Automotive Engineering Commons^™

Development And Implementation Of A Fault Mitigating Control System For A Biodiesel Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicle For The Ecocar: The Next Challenge Competition, Sean Christopher Carter

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

The automotive industry is continuously developing, and with it hybrid vehicle technology is a growing field of interest. The design of the electric vehicle is a pressing matter and grows in complexity with new powertrain components such as power inverters and transmission systems that use electric motors. As a control system develops, the architecture always comes back to systems engineering documentation to find safety protocols, solutions to problems through fault testing, and validating and verifying the control architecture throughout the whole process. Testing and evaluation plans are required more than ever and are constantly being updated and implemented in today's …

A Simplified Method For Analyzing Factors Contributing To Motorcyclists’ Fatal Injuries In Ohio, Deogratias Eustace, Vamsi Krishna Indupuru

Civil and Environmental Engineering and Engineering Mechanics Faculty Publications

The aim of this paper was to analyze traffic crash data by using a simplified method in determining significant factors that increase the risk of a motorcyclist being fatally injured once involved in a motorcycle crash in Ohio. The concept of overrepresentation, which is similar to relative risk, was used in identifying significant variables associated with the elevated risk of a motorcycle crash resulting into a fatality. The overrepresentation factor (ORF) was calculated for each variable of interest. The ORF offers a simple but powerful procedure of determining whether a certain factor significantly occurs more or less frequently in one …

A Framework For Dynamic Traffic Monitoring Using Vehicular Ad-Hoc Networks, Mohammad Hadi Arbabi

Computer Science Theses & Dissertations

Traffic management centers (TMCs) need high-quality data regarding the status of roadways for monitoring and delivering up-to-date traffic conditions to the traveling public. Currently this data is measured at static points on the roadway using technologies that have significant maintenance requirements. To obtain an accurate picture of traffic on any road section at any time requires a real-time probe of vehicles traveling in that section. We envision a near-term future where network communication devices are commonly included in new vehicles. These devices will allow vehicles to form vehicular networks allowing communication among themselves, other vehicles, and roadside units (RSUs) to …

Interface Circuit For A Multiple-Beam Tuning-Fork Gyroscope With High Quality Factors, Ren Wang

Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Theses & Dissertations

This research work presents the design, theoretical analysis, fabrication, interface electronics, and experimental results of a Silicon-On-Insulator (SOI) based Multiple-Beam Tuning-Fork Gyroscope (MB-TFG). Based on a numerical model of Thermo-Elastic Damping (TED), a Multiple-Beam Tuning-Fork Structure (MB-TFS) is designed with high Quality factors (Qs) in its two operation modes. A comprehensive theoretical analysis of the MB-TFG design is conducted to relate the design parameters to its operation parameters and further performance parameters. In conjunction with a mask that defines the device through trenches to alleviate severe fabrication effect on anchor loss, a simple one-mask fabrication process is employed to implement …

Crash Safety In The Introductory Physics Lab, Daniel Ludwigsen, Janet Brelin-Fornari, Joseph Neal

Crash Safety Center Publications

Crash Safety in the Introductory Physics Lab Abstract In the field of vehicle occupant protection and crash safety, the Deceleration Sled offers researchers a controlled, repeatable, and relatively cost-effective means to test interior parts such as safety restraint systems. The sled can accelerate a 2000 lb payload to achieve a speed of 40 mph before a hydraulically controlled deceleration models the deformation of the vehicle structure during a crash. Understanding the dynamics of the sled and interpreting test results incorporates many of the core concepts of a first course in introductory physics. This application of physics principles is the inspiration …

Crash Safety In The Introductory Physics Lab, Daniel Ludwigsen, Janet Brelin-Fornari, Joseph Neal

Mechanical Engineering Presentations And Conference Materials

Crash Safety in the Introductory Physics Lab Abstract In the field of vehicle occupant protection and crash safety, the Deceleration Sled offers researchers a controlled, repeatable, and relatively cost-effective means to test interior parts such as safety restraint systems. The sled can accelerate a 2000 lb payload to achieve a speed of 40 mph before a hydraulically controlled deceleration models the deformation of the vehicle structure during a crash. Understanding the dynamics of the sled and interpreting test results incorporates many of the core concepts of a first course in introductory physics. This application of physics principles is the inspiration …

