol.% แผ่นวัสดุผสมถูกนำไปยึดติดกับแผ่นอะลูมิเนียมอัลลอยเกรด AA5083-H116 ที่ความหนาแตกต่างกัน และมีการวิเคราะห์ชิ้นงานทดสอบที่จัดลำดับชั้นวัสดุแตกต่างกันในการประกอบเป็นวัสดุกันกระสุน จากการทดสอบพบว่ามอดุลัสยืดหยุ่นของวัสดุผสมเพิ่มขึ้นถึง 54.32% จากการทดสอบยิงกระสุนจริงพบว่า เมื่อนำแผ่นวัสดุผสมมาไว้เป็นแผ่นหน้าของวัสดุกันกระสุนจะสามารถต้านทานการเจาะทะลุตามมาตรฐาน NIJ-Type IIIA ได้ดีกว่าเมื่อนำแผ่นอะลูมิเนียมอัลลอยเกรด AA5083-H116 มาไว้ที่ด้านหน้า

การพัฒนาวัสดุผสมชนิดใหม่เพื่อต้านทานขีปนาวุธในการใช้งานเกราะกันกระสุน, ธีระนันท์ มาลัยวงศ์

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

การพัฒนาผนังวัสดุผสมจากยางพารามาตรฐาน STR 5L เพื่อการป้องกันกระสุน โดยทำการศึกษาเกี่ยวกับพารามิเตอร์ที่สำคัญที่มีผลต่อการป้องกันกระสุน เช่น ความหนาของวัสดุผสม, การเรียงลำดับชั้นวัสดุผสมที่เลือกใช้ในการออกแบบ และการเลือกใช้วัสดุ เป็นต้น และต้องพิจารณาถึงน้ำหนักที่มีความเหมาะสมในการใช้งาน รวมถึงต้นทุนในการผลิตจริง ซึ่งการวิเคราะห์ผลการวิจัยจะใช้ ทฤษฏีพลังงานจลน์ (Kinetic Energy) เพื่อเปรียบเทียบผลการทดลองระหว่างการจำลองการทดสอบความเร็วต่ำในห้องปฏิบัติการและการทดสอบยิงกระสุนจริงภาคสนาม ตามมาตรฐานการทดสอบ EN1 522 โดยการนำยางพารา STR 5L ที่ผ่านกระบวนการแปรรูปแล้วมาขึ้นรูปโดยการอัด โดยการเสริมแรงด้วยลวดตาข่ายเหล็ก มาทดสอบในห้องปฏิบัติการพบว่า การเสริมแรงด้วยลวดตาข่ายเหล็กทำให้วัสดุสามารถรับแรงเจาะทะลุได้เพิ่มขึ้นโดยสามารถเพิ่มขึ้นสูงสุดได้เท่ากับ 5 ชั้น ต่อความหนาชิ้นงานเท่ากับ 12 mm โดยคิดเป็นอัตราส่วนเท่ากับ 2.4 mm/Layer ซึ่งการเพิ่มขึ้นของจำนวนลวดตาข่ายเหล็กส่งผลโดยตรงกับน้ำหนักที่เพิ่มขึ้นของชิ้นงานทดสอบวัสดุผสม โดยการเพิ่มจำนวนชั้นลวดที่ 5 ชั้นมีค่าความหนาแน่นเฉลี่ยเท่ากับ 1,975.9 kg/m3 และมีค่าความหนาแน่นเพิ่มขึ้นเมื่อเทียบกับการไม่เสริมด้วยเส้นลวดตาข่ายเหล็กคิดเป็นเปอร์เซ็นต์ 6.7% และมีค่าพลังงานการแตกหักเท่ากับ 126,679.34 J/m2 มีความคลาดเคลื่อน 25% และมีค่า Ultimate Tensile Strength เท่ากับ 5.01x106 N/m2 และมีค่า Yield Strength 2% เท่ากับ 0.588x106 N/m2 และมีค่า Young's Modulus เท่ากับ 0.05 GPa เมื่อนำไปทดสอบการยิงด้วยกระสุนจริงพบว่าวัสดุผสมตามด้วยแผ่นอลูมิเนียมสามารถให้ความหนาที่ใช้ในการป้องกันกระสุนน้อยกกว่า การใช้แผ่นอลูมิเนียมประกบหน้าวัสดุผสมถึง 54%-60% ซึ่งมีขนาดความหนาและน้ำหนักที่เมื่อเปรียบเทียบกับผลิตภัณฑ์ ARMORCOR โดยมีความหนาน้อยกกว่าเมื่อคิดเป็นเปอร์เซ็นต์ 0.72% และมีความหนามากกว่าเท่ากับ 106% และมีน้ำหนักต่ำสุดน้อยกว่า 0.018 % และมีน้ำหนักสูงสุดมากว่า 132% ตามลำดับ

Effect Of Spark Advance And Fuel On Knocking Tendency Of Spark Ignited Engine, Abhay S. Joshi

