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Filtration of diesel and gasoline fuel in automotive applications is affected by many external and internal parameters, e.g. vibration, temperature, pressure, flow pulsation, and engine start-stop. Current test procedures for automotive fuel filters, proposed by most of the researchers and organizations including Society for Automotive Engineers (SAE) and International Organization for Standardization (ISO), do not apply the previously mentioned real-world-conditions. These operating conditions, which are typical for an automotive fueling system, have a significant effect on fuel filtration and need to be considered for the accurate assessment of the filter. This requires the development of improved testing procedures that will simulate the operating conditions in a fuel system as encountered in the real world.

The information provided by the in-cylinder pressure signal is of great importance for modern engine management systems. The obtained information is implemented to improve the control and diagnostics of the combustion process in order to meet the stringent emission regulations and to improve vehicle reliability and drivability. The work presented in this paper covers the experimental study and proposes a comprehensive and practical solution for the estimation of the in-cylinder pressure from the crankshaft speed fluctuation. Also, the paper emphasizes the feasibility and practicality aspects of the estimation techniques, for the real-time online application. In this study an engine dynamics model based estimation method is proposed. A discrete-time transformed form of a rigid-body crankshaft dynamics model is constructed based on the kinetic energy theorem, as the basis expression for total torque estimation.

Stringent emissions regulations set forth by the Environmental Protection Agency has forced the automotive industry in the United States to seek a low cost and reliable solution to meet these regulations. Homogeneous Charge Compression Ignition (HCCI) is one of the potential answers to the problem. The HCCI combustion process combines the benefits of the two main Internal Combustion Engines (ICE) technologies, Spark Ignition (SI) and Compression Ignition Direct Injected (CIDI). The HCCI combustion process is building on the advantages of each technology while avoiding the disadvantages. One of the hurdles preventing the successful application of an HCCI engine to the main automotive market is how to supply the required heat, needed for establishing HCCI in an engine. In this researcha Thermal Barrier Coating (TBC) is designed to harness the energy normally wasted by the engine through the engine's exhaust and cooling systems.

Controlled auto ignition combustion mode has become a topic of major interest in recent years, mainly due to its potential in achieving high thermal efficiencies combined with significant reductions in NOx and soot emissions. However, expanding the controlled operation over a wide range of speeds and loads is a significant challenge, which must be addressed to achieve commercial success. Control analysis to date has been done by developing models which are engine specific, such models often rely on extensive parameters which are to be experimentally identified. Moreover, these models were valid only for a narrow operating range. In this paper, a detailed mathematical model of an HCCI engine, which is fuel flexible and valid for a transitions in engine speed, is developed based on ideal gas laws and basic thermodynamics and conservation principles.

This paper discusses an improved design of a vehicle-based mobile off-road terrain profile measurement system. The proposed system includes an apparatus of sensors and on-board data acquisition hardware, equipped on a platform vehicle used to measure and record the relevant data while the vehicle travels through the off-road or terrain surface to be surveyed. A unique post-processing algorithm is then used to derive the elevation profile based on the collected data. The derived elevation profile data could be used to characterize the roughness of an off-road testing course or perform a general geographical survey or mapping. The major technical issue addressed in this system is to eliminate the effect of platform vehicle vibration on sensor measurement which if left unaddressed will result in large measurement error due to high amplitude pitch and roll movements of the platform vehicle.

The aerodynamic forces induced on a passenger vehicle in response to a transient Cross-Wind Gust (CWG) are of great interest for the Automotive Industry. This paper focuses on the modeling and calibration of an aerodynamic disturbance test facility as it was researched during the construction of the cross-wind gust test facility at the Transportation Research Center, Inc. The test facility consists of 6 independent cross-wind modules. Each module consists of a 100 HP engine and a 6-bladed propeller, and is capable of providing an average wind speed of up to 20.6 m/sec [46 MPH] at a distance of 6.1 m from the exit of the propeller's outlet duct. The 6-module test facility is capable of providing a minimum of 18 m of total test track (for straight pulse configuration) that is subject to a sinusoidal-shape wind profile.

Highway and roadway surface measurement is a practice that has been ongoing for decades now. This sort of measurement is intended to ensure a safe level of road perturbances. The measurement may be conducted by a slow moving apparatus directly measuring the elevation of the road, at varying distance intervals, to obtain a road profile, with varying degrees of resolution. An alternate means is to measure the surface roughness at highway speeds using accelerometers coupled with high speed distance measurements, such as laser sensors. Vehicles out rigged with such a system are termed inertial profilers. This type of inertial measurement provides a sort of filtered roadway profile. Much research has been conducted on the analysis of highway roughness, and the associated metrics involved. In many instances, it is desirable to maintain an off-road course such that the course will provide sufficient challenges to a vehicle during durability testing.

This paper describes a methodology that has been developed to apply basic concepts of pattern recognition to isolate “events” in any type of time history data. The results obtained from this methodology can be used for a variety of engineering applications. In this study, it has been applied to estimate and compare the cumulative structural fatigue damage from single bump excitations versus resonance in Class 8 tractors based on consumer highway data. Using the basic concepts of pattern recognition, which include statistical methods based on correlation functions, windowing techniques and root mean square values, a similarity search has been performed to extract and classify known consequential time history traces (events) from the set of acquired data. The advantage of this model is seen in extracting events whose exact time traces are not known.

