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Electrodeposited coating (E-coating) is utilized as a primer in painting automobiles, and plays an important role in ensuring smoothness and rust prevention. When it is applied to automobile bodies, the paint film is deposited from the outer panel area to the inner panel area, as well as to the box section. However, when the film thickness applied to the bag structure area is sufficient to prevent rusting, a superfluous amount of paint film is deposited on the outer panel area, which results in being more costly. To solve this issue, we have achieved a higher throw power by suppressing the film deposit thickness on the outer panel, and utilizing deposit-control technology on the inner panel. Furthermore, we have succeeded in developing E-coating technology that greatly reduces the amount of coating used compared to conventional methods. Finally, it is possible to apply this newly developed coating technology without having to convert almost any of the equipment currently in use.

Computer Aided Engineering (CAE) has been successfully utilized in automotive industries. CAE numerically estimates the performance of automobiles and proposes alternative ideas that lead to the higher performance without building prototypes. Most automotive designers, however, cannot directly use CAE due to the sophisticated operations. In order to overcome this problem, we proposed a new concept of CAE, First Order Analysis (FOA). The basic ideas include (1) graphic interfaces using Microsoft/Excel to achieve a product oriented analysis (2) use the knowledge of the mechanics of materials to provide the useful information for designers, and (3) the topology optimization method using beam and panel elements. In this paper, outline of FOA and application are introduced

Computer Aided Engineering (CAE) has been successfully utilized in automotive industries. CAE numerically estimates the performance of automobiles and proposes alternative ideas that lead to the higher performance without building prototypes. Most automotive designers, however, cannot directly use CAE due to the sophisticated operations. In this paper, we propose a new breed of CAE, First Order Analysis (FOA), for automotive body designers. The basic ideas include (1) graphic interfaces using Microsoft/Excel to achieve a product oriented analysis (2) use of mechanics of materials to provide the useful information for designs, (3) the topology optimization method using function oriented elements. Further, some prototypes of software are presented to confirm the method for FOA presented here.

A twist beam plays important roles in a trailing twist axle suspension. The cross-sectional configuration of the twist beam determines the performance of the suspension. The finite element (FE) analysis is usually utilized in order to evaluate the performance of this suspension. However, most automotive designers cannot directly perform the FE analysis because specific skills are required to achieve sophisticated operation. Moreover, the construction of the FE model also requires a large amount of time and task. In this paper, we propose a new methodology for the initial design of the trailing twist axle suspension in order to overcome these problems. This method includes (1) the interactive drawing operation for the cross-section, (2) the quick evaluation of the cross-sectional properties, and (3) the automatic construction of the twist beam stiffness matrix used in the kinematic analysis.

A new type of torque transmit coupling has recently been developed for 4WD cars, that provides a better match to ABS, is of lighter weight, and uses a simpler operating mechanism. This coupling transmits torque with a multi-disc clutch that is engaged by the pressure of high viscosity silicone oil. The rotary blade generates variably the silicone oil pressure, according to both differential speed and direction of rotation between the front and rear wheels. This coupling provides a good match between 4WD performance and four wheel Anti-lock Braking System (ABS) by a modification of the rotary blade shape. No additional devices are needed. This paper describes the characteristics of this coupling and the in-vehicle performance.