This research project is about product development strategy and practice in the automobile industry. Specifically, it concerns the transformation of Rover Group body and tool development capability over four years from 1993 to 1997. A single Rover Body and Pressings organisation was created in 1991. It encompassed the functions of Body Engineering, Press Tool Engineering, and Press Tool Manufacturing. As Engineering Director the Author had the opportunity to directly influence a significant portion of the body product creation process. At the start of the research period the product development performance of Rover Body and Pressings was weak. Major investments in new press equipment could not depend on in-house die technology. Quality and cost delivery incurred customer dissatisfaction. Resulting from the research are three innovations: The Engineering Quality Assurance Procedure was implemented as a disciplined stage/gate quality management system. A focused manufacturing strategy was implemented for die manufacturing based on die size. A new engineering design methodology was established utilising the scientific principles of metal forming technology as an integrated element in the design process. These innovations were applied within the strategic framework of a new model describing a system view of the product creation process for body, at enterprise level. The new product development process strategy was partially applied to two new vehicle programmes. One vehicle has since been initiated and delivered from within the new framework. Strategic targets were defined for product development at Rover Body and Pressings covering product quality, development lead time, press tool cost and programme financial budget. The targets for quality and lead time were met during the research period. Although substantial progress is evident in physical performance the targets for press tool cost and programme budget were not met. The major elements of the product development strategy applied in this research remain in place. The transfer of the strategic model of concurrent engineering to a wider context was demonstrated by applying it as part of the Rover Group product development reengineering project.

In this thesis the author presents two areas of work; exploring the integration of Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) into engine design for Jaguar Cars Ltd and developing a novel 'mesh construction' method for making mesh generation both easy and fast. It is concluded that Jaguar can use CFD in the evaluation stage of the engine design process, although not in the concept stage of design. The CFD predictions are shown to be useful for detecting flow related faults and determining the general flow trends, but they should not be used as an absolute measure of the flow variables. The author has determined an efficient method for obtaining good quality meshes using commercial modelling and mesh generation software which requires a skilled CFD analyst. Steady flow analysis of an engine port and cylinder design could currently be completed in about six weeks using a high-powered workstation. The author recommends dedicated workstations for CFD analysis and training Jaguar's draughtsmen to create CAD models with computer analysis requirements in mind. The author's mesh construction program automatically joins two overlapping meshes or cuts one mesh from another. Whilst the program works well on the test cases considered, it is not at a stage for commercial exploitation. Further development is therefore recommended.

This thesis is concerned with the airborne noise reduction of agricultural tractor cabs. The characteristics of the noise radiated from a non-cab-equipped tractor have been evaluated and used in conjunction with the classical theories of airborne sound transmission loss to predict the airborne noise reductions of tractor cabs. An experimental cab has beep constructed and used to evaluate these predictions. The theoretical and experimental airborne noise reductions do not show a good agreement. This has been shown to be due to two ressons. Firstly, there are anomalies in the classical airborne sound transmission loss theory whereby the theoretical and experimental sound transmission loss spectra do not show good agreement. Secondly, one-dimensional standing wave resonances in the cab cavity have been shown to give rise to an irregular plateau in the experimental airborne noise reduction spectra. Anomalies have been shown to exist between airborne sound transmission loss theory and reverberant room transmission loss measurements. These have arisen because the theory has not hitherto considered panel flexure. Modifications have been introduced which take account of panel flexure and these show that the dependence of classical theory on the angle of incident excitation is false and angular dependence occurs on the transmitted side of the panel, giving rise to a coincidence effect on the transmitted side which is independent of the angle of incidence. These modifications give rise to complete qualitative explanation of the shape of empirical airborne sound transmission loss spectra. Quantitative modifications have not been introduced because of lack of information regarding the angular nature of the transmitted waves.

