<p> The primary and immediate objective of this educational intervention study is to raise consumer awareness of the impact of under-inflated tires on global warming. The short-term result of this would be the widespread maintenance of proper tire air pressure, the use of low-rolling resistance tires, and the inflation of tires with nitrogen instead of air, which could assist in the reduction of fuel use and resultant CO₂ emissions. Such a reduction could have a significant short-term result of benefitting consumers economically and the world environmentally.</p><p> Utilizing a quasi-experimental design, a pamphlet and pre- and post-survey questionnaires were employed to collect data from a convenience sample of consumers (N=126). An educational pamphlet was prepared to increase consumer awareness about the importance of how properly inflated tires can be a factor in driver safety, fuel conservation, and the prevention of unnecessary increases in greenhouse gas emissions, which are among the major factors affecting global warming.</p><p> Data from the pre-intervention survey provides strong evidence that participants possess insufficient knowledge of general tire care, maintenance, performance and the impact of under-inflated tires on the environment in general and global warming in particular. Statistical analysis demonstrated significant change from pre- to postintervention surveys in the participants&rsquo; attitudes and knowledge regarding the maintenance of tire pressure and the impact of under-inflated tires on greenhouse gases and global warming.</p><p> The improvement in overall knowledge and attitudes demonstrated in the analysis between pre- and post-survey data indicates greater recognition by the participants that appropriate car care and tire maintenance are essential, and that for consumers, the acquisition and application of this knowledge can be powerful in improving the economy and environment. Suggestions for further study include development of consistent monitoring and data collection processes for use by facilities responsible for automobile care and the development of a broad-based, media-driven consumer education programs on the importance of the studied variables.</p>

The possible benefits of employing inerters in automotive suspensions are explored for passenger comfort and handling. Different suspension strut designs in terms of the relative arrangement of springs, dampers and inerters have been considered and their performance compared with that of a conventional system. An alternate method of electrically realizing complex mechanical circuits by using a linear motor (or a rotary motor with an appropriate mechanism) and a shunt circuit is then proposed and evaluated for performance. However, the performance improvement is shown from simulations to be significant only for very stiff suspensions, unlike those in passenger vehicles. Hence, the concept is not taken up for prototyping. Variable damping can be implemented in suspension systems in various ways, for example, using magneto-rheological (MR) fluids, proportional valves, or variable shunt resistance with a linear electromagnetic motor. Hence for a generic variable damping system, a control algorithm is developed which can provide more comfort and better handling simultaneously compared to a passive system. After establishing through simulations that the proposed adaptive control algorithm can demonstrate a performance better than some controllers in prior-art, it is implemented on an actual vehicle (Cadillac STS) which is equipped with MR dampers and several sensors. In order to maintain the controller economical so that it is practically viable, an estimator is developed for variables which require expensive sensors to measure. The characteristic of the MR damper installed in the vehicle is obtained through tests as a 3-dimensional map relating suspension speed, input current and damping force and then used as a look-up table in the controller. Experiments to compare the performance of different controllers are carried out on smooth and rough roads and over speed bumps.