Evaluating Impact Attenuator Performance For A Formula Sae Vehicle, Jason Fahland, Craig Hoff, Janet Brelin-Fornari

Crash Safety Center Publications

Formula SAE® is one of several student design competitions organized by SAE International. In the Formula SAE events undergraduate and graduate students are required to conceive, design, fabricate and compete with a small, formula-style, race car. Formula SAE safety rules dictate a 7 m/s (or approximately 15.65 mph) frontal crash test for nose mounted impact attenuators. These rules are outlined in section B3.21 of the Formula SAE rule book. Development and testing methods of these energy absorbing devices have varied widely among teams. This paper uses real world crash sled results to research methods for predicting the performance of aluminum …

Understanding Industrial Energy Use Through Lean Energy Analysis, Brian Abels, Franc Server, J. Kelly Kissock, Dawit Ayele

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Publications

Due to rising energy costs and global climate change, many industries seek to improve their energy efficiency. This paper describes a three-step method to analyze utility billing, weather, and production data to understand a company’s energy performance over time. The method uses regression modeling of utility billing data against weather and production data. The regression models are then driven with typical weather and production data to calculate the ‘normal annual consumption’, NAC. These steps are repeated on sequential sets of 12 months of data to generate a series of ‘sliding’ NACs and regression coefficients. The method can quantify successful energy …

Data Aggregation And Dissemination In Vehicular Ad-Hoc Networks, Khaled Ibrahim

Computer Science Theses & Dissertations

Vehicular Ad-Hoc Networks (VANETs) are a fast growing technology that many governments and automobile manufacturers are investing in to provide not only safer and more secure roads, but also informational and entertainment-based applications for drivers. The applications developed for VANETs can be classified into multiple categories (safety, informational, entertainment). Most VANET applications, regardless of their category, depend on having certain vehicular data(vehicular speed, X position and Y position) available. Although these applications appear to use the same vehicular data, the characteristics of this data (i.e., amount, accuracy, and update rate) will vary based on the application category. For …

Measuring Progress With Normalized Energy Intensity, Nathan Lammers, J. Kelly Kissock, Brian Abels, Franc Server

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Publications

Energy standard ISO 50001 will require industries to quantify improvement in energy intensity to qualify for certification. This paper describes a four-step method to analyze utility billing, weather, and production data to quantify a company's normalized energy intensity over time. The method uses 3-pararameter change-point regression modeling of utility billing data against weather and production data to derive energy signature equations. The energy signature equation is driven by typical weather and production data to calculate the 'normal annual consumption', NAC, and divided by typical production to calculate 'normalized energy intensity' NEI. These steps are repeated on sequential sets of 12 …

Optimizing Compressed Air Storage For Energy Efficiency, Brian Abels, J. Kelly Kissock

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Publications

Compressed air storage is an important, but often misunderstood, component of compressed air systems. This paper discusses methods to properly size compressed air storage in load-unload systems to avoid short cycling and reduce system energy use. First, key equations relating storage, pressure, and compressed air flow are derived using fundamental thermodynamic relations. Next, these relations are used to calculate the relation between volume of storage and cycle time in load-unload compressors. It is shown that cycle time is minimized when compressed air demand is 50% of compressor capacity. The effect of pressure drop between compressor system and storage on cycle …

Improving Compressed Air Energy Efficiency In Automotive Plants: Practical Examples And Implementation, Nasr Alkadi, J. Kelly Kissock

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Publications

The automotive industry is the largest industry in the United States in terms of the dollar value of production [1]. U.S. automakers face tremendous pressure from foreign competitors, which have an increasing manufacturing presence in this country. The Big Three North American Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs)-General Motors, Ford, and Chrysler-are reacting to declining sales figures and economic strain by working more efficiently and seeking out opportunities to reduce production costs without negatively affecting the production volume or the quality of the product. Successful, cost-effective investment and implementation of the energy efficiency technologies and practices meet the challenge of maintaining the …

