This thesis describes an investigation into vehicle handling control using active differentials in the rear axle of a motor vehicle. Such devices are able to transfer torque between the rear wheels and have traditionally been used to improve traction whilst minimising the impact on vehicle handling. However, the capacity to generate a lateral torque difference across an axle also gives them the potential to be used for yaw moment control. In order to generate a rigorous assessment of this potential, the investigation is carried out in three distinct phases. Firstly, an analysis of the scope for modifying vehicle handling given unrestricted control over torque transfer between the rear wheels is carded out in the simulation environment. For this purpose an idealised yaw sideslip controller is developed. This is used to show that an ideal active differential can have significant yaw moment authority in terms of generating both understeer and oversteer and that this can be used to actively modify a vehicle's handling balance and apply stability control at the limits of adhesion. In the second phase, the capabilities of two types of contemporary active differential, the torque vectoring differential (TVD) and active limited slip differential (ALSID), are then assessed against the ideal differential and against a brake based yaw moment controller. TVDs are found to be able to offer very similar performance to both their ideal counterpart and to the brake based system. They Gan also deliver this performance with a fraction of the energy loss that is observed in the brakes, thus making TVDs a viable proposition for applying continuous yaw control below the limits of adhesion. ALSDs, on the other hand do not offer equivalent functionality to an ideal active differential but are still shown to be very effective stability control devices. In the third phase, the ALSID results are validated on a prototype vehicle where it is shown that they do indeed offer substantial stability improvements both on high and low-P surfaces. However in order to deliver such benefits and be practical for implementation, it is also shown that significant redevelopment of the idealised controller is required. Finally, with the ALSID operating alongside a commercial brake based stability control system, it is proven that substantial reductions in brake intervention can be achieved without significant controller integration.

Em determinadas rotas de manufatura de componentes automotivos, principalmente de produtos do segmento rodoviário pesado, são muito comuns processos de desempeno a quente, assim como outros procedimentos como arqueamento e alinhamento de longarinas. O presente trabalho tem por objetivo traçar os principais impactos destes processos sobre os materiais ASTM A570 GR36-C e o aço de alta resistência e baixa liga norma DIN EN 10149 S700MC em uma rota de fabricação de produtos automotivos com interferência de um procedimento a quente. Esses materiais, quando submetidos a determinados ciclos térmicos para alinhamento a quente, através do aquecimento de algumas regiões pontuais e do posterior resfriamento ao ar calmo têm suas propriedades mecânicas alteradas. Para investigar estas modificações, foram reproduzidas as condições do processo atual para mapeamento de dados de temperatura para os subsequentes ensaios de laboratório. Comparando as amostras submetidas ao ciclo térmico, com as produzidas com a mesma matéria prima sem aquecimento, pode-se verificar o impacto causado pelo processo de alinhamento a quente utilizado sobre as propriedades mecânicas do material. Os resultados mostram que o aço ASTM A570 GR36-C não tem suas propriedades alteradas a ponto de inviabilizar o uso do material. Para o aço DIN EN 10149 S700MC as alterações são expressivas em todos os ciclos térmicos realizados. Com isso, ocorrem modificações na microestrutura pelo tratamento térmico ocasionando a diminuição de algumas propriedades mecânicas importantes, como tensão de escoamento, microdureza e limite de resistência à fadiga. Essas últimas variáveis foram correlacionadas e mostraram o mesmo comportamento. / In certain manufacturing routes of automotive components, especially of heavy road segment products are very common straightening processes hot, as well as other procedures such as bending and alignment of rails. This paper aims to draw the main impacts of these processes on ASTM A570 GR36-C materials and high strength low alloy steel DIN EN 10149 S700MC on a route manufacturing of automotive products with interference from a hot procedure. These materials, when subjected to certain thermal cycles to hot alignment by heating of certain individual regions and the subsequent cooling the still air have changed their mechanical properties. In order to investigate this, they were reproduced the conditions of the current process for temperature mapping data for subsequent laboratory tests. Comparing the samples subjected to thermal cycling with produced with the same raw material unheated, one can ascertain the impact caused by hot alignment process used on the mechanical properties of the material. The results show that the steel ASTM A570 GR36-C does not have its properties changed as to make the use of the material. To DIN EN 10149 S700MC Steel changes are significant in all thermal cycles performed. Thus, changes occur in the microstructure by heat treatment causing a reduction of some important mechanical properties such as yield strength, hardness and fatigue strength limit. The latter variables were correlated and showed the same behavior.

