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This study investigates the significance levels of the clutch pedal effort parameters in heavy duty vehicles with manual transmission. A non-linear multibody dynamic model of the clutch system is developed to show the effect of clutch system parameters on clutch pedal performance in an experimental design. The most critical factors are selected the release load on release bearing, mechanical ratio, clutch servo assist air pressure, hydraulic ratio, expansion loss ratio, spring forces. The two level factorial designs for each critical factor represent the experimental design. The results of the study show that clutch servo assist air pressure has the most significant effect on the pedal effort, and the level selected in the experimental design is an important parameter for the reliable results.

Dimensional Variation Analysis (DVA) is a decision-making methodology for tolerance analysis, and is employed to evaluate assembly variations and identify problems in manufacturing assembly processes at early stages of design. In this study, the impact of component tolerances on manufacturing and assembly process variations is presented on a case study. The case study includes the alignment analysis between crankshaft and input shaft for clutch systems. The impact of component tolerances on axial alignment measurements in regard to these applications is discussed. The study shows that when combined with effective tolerance combinations, Variation Simulation Analysis (VSA) facilitates operational visibility; thus improve quality, reduce manufacturing cost, and enable reduction of production release time. The case study presents the impact of component tolerances at two levels: 1. Pre-Design, 2. Optimized Design.

Remanufacturing is a process in which used products are disassembled, and their components are repaired and used in the production of new products. This study investigates the impact of various remanufacturing decisions on Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) profitability and market cannibalization in an infinite-horizon production scenario for heavy duty vehicle (HDV) clutches. A discrete event simulation model is developed for benchmarking of different scenarios using various factors and their levels. There are two consumer segments as primary customer and grey customer in the market. Three different end of life (EOL) clutch quality conditions are defined, and three different percentages of clutch collect strategies are defined for all EOL products in the market.