The work presented in this thesis attempts to provide a deeper understanding of the physical phenomena associated with the dynamic stall process on finite wing planforms. The work involves the analysis of data from the Glasgow University unsteady aerodynamics database that has been built up over a number of years through contributions from a range of researchers. Analysis focuses on two finite wing models; one a rectangular wing of aspect ratio three and the other with the same overall dimensions but with 60o swept tips. However, as most research to date has focused on nominally two-dimensional data, the results are referenced to measurements made on a nominally two-dimensional NACA 0015 aerofoil model. This is appropriate as this aerofoil was used as the wing section of both of the three-dimensional wing models. Flow visualisation images collected in a previous study also provide valuable information to supplement the pressure analysis. It is shown that, although the flow at the mid span sections of the finite wings exhibit many of the features of the two-dimensional case, there are some significant differences. In particular, the three-dimensional flow is dominated by the downwash from the wing tips. This causes the normal force response during pitching to lag the static normal force curve. This is in complete contrast to the two-dimensional case where the shed vorticity induces the opposite effect. The downwash also influences the incidence of lift stall but it does so in a manner that is dependent on the reduced pitch rate. Despite these effects, it is established that the flow behaviour in the mid-span region is almost two-dimensional prior to vortex inception. This provides an opportunity to examine the relationship between the generation of vorticity, or vorticity flux, in the leading edge region and the origins of the dynamic stall vortex at specific span locations in location. The vorticity flux distributions around the leading edges of the nominally two-dimensional NACA 0015 aerofoil and the two finite wings are then examined for pitching cases. On this basis a link is established between the peak vorticity flux and the dynamic stall vortex formation. This is confirmed by comparison of the vorticity flux measurements with a previous dynamic stall vortex detection method. The two methods are shown to five almost identical results in situations where the flow may be considered nominally two-dimensional. This suggests that monitoring vorticity flux may provide a practical method of dynamic stall vortex detection. In regions of the finite wings that exhibit strong three-dimensional flow effects, i.e. away from the mid-span, the peak vorticity flux is achieved after the dynamic stall vortex forms. This suggests that vortex formation is triggered by interference from adjacent sections of the wing. To examine this possibility, the vorticity flux is compared to a criterion used to detect the initial instability of the boundary layer at the leading edge. It is shown that the relationship between this criterion and the peak vorticity flux is the same along the span of the wing. This is a significant result as it demonstrates that, although the leading edge response determines the incidence of vortex onset near the mid-span, the formation of the vortex on sections of the wing closer to the tips occurs before the leading edge becomes critical. The implications of this for dynamic stall modelling of two-dimensional dynamic stall predictors with lifting line formulations will not capture this effect.

Non-linear unsteady aerodynamic effects present major modelling difficulties in the analysis of aeroelastic response and in the subsequent design of appropriate controllers. As the direct use of the basic fluid mechanic equations is still not practical for aeroelastic applications, approximate models of the non-linear unsteady aerodynamic response are required. A rigorous mathematical framework, that can account for the complex non-linearities and time-history effects of the unsteady aerodynamic response, is provided by the use of functional representations. A recent development, based on functional approximation theory, has provided a new functional form; namely, multi-layer functionals. Moreover, the multi-layer functional representation for time-invariant, infinite memory systems is shown to be realisable in terms of temporal neural networks. In this work, a multi-layer functional representation of non-linear motion-induced unsteady aerodynamic response is presented. A discrete-time, finite memory temporal neural network, in the form of a finite impulse response (FIR) neural network, is used as a practical realisation of a multi-layer functional. This model form permits the identification of parametric input-output models of the non-linear motion-induced unsteady aerodynamic response. Identification of an appropriate FIR neural network model is facilitated by means of a supervised training process using multiple sets of motion-induced unsteady aerodynamic response. The training process is based on a conventional genetic algorithm to optimise the FIR neural network architecture, and is combined with a simplification of the simulated annealing algorithm to update weight and bias values.

Trailing edge flaps may provide a mechanism for alleviating retreating blade stall. In the present investigation numerical simulations were conducted involving a NACA 0015 aerofoil section fitted with a plain trailing edge (TE) flap. All simulations were conducted using DIVEX, a tool being developed at the University of Glasgow, Department of Aerospace Engineering. In summary, the code uses a surface shedding discrete vortex method (DVM) for the simulation of 2-D incompressible flows around pitching aerofoils. The aero-foil is oscillating in pitch about its quarter chord axis and the clap undergoes negative pitch inputs, i.e. upward. An interesting feature appears to be that the cause of the severe nose down pitching movement introduced during dynamic stall is due to the cortical pair of the DSV and TEV where it is shown that the former feeds the latte in the case of the clean aerofoil for the range of reduced frequencies varying between k = 0.128 and k = 0.180. This fact suggests that manipulation of the vorticity in the vicinity of the trailing edge may be a mechanism for modification of the dynamic stall vortex (DSV) trajectory. This was found to relieve the aerofoil from severe pitching moment undershoot occurring during dynamic stall under appropriately phased flap actuations. Results obtained so far encourage the employment of a flap with fairly small size, 15% of the aerofoil chord. A parametric study is described which identifies the proper aerodynamic and actuation parameters for the current problem. In addition a simple open loop control scheme is developed based purely on rotor and flap related quantities.