Exploring The Effects Of Cooperative Adaptive Cruise Control In Mitigating Traffic Congestion, Georges M. Arnaout

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Theses & Dissertations

The aim of this research is to examine the impact of CACC (Cooperative Adaptive Cruise Control) equipped vehicles on traffic-flow characteristics of a multilane highway system. The research identifies how CACC vehicles affect the dynamics of traffic flow on a road network and demonstrates the potential benefits of reducing traffic congestion due to stop-and-go traffic conditions. An agent-based traffic simulation model is developed specifically to examine the effect of these intelligent vehicles on the traffic flow dynamics. Traffic performance metrics characterizing the evolution of traffic congestion throughout the road network, are analyzed. Different CACC penetration levels are studied.

The positive …

Drag Reduction Of A Modern Straight Truck, Drew Landman, Matthew Cragun, Mike Mccormick, Richard Wood

Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Faculty Publications

A wind tunnel test program was conducted at the Langley Full Scale Tunnel (LFST) to evaluate the performance of five passive drag reduction configurations on a modern straight truck at full scale. Configurations were tested in a build-up fashion with results representing a cumulative effect. Tested configurations include a front valance, a front box fairing, a boat-tail, an ideal side-skirt, and a practical side-skirt. Configurations were evaluated over a nominal 9 degree yaw sweep to establish wind averaged drag coefficients using SAE J1252. Genuine replicate yaw sweeps were used in an uncertainty analysis. Results show up to 28% improvement in …

Analysis Of Existing Work-Zone Sign Supports Using Manual For Assessing Safety Hardware Safety Performance Criteria, Jennifer D. Schmidt, Ronald K. Faller, Karla A. Lechtenberg, Dean L. Sicking

Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering: Faculty Publications

Over the years, numerous work-zone, portable sign support systems have been successfully crash tested according to the Test Level 3 safety performance guidelines provided in the National Cooperative Highway Research Program Report 350 and accepted for use along our nation’s highways. For this study, several crashworthy sign support systems were analyzed to predict their safety performance according to the new evaluation criteria provided in the Manual for Assessing Safety Hardware (MASH). More specifically, this analysis was conducted to determine which hardware parameters negatively affect a system’s safety performance. To verify the accuracy of the analysis, eight systems, four with the …

Primary And Secondary Incident Management: Predicting Durations In Real Time, Asad J. Khattak, Xin Wang, Hongbing Zhang, Mecit Cetin

Civil & Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications

Traffic incidents are a major source of congestion in Virginia. Secondary incidents comprise a relatively small but important portion of all incidents, and relatively little is known about their occurrence, characteristics, and associated delays. The main objectives of this study were to define secondary incidents, understand and analyze the occurrence and nature of such incidents, and develop tools that can comprehensively and continuously analyze primary and secondary incidents at the planning and operational levels, ultimately contributing to congestion management. The scope of the study is limited to freeway incidents in the Hampton Roads (HR) area. The study found that secondary …

Marine Buoy Detection Using Circular Hough Transform, Loc Tran, Justin Selfridge, Gene Hou, Jiang Li

Electrical & Computer Engineering Faculty Publications

A low cost method for buoy detection in maritime settings is presented using inexpensive digital cameras. In this method, the circular Hough transform is applied to an edge image to circular objects in the image. The center of these circles will signify the locations of each buoy. The known color information of the buoys is also used to enhance the performance by removing false detections. The algorithm is compared to an approach that locates buoys purely on color information. In order to validate the method, we test the approach synthetically and also with real images captured from a small surface …

An Analysis Of The Manufacturing Process As Related To The Camber Requirement For Brake Pads, Daniel Patrick Midden

Morehead State Theses and Dissertations

A thesis presented to the faculty of the College of Science and Technology at Morehead State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of Science by Daniel Patrick Midden on November 30, 2010.

