Fatigue life reliability prediction of a stub axle using Monte Carlo simulation

A stub axle is a part of a vehicle constant-velocity system that transfers engine power from the transaxle to the wheels. The stub axle is subjected to fatigue failures due to cyclic loads arising from various driving conditions. The aim of this paper was to introduce a probabilistic framework for fatigue life reliability analysis that addresses uncertainties that appear in the mechanical properties. Service loads in terms of response-time history signal of a Belgian pave were replicated on a multi-axial spindle-coupled road simulator. The stress-life method was used to estimate the fatigue life of the component. A fatigue life probabilistic model of a stub axle was developed using Monte Carlo simulation where the stress range intercept and slope of the fatigue life curve were selected as random variables. Applying the goodness-of-fit analysis, lognormal was found to be the most suitable distribution for the fatigue life estimates. The fatigue life of the stub axle was found to have the highest reliability between 8000–9000 cycles. Because of uncertainties associated with the size effect and machining and manufacturing conditions, the method described in this paper can be effectively applied to determine the probability of failure for mass-produced parts.     

Modeling and control of an anti-lock brake and steering system for cooperative control on split-mu surfaces

The brake and steering systems in vehicles are the most effective actuators that directly affect the vehicle dynamics. In general, the brake system affects the longitudinal dynamics and the steering system affects the lateral dynamics; however, their effects are coupled when the vehicle is braking on a non-homogenous surface, such as a split-mu road. The yaw moment compensation of the steering control on a split-mu road is one of the basic functions of integrated or coordinated chassis control systems and has been demonstrated by several chassis suppliers. However, the disturbance yaw moment is generally compensated for using the yaw rate feedback or using wheel brake pressure measurement. Access to the wheel brake pressure through physical sensors is not cost effective; therefore, we modeled the hydraulic brake system to avoid using physical sensors and to estimate the brake pressure. The steering angle controller was designed to mitigate the non-symmetric braking force effect and to stabilize the yaw rate dynamics of the vehicle. An H-infinity design synthesis was used to take the system model and the estimation errors into account, and the designed controller was evaluated using vehicle tests.     

Analysis of a large injection-molded body using knowledge-based flow process technology

A knowledge-based flow process is presented for large injection-molded body technology (LIMBT). Injection molding of a large body is a difficult technique because of the many factors and their interactions during the molding process. The proposed flow process can support LIMBT through integration of CAE(Computer-Aided Engineering), CAI (Computer-Aided Inspection), and monitoring systems. CAE and DOE (Design of Experiment) are used to construct an optimal mold design in terms of gates and runners and to identify working conditions for the molding process. CAI and monitoring systems with temperature sensors and pressure sensors can be used to inspect the physical molding process and the molded parts. The flow process of a large body is systematically planned and constructed using a knowledge-based flow process with DOE and computer-aided technologies. The proposed flow process is implemented for the molding process of an automobile front bumper fascia.     

Lateral controller design for an unmanned vehicle via Kalman filtering

This paper proposes a lateral control system for an unmanned vehicle that is designed to improve the responsiveness of the system with the use of a PD control. The vehicle heading error can be stabilized, and the transient response characteristics can be improved using the proposed controller. A mathematical model of the vehicle dynamics using two degrees of freedom was developed for the controller design. The waypoint tracking method for autonomous navigation was tested with incorporation of the Point-to-Point algorithm with position and heading measurements received from GPS receivers via Kalman filtering. The performance of the designed controller was verified through experiments with a real vehicle.     

Simulation of the vertical bending fatigue test of a five-link rear axle housing

This study seeks a practical method for simulating the vertical bending fatigue test of the BANJO housing of a five-link rear axle. Linear static and transient dynamic finite element models are constructed for the rear axle in which the rubber bushings and the bearings of the axle shafts are reasonably modeled with solid and shell elements, respectively, for simplicity. The calculated results are compared with the measured strain histories, and the results indicate that the finite element models constructed are reasonable. The hypothesis of equal fatigue damage is applied to determine the Hainan proving ground driving life prediction that is equivalent to the constant amplitude fatigue life in the vertical bending fatigue test.     

