Design methodology of hybrid electric vehicle energy sources: Application to fuel cell vehicles

This paper presents a methodology to optimize the sizing of the energy and power components in a fuel cell electric vehicle from the driving mission (which includes driving cycles, a specified acceleration and autonomy requirements). The fuel cell and the Energy Storage System associated (battery or/and ultra capacitor) design parameters are the numbers of series and parallel branches respectively Nsi and Npi. They are set so as to minimize the objective function that includes mass, cost, fulfilling the performance requirements and respect the technological constraints of each power component through a penalty function. The methodology is based on a judicious combination of Matlab-Simulink® for the global simulation and a dedicated software tool Pro@Design®. Both are well suited to treat inverse problems for the optimization. An application for a fuel cell/battery powertrain illustrates the feasibility of the proposed methodology.     

Structural design of an outer tie rod for a passenger car

This study proposes a structural design method for an outer tie rod installed in a passenger car. The weight of the outer tie rod is optimized by using the aluminum alloy Al6082M, which is developed as a steel-substitute material, and applying structural optimization techniques. The high strength aluminum with improved mechanical properties was developed to reduce the weight of the outer tie rod. The newly developed aluminum alloy Al6082M is applied as the material of the outer tie rod. The static strength due to inertia force, durability and buckling performances are considered in the structural design of the outer tie rod. At the proto design stage of a new outer tie rod, it is cost-effective to utilize FE (finite element) analysis to predict each of these performances. In addition, the current trend in the structural design of automobile parts is to use optimization techniques to reduce the weights of the parts. First, for an arbitrary base design, the static strength, the life cycle and the buckling load are calculated to check whether the design satisfies its criteria. Then, the critical performance is selected so as to include its loading condition only in the optimization process. In this study, the metamodel based optimization process using kriging is adopted to obtain the minimum weight satisfying the critical design requirement. Then, the feasibility of the determined optimum shape is investigated against the other performances. Finally, the optimum design of outer tie rod is modified by considering forging efficiency. The performances of the final design are investigated through simulation and experiment.     

Experimental studies on the heating performance of the PTC heater and heat pump combined system in fuel cells and electric vehicles

In this study, a combined system consisting of a heat pump and a PTC heater was developed as a heating unit in electric vehicles. The system consists of a compressor, a condenser, an evaporator, an expansion device and a PTC heater. Experiments were conducted to examine the steady-state performance and dynamic characteristics of this system. The compressor speed, outdoor air inlet temperature, and indoor air inlet temperature were varied, and the performance of the system was experimentally investigated. The heating capacity, compressor power consumption and COP were obtained. Warm-up experiments were performed to investigate the dynamic characteristics of the system with a heat load of 1.5 kW in the indoor chamber. For the heat pump system, the PTC heater and the combined system, the heating performance and efficiency were investigated to determine an optimal control method. The results of this study agree well with the experimental results available in literature. This study provides experimental data of good quality for heating system design and the development of electric vehicles.     

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.     

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.     

Fuel economy evaluation of fuel cell hybrid vehicles based on optimal control

The fuel economy of a fuel cell hybrid vehicle (FCHV) depends on its power management strategy because the strategy determines the power split between the power sources. Several types of power management strategies have been developed to improve the fuel economy of FCHVs. This paper proposes an optimal control scheme based on the Minimum Principle. This optimal control provides the necessary optimality conditions that minimize the fuel consumption and optimize the power distribution between the fuel cell system (FCS) and the battery during driving. In this optimal control, the final battery state of charge (SOC) and the fuel consumption have an approximately proportional relationship. This relationship is expressed by a linear line, and this line is defined as the optimal line in this research. The optimal lines for different vehicle masses and different driving cycles are obtained and compared. This research presents a new method of fuel economy evaluation. The fuel economy of other power management strategies can be evaluated based on the optimal lines. A rule-based power management strategy is introduced, and its fuel economy is evaluated by the optimal line.     

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.     

Electro-hydraulic braking system for autonomous vehicles

Reducing the number of traffic accidents is a declared target of most governments. Since dependence on driver reaction is the main cause of road accidents, it would be advisable to replace the human factor in some driving-related tasks with automated solutions. To automate a vehicle, it is necessary to control the actuators of a car, i.e., the steering wheel, accelerator, and brake. This paper presents the design and implementation of an electro-hydraulic braking system consisting of a pump and various valves, allowing the control computer to stop the car. It is assembled in conjunction with the original circuit for the sake of robustness and to permit the two systems to halt the car independently. This system was developed for installation in a commercial Citroën C3 Pluriel of the AUTOPIA program. Various tests were carried out to verify its correct operation, and an experiment showing the integration of the system into the longitudinal control of the car is described.     

利用铜镍合金防护套保护飞溅区高温提升管

对于海上结构物而言。其所处的飞溅区是腐蚀最为严重的区域,而铜镍合金已经在该区域的海上结构物防护中获得了成功。其中合金400（N04400,NiCu7030）的应用历史最长     

Profile of the accident prone older driver

Accident histories and other related records of elderly drivers were used to develop a profile of the accident prone older driver in Michigan. Elderly drivers were defined as drivers with age greater than or equal to 65 years. The variables used in the study were developed by stratifying drivers age, sex, and residency; type of accident and violation; and number of traffic infraction points received. Comparisons were made between these strata, and the statistical significance of observed patterns in cross tabulated data was tested by performing the chi-square test. The results of the study indicate that, by and large, the elderly drivers from urban areas as compared to those from rural areas, and male drivers as compared to females are more likely to be cited for traffic violations. The statistical analysis showed some recognizable traits of the “young” elderly drivers that suggest prioritized safety countermeasures oriented toward them.