<p> The objective of this work is to evaluate thoracic injuries for restrained occupants in far-side rollover and to propose a dynamic rollover test device. Most rollover studies have been driven by litigation and mainly focused on head and spinal injuries, while thoracic injuries, which correspond to one third of belted rollover injuries, have not been fully addressed. </p><p> In 2009, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) updated the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) No. 216, which specifies a quasi-static test procedure. The rule was amended to double the strength-to-weight ratio (SWR) requirement from 1.5 to 3.0 on both sides of the vehicle, when tested sequentially. Most vehicles must meet the upgraded requirements by September 1, 2015. Ejection mitigation was addressed by component testing, as mandated in FMVSS No. 226. This regulation is currently being phased in and all manufacturers should fully comply by September 1, 2017. It should be noted that there is no regulation that requires the test of a complete vehicle in a rollover crash. </p><p> These federal regulation upgrades will affect the roof strength and ejection mitigation in current and future vehicles. Such changes are expected to reduce roof crush, and (partial/full) ejections, but may not address the vast majority of thoracic injuries. </p><p> The focus of this research is first to provide an understanding of the variations of different initial conditions on vehicle damage patterns, especially those that have been associated with thoracic injuries. The vehicle lateral speed, the roll rate, the initial position at roof-to-ground contact (different yaw, pitch, and roll angles), and the vehicle drop height variables were investigated for extended simulation times (2.5 seconds, up to 4 quarter-turn rollover). Subsequently, the Hybrid III 50^th percentile male anthropomorphic test device (ATD), which incorporated chest force measurements, was used in the rollover simulations. Finally, the Total Human Model for Safety (THUMS) FE model was used to investigate the potential of using a complex humanlike dummy in rollover simulations. </p><p> The simulations showed that vehicle rollover is influenced by many initial condition parameters and vehicle characteristics (roof structure design, shape, and strength). These parameters and characteristics affect the vehicle kinematics and roof deformation during the rollover crash. For some initial conditions, it was found that a vehicle landing on its wheel at the 4^th quarter-turn may cause inboard chest injury due to contact with the center console. Additionally, the chest may be dynamically loaded by the seatbelt, seat back and other interior components in the vehicle, sometimes simultaneously, producing highly complex loading. </p><p> After reviewing existing quasi-static and dynamic rollover test devices, and assessing full-scale research tests and rollover simulations, a proposed dynamic Guided Rollover Test (GRT) device is presented. The GRT device enables a test vehicle to behave in a fashion similar to a real-life rollover, exposing the (dummy) occupant to realistic kinematics and placing the dummy in the correct location prior to the start of the rollover, loading the roof structure dynamically, and assessing the full- and partial-ejection and injuries (including thoracic injuries) of the occupants. The GRT device subjects vehicles to repeatable initial conditions using a maneuver of a forward motion followed by a gradually increasing curvature sufficient to roll most vehicles. The test vehicle is carried on a cart that follows a guided track, which eliminates the influence of vehicle and road characteristics such as tire properties or road-surface friction during rollover initiation. The vehicle is then subjected to its own roll characteristics that define the dynamics and consequently the roof-to-ground contact. </p><p> The use of finite element vehicle and dummy models in the full-scale rollover simulations proved to be valuable in breaking through the stagnation in rollover research. One thoracic injury mode was found and many potential injuries were shown to be possible. Additionally, the proposed rollover test device and all-inclusive rollover rating system would subject vehicles to similar test initial conditions and facilitate dynamic evaluation and comparison. </p>

A full system level analysis, design, and ealization of frequency-modulation / continuous-wave (FMCW) RADAR is presented in this thesis. RADAR technology has been around for over half a century, and has found itself in a wide range of applications effecting every day life. As such, there are many possible system level tradeoffs that can be made when designing a sensor for a specific application. This paper will focus on designing a sensor for a hybrid electric vehicle powertrain control unit, as part of a new application in fuel economy improvement. The system level analysis will derive a full baseband signal analysis model, and examine some of the commonly used modulation schemes. Next, a method for tuning the modulation waveform properties to optimize the sensor specifically for the application requirements is presented. Finally a system level realization is proposed to produce synchronous and streamlined processing of the signals, while providing flexibility to tune the implementation as suggested during the modulation waveform optimization. As a proof of concept, a hardware prototyping platform was designed and built to allow acquisition of real signals which are to be fed into a signal processing algorithm. The signal processing algorithm to decode the measurement results can then be developed effectively using real data. Some of the measurement results obtained with the prototyping platform and system optimizations suggested within this thesis are presented to verify the analysis and modeling performed.

Thesis (PhD)--University of South Australia, 1997

This thesis proposes improved techniques for controlling of induction machine based integrated starter alternator in order to achieve the challenging requirements of future automotive on-board power system. The proposed techniques are focused on improving DC voltage regulation, maximum power extraction and efficiency improvements. A new sophisticated DC voltage controller that provides tight voltage regulation is proposed. The proposed controller is based on a linearized model for the combined inverter and induction machine. The proposed DC controller is included with speed and flux decoupling and an antiwindup technique. Extensive simulation and experimental results demonstrate the excellent DC voltage control performance of the proposed DC controller over a wide speed range and under various operating conditions. This thesis proposes an improved field weakening implementation which is based on stator voltage control for maximum power extraction in generation mode. The controllers in proposed implementation included use a non-linear dynamic compensator (NDC), stator frequency decoupling and an anti-windup technique. This thesis investigates and eliminates the oscillation in high speed field weakening region caused when large loads are applied. The proposed implementation also provides better regulation for the stator voltage and stable operation over a wide speed range in the generation mode of the ISA. The proposed implementation allows extracting significant amount of additional power compared to conventional field weakening technique. The simulation and experimental results clearly demonstrate the performance of the proposed implementation for ISA. A new loss minimised control method for the integrated starter alternator based on a loss model of the system was developed. The loss model operates in dq − axes and takes into account the inverter and the machine losses. The experimental results demonstrates that proposed loss minimised control provides significant efficiency improvements under light load condition of the ISA. This thesis also presents complete modeling of ISA, an extensive study on induction machine parameter variations and overall control design of the ISA system. The extensive simulation and experimental studies presented in this thesis clearly demonstrates the development of a new ISA which is low-cost, optimised for high efficiency and maximised power over a wide speed range and excellent DC bus voltage regulation under all conditions of generation.

