The design of passenger cars is in continuous evolution: market conditions, customer requirements, performance, safety, and regulatory characteristics, as well as carbon monoxide reduction and electrification, are just a few factors that contribute to these changes. All these evolutions are reflected in the requirements for car components. The design of these components presents a significant challenge in achieving best-in-class results in terms of quality, reliability, performance, and price. In this paper, a comparison is made between an up-todate technical specification and an older one, and the impact of this evolution on the development of hinges is investigated, including the material, complexity of the elements, validation, and manufacturing processes. Adiscussion on the evolution of the hinges summarizes the findings of this specific work.
Knowledge of the characteristics of transport demand as desired numberof trips by trip purpose, corroborated with the characteristics ofdifferentsegmentofpopulation are essential for the development and implementation of proper transport policies to achieve a sustainable urban transport system. Therefore, to start developing the strategy for optimization of the electric and hybrid vehicle fleet in urban areas, an assessment of the transport demand is needed to identify the potential destinations for charging facilities.The paper deals with the detailed analysis of the transport demand forPitesti urban area, based on surveys carried out in the SUMP-Sustainable Urban Mobility Plan for Pitesti.
The changing environmental concerns, dwindling resources, and changes in consumer taste are among factors that continue to pressure the automotive industry into trying into sustainable practices. This paper discusses how green innovation can help to achieve sustainability and boost the performance of a firm in the auto industry by dwelling upon the emerging countries like Pakistan. Green innovation is seen as a strategy that helps firm to minimize its effect on the environment, enhance its operations and stay competitive. The study collected 489 respondents representing different layers of the Pakistani automotive industry to use SmartPLS and evaluate the connections between green innovation, sustainability practices, and firm performance. The results indicate that green innovation has a role in influencing sustainability practice in firms which consequently improves both non-financial and financial performances of the firm. There is also the practice of sustainability that is found to act as a mediator in the connection between firm performance and green innovation. There are also external moderating factors like regulatory pressure and market demand, which are revealed to increase the effects of green innovation. In practice, it provides an idea to automotive companies that should comply with the global trends in sustainability but adapt to the local limitations. Policy formulation workers are urged to develop favorable structures that would encourage green practices. This study emphasizes that green innovation is important towards sustainable development and long-term resilience in the automotive sector.
The changing environmental concerns, dwindling resources, and changes in consumer taste are among factors that continue to pressure the automotive industry into trying into sustainable practices. This paper discusses how green innovation can help to achieve sustainability and boost the performance of a firm in the auto industry by dwelling upon the emerging countries like Pakistan. Green innovation is seen as a strategy that helps firm to minimize its effect on the environment, enhance its operations and stay competitive. The study collected 489 respondents representing different layers of the Pakistani automotive industry to use SmartPLS and evaluate the connections between green innovation, sustainability practices, and firm performance. The results indicate that green innovation has a role in influencing sustainability practice in firms which consequently improves both non-financial and financial performances of the firm. There is also the practice of sustainability that is found to act as a mediator in the connection between firm performance and green innovation. There are also external moderating factors like regulatory pressure and market demand, which are revealed to increase the effects ofgreen innovation. In practice, it provides an idea to automotive companies that should comply with the global trends in sustainability but adapt to the local limitations. Policy formulation workers are urged to develop favorable structures that would encourage green practices. This study emphasizes that green innovation is important towards sustainable development and long-term resilience in the automotive sector.
Hydraulic dampers play a critical role in ensuring vehicle stability, comfort, and safety by controlling suspension oscillations. This paper highlights the importance of hydraulic dampers in the automotive industry and presents a comprehensive study involving the simulation of a test bench designed to evaluate damper performances. The study was focused on analyzing the damping characteristic and frequency stability under controlled conditions, with the use of a PID controller. Also, the dimensioning of the damper was carried out to meet specific performance criteria, forming the basis for further simulation work. Using MATLAB software, it was developed a test bench model to simulate damper behavior and assess its dynamic response and the damping characteristic curve obtained from the simulation was plotted and compared to the theoretical model to evaluate accuracy and consistency. The results demonstrate a close correlation between simulated and theoretical damping characteristics, depicted in graphical representation, validating the effectiveness of the proposed test setup. It was also observed the presence of oscillations on both strokes of the damper, being one with a symmetric characteristic and a lower coefficient value on the compression stroke, which is a positive aspect in terms of comfort for passengers and transported goods.