A methodology has been developed to generate military vehicle driving cycles for use in vehicle simulation models. This methodology is based upon the mission profile for a vehicle, which is typically given within a vehicle's specifications and lists the types of terrains that the vehicle is likely to encounter. A simplistic vehicle powertrain and road load model and the Bekker vehicle-soil interaction model are used to estimate the vehicle performance over each type of terrain. Two types of driving cycles are generated within a Graphical User Interface developed within MATLAB using the results of the vehicle models: Linear modes driving cycles, and Real-world driving cycles.

This paper reviews existing approaches to the estimation of the state of wear of an automotive damper, with the aim of developing a methodology for a quick and effective diagnostic procedure that could be carried out in any repair facility. It has always been desirable to leave the shock absorber in place at the time of such testing, and there are three general procedures that claim to be effective at determining damper wear. This research investigates a method of controlling a short drop of each corner of the vehicle while measuring the acceleration. The acceleration data is then analyzed with the aim of estimating the decay rate of the resulting oscillation, which is known to be related to the damping ratio of the suspension system. The rate of decay is then used to infer the condition of the vehicles damper. The paper reviews the state of the art, describes the methodology and presents experimental validation of a new concept.

Research has been conducted to develop a methodology for the generation of driving and duty cycles for refuse vehicles in conjunction with a larger effort in the design of a hybrid-electric refuse vehicle. This methodology includes the definition of real-world data that was collected, as well as a data analysis procedure based on sequencing of the collected data into micro-trips and hydraulic cycles. The methodology then applies multi-variate statistical analysis techniques to the sequences for classification. Finally, driving and duty cycles are generated based on matching the statistical metrics and distributions of the generated cycles to the collected database. Simulated vehicle fuel economy for these cycles is also compared to measured values.

The stochastic Fault Detection and Isolation (FDI) algorithm, known as the statistical local approach, is applied in a model-based framework to the diagnosis of component faults in the air-intake system of an automotive engine. The FDI scheme is first presented as a general methodology that permits the detection of faults in complex nonlinear systems without the need for building inverse models or numerous observers. Although sensor and actuator faults can be detected by this FDI methodology, component faults are generally more difficult to diagnose. Hence, this paper focuses on the detection and isolation of component faults for which the local approach is especially suitable. The challenge is to provide robust on-board diagnostics regardless of the inherent nonlinearities in a system and the random noise present.

Building and testing of physical prototypes for optimization purposes consume significant amount of time, manpower and financial resources. Mathematical formulation and solution of vehicle multibody dynamics equations are also not feasible because of the massive size of the problem. This paper proposes a methodology for vehicle design optimization that does not involve physical prototyping or exhaustive mathematics. The proposed method is fast, cost effective and saves considerable manpower. The methodology uses an industry acknowledged multibody dynamics simulation software (ADAMS) and a flexible architecture to explore large design spaces.

The paper presents a possible concept design for integration of individual wheel AC motors into Oshkosh Truck Corporation's InDependent Suspension. A new axle concept design (including drive line and CV-joint) is presented with a new AC induction motor concept. Both concepts are able to match 100% the sever-heavy duty requirements in a large area of advanced on and off road traction applications. Concepts are suitable for modularity in a multi-axle (2-6) All-Wheel Drive, All Steer configuration vehicle.

The simulation and evaluation of land vehicle performance requires accurate representations of driving conditions. Currently, many driving cycles have been developed and used in the determination of vehicle fuel economy and emission performance. These driving cycles are typically defined as vehicle speed and power trajectories over time. However, most of the standard driving cycles are short in duration and distance and inadequate in representing a wide range of actual driving conditions. There are also many specialized driving cycles designed for specific types of vehicles, but these are often not applicable to more than a specific class of vehicles. Moreover, more detailed driving schedules are often kept as proprietary information within the vehicle manufacturers.

Current emission control systems utilize a catalytic converter employing a three-way catalyst (TWC), composed of a mixture of noble metals to minimize the three main pollutant classes of NOx, CO, and HC. The TWC is most efficient when the air-to-fuel ratio (A/F) is at stoichiometry (i.e. A/F ≈ 14.7). The stoichiometric set-point region is maintained by the use of oxygen sensors composed of the solid-electrolyte yttria stabilized zirconia (YSZ) in an electronic feedback loop. As combustion gets leaner a different exhaust sensor can be utilized to give a measure of the level of pollutants. A NOx sensor is an alternative for an oxygen sensor that can be used for feedback control of engine combustion or exhaust NOx traps. A solid electrolyte disk composed of YSZ having two Pt electrodes with one being covered by a microporous zeolite material was tested as a sensor for combustion produced gases such as NO and NO2 in the presence of O2.

In recent years, the increasing interest and requirements for improved engine diagnostics and control has led to the implementation of several different sensing and signal processing technologies. In order to optimize the performance and emission of an engine, detailed and specified knowledge of the combustion process inside the engine cylinder is required. In that sense, the torque generated by each combustion event in an IC engine is one of the most important variables related to the combustion process and engine performance. This paper introduces torque estimation techniques in the real-time basis for engine control applications using the measurement of crankshaft speed variation. The torque estimation scheme presented in this paper consists of two entirely different approaches, “Stochastic Analysis” and “Frequency Analysis”.