Suburban Americans suffer from homes built with: a low standard of craftsmanship, poor efficiency of construction, excessive use of material resources and a disregard for their site. Architectural diversity is at a low, driven by a consolidation of homebuilders and fewer floor plans. The current home production workflow from commission to build pales in comparison to the automotive industries solutions. Influenced by heavy machinery and hot swappable computers, ideas are born for a better way to build houses. These ides evolve though understanding the principles of several successful vehicles, analyzing census data, and studying floor plans. The flexible autonomous systems house (FASH), involves a 900mm x 900mm framework and a kit of parts that engages our industrial ability and maintains architectural values of space, form, materiality and site specificity. FASH is about bringing a logic and simplification of technique to building that allows quality and reuse to become reality.

This thesis investigates passive damping system performance in heavy vehicles through analytical expressions, simulations with different vehicle models as well as through experimental evaluation in a tractor semi trailer combination. The objective is to study what levels of chassis suspension damping that are desirable for different vehicle modes and how this may be achieved with passive damping systems. To investigate the influence on performance from damper positioning, analytical expressions for a 2D - suspension model are derived. Geometric key parameters controlling roll and bounce damping are found to be damper vertical aligning and perpendicular distance between damper and suspension roll centre respectively. These parameters are often not easily altered within an already existing vehicle. To investigate performance possibilities from damping not restricted by packaging requirements, the concept with distributed damping is furthermore studied. Theoretical expressions for modally distributed damping are first derived from an analytical tractor model with 7 DOF. Considered motions for which damping is prescribed are bounce, pitch and roll of sprung mass, and axle crossing. These equations are evaluated through various simulations with a 4x2-tractor semi trailer model. Results from simulations show that the conflict in damping demands with passive independent dampers for a single lane change and a one-sided pot hole may be significantly reduced with amplitude dependent modal damping. Vehicle damping performance is not only affected by the dampers positioning and their individual setting, but also by the damper attachment structure. The influence from compliance in e.g. brackets and mounting bushings at damper attachment points is therefore studied. Linear analysis with a simple spring mass damper model shows that damper attachment compliance reduces the damper efficiency. Finite element analyses of both the chassis frame and the tractor are furthermore performed to obtain numerical values of front-axle damper-attachment stiffness. The effect from damper-attachment stiffness is quantified though simulations with a tractor semi trailer model. Simulation results show that it is important to consider the attachment stiffness during vehicle manoeuvres containing high frequency inputs such as the passage over a plank. A methodology and equations for prescribing chassis suspension damping as function of general vehicle modes by using electronically controlled variable dampers is presented. A critical input for such implemented modal damping systems are the real time estimation of modal motions necessary for force calculation. From performed simulations it is shown that geometric calculations of modal velocities based solely on relative damper displacements contain significant discrepancies to actual motion for transient road inputs. To overcome this, a time-domain system identification approach is presented, where models that estimate modal coordinate velocities with considerably higher accuracy are identified. The proposed modal damping approach is implemented on a 4x2 tractor and experimentally evaluated through various road tests. It is shown that the system has the desired ability to control sprung mass bounce and pitch modes separately and that it improves vehicle performance on all tested load cases. / QC 20100830

In this thesis, two novel broadband slot mobile phone antenna designs respectively for penta-band WWAN operation and eight-band LTE/WWAN operation are presented. The antennas are suitable to be mounted near the bottom edge of the system ground plane of the mobile phone. Good radiation characteristics for the antennas are obtained, and the two antennas respectively occupy a small printed area of 50 ¡Ñ 4 mm2 and 53 ¡Ñ 4 mm2. The first design uses a C-shaped strip connected to the bottom edge of the system ground plane to make the structure of the system ground plane close to a symmetric shorted dipole antenna. This makes it promising to excite a chassis mode to enhance the operating bandwidth of the antenna. The second one uses a microstrip feedline having a chip-inductor-loaded branch. The novel microstrip feedline can lead to more uniform distribution of the electric fields excited in the slot such that enhanced bandwidth of the antenna¡¦s lower band is obtained. Further, since the chip inductor performs like a low-pass filter, the original bandwidth of the antenna¡¦s upper band is not affected. Additionaly, the impedance matching of the lower frequencies of the upper band can be improved, which enhances the upper-band bandwidth of the antenna. Effects of the user¡¦s head and hand on the proposed antenna are also studied, and the simulated SAR and HAC issues are also analyzed in this thesis.

The aim of this study is to perform the shape optimization of the lower chassis of the wheeled excavator. A computer program is designed to generate parametric Finite Element Analysis (FEA) of the structure by using the commercial program, MSC. Marc-Mentat. The model parameters are generated in the Microsoft Excel platform and the analysis data is collected by the Python based computer codes. The previously developed software Smart Designer [5], which performs the shape optimization of an excavator boom by using genetic algorithm, is modified and embedded in the designed program.