The automotive industry, representing 7% of the European Union's GDP and 6% of its total employment, is a critical pillar of Europe's economic landscape. Currently, this sector is undergoing a significant transformation from Internal Combustion Engines (ICE) to Electric Vehicles (EVs). This shift necessitates a profound change in expertise, transitioning from mechanical engineering to electrical engineering , from combustion technology to battery chemistry and a cultural shift from continuous marginal innovation to disruptive innovation to remain competitive with industry leaders from China and the United States. This article employs statistical analysis to compare the drivers and key motivators of two distinct cohorts of professionals, each with a different focus, to provide insights into the cultural transformation required due to the ramp-up of electric vehicles in the automotive industry. By examining these factors, the study aims to offer guidance on how to navigate this transition effectively. Given the sector's importance and the magnitude of its ongoing disruption, this research addresses a pivotal question: Does Europe possess the necessary capabilities to maintain its leadership in the global race towards an electrified future? Through a comprehensive analysis of current trends, technological advancements, and strategic initiatives, this study seeks to evaluate Europe's readiness to thrive in this transformative era.
In this paper, effects of different amount ofgasoline-diesel blend on the diesel engine performance are examined for unmanned air vehicles (UAV). According to International Standard Atmosphere (ISA) data especially after 4572 m altitude internal combustion engine performance dramatically decreases depending on atmosphere oxygen concentration, air density and pressure. This situation in air density and molecular ratio changes on altitude directly affects engine combustion and causes major changes in performance. The experimental framework involved altitude testing to evaluate the effects of a 5% gasoline-diesel fuel mixture, as determined by CFD optimization, in comparison to pure diesel fuel. Altitude conditions ranging from 0 to 18288 m, in increments of 1524 m, were tested using a specialized vacuum device to replicate high-altitude environments. The results are also qualitatively agreed with literature studies.
Electric vehicle users are beginning to experience the symptom known as ,,range anxiety". Range anxiety is a prevalent issue among electric vehicle drivers, resulting from the dread of running out of battery power before arriving at their destination. The study aims to implement a solution to extend the autonomy of electric vehicles by utilizing a compact, small energy system from the RE (Range Extender) category, configured in a structure based on an internal combustion engine that operates two electricity generators. Therefore, this paper presents a theoretical, physical-mathematical model that can be used to simulate and control the operation of the proposed system. The acronym SES (Secondary Energy System) will refer to the proposed solution in this study.
The goal of this paper is to analyze, by means of CFD simulation, a two-way active rear wing concept for a Formula 1 car as a part of an active aerodynamic package set to be introduced in the 2026 Formula 1 season. The active character of the rear wing is achieved by using a fixed NACA 9513 airfoil, whose angle of attack is kept at a fixed during the race and one mobile, NACA 5512 airfoil, capable of independently orienting at specific angles of attack in order to adapt the key aerodynamics performance indicators, aerodynamic downforce and aerodynamic drag force, to any specific driving scenario that can be encountered by the single seater during a race. The turbulence model considered is k-omega SST, with a turbulent ratio of0.3[%].The turbulence length scale represents 7 [%] of the airfoil's chord length. The airfoil assembly, consisting of a fixed airfoil at its optimum angle of attack 2 [] and a mobile airfoil, at its optimum angle of attack of 12 [degrees], can generate 5997 [N] of downforce at an average speed of 60 [m/s].
With the present study, an attempt is made to show what can be expected from the carbon dioxide emissions point of view when using additional renewable fuels for powering diesel engines. At the same time, the drawbacks of reporting the emissions as volume fractions are highlighted. To explicitly illustrate this, the influences of some parameters, like injection itself, vaporization, and environmental state parameters, on the volume fractions of the emitted carbon-based components, were analyzed and presented. To counteract these shortcomings, at the end, a method, based on some simplifying hypotheses, for estimating emissions in terms of mass or specific mass is proposed.