Reliable Delay Constrained Multihop Broadcasting In Vanets, Martin Koubek, Susan Rea, Dirk Pesch

NIMBUS Articles

Vehicular communication is regarded as a major innovative feature for in-car technology. While improving road safety is unanimously considered the major driving factor for the deployment of Intelligent Vehicle Safety Systems, the challenges relating to reliable multi-hop broadcasting are exigent in vehicular networking. In fact, safety applications must rely on very accurate and up-to-date information about the surrounding environment, which in turn requires the use of accurate positioning systems and smart communication protocols for exchanging information. Communications protocols for VANETs must guarantee fast and reliable delivery of information to all vehicles in the neighbourhood, where the wireless communication medium is …

Effect Of Machining Feed On Surface Roughness In Cutting 6061 Aluminum, Mathew Kuttolamadom, Sina Hamzehlouia, Laine Mears

Publications

The general manufacturing objective during the fabrication of automotive components, particularly through machining, can be stated as the striving to achieve predefined product quality characteristics within equipment, cost and time constraints. The current state of the economy and the consequent market pressure has forced vehicle manufacturers to simultaneously reduce operating expenses along with further improving product quality. This paper examines the achievability of surface roughness specifications within efforts to reduce automotive component manufacture cycle time, particularly by changing cutting feeds. First, the background and attractiveness of aluminum as a lightweight automotive material is discussed. Following this, the methodologies employed for …

Providing Location Security In Vehicular Ad Hoc Networks, Gongjun Yan

Computer Science Theses & Dissertations

Location is fundamental information in Vehicular Ad-hoc Networks (VANETs). Almost all VANET applications rely on location information. Therefore it is of importance to ensure location information integrity, meaning that location information is original (from the generator), correct (not bogus or fabricated) and unmodified (value not changed). We present validation mechanisms to provide location integrity for VANETs. In the initial mechanism, we assume that all vehicles are equipped with a radar, a GPS receiver, and a transceiver. Since radar has a limited radar range and transceiver has a limited transmission range, we build network cells as a security unit as well …

Review: 'Storied Independent Automakers: Nash, Hudson, And American Motors', John Alfred Heitmann

History Faculty Publications

Nash, Hudson, and now even American Motors are automobile brands that have largely disappeared from the American memory. Yet, despite riding the twentieth-century economic roller coaster and operating in the shadow of the Big Three, these firms made sustained, significant technological and economic contributions. Charles K. Hyde’s Storied Independent Automakers is the author’s latest foray into the area of automotive business history, following work on the Chrysler Corporation and the Dodge brothers. A professor of History at Wayne State University, Hyde has written a needed critical business history on an important topic that complements the vast amount of “buff” and …

The Role Of Driver Age And Gender In Motor Vehicle Fatal Crashes, Heng Wei, Deogratias Eustace

Civil and Environmental Engineering and Engineering Mechanics Faculty Publications

This study compares the age and gender of at-fault drivers who were involved in fatal crashes and the corresponding driving errors that contributed to these crashes. This comparison provides insights that may help traffic engineers devise countermeasures to lessen the number of these unnecessary deaths. Data from the Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) for the years 2001 through 2003 were used in this study. The analysis included passenger vehicles (automobiles, utility vehicles, minivans, and pickup trucks) involved in either single or two vehicle crashes. The driver responsible in each crash was identified through the driver error variable codes as listed …

Simulation And Thermodynamic Analysis Of Extended Expansion On A Concept Rotary Engine Including Its Effects On Fuel Efficiency, Denis Allemant Andre, Matthew James Jensen, Gerald Micklow, James Brenner, Helgevon Helldorff

Mechanical and Civil Engineering Faculty Publications

This paper describes a novel method for extended expansion in a rotary combustion engine running ordinary gasoline. The engine consists of a toroidal-shaped piston that rotates around a drum to expand and evacuate the hot gas. There are several problems with today’s internal combustion (IC) engines. Current IC engines do not always have the necessary internal volume to extract the maximum work possible, and since the whole process of compression, combustion, and expansion happen within the same space, excess heat builds up and increases emissions of nitric oxides and nitrogen dioxide. The proposed solution is to redesign the IC engine …