Capturing what is going on and what may happen related to vehicle handling behaviour in cases of desired or non-desired actions and interventions has a crucial importance. Strategies implemented to improve vehicle stability or algorithms and control modules designed to compensate the non-desired effects on handling behavior may appear to be inadequate as the vehicle goes through uncountable experiences. The importance of understanding and introducing the possible sources of undesired effects which may be encountered throughout driving action cannot be underemphasized. One of the possibilities that may lead the driver face with unexpected results concerning vehicle&rsquo / s handling is suspension damper failure, which has not yet been dealt with adequately in the literature. The fast developing technology and consequently the expanding utilization of chassis electronics and electronic vehicle components make the investigation of damper failure phenomenon essential since reliability decreases by the continuously increasing introduction of electronic means. In this study, possible failure types of dampers including electrical failure are taken into account, their effects on vehicle stability under critical driving conditions are examined. Shortcomings and comments are made on criticality of failed damper and its failure point. This work as a result, constitutes a particular contribution to the literature in that it brings up a concrete knowledge to the stated research area.

In this thesis, a Thermal Model Tool (TMT) is developed for standard Avionic Transport Rack (ATR) chassis and thermal design of a standard ATR chassis is done using developed TMT. This ATR chassis is a Digital Moving Map (DMAP) of a helicopter and the tool is used to determine the cooling channel details of DMAP. TMT decreases design process steps and eliminates the complexity of the design. Experimental studies are conducted on one of the existing chassis produced in Aselsan Inc. for different operating conditions. There are two different operating conditions for the chassis as 25 &ordm / C and 55 &ordm / C, which are given, in military standard MIL-STD-810F. Critical temperature values are measured, which are used in analytical calculations, and results are represented. At the first step, outputs of the experimental studies are used in analytical calculation in order to develop TMT. Secondly, heat dissipation rate of two different chassis are v calculated easily by using the TMT, and without making effort for CFD analysis, the necessary number of plate fins of the chassis are assessed considering given geometrical constraints and heat loads. Finally, cooling channels are generated using the results of TMT. In the next step the chassis, which are designed using the results of TMT, are analyzed numerically by using Icepak Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) tool and results of TMT are verified. The cooling capacities of the decided plate fins, which are obtained by TMT, are checked whether or not the required heat dissipation rates are ensured. Consequently, TMT is tested under for two different operating conditions on two different chassis. Analytical and numerical studies for both conditions are compared and discussed in detail. Comparisons show that, developed TMT results are meaningful and close to numerical results, therefore TMT can be used in forthcoming ATR chassis designs.

This is a Masters Thesis report of a project carried out at Scania AB in Södertälje. The project concerns rationalizing Chassis calculations for use in truck Frame design. The subject for analysis is a six-wheeled articulated truck, and the load cases under study is Lateral Loading, Frame Torsion and Vertical Load on Kingpin. Making robust deformation and stress models with a calculation time sufficiently short and accuracy consistently high for efficient design work is an arduous task. This report presents several approaches to tackle this type of problem. By means of simplifying contemporary modeling approaches and methods and automating the setup process, a method that enables short calculation iterations on a chassis frame of a truck is achieved. This is done using the Catia GAS framework in conjunction with several other licences commonly used by designers.

Les systèmes de sécurité active du véhicule de distribution sont utilisés pour réduire la survenue de situations accidentogènes ou aider le conducteur dans de telles situations pour éviter l'accident. Dans cette étude, nous nous intéressons à la prévention des accidents liés à la perte de contrôle du véhicule par le conducteur. Une partie de ces accidents peut être prévenue par l'utilisation de systèmes de sécurité active de type ESP, qui résout les problèmes d'instabilité du véhicule de type "porteur" en lacet et en roulis. Nous étudions la possibilité d'améliorer les performances de tels systèmes en combinant les actions de freins aux actions d'autres actionneurs disponibles sur le véhicule de distribution, tels que les directions actives avant et arrière. Le véhicule de distribution considéré dans notre cas est sur-actionné car le nombre d'actionneur dépasse le nombre de degrés de liberté contrôlés par ces actionneurs. Nous appliquons deux types de commande adaptés au contrôle des systèmes sur-actionnés: le premier est basé sur la structure hiérarchisée (connu sous le nom de structure avec "allocation de contrôle") et le deuxième est basé sur la structure non-hiérarchisée par "commande prédictive à base de modèle". Dans ce travail, nous adaptons ces deux approches à la problématique du contrôle du véhicule poids lourd de type "porteur". Le développement de la commande passe par la modélisation de la dynamique du véhicule, la validation des modèles et l'analyse de sa stabilité. Les résultats de simulation de prestations ISO, reproduisant des situations réelles et déstabilisantes pour le véhicule, sur le modèle représentatif du comportement réel du véhicule poids lourd démontrent l'efficacité de la commande développée et permettent d'évaluer le gain d'utilisation des actions combinées des actionneurs du véhicule par rapport au schéma classique. Ils permettent en outre de porter un jugement sur les deux types de commandes mises en œuvre.