Durability improvement of automotive V-belt pulley

Improving the durability of an automotive V-belt pulley, which is commonly used in an automotive powertrain to transfer power to other parts, is discussed. Fatigue life of the original V-belt pulley is predicted based on damage analysis by finite element analysis (FEA). Stress history of the pulley during operation was found by performing consecutive static analyses on the pulley as the pulley rotates. Assembly load (due to the tightening of the bolts) and operation load were considered to describe the actual load conditions in a durability test. The contact condition from the belt was calculated and applied to the surface of the pulley. Static analyses at 36 different positions of the pulley, every ten degrees of rotation, were performed to determine the stress history of the pulley during operation. Using stress history data calculated from FE analysis, damage over one rotation of the pulley was calculated and fatigue life, in number of rotations to failure, was estimated. An improvement to the durability of the pulley was investigated by modifying the design of the pulley using FE analysis results. Durability tests for the pulleys used in the analysis were carried out to verify the analytical results. Comparison between analysis and experimental results showed that analytical results correlated with the experimental results closely.     

Experimental study of the characteristics of idle vibrations that result from axial forces and the spider positions of constant velocity joints

The vibrational characteristics of automotives during idling were studied experimentally by considering the axial forces of the drive shaft and the spider positions in a constant-velocity joint. The generated forces, such as PF (plunging force) and GAF (generated axial force) in the assembly of the drive-shaft module, were measured directly by an experimental apparatus. Measurements of the GAF and PF did not show the same trends as the joint angles. They depended instead on the types of CV joints. In addition, the relationship between the offset values of the shaft and the spider positions in the tulip of the constant-velocity joint were studied. As a result, the idle vibration characteristics were affected by the variation of the spider positions and the vibrational characteristics in the axial direction of the shaft, including the amplitude and the harmonic periods.     

Partial range scaling method based washout algorithm for a vehicle driving simulator and its evaluation

Unlike an actual vehicle, a vehicle driving simulator (VDS) has limited kinematics, workspace, and bounded dynamic characteristics making it very difficult to simulate dynamic motions of an actual vehicle. To solve these problems, a washout algorithm was developed. The developed algorithm restricts the workspace of the VDS to within the kinematic limit and makes the person driving the VDS perceive movement of an actual vehicle. However, the classic washout algorithm contains several problems, such as time delay and the generation of a wrong motion signal caused by characteristics of the filters. So the driver feels “simulator sickness,” such as fatigue, nausea, headache and so on because of differences between the sense of movement of the VDS and that of a real vehicle. In this paper, a partial range scaling method based washout algorithm, including a tilt coordination system, is developed to enhance the perception of motion and reduce simulator sickness. It is verified by a simulation, a survey, and a bio signal analysis using an electrocardiogram (ECG).     

Simple design approach for improving characteristics of interior permanent magnet synchronous motors for electric air-conditioner systems in HEV

In this paper, a simple design method for improving the performance of an interior permanent magnet synchronous motor (IPMSM), for driving the air-conditioning compressor used in hybrid electric vehicles, is presented. There are many design methods that optimize the IPMSM. Each method deals with a variety of design factors, such as slot opening, pole arc, and rotor shape. However, as the number of design variables increases, a lot of modeling and analysis time is needed in order to improve the characteristics of an IPMSM. This paper demonstrates that the optimization of a double-layer IPMSM, satisfying the given design conditions, is possible with only a flux barrier shape design. Then, response surface methodology is applied as the optimization method, and the validity of the design approach is verified by comparison with test results.     

用低成本的单个DSP控制多个单相PFC模块

提出了用低成本的单个数字信号处理器(DSP)控制多个单相功率因数补偿(PFC)模块的新方案.该方案允许不同电流额定值的多个模块并联工作,并通过单个DsP控制.基于DSP的控制,易于分流,设备小巧.文章叙述了每个PFC模块电流的测量技术和多个模块工作的输出电压和输入电流闭环控制方法.在该设计例子中,开关频率设定为120kHz,2级连续导通模式的PFC并联工作,并由单个TMS320LF2407DSP控制.实验结果表明,现代开关电源可采用该方案.     

Semi-Active Suspension with Preview Using a Frequency-Shaped Performance Index

The objective of this study is to develop a control law for a semi-active suspension for the purpose of ride quality improvement. The semi-active control law is determined by reproducing the control force of an optimally controlled active suspension while suppressing its damping coefficient variation. The performance index of the optimal control for the active suspension is modified to include frequency-shaping by use of Parseval's theorem, which allows us to de-emphasize the effects of particular variables over specific frequency bands.

Through the numerical simulations, it was found that the semi-active suspension may reduce the vertical acceleration of the driver's seat and the sprung mass motions significantly. The road-holding and tire deflections were not affected much.     

Finite element analysis of rotary blanking: Effects of punch geometries on cutting area and stress distribution

It is essential to develop efficient and cost-effective production methods to achieve or maintain international competitiveness. An innovative production method, such as rotary blanking, enables manufacturers to both reduce expenses and economize production time. However, there are not enough numerical analyses for this process. In this paper, numerical simulations of rotary blanking were performed. After comparing the cutting planes generated by conventional and rotary blanking experimental tests, the cutting areas of two punch geometries were analyzed. The influence of punch geometry on part quality was then investigated through simulations. The procedure for die stress analysis was established and stress distributions of the worksheet and the tools were analyzed.     

Pressure drop and heat transfer of catalyzed diesel particulate filters due to changes in soot loading and flow rate

When soot particles are loaded in a diesel particulate filter, it causes increase in back pressure of the exhaust system. To minimize this pressure drop due to DPF, the filter needs to be regenerated after a certain amount of soot has been accumulated. It is crucial to estimate the correct amount of soot that has been accumulated by measuring the differential pressure. It is also important to understand changes in pressure drop due to flow rate variations of the exhaust gas, since the pressure drop would be influenced by the exhaust flow rate as well as the amount of soot. Furthermore, the heat transfer characteristics of the catalyzed diesel particulate filter (CDPF) are another major issue, as the filter is occasionally exposed to high temperature gas. This study presents the characteristics of pressure drop according to the variation of soot loading and the mass flow rate in CDPF. In addition, heat transfer characteristics in the filter was investigated when a high temperature gas flows into the CDPF. Tests were performed in several CDPF samples having varying amounts of catalyst coating. Experimental results indicate that rig-based experiments are useful in understanding the characteristics of pressure drop in the CDPF. In the cake filtration region, a pressure drop has a proportional relationship according to soot loading and mass flow rate. It was found that an increased catalyst coating may lead to enhanced convective heat transfer.     

Analysis of handling performance based on simplified lateral vehicle dynamics

In this article, the analysis methods for vehicle handling performance are studied. Using simple models, dynamic characteristic parameters such as yaw, natural frequency, and the damping coefficient of a vehicle can be theoretically formulated. Here, the vehicle is simplified by a bicycle (single-track) model, and the tire is modeled by an equivalent cornering stiffness and first order lag. From the experimental road data, the tire model parameters (equivalent cornering stiffness and time lag constant) are extracted. These parameters are then inserted into the theoretically formulated equations of dynamic characteristic parameters. For the purpose of validating the efficiency of the suggested methods, experimental road tests (where the cars have different handling performances) are performed. The results show that vehicle handling performance can be sufficiently represented by the suggested dynamic characteristic parameters. So, it is concluded that the proposed method has practical use for the development of new cars or for the comparison of similar cars since the evaluations of the vehicle handling performance can be efficiently determined by the suggested dynamic characteristic parameters.