The paper describes the design of a prototype vehicle used by Dana Holding Corporation as a mobile laboratory for the development of Spicer® PowerBoost® hydraulic-hybrid powertrain technology. A telehandler vehicle was selected due to its versatility. Starting from the high-level requirements, design choices from the powertrain layout to the control architecture are discussed. The hydraulic-hybrid powertrain system is described, and its performance is analyzed based on representative driving cycles.

This thesis concerns mechanical and fracture properties of a thin aluminium foil and polymer laminate that is widely used as packaging material. The possibility of controlling the path of the growing crack propagation by adjustment of the adhesion level and the property of the polymer layer is investigated. First, the fracture process of the aluminium foil is investigated experimentally. It is found that fracture occurs at a much lower load than what is suggested by standard handbook fracture toughness. Observations in a scanning electron microscope with a tensile stage show that small-scale stable crack growth occurs before the stress intensity factor reaches its maximum. An examination using an optical profilometric method shows almost no plastic deformation except for in a small necking region at the crack tip. However, accurate predictions of the maximum load are obtained using a strip yield model with a geometric correction. Secondly, the mechanical and fracture properties of the laminate are studied. A theory for the mechanics of the composite material is used to evaluate a series of experiments. Each of the layers forming the laminate is first tested separately. The results are analysed and compared with the test results of the entire laminate with varied adhesion. The results show that tensile strength and strain at peak stress of the laminate, with or without a crack, increase when the adhesion of the adhesive increases. It is also found that a much larger amount of energy is consumed in the laminated material at tension compare with the single layers. Possible explanations for the much higher toughness of the laminate are discussed. Finally, the behaviour of a crack in one of the layers, perpendicular to the bimaterial interface in a finite solid, is studied by formulating a dislocation superposition method. The stress field is investigated in detail and a so-called T stress effect is considered. Furthermore, the crack tip driving forces are computed numerically. The results show that the analytical methods for an asymptotically small crack extension can also be applied for a fairly large amount of crack growth. By comparing the crack tip driving force of the crack deflected into the interface with that of the crack penetrating into the polymer layer, it is shown how the path of the crack can be controlled by selecting a proper adhesion level of the interface for different material combinations of the laminate.

Very little information is known about the impact electrification has on driving behavior, or how drivers charge their electrified vehicles. The recent influx of electrified vehicles presents a new market of vehicles which allow drivers the option between electrical or conventional gasoline energy sources. The current battery capacity in full battery electric vehicles requires planning of routes not required of conventional vehicles, due to the limited range, extended charging times, and limited charging infrastructure. There is currently little information on how drivers react to these limitations. A number of current models of fully electric and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles, transmit data wirelessly on key-on, key-off, and charging events. The data includes battery state of charge, distance of miles driven on gasoline and electric, energy consumed, and many other parameters associated to driving and charging behavior. In this thesis, this data was then processed and analyzed to benchmark the performance and characteristics of driving and charging patterns. Vehicles were analyzed and contrasted based on model type, geographic location, length of ownership and other variables. This data was able to show benchmarks and parameters in aggregate for 56 weeks of electrified vehicle tracking. These parameters were compared to the EV Project, a large scale electrified vehicle study performed by Idaho National Labs, to confirm patterns of expected behavior. New parameters which were not present in the EV Project were analyzed and provided insight to charging and driving behavior not examined in any previous study on a large scale. This study provides benchmarks and conclusions on this new driving behavior, such as large scale analysis of brake regeneration performance and degradation of range anxiety. Analysis of the differences on charging and driving behavior between geographic regions and experience were examined, providing insight to how these variables affect performance and driving and charging patterns. Comparison of parameters established by the EV Project and new parameters analyzed in this report will help build a benchmark for future studies of electrified vehicles.

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Background. The Swedish government states that participation and influence are among the most fundamental prerequisites of public health. Mobility services provide professional and high quality information, advice, and assessment to individuals with a medical condition or recovering from an accident or injury that may affect their ability to drive, access, or egress a motor vehicle. Although Swedish physicians must report drivers with medical conditions, rehabilitative training for driving licenses following injury or severe medical conditions does not exist within contemporary Swedish healthcare systems. Aim. This study aimed primarily to describe and compare two driving assessment models, i.e., the model used by Traffic Medicine Center (TRMC) Stockholm in 1998 and the model provided by Mobilitetscenter.se (MC.se) Gothenburg in 2007. The study also sought to determine the context of the changed provision of driving assessments and identify the significant components of this change. Method A literature review, synthesised with the author’s research and complemented by practice-based evidence, provided the knowledge base and starting point of this essay. Action research paired with intervention propelled the changes in the provision of mobility services in Sweden between 1998 and 2007. The author used John Ovretveit’s identification of significant change components to illuminate the complex change process that occurred.  Selection of an appropriate list of variables to compare the two assessment models derived from FORUM of Mobility Centres, the umbrella organization of British Mobility Centres that developed national guidelines for driving ability assessments in the UK; the QEF Mobility Centre was a member of that organization. The author used a questionnaire and a semi-structured interview to gather relevant data from the compared centers. Results TRMC aims primarily to provide services for society through its contributions to road safety. A Mobility Center focuses on providing assessment and rehabilitation services, optimizing impaired drivers’ mobility potential and minimizing collision risks. Cognitive assessment at TRMC accounted for a large part of this study’s time allotment. MC.se’s practical driving test in a suitably modified car provides the most significant difference between the two models.  In addition, MC.se has replaced physicians and psychologists with occupational therapists. Conclusion TRMC aims to ensure that current drivers comply with medical driving laws and regulations. MC.se provides assessments that maximize mobility potential and also ensure low collision rates. Thus, safety is balanced against the right to mobility. The study also explores coping strategies, training, adaptations, and choice of vehicle. / <p>ISBN 978-91-85721-58-0</p>