Here both S-shaped and singly curved (here classified as S-shaped) duct diffusers for intakes in aeronautical propulsion systems are studied. The results are applicable in other situations where similar ducts occur; for example on V/STOL aircraft employing re-direction of thrust, intercomponent ducting in high bypass ratio engines, etc. An open circuit static test rig, capable of mass flow rates of 5 kg/s, and three-dimensional instrumentation were established. Flow measurements were made in S-shaped intake duct diffusers for rear mounted gas turbine engines in both aircraft and air-breathing missiles. These designs are intended for ventral type inlet installation. These ducts possess cross-sectional shape transitions, from oblate to circular, with area increase and annular ducts at the engine face. The work was aimed at both fundamental understanding of the flows and at establishing test data for the prediction methods. Tests were performed at throat Mach numbers of nominally 0.15 and 0.6 and in the unit Reynolds number range of 3x10_6/m - 2x10_7/m for three different ducts each having different upstream bends but common downstream bends. Detailed boundary layer surveys were made to establish plane of symmetry growth of the viscous region and the extent of three-dimensionality away from the plane of symmetry. Data are presented in the form of velocity profiles, streamwise and cross-flow, integral thicknesses and surface pressure fields. Engine face distortion is assessed from full outlet flow surveys. Flow visualization was recorded using surface oil flow techniques. Evidence is presented of a trend towards three-dimensional separation as the upstream bend increases in severity. For the most extreme case large regions of complex three-dimensional separated flow occur and topological analysis of the recorded surface oil flow pattern allows reconstruction of the separating flow. Clear correlations are established between flow visualization results and flow measurements yielding better understanding. Finally, results were compared with a three-dimensional compressible prediction method.

Both mental workload and inhibitory control have previously been found to relate to road traffic collisions and these factors are also believed to be highly dependent on the prefrontal cortex. Driving simulators create a safe environment in which to manipulate these factors and examine human behaviours. However, the validity of simulators is often called in to question and previous simulator validation research has a number of common methodological issues. As such, there were two main aims of this thesis. The first was to examine the efficacy of functional near infrared spectroscopy in measuring changes in prefrontal cortex activation as a result of mental workload and inhibitory control manipulations in simulated driving scenarios. The second aim was to examine the similarities and differences in driving behaviour, eye movements and prefrontal cortex activation in real and simulated driving environments. In Experiment One mental workload was examined using a simulated driving task which used different road types to manipulate workload in a medium fidelity driving simulator. Results showed changes in subjective workload ratings with changes in road types, with dual carriageway roads having the lowest mental workload followed by A-roads, city centre routes and suburb roads, which had the highest workload demands. Increases in mental workload were accompanied by reductions in speed and mean fixation duration and increases in accelerations, horizontal spread of search, skin conductance responses and the concentration of oxygenated haemoglobin in the prefrontal cortex. In Experiments Two and Three, inhibitory control was examined in both a high and medium fidelity simulator. Inhibition was manipulated by using different hazard types and by changing the role of the participant to active or passive. Results showed changes in prefrontal cortex activation with changes in hazard type in the high fidelity simulator. Although the same pattern of results was found in the medium fidelity simulator the magnitude of change was lower and results were not statistically significant. Subjective ratings of risk and mental workload also showed an increased magnitude of change from everyday to hazardous driving in the high fidelity simulator suggesting that it may be a more useful tool for comparing hazardous scenarios than the medium fidelity simulator. Results also revealed greater activation for active than passive participants for oxygenated haemoglobin. In Experiment Four, driving behaviour and eye movements were compared between real world and simulated driving at both high and medium fidelities using the same road definitions as in Experiment One. Results showed that participants had reduced speeds and spread of search and increased accelerations and mean fixation durations in the car. However, changes in driving behaviours and eye movements in all environments were consistent with the patterns seen in Experiment One. More specifically, there were increases in acceleration and spread of search and reductions in speed and fixation duration with increased mental workload. These results demonstrate relative validity for both simulators. Behavioural equivalence was found between the high and medium fidelity simulator for all eye movement and speed measures and two (right and absolute) of the five acceleration signatures. Finally, Experiment Five compared the similarities and differences in driver behaviour and prefrontal cortex activation as measured using functional near infrared spectroscopy in on-road and high fidelity simulated driving. Results showed reduced speed and increased acceleration in the car compared to the simulator but as with Experiments One and Four there were increases in acceleration and reductions in speed with increased workload in both environments, showing support for relative validity for driver behaviour measures. Prefrontal cortex activation did not show meaningful patterns of activation in either environments or across changes in road types. It was concluded that functional near infrared spectroscopy is a valuable neuroimaging technique that can be used to detect mental workload changes and prefrontal cortex responses to hazardous situations in controlled, simulated environments. However, it is currently not an effective technique for determining these changes in mental workload in real world driving where experimental control is reduced. With respect to simulator validation, driver behaviour and eye movements differ numerically between on-road and simulated driving but show the same direction of change with changes in road demands. As such, there is relative validity for both medium and high fidelity simulated driving and behavioural equivalence between the two levels of simulator fidelity.