This thesis develops suitable approaches to conduct environment-related research in organisations, as well as systematic means for understanding the emergent phenomenon of ecological modernisation in industrialised societies. The study is organised in two distinct parts: While Part I deals with environment-related theories and practices in (and around) modern organisations, Part II situates such theories and practices in an analysis of the context of the European automobile industry. The research problem is defined through several stages. The research questions driving Part I are premised on the exploratory nature of the study, developed in an unfolding interplay between the review of the literature, the collection of secondary and (exploratory) primary data, and the analysis and interpretation of the data. As the initial question is answered by reviewing the literature and interpreting the primary and secondary data, another question arises from the process, which then requires further research. Part II of the study departs from a proposition based on ecological modernisation theory, that pro-active environmental practices in corporations are part of a broader emergent sociological phenomenon, typical of modern industrialised societies. It analyses a specific socio-technical context that, hypothetically, is undergoing such process - that of the European automobile industry. Hence, the development of Part II aims at answering the following principal research question: Why is the European automobile industry undergoing ecological modernisation? Analytically, the concept of automobile field is proposed to establish a link between the product (automobile) and the context embedding its systems of production and consumption (field). The exploratory character of the study implied that the most adequate research procedures were of a qualitative nature. A combination of grounded theory and reflexive methodology is used to orientate the overall research process, which introduces a novel approach for the triangulation of qualitative data. Together, the chapters forming Part II of the thesis answer the principal research question. The fundamental technologies of the current technological regime of the automobile, as well as the economic and environmental implications of this regime are analysed. Then, an analysis of selected pilot programs to develop and commercialise electric vehicles, as well as schemes for the management of end-of-life vehicles in the Western European context is developed. Through the interplay between data collection and analysis, the thesis designs an analytical framework, built upon contingent factors, as well as circuits of political ecology, that foster or inhibit ecological modernisation in the automobile field. The study showed that the auto industry has developed incremental technological innovations and practices that resemble the pre-requisites for ecological modernisation. Radical innovations, however, are more likely to be initiated by outsiders. The concepts inherited from the past and reproduced in the present practice of car design explains such a situation as one that imposes a specific set of technologies on car manufacturing that require high levels of investment in systems of production. Such design paradigm not only imposes high break-even points for most car models; they also result in vehicles with extremely low environmental performance and entail serious limitations for increasing recycling rates of non-metallic parts. The characteristics of ecological modernisation in the European automobile industry are used to evaluate whether this phenomenon is conducive to sustainable industrial development. As an implication of this analysis, the concluding chapter presents suggestions for the enhancement of ecological modernisation theory. Fallibility is proposed as both a source of reflection about the appropriation of knowledge and a principle that can be used for the definition of eco-modernising strategies and actions. The acceptance of fallibility as an immanent characteristic of human action is critical for the approximation of the countervailing theories of ecological modernisation and risk society. Finally, if ecological modernisation is expected to facilitate sustainable industrial development, radical technological innovations may be necessary. Such radicalism in technology may need, however, an incremental institutional reform of modern societies. Together, radical technological innovations and incremental institutional reform constitute the concept of radical reformism, which is suggested for enhancement of the ecological modernisation theory, as well as for the development of its normative programmes.

