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Impinging jets are an established technique for obtaining high local heat transfer coefficients between a fluid and a surface. Factors such as jet attachment, surface angle, jet angle, separation distance between jet orifice and surface of impingement, and trajectory influence heat transfer dramatically. In the current study, the specific application of interest is air issuing from the defroster's nozzles of a vehicle and impinging on a glass windshield. The current work is aimed at studying the flow patterns off a vehicle windshield as a result of air issuing from various nozzle configurations. The effects of openings' geometry (circular vs rectangular), number of openings, angle that the windshield makes with the horizontal plane and angle of impinging jet, on windshield heat transfer is examined. An optimal configuration will be recommended for better heat transfer.

The impingement of air jets on a vehicle's windshield is one parameter that determines the effectiveness of the defroster's system in freeing the windshield of frost and fog. Incompressible air jets impinge upon the inner surface of the windshield and create hydrodynamic and thermal boundary layers which in turn control convective heat transfer. Therefore, understanding the heat transfer interaction between impinging air jets and an inclined windshield is of practical relevance. Experimental investigations on the temperature distribution are performed on the inner surface of the windshield for the purpose of obtaining local and average heat transfer coefficients. In this paper, the temperature distribution of a vehicle's windshield is investigated using liquid crystals. As a result, a temperature contour map is generated displaying local temperature values on the inner surface of the windshield.

The Formula Lightning is an exciting part of GMI Engineering & Management Institute's motorsports program. This project is an excellent opportunity for students to apply and test their acquired classroom skills in practical applications. Competing in six race events annually, students are exposed to high caliber competitions in engineering design, combined with the thrill of racing. The Formula Lightning is a unique high-speed electric vehicle. Most of the challenging engineering tasks lie within the drive train design and battery system efficiency. Part of the battery system design and development includes a quick and reliable technique for exchanging battery packs under race conditions. Designed and built by GMI students, this project encompasses all fields of engineering giving experience with mechanical and electrical design as well as project management and marketing.

Rapid and effective windshield defrosting has been the goal of various investigations by automotive engineers around the world. Car manufacturers have invested considerable resources to satisfy the thermal needs, safety requirements, and comfort demands of their customers. This paper addresses the climate control issues of defrosting automotive windshields. The paper summarizes the state of knowledge of the various approaches for improving defroster performance. Experimental as well as computational efforts, accompanied by heating techniques and heat boosters will be presented. The paper also features relevant measurement methods for airflow and thermal patterns, and discusses current challenges. Recommendations are made on where to focus engineering and design efforts given the state of present technologies.