Piston-temperature measuring system using electromagnetic induction with verification by a telemetry system

The development of an inner-piston-chamber temperature measurement system is a necessary step in engine development or when solving other fundamental problems related to automotive engines. There are various pre-existing measurement methods available, e.g., the linkage method, piston telemetry, templog, and the electromagnetic induction method. In this study, we first redesigned the coil sensor used in the electromagnetic induction method using PEEK and then used Taguchi methods to reduce the number of experiments in the development process and finally utilized piston telemetry via Bluetooth to verify the precision and accuracy of the redesigned PEEK coil sensor and electromagnetic induction method. The results displayed a reproducibility within 0.5 degrees and an accuracy within 2 degrees Celsius.     

Parameter identification for a LuGre model based on steady-state tire conditions

The purpose of this study was to effectively identify parameters for a LuGre friction model based on experimental measures. In earlier work related to this study (Yang et al., 2009), which was based on the characters of polygonal wear (Sueoka and Ryu, 1997), we showed a frictional vibration model for a mass on a moving belt. This model reflected lateral vibrations caused by velocity and toe-in angle. An important aspect of the present study is the improved friction model. A previous friction model, which divided the process into four parts, expressed the sable excited vibration well but failed to reflect the hysteresis loop change when vehicles accelerated or decelerated continuously. A LuGre friction model can solve this problem, but several model parameters must be obtained experimentally. We measured contact width and length of tires as vertical pressure changed; this provided a theoretical basis for apparent stiffness of a unit of tire tread. Based on tire data from Bakker E’s article in a SAE paper from 1987, we identified the Stribeck exponent and Stribeck velocity in LuGre. Then, the results were implemented in a vibration system that verified the rationality of the data.     

Performance optimization of CVT for two-wheeled vehicles

Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT) is one of the most promising automotive transmission technologies because of its continuously variable gear ratio and reduced shift shock. CVT is different from Manual Transmission and Automatic Transmission, and it is possible to operate the power source in its high efficiency region with CVT in the drive train. Several types of CVT exist that can be categorized based on the mechanism of power transmission, such as the belt pulley, traction drive, and hydrostatic types. This paper investigates the belt pulley CVT, which consists of a thrust actuator, driver pulley, belt, driven pulley, and preload spring of the output shaft. A complete CVT is constructed, and based on that a simulation program that analyzes the static performance of a CVT is implemented in Matlab/Simulink. From these simulation results, methods for improving the efficiency of the CVT are discussed. The coefficient of the torque capacity factor is proposed as affecting the matching between a power source and a CVT, and methods for improving the matching effect are also investigated.     

Engine performance and toxic gas analysis of biobutanol-blended gasoline as a vehicle fuel

A comprehensive study evaluating the performance of biobutanol-blended gasoline in passenger cars was conducted because biobutanol is considered a better biofuel than bioethanol as it has no water solubility and it has a higher caloric value, giving it a higher energy value. Several kinds of samples—suboctane gasoline, 8 volume percentage and 16 volume percentage biobutanol—blended gasoline, and a 10 volume percentage MTBE-blended market sample (as the oxygencontaining gasoline)-were tested to evaluate the engine performance in terms of the detergency of the intake valves and combustion chambers, power, emissions, and fuel efficiency. Additionally, the toxicity of the emissions from these biobutanolblended samples was tested in order to assess the viability of biobutanol as one of the competitive potential substitutes for MTBE as an oxygenator in the near future. The results show that biobutanol-blended gasoline samples had relatively better detergency, relatively higher power, and similar levels of emissions compared with those of MTBE-blended gasoline. Formaldehyde was emitted from all of the samples at almost the same levels and within the error range, whereas biobutanolblended gasoline samples emitted approximately three times the amount of acetaldehyde than did the suboctane gasoline. This study shows that biobutanol is one of the best alternative bioalcohol fuels for use in the near future.     

Quality evaluation of car window motors using sound quality metrics

In this paper, a method to establish a decision criterion to evaluate the quality of small window motors using sound quality (SQ) metrics is suggested. Although the sound level radiated from the motor is relatively small compared to other sounds in a car, the sound from an abnormal motor gives an uncomfortable feeling and the impression of abnormal operation, which can lead to customer complaints. To construct an objective decision criterion, the correlation between the SQ metrics and the subjective decision on the passing or failure of the motor were investigated. Four representative SQ metrics, viz., loudness, sharpness, roughness, and fluctuation strength, were calculated for the collected samples. It was observed that the loudness and roughness of the motor sample group classified as abnormal was higher than those of the normal motors. For a single figure rating for motor quality, an evaluation index for the motor sound was generated by combining the correlated SQ metrics with proper weightings. Evaluation results on the specimens that were not employed in generating the quality evaluation index showed a reasonable agreement with the subjective test at 73%. The suggested quality check method can replace the current subjective decision procedure to identify the faulty motors.     

