Practicability study on the suitability of artificial,neural networks for the approximation of unknown steering torques

For steer-by-wire systems, the steering feedback must be generated artificially due to the system characteristics. Classical control concepts require operating-point driven optimisations as well as increased calibration efforts in order to adequately simulate the steering torque in all driving states. Artificial neural networks (ANNs) are an innovative control concept; they are capable of learning arbitrary non-linear correlations without complex knowledge of physical dependencies. The present study investigates the suitability of neural networks for approximating unknown steering torques. To ensure robust processing of arbitrary data, network training with a sufficient volume of training data is required, that represents the relation between the input and target values in a wide range. The data were recorded in the course of various test drives. In this research, a variety of network topologies were trained, analysed and evaluated. Though the fundamental suitability of ANNs for the present control task was demonstrated.     

Clamping performance of fastener in windshield wiper assembly using theoretical and experimental methods

Improper clamping of wiper arms can cause problems in the operation of the wiper. An excessive clamping force can cause damage to the wiper arm head. On the other hand, an insufficient clamping force can cause self-loosening of the nut. Given the lack of direct research on the clamping force of the fastener in wiper assembly, this study verifies the existing clamping performance of the fastener in windshield wiper assembly by theoretical and experimental methods. The theoretical calculation results show that all the clamping performance are satisfied under the general snow load condition. However, under the critical load condition, maximum assembly preload and safety margin against slipping are in disagreement with the standard values. This problem is solved by increasing the strength grade of the bolt. The experimental results show a reducing tendency of the clamping force during the snow durability test. However, this reducing clamping force during the 60,000 test cycles is acceptable. In the case of nut reusing more than two times possibly cause a problem of its loosening because of insufficient clamping force. Therefore, it is recommended that the nut should not be reused more than two times.     

Design process to minimize roof surface defects using a flexural function and Finite Element analysis

The appearance and exterior precision of passenger cars aesthetics has become an important factor in the automotive industry. During vehicle assembly, the curvature of the roof can change slightly and create cosmetic defects that affect the exterior appearance. The critical factor causing curvature change on the roof is the thermally driven expansion of an elastomer-based mastic sealer which is applied between the exterior roof panel and support rail during the frame assembly process. Therefore the expansion of the mastic sealer was modeled to predict the curvature change in the roof panel. In order to evaluate the causes and predict the curvature change quantitatively, a Finite Element (FE) simulation of the oven heating and mastic curing was performed. Validation of the simulation model was performed by comparing the local deformation and amount of the curvature change on the roof obtained from the actual process. In order to minimize the curvature change, the Taguchi method was used in conjunction with the FE model where a total of eight factors were chosen to perform a sensitivity analysis. In order to exclude the deformation due to residual stress resulting from the oven process, it was selected as a noise factor. Response was taken as the maximum curvature change calculated by a flexural function which was used to distinguish absolute curvature that is not affected by the horizontal or vertical movement of roof panel. A total of 18 cases were analyzed with length of each sealer, pitch of sealer, and rail location being identified as the most influential factors affecting the curvature change. Using the optimum values, the amount of curvature change in the roof panel was reduced by 12 percent.     

Application of a modified thermostatic control strategy to parallel mild HEV for improving fuel economy in urban driving conditions

A modified thermostatic control strategy is applied to the powertrain control of a parallel mild hybrid electric vehicle (HEV) to improve fuel economy. This strategy can improve the fuel economy of a parallel mild HEV by operating internal combustion engine (ICE) in a high-efficiency region. Thus, in this study, experiments of a parallel mild HEV were conducted to analyze the characteristics of the hybrid electric powertrain and a numerical model is developed for the vehicle. Based on the results, the thermostatic control strategy was modified and applied to the vehicle model. Also, battery protection logic by using electrochemical battery model is applied because the active usage of battery by thermostatic control strategy can damage the battery. The simulation results of the vehicle under urban driving conditions show that the thermostatic control strategy can improve the vehicle’s fuel economy by 3.7 % compared with that of the conventional strategy. The results also suggest that the trade-off between the fuel economy improvement by efficient ICE operation and the battery life reduction by active battery usage should be carefully investigated when a thermostatic control strategy is applied to a parallel mild HEV.     

Experimental study of EGR cooler regeneration aided by oxygen-fed NTP and air-fed NTP

Based on non-thermal plasma (NTP) technology fed by oxygen and air as the gas source respectively, the experimental system of exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) cooler regeneration was built to do a study at different regeneration temperatures. By measuring the concentration of main active substance and CO_x in regeneration process, the influence of temperature on regeneration aided by oxygen-fed NTP and air-fed NTP was investigated. The experimental results indicate that EGR cooler can be regenerated both by air-fed NTP and oxygen-fed NTP at a wide temperature range of 18 °C ～ 300 °C. By comparison of the regeneration with oxygen-fed NTP and air-fed NTP, it can be easily known that the regeneration effect is most remarkable at 150 °C with oxygen-fed NTP and at 120 °C with air-fed NTP. In addition, when the temperature is below 150 °C especially at 120 °C, the regeneration efficiency of air-fed NTP is lower than oxygen-fed NTP, nevertheless, when the temperature is above 150 °C, air-fed NTP has a superiority in regeneration and the higher the temperature is, the more obvious the superiority will be.     