This thesis develops suitable approaches to conduct environment-related research in organisations, as well as systematic means for understanding the emergent phenomenon of ecological modernisation in industrialised societies. The study is organised in two distinct parts: While Part I deals with environment-related theories and practices in (and around) modern organisations, Part II situates such theories and practices in an analysis of the context of the European automobile industry. The research problem is defined through several stages. The research questions driving Part I are premised on the exploratory nature of the study, developed in an unfolding interplay between the review of the literature, the collection of secondary and (exploratory) primary data, and the analysis and interpretation of the data. As the initial question is answered by reviewing the literature and interpreting the primary and secondary data, another question arises from the process, which then requires further research. Part II of the study departs from a proposition based on ecological modernisation theory, that pro-active environmental practices in corporations are part of a broader emergent sociological phenomenon, typical of modern industrialised societies. It analyses a specific socio-technical context that, hypothetically, is undergoing such process - that of the European automobile industry. Hence, the development of Part II aims at answering the following principal research question: Why is the European automobile industry undergoing ecological modernisation? Analytically, the concept of automobile field is proposed to establish a link between the product (automobile) and the context embedding its systems of production and consumption (field). The exploratory character of the study implied that the most adequate research procedures were of a qualitative nature. A combination of grounded theory and reflexive methodology is used to orientate the overall research process, which introduces a novel approach for the triangulation of qualitative data. Together, the chapters forming Part II of the thesis answer the principal research question. The fundamental technologies of the current technological regime of the automobile, as well as the economic and environmental implications of this regime are analysed. Then, an analysis of selected pilot programs to develop and commercialise electric vehicles, as well as schemes for the management of end-of-life vehicles in the Western European context is developed. Through the interplay between data collection and analysis, the thesis designs an analytical framework, built upon contingent factors, as well as circuits of political ecology, that foster or inhibit ecological modernisation in the automobile field. The study showed that the auto industry has developed incremental technological innovations and practices that resemble the pre-requisites for ecological modernisation. Radical innovations, however, are more likely to be initiated by outsiders. The concepts inherited from the past and reproduced in the present practice of car design explains such a situation as one that imposes a specific set of technologies on car manufacturing that require high levels of investment in systems of production. Such design paradigm not only imposes high break-even points for most car models; they also result in vehicles with extremely low environmental performance and entail serious limitations for increasing recycling rates of non-metallic parts. The characteristics of ecological modernisation in the European automobile industry are used to evaluate whether this phenomenon is conducive to sustainable industrial development. As an implication of this analysis, the concluding chapter presents suggestions for the enhancement of ecological modernisation theory. Fallibility is proposed as both a source of reflection about the appropriation of knowledge and a principle that can be used for the definition of eco-modernising strategies and actions. The acceptance of fallibility as an immanent characteristic of human action is critical for the approximation of the countervailing theories of ecological modernisation and risk society. Finally, if ecological modernisation is expected to facilitate sustainable industrial development, radical technological innovations may be necessary. Such radicalism in technology may need, however, an incremental institutional reform of modern societies. Together, radical technological innovations and incremental institutional reform constitute the concept of radical reformism, which is suggested for enhancement of the ecological modernisation theory, as well as for the development of its normative programmes.

The decline of public transport in Western Australia is observed in four separate historical studies which narrate the political and administrative history of each major urban transport mode. Perth's suburban railway system is examined as part of the State's widespread rail network, including the extravagantly-equipped short-lived suburban railway in Kalgoorlie. Political interference in early railway operations is studied in detail to determine why Perth's rail-based public transport systems were so poorly developed and then neglected or abandoned for much of the twentieth century. The llnique events in Kalgoorlie at the turn of the century are presented as potent reasons for the early closure of Perth's urban tramway system and the fact that no purpose-built suburban railways were constructed in Perth until 1993. The road funding arrangements of the late nineteenth century are considered next, in order to demonstrate the very early basis for the present lavish non-repayable grants of money for road construction and maintenance by all three layers of government. The development of private and government bus networks is detailed last, with particular attention paid to the failure of private urban bus operators in the 1950s and the subsequent formation of a government owned and operated urban bus monopoly. The capital structure and accounting practices of public transport modes are analysed to provide a critique of popular myths concerning the merits of each. In order to obtain an impression of the changing political view of different transport modes, the attitude of politicians to public transport and the private motor car over the last one hundred and twenty years is captured in summary narrations of some of the more important parliamentary transport debates. Two possible explanations of public transport decline are discussed in conclusion; one relying a neoclassical economic theory of marginal pricing, and the other on an observation on the fate of large capital investments in the modern party-based democratic system of government.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Murdoch University, 1986.