This thesis contributes to the reliability and aging studies of supercapacitors for more efficient use in EV/HEV applications. This thesis demonstrates the effect of aging/failure in supercapacitor cells and module cells using accelerated tests employed to expedite the aging process. The tests, as explained below were categorized based on operational and environmental aging factors associated with supercapacitor failure in EV/HEV applications to; • Investigate supercapacitor cell performance at high temperature and constant voltage individual conditions, and also simultaneously (known as calendar test) • Investigate the effect of voltage balancing/equalization circuits on supercapacitor module cells’ performance during constant current cycling tests under certain environmental and electrical factors • Investigate supercapacitor module cells’ cycling performance in a lab-scale designed electrical DC programmable motor load system that emulates supercapacitor operational conditions in an EV/HEV application. The aging behaviors characterized by the three factors mentioned above are quantified in this thesis through the periodic monitoring of their electrical and electrochemical state of health with Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy, Cyclic Voltammetry, and Constant Current characterization tests. These tests help identity aging modes in supercapacitors, and it was observed that regardless of their aging factors; an increase in ESR and decrease of capacitance was determined. Although this information is required, the results from Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy (EIS) tests revealed more details distinctive to each aging factor. From this distinction, the aging mechanisms in relation to the aging factors, which causes the deterioration in the supercapacitor electrical performance, are identified and summarized as the following: 1. Loss of contact within supercapacitor electrode, given rise to the contact resistance due to the presence of high temperature as the main aging factor 2. Change of supercapacitor porous electrode emulating a charge transfer reaction thereby increasing its distributed resistance, caused by the effect of high voltage or cycling Mathematical models in the form of electrical equivalent circuits (EECs) distinctive of their aging factors are generated from EIS electrochemical behaviors to easily describe aging behaviors in supercapacitors. The EEC models developed using impedance modeling generated an initial model from dormant cells, which transitioned to aging models distinctive of their aging factors as soon as a 100% increase in ESR and/or an 80% decrease in capacitance is observed. The proposed EEC models were validated to show the dynamic interaction between aging of the supercapacitor cells on their electrical performance in both frequency and time domains. In summary, the EEC models encompass this thesis objective and as such considered the main contribution of this research work.

Malaysia has a worrying road fatality rate compared to many other countries, and the high number of registered motorcycles (vulnerable road users) in the country is one of its most distinctive characteristics. However there has previously been limited experimental research on driving conducted in Malaysia. This thesis aimed to investigate Malaysian drivers’ ability to perceive other road users (cars and motorcycles) and how they make judgments about the safety of pulling out at junctions. Malaysian drivers’ performance in these tasks was compared with UK drivers (Chapter Two). Various studies were also conducted to investigate how different factors affect drivers’ perception and judgment, such as time of day and use of headlights (Chapter Three), a honking sound (Chapter Four), motion and speed (Chapter Five). Chapter Six went on to investigate drivers’ ability to judge the intention of other road users. This series of experiments has provided new insights about the perception and judgment of Malaysian drivers. Possibly due to the higher exposure to motorcycles, Malaysians have a better ability to detect approaching motorcycles than UK drivers though they are also more likely to judge that it was safe to pull out at junctions. In addition, the number of incorrect judgments made by Malaysian drivers about the safety of pulling out is a concern especially where a collision would happen based on the decision. Moreover, switching on headlights increased drivers’ ability to perceive other vehicles during night time but not necessarily during day time. However, switching on headlights decreased the likelihood of drivers judging that it was safe to pull out in front of motorcycles regardless of time of day. The results also suggested that a honking sound did not facilitate the ability to perceive other vehicles, but did decrease drivers’ tendency to judge that it was safe to pull out. Lastly, it was shown that it is important to provide reliable signals in order to improve road safety. In dynamic video stimuli, signalling is more informative for judging the intention of approaching cars than motorcycles, which could lead to poor judgment making about approaching motorcycles at junctions.