This thesis studies structural dynamic system identification in a frequency-based framework. The basic consideration stems from the fact that frequencies may generally be measured with higher accuracy than other pertinent modal data such as mode shapes; however only a limited number of frequencies may be measured in the conventional context of natural frequencies. Being able to measure extra frequencies is a key to the success of a frequency-based method. The main part of the thesis is therefore organised around the involvement of the so-called artificial boundary condition (ABC) frequencies to augment the frequency dataset for general structural damage identification. In essence, the ABC frequencies correspond to the natural frequencies of the system with additional pin supports, but may be extracted from specially configured incomplete frequency response function matrix of the original structure without the need of physically imposing the additional supports. In the first part of the research, a particular focus is placed on the actual extraction of these ABC frequencies from physical experiments through effective modal testing, data collection, data processing and analysis. The influences of key processes involved in a typical modal experimental procedure, including high-fidelity measurement of the (impact) excitation input, averaging, windowing, and an effective use of post-processing techniques, particularly the Singular Value Decomposition (SVD) technique, are scrutinised in relation to the extraction of the ABC frequencies. With appropriate implementation of testing and data processing procedures, results demonstrate that all one-pin and two-pin ABC frequencies from the first few modes can be extracted with good quality in a laboratory setting, and the accuracy of extracted ABC frequencies is comparable to natural frequencies of corresponding orders. A comprehensive study is then carried out to investigate the sensitivities of ABC frequencies to damages. Two-pin ABC frequency sensitivity is formulated by extending the expression of anti-resonance sensitivity. On this basis, the mode shape contribution is adopted as a criterion for the selection of more sensitive ABC frequencies to be employed in detailed parameter identification or finite element model updating procedures. The soundness of using ABC frequencies in structural parameter identification and the effectiveness of the above ABC frequency selection method are subsequently examined through case studies involving laboratory experiments and the corresponding FE model updating. Furthermore, a preliminary study is carried out to examine the possibility of formulating ABC frequency-based damage indicator, herein with an analogy to the mode shape curvature, for direct damage assessment. As an extended investigation in the general framework of frequency-based dynamic identification, in the last part of the thesis, a complex dynamic system, namely a railway bridge under moving loads & masses, is evaluated with regard to the various frequency characteristics involved. The variation of the natural frequencies of the bridge-moving mass system, as well as the presence of the apparent frequencies from the trainloads, are analysed in detail. Besides simplified theoretical analysis, a computational model is developed to simulate the combined bridge-moving vehicle/train system, where the vehicle mass is coupled with the bridge via surface contact. The model is verified by comparison with field measurement data and theoretical predictions. Parametric studies enable a clear identification of the correlation of the frequency contents between the response and the trainload, and provide new insight into the significance of the so-called driving and dominant frequencies. It is found that much of the dynamic response phenomena, including the resonance effect, may be explained from the view point of the frequency characteristics of the trainload pattern, which is governed primarily by the ratio between the carriage length and the bridge length. Finally, a resonance severity indicator (the Z-factor) is developed for the assessment of the resonance effect in the railway bridge response when the trainload moves at a resonance speed. Numerical results demonstrate that the proposed methods are effective for the determination of the critical speed and the resonance effects, including the situations where a significant carriage mass is incorporated.

The great advancements in technology are transforming cars into the next digital frontier, redefining people’s lifestyle around mobility. The thesis intended to push further on this trend, exploring new interaction paradigms and creating delightful experiences in future self-driving vehicles. With a cross-discipline scope, the formula is to blend digital information into physical form and material, blurring the boundary between the car’s interior and interface. As the conclusion, I learned that a constant harmony between virtual and physical world is the key for designers to create natural and intuitive experiences with technology. The final result is an autonomous interior concept with multi-sensory user experiences. The core interface, as the physical manifestation of the car’s artificial intelligence, interact with users emotionally, offering its amazing capability in assistance. The in-car environment is evolved with sensors and displays, providing intuitive access to dedicated functions and immersive content.

Call number: LD2668 .T4 1986 G35 / Master of Science / Industrial and Manufacturing Systems Engineering

See Volume 1 for Abstract / GR2017

The need for sensor-based automatic motion planning and control of industrial robots in an unstructured environment is extensive. For example in-factory transportation, household chores, military applications, chemical, radioactive, and other applications dangerous to humans. Researchers are attempting to build systems capable of generating purposeful motion in highly uncertain co-nplex environments, using on-line information from robot sensors. An example of such a task would be moving a mobile robot or a manipulator arm from its starting position to a goal position in a scene with unknown arbitrarily shaped obstacles. Carrying out such tasks requires, first, sensors and related / GR2017