The paper presents the GASTER Electricway 4WD concept, a Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle (PHEV) type in development within the Automotive Engineering Research Centre of the National University of Science and Technology POLITEHNICA Bucharest-Pitesti branch. The car has been built by implementing a hybrid propulsion system with an electrified rear axle on the Dacia Duster. This hybrid system is PHEV, parallel type with two shafts, organized in a motorized solution E4WD (Electricway 4WD). It comprises a thermal power train with a 1.6-liter engine fueled with Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) and a CVT (Continuously Variable Transmission) placed in the front of the vehicle. The electric power-train, located at the rear side of the vehicle, includes an electric motor coupled with a mechanical transmission. The traction battery is the Lithium Ferro Phosphate (LFP) type. The traction battery can be charged with the on-board charger or by cable from a Wallbox or public station.
The hydrogen fuelling can be a viable method to ameliorate the diesel engine performance, and this may be an interest aspect from the point of view of the possibilities of maintaining the diesel engine in operation. The paper presents experimental aspects of hydrogen use at diesel engine. The influence on combustion of the cyclic dose of-hydrogen is reflected in the increase of the maximum pressure, which tends to appearsooner per cycle, the acceleration of the heat release rate and the reduction of the total duration of the combustion. Regarding the operation performance, the increase of the indicated mean effective pressure values appears at combustion of the increase of the hydrogen cyclic dose. In terms of engine efficiency, the reduction of the energetic indicated specific consumption is assured at hydrogen use. The pollution performance of the engine is improved by hydrogen use obtaining the reduction of the level of carbon monoxide (CO), unburned hydrocarbons (HC) and smoke opacity (OP) emissions levels comparative to diesel fuel
Soil moisture generally refers to the amount of water stored between soil particles in the spaces (pores). The moisture content of soil influences its mechanical properties thus resulting in different soil behaviour. Applying a load of a wheel to the surface of soil cause a reduction in soil pore volume (soil deformation) and that depends on the physical composition of the soil, dampness (water content), density, and the initial compression state. Thus, the wheel sinks into the soil to a certain depth until the soil produces a resistance force (load-bearing capacity)equal to that of the wheel load. The amount of load-bearing capacity depends on the moisture content of the soil. In this article, interest will be given to studying the connection between the sandy loam soil moisture content and the load-bearing capacity. At the laboratory of the Hungarian University of Agriculture and Life Sciences (Szent Istvan Campus), the measurements were performed to determine the connection of load-bearing capacity of the sandy loam soil with different moisture content. Was used a Bevameter technique to measure the force, displacement, and moisture analyser to determine the moisture content level ofsoil. The obtained result shows when the moisture content level increases, the sinkage also increases which means the load-bearing capacity of the soil decreases.
The increasing use of electric vehicles makes it necessary to reduce frictional losses in mechanical drive systems or obtaining additional forces to compensate for these losses. One method would be the realization of inertial systems and as a response the paper presents the graphic design and kinematic and dynamic calculation of an inertial system operated with the help of variable amounts of mercury circulated in some cylinders so that their centre ofgravity also varies with respect to centre of rotation and achieve unidirectional linear motion without the need to use a kinematic chain from a system to the wheels of the device. This movement results in the production of an additional driving force for the automobile. The graphic design was done in AutoCAD, and the kinematic and dynamic calculation using the MathCAD program. The system in the paper is the authors' own idea as it is not currently used in the construction of any automobile.
Pedestrian safety during vehicle collisions is a critical concern in automobile design. The aim of this study is to validate a virtual model developed for the kinematic and dynamic analysis of the impact of a pedestrian's head on the hood of a vehicle. Using SimscapeMultibody for simulation and detailed CAD components for accurate geometric representation, the virtual model was created to predict the behaviour of the head during an impact. To validate the model, experimental tests were conducted usinga physical pedestrian head model in controlled impact scenarios. Important parameters such as impact velocity, and the resulting accelerations were measured and compared with the simulation results. The validation process showed a high level of correlation between the experimental data and the model's predictions, thereby confirming the reliability of the model. This study establishes the virtual model as a valuable tool for vehicle design and pedestrian safety analysis and offers potential improvements in mitigating pedestrian injuries in collisions.