Real-time empirical NO<Subscript>x</Subscript> model based on In-cylinder pressure measurements for light-duty diesel engines

This paper proposes a real-time empirical model of NO_x emissions for diesel engines. The proposed model predicts the level of NO_x emissions using an empirical model developed based on the thermal NO formation mechanism, the extended Zeldovich mechanism. Since it is difficult to consider the exact physical NO formation phenomena in real-time applications, the proposed algorithm adapts the key factors of the NO formation mechanism from the extended Zeldovich mechanism: temperature of the burned gas, concentration of the gas species, and combustion duration where NO is generated. These factors are considered in a prediction model as four parameters: exhaust gas recirculation rate (EGR rate), crank angle location of 50 % of mass fraction burned (MFB50), exhaust lambda value, and combustion acceleration. The proposed prediction model is validated with various steady engine experiments that showed a high linear correlation with the NO_x emission measured by a NO_x sensor. Furthermore, it is also validated for transient experiments.     

Resource-aware integration of AUTOSAR-compliant ECUs with an empirical wcet prediction model

This paper presents an integration method of AUTOSAR-compliant ECUs which can evaluate resource constraints in an early-stage of development. There are three types of resources for an ECU (timing, memory, and interface) which should be carefully managed for successful ECU integration. The proposed method consists of three steps: measurement, prediction, and evaluation. In the first step, a method to measure resource factors for AUTOSAR-compliant software architecture is introduced. Based on the method, a worst-case execution cycle of a runnable, memory section usages of a software component, and interface of legacy ECUs can be obtained. In the second step, the obtained factors are quantitatively predicted according to the architectural designs of the integration ECU. In the case of the timing resource, the worst-case execution time of the integration ECU can be precisely predicted by a proposed empirical model. In the last step, the resource constraints such as CPU, memory, network utilizations can be evaluated with predicted resource factors before implementation. The proposed method was applied to the integration of an in-house engine management system composed of two ECUs. The method successfully provided quantitative measures to evaluate architectural designs of three different integration scenarios.     

Stress sensitivity analysis and optimization of automobile body frame consisting of rectangular tubes

At conceptual design stage, beam element is extensively used to create the frame structure of automobile body, which can not only archive the accurate stiffness but also reduce much computational cost. However, the stress definition of beam element is very complex so that the stress sensitivity and optimization are difficult to analytically derive and numerically program. This paper presents an solution to this problem and an application in the lightweight optimization design of automobile frame. Firstly, maximal Von Mises stress of rectangular tube is calculated by using the superposition of stress, which is together induced by the axial force, bending moments, torsional moment and shear force. Secondly, the sensitivity of Von Mises Stress with respect to size design variables: breadth, height and thickness are derived, respectively. Thirdly, an optimal criterion is constructed by Lagrangian multiplier method to solve the frame optimization with stress constraints. Lastly, numerical example of car frame proves that the proposed method can guarantee the stress of each beam element almost fully reaches at the yielding stress.     

Design and power flow analysis for multi-speed automatic transmission with hybrid gear trains

A design approach for multi-speed automatic transmission with hybrid gear trains is proposed. The approach can be used to design automatic transmissions composed of planetary gear trains, fixed-axis gear trains or hybrid gear trains and the shifts follow the “one controlled part changing rule”. This approach consists of four parts: determining graphical configuration of the system using hypergraphs, analyzing power flow formulation, obtaining shifts configurations by shift searching algorithm, and determining physical configuration. A nine forward speed automatic transmission is analyzed to highlight the capacities of the proposed approach. The results have shown that the suggested approach is much clearer and less time consuming than the methods currently used.     

不同稳定剂对SBS改性沥青稳定效果的对比研究

通过试验测试不同老化时间样品的针入度、软化点和延度比较其相容性和路用流变学性能指标的变化,分析体系宏观稳定性和稳定剂性能特征,并通过形态结构照片分析稳定剂改善的效果。结果表明,加入稳定剂后改性沥青的高温储存稳定性明显改善,同时加入FD-06无硫稳定剂的改性沥青在热储存过程中性能更加稳定,不易离析。沥青中的部分组份具有化学活性,利用其活性点,引入带有活性基团的反应物,并通过被引入分子的化学结构的调节改善SBS与沥青的相容性,从而制备储存稳定性良好的SBS改性沥青。化学改性技术的应用提高了路用改性沥青的性能/价格比。