Developing wiper systems is a crucial aspect of automotive engineering, particularly for ensuring visibility and safety during adverse weather conditions. While wiper systems for passenger vehicles are well-established, the unique demands of larger vehicles like buses present distinct challenges. These include needing longer wiper arms and more complex components to clear larger windshield areas efficiently. This study explores optimizing arm connection locations within bus wiper systems without altering existing components to improve system durability. A multi-body dynamics model is developed, and stress analyses are conducted on the wiper system's components under different torque conditions. The study focuses on optimizing connection points to enhance load distribution and reduce stress concentrations in critical areas. The results demonstrate significant improvements in system performance through optimized positioning, particularly in scenarios using motors with different torque values. The findings indicate that reconfiguring the connection points can reduce stress on critical components, thereby extending the system's lifespan. This approach offers a cost-effective solution for improving the durability and reliability of bus wiper systems, with potential implications for the design of future systems.
Catalytic decomposition of N2O into N-2 and O-2 is one of the most important techniques for removing N2O from the atmosphere to curb global warming. Supported RhOx catalysts are known to show high efficiency for N2O decomposition, even in the presence of O-2, compared with other materials, such as supported metal oxides and Fe-based zeolite catalysts. In this study, the addition of Ag was found to enhance the efficiency of an Al(2)O(3)supported RhOx catalyst (RhOx/Al2O3) for N2O decomposition. The promotional effect of Ag was investigated using various operando spectroscopic methods, including X-ray absorption spectroscopy, diffuse reflectance UV-vis spectroscopy (DR UVvis), ambient-pressure X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and kinetic studies. The results demonstrated that the addition of Ag enhanced the catalytic efficiency of the supported RhOx catalysts by enhancing the thermal reduction of Rh oxide, which was identified as the rate-determining step, especially at low temperatures.
One of the methods to operate a gas engine with high efficiency is the use of an pre-chamber, which enables stable combustion of lean fuel mixture. Models have been developed to control the pre-chamber gas engine; however, there is room for improvement in terms of computational accuracy. Therefore, in this study, we focused on the control of pre-chamber gas engine and conducted the construction and evaluation of a combustion model from the closing timing of the intake valve in the pre-chamber to the end of combustion in the pre-chamber chamber. The results showed that the predictive accuracy of the constructed model was not enough. However, considering factors such as cooling losses at the engine walls and the inflow of gas between the pre-chamber and main-chamber, it is anticipated that the predictive accuracy can be enhanced.