Damper modeling for dynamic simulation of a large bus with MR damper

In this study, a large bus is tested to measure its dynamic response by the single-lane change test and the rapid stop test. A full car model is established by ADAMS/Car for computer simulation. For multibody modeling of a large bus, user-defined templates are used in the simulation. Simulation results of the single-lane change test and the rapid braking test are compared to the results of the physical experiments, in which several sensors are installed to measure the vehicle’s responses. The results obtained from the simulation show good agreement with the tests’ results. A dynamic model for the MR(magnetic-rheological) damper is also developed by employing the Magic Formula model, which is widely used in the nonlinear modeling of a tire. Bump simulation of a full car with the MR damper is carried out to verify the performance of the MR damper. The comparison of the simulation results obtained with the MR damper model to the results obtained with the traditional passive damper model showed improved response of the vehicle with the MR damper.     

Effect of fuel stratification on initial flame development: Part 3-high swirl condition

This paper discusses the final investigation into the effect of fuel stratification on flame propagation. In previous works, the characteristics under the no port-generated swirl condition and the low-swirl condition were considered. For this purpose, the initial flame development and propagation were visualized under different axially stratified states in a modified optical single-cylinder SI engine. The images were captured by an intensified CCD camera through the quartz window mounted in the piston. Stratification was controlled by the combination of the port swirl ratio and injection timing. These were averaged and processed to characterize the flame propagation. The flame stability was estimated by the weighted average of flame area and luminosity. The stability was also evaluated through the standard deviation of flame area and propagation distance and through the mean absolute deviation of the propagation direction. The results show that the LML is expanded remarkably under the high-swirl cases up to the highest relative AFRs of 1.71 and 1.75 between 140 and 160CA. In addition, similar to the low-swirl condition, the flame-flow interaction determines the direction of flame propagation, and the governing roles of the two factors vary according to the swirl level; the flow is more important at the higher swirl conditions, and the flame is more important at the lower swirl condition. Finally, fast and stable flame propagation can be achieved under the preferably stratified condition, which is induced by the suitable combination of the high swirl and injection timing.     

Congestion tolling in the bottleneck model with heterogeneous values of time

When analysing the effects of transport policies it is important to adequately control for heterogeneity: previous studies note that ignoring heterogeneity biases the estimated welfare effects of tolling. This paper examines the effects of tolling, in a bottleneck model, with a continuously distributed value of time. With homogeneous users, first-best public tolling has no effect on prices. With heterogeneity it does: low values of time lose, and high values of time gain. The average congestion externality decreases with the heterogeneity in the value of time. Consequently, the welfare gain of first-best tolling also decreases. The more heterogeneous the value of time is, the lower the relative efficiency of a public pay-lane. This finding contrasts with the previous literature. Earlier studies, using static flow congestion, conclude that the relative efficiency increases with this type of heterogeneity. With more heterogeneity in the value of time, the relative efficiency of a private pay-lane is also lower, while that of a public time-invariant toll is higher. Our results suggest that the welfare gains of different tolling schemes are affected differently by heterogeneity. Further, the impact of heterogeneity on the effects of a policy also depends on the type of congestion considered.     

Simulating the impacts of household travel on greenhouse gas emissions,urban air quality,and population exposure

This paper establishes a link between an activity-based model for the Greater Toronto Area (GTA), dynamic traffic assignment, emission modelling, and air quality simulation. This provides agent-based output that allows vehicle emissions to be tracked back to individuals and households who are producing them. In addition, roadway emissions are dispersed and the resulting ambient air concentrations are linked with individual time-activity patterns in order to assess population exposure to air pollution. This framework is applied to evaluate the effects of a range of policy interventions and 2031 scenarios on the generation of vehicle emissions and greenhouse gases in the GTA. Results show that the predicted increase of approximately 2.6 million people and 1.3 million jobs in the region by 2031 compared to 2001 levels poses a major challenge in achieving meaningful reductions in GHGs and air pollution.     

Discretionary activity location choice: in-home or out-of-home?

This paper examines the location choice associated with discretionary activities (in-home vs. out-of-home). These substitution patterns are important in terms of travel demand as in-home activities do not necessitate travel while out-of-home activities incur travel. Mixed logit models are estimated using an activity dataset (2003 CHASE data) to analyze the factors associated with this choice at the individual activity-level. Results suggest that the attributes of an activity significantly contribute to understanding the likelihood of engaging in out-of-home activities. Activity type interaction terms reveal the varying influence that socio-demographics, activity attributes and travel have over four different activity types modeled. The results reveal that the location choice (in-home vs. out-of-home) is sensitive to travel characteristics. As the travel time and cost increases, an individual is less likely to engage in an activity out-of-home. Compared to passive and social activities, the location of active activities is more sensitive to changes in travel attributes.