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

Knock, in spark ignition engine is the combustion caused by the autoignition of the fuel-air mixture. It is the phenomenon that limits engine performance and thermal efficiency. Knock also has an adverse effect on emissions and fuel economy. Engine designers target engines with maximum power and torque output without compromising on fuel economy. Engine downsizing is the method generally adopted. The main goal of engine downsizing is to achieve better fuel economy while increasing the power and torque output of the engine. Better fuel economy is achieved by reducing the displaced volume which in turn means a much higher brake …

An Optimal Energy Management Strategy For Hybrid Electric Vehicles, Amir Rezaei

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

Hybrid Electric Vehicles (HEVs) are used to overcome the short-range and long charging time problems of purely electric vehicles. HEVs have at least two power sources. Therefore, the Energy Management (EM) strategy for dividing the driver requested power between the available power sources plays an important role in achieving good HEV performance.

This work, proposes a novel real-time EM strategy for HEVs which is named ECMS-CESO. ECMS-CESO is based on the Equivalent Consumption Minimization Strategy (ECMS) and is designed to Catch Energy Saving Opportunities (CESO) while operating the vehicle. ECMS-CESO is an instantaneous optimal controller, i. e., it does not …

Model-Based Control Of Hybrid Electric Powertrains Integrated With Low Temperature Combustion Engines, Ali Soloukmofrad

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

Powertrain electrification including hybridizing advanced combustion engines is a viable cost-effective solution to improve fuel economy of vehicles. This will provide opportunity for narrow-range high-efficiency combustion regimes to be able to operate and consequently improve vehicle’s fuel conversion efficiency, compared to conventional hybrid electric vehicles (HEV)s. Low temperature combustion (LTC) engines offer the highest peak brake thermal efficiency reported in literature, but these engines have narrow operating range. In addition, LTC engines have ultra-low soot and nitrogen oxides (NOx) emissions, compared to conventional compression ignition and spark ignition (SI) engines. This dissertation concentrates on integrating the LTC engines (i) in …

Easily Verifiable Controller Design With Application To Automotive Powertrains, Mohammad Reza Amini

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

Bridging the gap between designed and implemented model-based controllers is a major challenge in the design cycle of industrial controllers. This gap is mainly created due to (i) digital implementation of controller software that introduces sampling and quantization imprecisions via analog-to-digital conversion (ADC), and (ii) uncertainties in the modeled plant’s dynamics, which directly propagate through the controller structure. The failure to identify and handle these implementation and model uncertainties results in undesirable controller performance and costly iterative loops for completing the controller verification and validation (V&V) process.

This PhD dissertation develops a novel theoretical framework to design controllers that are …

Development Of A High-Fidelity Model And Kalman Filter Based State Estimator For Simulation And Control Of Nox Reduction Performance Of A Scr Catalyst On A Dpf, Venkata Rajesh Chundru

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

Reduction of emissions and improving the fuel consumption are two prime research areas in Diesel engine development. The present after-treatment systems being used for emissions control include diesel oxidation catalyst (DOC) for NO, HC and CO oxidation along with catalyzed particulate filters for PM (particulate matter) and selective catalytic reduction (SCR) for controlling NOx emissions. Recently an after-treatment system called SCR catalyst on a DPF capable of simultaneously reducing both NOx and PM emissions has been developed in order to reduce the overall size of the after-treatment system.

The goal of this proposed research is to create a state estimator …

Simulation Study On Effect Of Gas Charging And Egr In A Dual-Fuel Engine, Satyavenkata Naga Sai Sharath Gorthy

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

Natural gas combined with diesel as micro pilot has the capabilities of achieving lower NOx and soot emissions. Optimization of the combustion process in engines with natural gas and diesel micro-pilot is essential to achieve higher efficiencies and loads. Gas charging (intake air boosting) and EGR are two technologies which when implemented in the natural gas-diesel engines, provide the opportunity to achieve higher efficiencies and loads and low emissions. Simulation study is one of the approaches to investigate the extent and effects of gas charging and EGR on the performance of the engine. With the rapid improvements over the past …

Design Of A Modified Stewart Platform Manipulator For Misalignment Correction, Adekunle Ayoko

Master of Technology Management Plan II Graduate Projects

This thesis work is about the design of a modified Stewart platform manipulator for misalignment correction. The common version of the Stewart platform uses six actuators. The traditional Stewart platform of this kind has a moving top plate and a fixed base plate. However, in this research, the modified design of the traditional Stewart platform is studied. It is designed to be an easy connect-disconnect platform that can wrap around different structures with different cross sections and symmetrically designed. It is able to adjust position easily by using four identical but independent linear actuators populated evenly in two parts fastened …

Active Management Assistant System For Embry-Riddle Ecocar 3 Hybrid Supervisory Control System, Matthew Nelson, Blair Cutting, Michael J. Aleardi

Student Works

The Embry-Riddle EcoCAR 3 team is developing a prototype hybrid Chevrolet Camaro utilizing a customized vehicle powertrain controller. This controller is serving to ensure system safety, vehicle operation, and consumer drivability while also incorporating advanced driving aids to achieve both the desired performance levels one expects from a Camaro as well as vehicle efficiency. This vehicle must reach the team set vehicle technical specifications of a 4.9 second 0 to 60 time while maintaining a 53 miles per gallon gasoline equivalence rating.