Investigation Of The Machining Of Titanium Components For Lightweight Vehicles, Laine Mears, Mathew A. Kuttolamadom, Joshua J. Jones, Thomas R. Kurfess, Aditya S. Choragudi

Publications

Due to titanium’s excellent strength-to-weight ratio and high corrosion resistance, titanium and its alloys have great potential to reduce energy usage in vehicles through a reduction in vehicle mass. The mass of a road vehicle is directly related to its energy consumption through inertial requirements and tire rolling resistance losses. However, when considering the manufacture of titanium automotive components, the machinability is poor, thus increasing processing cost through a trade-off between extended cycle time (labor cost) or increased tool wear (tooling cost). This fact has classified titanium as a “difficult-to-machine” material and consequently, titanium has been traditionally used for application …

Fusion Of Imprecise Qualitative Information, Florentin Smarandache, Xinde Li, Xianzhong Dai, Jean Dezert

Branch Mathematics and Statistics Faculty and Staff Publications

In this paper, we present a new 2-tuple linguistic representation model, i.e. Distribution Function Model (DFM), for combining imprecise qualitative information using fusion rules drawn from Dezert-Smarandache Theory (DSmT) framework. Such new approach allows to preserve the precision and efficiency of the combination of linguistic information in the case of either equidistant or unbalanced label model. Some basic operators on imprecise 2-tuple labels are presented together with their extensions for imprecise 2-tuple labels. We also give simple examples to show how precise and imprecise qualitative information can be combined for reasoning under uncertainty. It is concluded that DSmT can deal …

Volumetric Flank Wear Characterization For Titanium Milling Insert Tools, Uli Burger, Mathew Kuttolamadom, April Bryan, Laine Mears, Thomas Kurfess

Publications

Machining wear models are useful for the prediction of tool life and the estimation of machining productivity. Existing wear models relate the cutting parameters of feed, speed, and depth of cut to tool wear. The tool wear is often reported as changes in flank width or crater depth. However, these one-dimensional wear measurements do not fully characterize the tool condition when tools wear by other types of wear such as notching, chipping, and adhesion. This is especially true when machining difficult-to-machine materials such as titanium. This paper proposes another approach for characterizing tool wear. It is based on taking measurements …

Analysis And Modeling Of Motor Vehicle Crashes Involving Air Force Military Personnel, Antonios Markopoulos

Theses and Dissertations

The primary purpose of this thesis was to improve the data analysis of Motor Vehicle Crashes (MVCs). This thesis employed the Air Force Safety Center (AFSC) data, collected over 20 years, of MVCs in which US Air Force (USAF) military personnel are involved when off duty and off base. Categorical Data Analysis and Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) were applied to identify risk factors related to MVCs and influence the severity of injuries and those factors associated with the alcohol consumption before driving, and affect the number of lost workdays resulting from MVCs. Categorical Data Analysis showed that male USAF members …

Stability Analysis, Modeling, Simulation And Experimental Testing Of An Ems Maglev System With Structural Flexibility, Aravind M. Hanasoge

Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Theses & Dissertations

Vehicle-guideway interaction studies of Magnetically Levitated (Maglev) vehicles indicate that structural flexibility can adversely affect the overall stability and performance of such systems. This is one of the reasons why guideways are generally made very rigid. This in turn leads to increased cost of the overall system since guideway construction forms a significant portion of the overall cost. In this dissertation, the influence of structural flexibility on the stability of Electromagnetic Suspension (EMS) Maglev systems is studied. It is shown how inherently unstable and flexible structure EMS Maglev systems can achieve guaranteed stability by using collocated actuators and sensors, along …

Review: 'Fighting Traffic: The Dawn Of The Motor Age In The American City', John Alfred Heitmann

History Faculty Publications

During the early 1960s, as the Golden Age of the automobile in America began to wane, several commentators, including Lewis Mumford, raised the critical question of whether the automobile existed for the modern city or the city for the automobile. How and when the automobile became central to urban life is deftly addressed in Peter Norton’s Fighting Traffic: The Dawn of the Motor Age in the American City. This study is certainly one of the most important monographs focusing on the place of the automobile in American society within a historical context to appear in recent times; it interestingly supplements …