Development of a new traction control system for vehicles with automatic transmissions

A traction control system (TCS) is used to improve the acceleration performance on slippery roads by preventing excessive wheel slip. In this paper, a new traction control system using the integrated control of gear shifting and throttle actuation is developed for vehicles with automatic transmissions. In the design of the slip controller, by means of a differential manifold transformation, a slip control system with nonlinearities and uncertainties is transformed into a linear system, and a sliding mode controller is applied for the purpose of increasing the robustness of the system. Next, to achieve the required driving torque, the optimal throttle and gear position, maps are constructed based on dynamic programming. The simulation results indicate that the present traction control system can improve the acceleration performance of an automatic transmission vehicle for various types of road conditions.     

Combustion characteristics of LPG and biodiesel mixed fuel in two blending ratios under compression ignition in a constant volume chamber

This study aims to investigate the combustion characteristics of mixed fuel of liquefied propane gas (LPG) and biodiesel under compression ignition (CI) in an effort to develop highly efficient and environmentally friendly mixed fuelbased CI engines. Although LPG fuel is known to be eco-friendly due to its low CO₂ emission, LPG has not yet been widely applied for highly efficient CI engines because of its low cetane number and is usually mixed with other types of CI-friendly fuels. In this study, a number of experiments were prepared with a constant volume chamber (CVC) setup to understand the fundamental combustion characteristics of mixed fuel with LPG and biodiesel in two weight-based ratios and exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) conditions. The results from the current investigations verify the applicability of mixed fuel of LPG and biodiesel in CI engines with a carefully designed combustion control strategy that maximizes the benefits of the mixed fuel. Based on the results of this study, ignition is improved by increasing the cetane value by using higher blending ratios of biodiesel. As the blending ratios of biodiesel increased, CO and HC decreased and CO₂ and NO_x increases.     

Analytical study of pressure pulsation characteristics according to the geometries of the fuel rail of an MPI engine

In a conventional MPI engine, a pulsation damper is usually mounted on the fuel rail to diminish undesirable noise in the vehicle cabin room; however, pulsation dampers are quite expensive. Therefore, several studies have focused on reducing fuel pressure pulsation by increasing the self-damping characteristics of the fuel rail. This paper details the development of a fuel rail that reduces pulsation using a self-damping effect. Using an oil hammer simulation technique, pressure pulsation characteristics were investigated with respect to the aspect ratio of the cross-section, wall thickness, and fuel rail material. Increasing the aspect ratio and decreasing the wall thickness efficiently reduced the pressure pulsation. In addition, the pressure pulsation characteristics were investigated with respect to the resonant engine speed and injection period. These simulated data can be used to reduce the pressure pulsation peak and to avoid the resonant point in the design stage during the development of a fuel rail.     

Development of an electric active rollcontrol (ARC) algorithm for a SUV

Cornering maneuvers with reduced body roll and without loss in comfort are leading requirements for car manufacturers. An electric active roll control (ARC) system controls body roll angle with motor-driven actuators installed in the centers of the front and rear stabilizer bars. A vehicle analysis model developed using a CarSim S/W was validated using vehicle test data. Two ARC algorithms for a sports utility vehicle (SUV) were designed using a sliding-mode control algorithm based on a nonlinear roll model and an estimated lateral acceleration based on a linearized roll model. Co-simulation with the Matlab simulink controller model and the CarSim vehicle model were conducted to evaluate the performance of two ARC control algorithms. To validate the ARC performance in a real vehicle, vehicle tests were conducted at KATECH proving ground using a small SUV equipped with two ARC actuators, upper and lower controllers and a few subsystems. From the simulation and vehicle validation test results, the proposed ARC control algorithm for the developed ARC actuator prototypes improves the vehicle’s dynamic performance.     

Cold performance of various biodiesel fuel blends at low temperature

This study examines the cold performance of biodiesel blends in a passenger car and a light duty truck at −16 °C and −20 °C. Six different types of biodiesels derived from soybean oil, waste cooking oil, rapeseed oil, cottonseed oil, palm oil and jatropha oil were blended with different volume ratios (B5 (5 vol. % biodiesel — 95 vol. % diesel), B10 and B20). The cold filter plugging point (CFPP) and the cloud point had an effect on the startability and driveability of both the passenger car and the light duty truck. The startability and driveability of the passenger car with all biodiesel blends (B5) were generally good at −20 °C. In the light duty truck, biodiesel blends (B10 and B20) of soybean, waste cooking, rapeseed and jatropha tended to be good at −20 °C in the startability and driveability tests than the biodiesel blends (B10 and B20) of cottonseed and palm. In particular, the palm biodiesel blend (B10) failed at −20 °C, and the palm biodiesel blend (B20) also failed at −16 °C in the startability test. The cold flow properties of biodiesel dictate that the length of the hydrocarbon chains and the presence of unsaturated structures significantly affect the low temperature properties of biodiesel.     