In order to reach the efficiency goal, the team is developing an Active Management Assistance System utilizing computer …

Electronic Deer Warning System, David Zhuo, Anlang Lu

Computer Engineering

Deer-vehicle collisions (DVCs) are extremely dangerous, often injuring or even killing drivers. Unfortunately, this form of automotive accident is commonplace in the United States. According to the NHTSA, DVCs result in 200 human deaths a year.2

Despite these deadly incidents, there currently are no deployed federal or state systems for preventing DVCs. There are many consumer electronic deer deterrent products, but their long-term effectiveness is questionable.3 In fact, there does not appear to be much research into electronic deer deterrent systems. Aside from constant audio output and electric shock, no other means of electronic deterrent exist. Even if fixed deterrents …

Application Of Floating Pedal Regenerative Braking For A Rear-Wheel-Drive Parallel-Series Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicle With An Automatic Transmission, Dylan Lewis Lewton

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

As the world continues to move further away from our reliance on fossil fuels, hybrid vehicles are becoming ever more popular. Braking is a system on both hybrid and normal vehicles that involves a significant amount of power and energy. A hybrid can recapture some of that energy using regenerative braking. In this thesis, a method is devised to blend hydraulic and regenerative braking in the most effective manner. A MATLAB Simulink model was built to simulate a parallel-series plug-in hybrid electric vehicle. The model allows for the implementation of a regenerative brake controller that utilizes floating pedal regen, custom …

Traction And Launch Control For A Rear-Wheel-Drive Parallel-Series Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicle, Adam Michael Szechy

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

Hybrid vehicles are becoming the future of automobiles leading into the all-electric generation of vehicles. Electric vehicles come with a great increase in torque at lower RPM resulting in the issue of transferring this torque to the ground effectively. In this thesis, a method is presented for limiting wheel slip and targeting the ideal slip ratio for dry asphalt and low friction surfaces at every given time step. A launch control system is developed to further reduce wheel slip on initial acceleration from standstill furthering acceleration rates to sixty miles per hour. A MATLAB Simulink model was built of the …

Development, Characterization, & Implementation Of Phase-Change Material Cold Plates For Hybrid-Electric Vehicle Battery Systems, Kevin Cwiok

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

Due to the regulations on internal combustion engine vehicles, there is a large demand of hybrid and electric vehicles with large battery packs as Energy Storage Systems (ESS) capable of long ranges and decreased emissions. These battery packs output large heat loads during charge-depletion mode and currently require active cooling to keep the batteries within operating conditions. The current systems relied onto achieve this are the air and liquid cooled thermal managements systems. A recent alternative approach to current cooling for ESS thermal management is the use of phase-change materials (PCMs). PCMs regulate the temperature of the ESS by leveraging …

Drive Time

SIGNED: The Magazine of The Hong Kong Design Institute

The Vocational Training Council, HKDI's parent body, has recently formed an alumni association that includes Chelsia Lau, a graduate of Lee Wai Lee Technical Institute who has become one of the world's most accomplished automotive designers. She talked to Summer Cao about her twenty years with the Ford Motor Company.

Drivability Of The Fiat 500 Multi-Air Engine Under Simulated Poor Maintenance, Andrew Croxell

ASA Multidisciplinary Research Symposium

The FIAT Multi-Air valve-train uses hydraulic, mechanical, and electric components to control engine intake valves for more precise combustion. However, the incorporation of electronics and hydraulics creates additional potential for drivability issues. This study will simulate poor vehicle maintenance in a FIAT 500 Multi-Air engine to identify drivability concerns generated.

Research On The Impact Of Geometric Parameter On The Cross-Section Precision In Rotary Draw Bending Of High-Strength Steel Tube With Rectangular Section, Hongliang Yang, Zhongwen Xing, Zhao Hao

The 8th International Conference on Physical and Numerical Simulation of Materials Processing

No abstract provided.

Fatigue Analysis Of The Welded Region In The Automotive Torsion Beam Rear Suspension System, Nan Zhan, Xiaochuan Zhang

The 8th International Conference on Physical and Numerical Simulation of Materials Processing

No abstract provided.

Deformation Mechanism And Process Optimization Of Mechanical Clinching Joining Technology Used For Steel And Aluminum Alloy Sheets, Yanli Song, Genpeng Zhu, Lin Hua, Dingguo Dai

The 8th International Conference on Physical and Numerical Simulation of Materials Processing

No abstract provided.