This paper presents the analysis of the possibility to improve the performance of an electro-hydraulic system from trucks, initiated as a need to cope with the requests from various operating scenarios. To this end, a winch-type system was modelled using Matlab and FluidSim softwares, through which different parameters could be varied to improve the resulting values characteristic to the analyzed system. The modelling was performed through three iterations, from simple to complex, so that the final model would be as close to reality as possible, containing the engine and power take-off model, the hydraulic system model that includes the hydrostatic motor and hydrostatic pump, the winch model-wheel and axle, spring and shock absorber (for cable simulation) and brake, as well as the load model. For validation, the traction force was calculated, the value of which was close to that indicated in the specialty literature (namely 134.5 kN), as well as the cable windingspeed (or the truck towingspeed), obtaining the value of 5.795 m/min. Finally, the improvement stage consisted in analyzing the possibility of increasing the speed of unwinding and winding the free cable.
The increasing amount of organic waste is a major environmental challenge today. Sustainable waste management practices, such as reducing accumulation and pollution, are essential to combat environmental degradation and mitigate climate change. Biogas production by anaerobic digestion (AD) is emerging as a key treatment method for organic waste, converting substrates into recoverable energy and organic fertilizer. This research work deals with the detailed study of the temperature field distribution within an anaerobic digestion reactor, which is crucial for optimizing processes and increasing efficiency. The study was carried out on an operational anaerobic fermentation reactor to determine the impact of temperature on the process for two potential scenarios. ANSYS simulation was used to analyze the temperature distribution in anaerobic fermentation reactors. The biogas produced is intended to further be used inside a single-cylinder moto generator, in order to determine the potential of using biogas as fuel for internal combustion engines.
The paper aims to analyze the functioning of proportional pneumatic systems, used to accurately control different parameters. Pneumatic systems are widely used, both in industrial applications and on special vehicles. As practical applications, there can be mentioned: accurate control of pressure in order to develop forces within certain limits or pressure control within propulsion systems that equip special vehicles. Likewise, there are automatic control systems used to maintain imposed trajectories, in case of pneumatic axes. Also, a high usage of proportional pneumatic systems is encountered at movement converters, from longitudinal displacement of rodless pneumatic pistons to circular movement of gear wheels. For certain control laws, there can be used PID regulators (proportional, integral, derivative) in order to obtain specific performance parameters, such as quick time response, maximum override, obtaining stationary values without over passing any imposed values, high actuating energy, minimum error etc. For comparison, there are analyzed actuating systems, equipped with classical gears, without closed loop control, pneumatic actuation systems with open loop control and close loop control, respectively. There are highlighted both advantages and disadvantages of different actuation diagrams, considering the importance of actuation and the cost-performance ratio. The results have been obtained by simulation, with the use of specialized software, as well as by carrying out physical actuation schemes, in laboratory, with the use of pneumatic and electro pneumatic equipment. There have been considered several functional parameters. Also, there has been analyzed the behavior of systems, namely its stability, in case of different frequencies and shapes of signals, as it normally occurs, by using standard signals from a generator: staircase signal, impulse, ramp, sine wave etc.
Information about the efficiency of energy use by current road vehicles is important first of all for calibrating development policies and ensuring the continuity of economic growth. The calculation of energy consumption for the vehicle to travel 100 km raises specific problems for electric, hybrid and classic cars. Different approaches are considered by different vehicles. An extrapolation of WLTP (World Harmonised Light Vehicle Test Procedure) driving cycles was thought to obtain comparable energy consumption values for different vehicle types. For hybrid and classic vehicles, in order to obtain equivalent energy consumption, the calorific capacity of fuel mixtures with biofuels was taken into account. The main goal of the work is to obtain a tool capable of estimating the energy efficiency of current vehicles. Estimates of energy consumption were made in the context of keeping the framework of ecological legislation rigid. Drives Cycles specific to each class of road vehicle were chained together to cover the distance of 100 km. Energy recovery during braking was taken into account by the energy consumption values according to the WLTP drive cycles declared by each road vehicle manufacturer. The procedure for estimating energy consumption was customized for each class of light road vehicle. The comparison is done by using modelling tools, in order to evaluate this data.