A robust optimization for the frequency and decoupling ratio of a powertrain mounting system based on interval analysis

This paper presents a robust optimization method to decrease the variations in the performance of the designed system caused by the unavoidable manufacturing, installation or measurement errors of the design variables. Generally, it is difficult and costly to determine statistical information with sufficient precision for uncertain design variables; in this study, interval numbers are used to describe the uncertain design variables, and only the bounds of these variables are required. An improved interval truncation method is presented for estimating the variation ranges of the system performances. The robustness estimations of the system performances are incorporated into the optimization formulation to obtain the nominal design variables, which could make the system performances relatively robust; therefore, the design robustness is estimated and improved in the optimization iteration process. The robust optimization method is applied to a general powertrain mounting system (PMS) to improve the design robustness of the PMS decoupling layout and frequency allocation. The optimization results show that the robust optimization method could effectively increase the decoupling ratios in the interested vertical and pitch directions, and the frequency allocation is more robust than that obtained using the traditional deterministic optimization.     

The funding of hierarchical railway development in China

Transport networks are hierarchal in essence. In this paper, we explore the relationship between the financing structure and the hierarchal evolution of railway network development, using the case of China. Although privatization and corporatization in transport provision have been trends in some parts of the world, the national government is still the main body responsible for railway development in many countries. Among these countries, China and India are the only two that include the Ministry of Railways (MOR). In India, the entire country's railways are clearly defined as public services provided and managed by the MOR. In China, railways have been corporatized; yet, the MOR and the National Railway Corporation are still widely regarded as a single body that has monopolistic power over almost all railway systems at the national and regional levels in both infrastructure development and operation.     

Effects of the throttle opening ratio and the injection timing of CNG on the combustion characteristics of a DI engine

We investigated the effects of the fuel injection timing — both for early and late injection — in conjunction with the throttle opening ratio on the fuel-air mixing characteristics, engine power, combustion stability and emission characteristics of a DI CNG spark engine and control system that had been modified and designed according to the author’s original idea. We verified that the combustion characteristics were affected by the fuel injection timing and that the engine conditions were affected by the throttle opening ratios and the rpm. The combustion characteristics were greatly improved for a complete open throttle ratio with an early injection timing and for a partial throttle ratio with a late injection timing. The combustion duration was governed by the duration of flame propagation in late injection timing scenarios and by the duration of early flame development in cases of early injection timing. As the result, the combustion duration is shortened, the lean limit is improved, the air-fuel mixing conditions are controlled, and the emissions are reduced through control of the fuel injection timing and vary according to ratio of the throttle opening.     

Compensation factor method for modeling springback of auto parts constructed with high-strength steel

To more accurately manufacture an auto-body workpiece, a predictive compensation factor method was used to predict the workpiece’s springback, and the factors influencing springback are introduced. Based on this method, a numerical simulation was produced to simulate the springback compensation after distortion of the workpiece. After analyzing the simulation results, a compensation method was introduced to reduce the springback influence on an actual workpiece. Here, we used a fortified B-pillar, which is a kind of longitudinal stand-frame workpiece, made with a high-strength steel material (TRIP700). The simulation results indicated that the proposed method is feasible and can be efficiently used for predicting the distortion of springback compensation of an auto-body workpiece.     

Multivariate modeling of pedestrian fatality risk through on the spot accident investigation

Pedestrians are the most vulnerable users of public roads and represent one of the largest groups of road casualties; their death rate around the world due to vehicle-pedestrian collisions is high and tending to rise. In Spain, as in other countries of the European Union, steps have been taken to reduce the number and consequences of such accidents, with encouraging results in recent years. A key to countering this concern is the accident research activity that has obtained remarkable achievements in different fields, especially when multidisciplinary approaches are taken. This paper describes the development of a multivariate model that is able to detect the most influential parameters on the consequences of vehicle-pedestrian collision and to quantify their impact on pedestrian fatality risk. First, an accident database containing detailed information and parameters of vehicle-pedestrian collisions in Madrid has been developed. The accidents were investigated on the spot by INSIA accident investigation teams and analyzed using advanced reconstruction techniques. The model was then developed with two components: (1) a classification tree that characterizes and selects the explanatory variables, identifying their interactions, and (2) a binary logistic regression to quantify the influence of each variable and interaction resulting from the classification tree. The whole model represents an important tool for identifying, quantifying and predicting the potential impact of measures aimed at reducing injuries in vehicle-pedestrian collisions.