Current Issue : April - June Volume : 2018 Issue Number : 2 Articles : 5 Articles
The crankshaft is the part of an engine which translates reciprocating linear\npiston motion into rotation. Automobile crankshaft failure, apart from poor\nmaintenance culture, is caused by age and distance covered. These attributes\nwhich caused crankshaft failure were investigated using questionnaire administration\nand oral interviews of the maintenance expert and experienced personnel\nin the three selected crankshaft maintenance shops in Akure, Nigeria\nbased on six popular crankshaft brands. Information/data on failure rate and\nfailure consequence thresholds were established and served as a decision rule\non the basis at which optimal reconditioning process, replacement and interchangeability\nsystem of the crankshaft components were identified on the occurrence\nof failure rate (R1) and failure consequence (�²1). Computer algorithm\nwas developed for the software package, using Microsoft Visual C# computer\nlanguage. The software was tested to determine their level of performance.\nThe results generated from the application of these systems were categorised\ninto six scenarios whereby the MC230 Class gave the best result. The software\nwill be veritable tools in predicting crankshaft failure in automobile, manufacturing,\nand machine tools industries, for prompt solution....
The application of autonomous vehicles has grown dramatically in recent years. Not only\nhas the rail-guided vehicle (RGV) been used widely in traditional production lines, the automatic\nguided vehicle (AGV) has also been increasingly used. Positioning and path planning are two major\nfunctions of autonomous vehicles; however, there are many ways to fulfill the above requirements.\nThe infrared remote control has been heavily and successfully used in home appliances for decades,\nwhich has encouraged us to apply this mature and cost-effective technology to an autonomous vehicle.\nBy decoding the coded signal from the infrared light-emitting diode (LED), which is equipped on\nthe ceiling, the autonomous vehicle can be positioned with an accuracy of less than 50 mm. On the\nother hand, by changing the beam pattern of infrared light from the ceiling, an invisible route can be\nproduced on the ground. That is to say, instead of the traditional rail-guided method, these invisible\npaths can guide the autonomous vehicle. We have implemented a prototype of an autonomous\nvehicle system based on the above concept, with the aim of creating a simple and reliable approach\nfor the navigation of an indoor autonomous vehicle...
Composite materials are widely used in automobiles because of their small\nproportion, large modulus and high strength. In this paper, carbon fiber-\nepoxy (T300/5222) composite material is used to design the composite\nautomobile wheel hub according to the general principle of laminated plate\ndesign. And the hub layer is finished with hypermesh 14.0. The stress and\nstrain of the hub can be analyzed by Hyperworks14.0 according to the three\nkinds of conditions. Then the maximum stress layer is found out and the\nstrength is checked. The composite wheel hub is compared with the same\naluminum alloy hub. The results showed that composite materials of hub can\nbe achieved in hub strength requirements. Because its ultimate stress is bigger\nthan Aluminum Alloy of hub, obviously the strength of composite hub is\nhigher than the Aluminum Alloy of hub. Because of the smaller strain, the\nimpact of performance is better. The composite wheel hub reduces the weight\nof 11.3%....
In recent years, increasing concerns regarding environmental pollution and requirements\nfor lower fossil fuel consumption have increased interest in alternative hybrid powertrains. As a result,\nthis paper presents a novel hydraulic/electric synergy powertrain with multiple working modes.\nThe three energy sources (i.e., engine, battery, and hydraulic accumulator) in this configuration\nare regulated by a dual planetary gear set to achieve optimal performances. This paper selects\nthe component sizes of a hybrid electric vehicle (HEV), a hydraulic hybrid vehicle (HHV), and a\nhydraulic/electric synergy vehicle (HESV), based on the dynamic performance of a target vehicle\n(TV). In addition, this paper develops the forward simulation models of the four aforementioned\nvehicles in the MATLAB/Simulink/Driveline platform, in which the fuel economy simulations are\ncarried out in relation to the Chinese urban bus cycle. The simulation results show that the fuel\nconsumption of the three hybrid vehicles is similar, but much better than, that of the TV. Finally, based\non the operating cost calculations over a five-year working period, the lowest cost ranges of the three\nhybrid vehicles are determined, which provides a method for choosing the optimal hybrid scheme....
Based on the principle of lightweight design, a method of using carbon fiber\nreinforced composite instead of traditional metal materials to design automobile\ncarrier can be proposed. The method uses the equal stiffness design principle\nof the composite material parts to lay out the design of the carbon fiber\nparts, including the application of the laying angle and the thickness of the\nlaying layer in design. Through the analysis of the actual working conditions\nof the lower arm, the stress and boundary conditions are obtained. After the\ndesign of the stiffness, the geometrical topology of the lower arm is further\noptimized. Finally, the lower arm of the carbon fiber not only met the performance\nrequirements, but also to a certain extent, achieved the purpose of\nlightweight....
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