Current sensorless drive method for electric power steering

This paper proposes a current sensorless drive method by using the mathematical modeling of a surface-mounted permanent magnet synchronous motor (SPMSM) and a dead-time compensation method to reduce the calculated current error caused by differences between real output voltages and voltage commands. The proposed method is implemented by using only a processor algorithm internally, i.e., without any voltage-sensing circuit hardware, such as filtering circuits and current sensor feedback circuits. To show the effectiveness of the proposed method, MATLAB simulations are carried out with an Electric Power Steering (EPS) System containing an SPMSM, a motor drive system and a mechanical gear system. The result shows the validity of the proposed method.     

Advanced permanent magnet motor drive modeling for automotive application under matlab/simulink environment

This paper proposes an advanced permanent magnet (PM) motor drive modeling for dynamic analysis of automotive control systems with PM motor drives. To enhance the reusability of the proposed PM motor drive model, each component is modeled in an object-oriented manner according to the physical partitioning of a real drive system, and userfriendly and well-organized interfaces are also proposed. These characteristics enable this model to be used as a kind of a programming library. A multi-level modeling strategy is also proposed, which helps make a compromise between model accuracy and simulation speed without structural modification of the system model. The model and modeling strategy developed allow for a comprehensive analysis of each component and dynamic analysis of the total system. System simulation results show the practical effectiveness of the proposed modeling strategy.     

Vibrational characteristics of automotive transmission

A mathematical model of an automotive transmission is developed, that considers the flexibility of the shafts, bearings, and gear teeth, and gyroscopic effects of geared rotors. The transverse, torsional, and axial motions are strongly coupled due to helical gearing. The excitation forces acting on the automotive transmission are classified into first, second, and third grades, based on the magnitudes of the forces that are determined by the perturbation method. The excitation forces are caused by the mass imbalances among gears, misalignment of shafts, clearance and non-linear deformation of bearings, transmission errors, and the periodic variation of the gear mesh stiffness. A bench test on loading conditions is carried out for the third speed of the automotive transmission. The experimental results of vibration characteristics are compared with those from theoretical analysis. The results show good agreement, i.e., within a tolerance of 3.3%.     

Non-singular slip (NSS) method for longitudinal tire force calculations in a sudden braking simulation

In a dynamic vehicle simulation, longitudinal tire force is primarily based on the longitudinal slip (ratio). In the longitudinal slip formula, state variables are used in the denominator. This causes a divergence problem for numerical simulations of vehicle dynamics. To avoid this numerical singularity, a differential slip calculation method was developed for use in dynamic vehicle simulations. However, this method also causes a singularity when the wheel velocity approaches zero in a pure slip state, such as during sudden braking. In this paper, a new longitudinal slip calculation method, which can overcome singularities in all velocity conditions, is proposed. For this purpose, the Taylor series is adapted to the slip formula and the idea of virtual wheel rotation stiffness is introduced for the development of the slip equation. The physical phenomenon at the zero slip state is analyzed. Finally, the proposed slip formula is used to solve the numerical singularity problem, and the non-singular slip (NSS) calculation method is proposed. The proposed NSS method is applied to tire model performance test (TMPT) simulations to validate its performance.     

Viable combined cycle design for automotive applications

A relatively new approach for improving fuel economy and automotive engine performance involves the use of automotive combined cycle generation technologies. The combined cycle generation, a process widely used in existing power plants, has become a viable option for automotive applications due to advances in materials science, nanotechnology, and MEMS (Mico-Electro Mechanical Systems) devices. The waste heat generated from automotive engine exhaust and coolant is a feasible heat source for a combined cycle generation system, which is basically a Rankine cycle in the context of this study. However, there are still numerous technical issues that need to be solved before the technology can be implemented in automobiles. A simulation was performed to examine the amount of waste energy that could be recovered through the use of a combined cycle system. A simulation model of the Rankine cycle was developed using Cycle-Tempo software. The simulation model was ultimately used to evaluate the rate of waste heat recovery and the consequential increase in the overall thermal efficiency of the engine with the combined cycle generation system under typical engine operating conditions. The most effective automotive combined cycle system recovered 68% of the waste heat from the exhaust and coolant, resulting in a 6% improvement in engine efficiency. The results are expected to be beneficial for evaluating the feasibility of combined cycle generation systems in automotive applications.