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This paper will review the development and results of an accelerated test established to study the engine wear observed in some engines fueled with Biodiesel Fuel (BDF). BDF is a clean burning alternative fuel that can be produced from domestic renewable resources. Its basic composition is of multiple Fatty Acid Methyl Esters (FAME) (1). These fatty acid methyl esters are an excellent source of energy but have different physical properties as compared to petroleum based diesel fuel. The differences in physical properties can lead to increased dilution of BDF in the engine oil. Petroleum based diesel fuel (PDF) has increased volatility when compared to BDF, which allows the fuel to evaporate from the engine oil through the crankcase ventilation system. The lower volatility of BDF results in a lower evaporation rate and thus comparatively higher levels of BDF dilution in the oil. This higher dilution level alters the oil's viscosity and interacts with the oil's additives.

Challenges to engineering and technology students change with the times. Prior generations were faced with the challenge of transporting astronauts to the moon, or sending a spacecraft to the limits of the solar system. Using their training and talent, they created innovative designs empowering the earth to explore the universe. To them, only the sky was the limit. Our current generation of students is faced with a different challenge. Now, the earth seems to be the limit, with students devoting their creative energy to solve problems related to global climate change and to find alternative non-petroleum-based sources of energy. To harness and inspire this earth-focused student, the President of the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) in Rochester, New York issued a “Green Vehicle Challenge” to the 17,000 students and staff on campus. The challenge was to design and construct a vehicle consuming less total energy than a modern electric bicycle around a 4.8 kilometer route.

This analysis was undertaken to improve the understanding of the throttle and fuel types, exhaust gas recirculation, and mileage that affect the thickness and location of throttle deposit formation. Some automotive internal combustion engine throttle bodies have experienced field issues causing increased torque in the opening direction or idle stability/stalls. To increase the understanding of the factors affecting throttle deposit formation, a measurement system was developed to quantify throttle deposit thickness. Furthermore, an analysis of variance was completed on throttles from known field usage to identify factors such as oil type, fuel type, EGR, throttle type that affect deposit thickness. Through an analysis of field vehicles with known history and throttle deposits this initial analysis identifies the key factors affecting throttle deposit build up.

Some Electronic Throttle Control (ETC) Air Control Valves (ACV) on automotive internal combustion engines are susceptible to icing of the throttle valve. Ice formation can result in an increase in torque required to open or close the valve. Laboratory studies were conducted to improve the understanding of throttle valve icing on electronic throttle control valves with both aluminum and composite (plastic) bodies over various bore sizes (4 cylinder to 8 cylinder engines). Study results indicated that ice compression at the bore and valve gap, not ice adhesion, is the major contributor to the ETC-ACV icing phenomenon. In addition, testing of parts with various bore sizes, orientations and surface cleanliness resulted in further understanding of the icing issue.

The purpose of this paper is to improve the understanding of the advantages of a non-contact electronic throttle control (ETC) air control valve position sensor over the potentiometer technology of contacting position sensors. The non-contact position sensing offers the industry an opportunity to take advantage of an improved ability to assess reliability of the product and utilize accelerated testing techniques with improved robustness to control system perturbations. Specifically; eliminating the contact wear failure mechanism reduces the complexity, and duration of ETC air control valve life testing and increases the robustness of the ETC system to noise factors from the control system variation.