bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
24SIAT-0899: After-Treatment Improvement in Mahindra BS VI Stage-1 to Stage-2
Authors: Vediappan Sudhagar , Mandla Manoj , Ragunathan Santhosh Kumar , Kumar Uday , O'Connell Tim , Harris Matthew , Green Alexander , Sharma Prashant , V Suryanarayanan , Malathkar Prakash Rao , Sharma Vinay
Published: January 2024

Effective 1st April 2023, India's automotive emissions regulation has shifted from BS-VI Stage-1 to BS-VI Stage-2 standard the after-treatment systems need to demonstrate robust performance not just on the cycle, but also to demonstrate emissions for on-road Real Driving Emission (RDE) conditions. A stringent On-Board Diagnostics (OBD) strategy to monitor the real-time emission levels along with compliance Road Driving Emissions (RDEs) are focus areas for BS VI Stage-2 emission legislation. The maximum speed on MIDC is 90km/h in BS-VI Stage-1, Diesel Oxidation Catalyst (DOC)+Selective Catalyst Reduction Filter (SCRF®) was able to meet legislation at the lab, and now with the RDE cycle max speed of the vehicles under the M1 category <3.5 T will have the max permitted legal limit shall surpass 100 km/h for not around 3% of the span in the third phase of driving cycle for which max speed is up to 120 km/h. The monitoring window intended for BS-VI Stage-2 with higher operating temperatures and higher space velocity plays a major role and adds a challenge to tackling the emission on the road. In this article, Mahindra and JM/Johnson Matthey will share the strategy of EATS hardware configuration to add the underfloor (uf) Selective Catalyst Reduction Filter (SCR) in addition to SCRF® to ensure the Conformity Factor (CF) in OBD2 in RDE cycle architecture would be DOC+SCRF®+SCR and the results of work which developed RDE-compliant diesel engines and after-treatment robust solutions to meet the emissions requirement of BS VI Stage-2.
Measurement & Control Methodologies of Road Side Ambient Air Emissions & Identification of New Species of Air Pollutants in Delhi / NCR
Authors: Kumar Prashant , Sithananthan M , Saroj Shyamsher , Kant Chander , Narwat Aarti
Published: January 2024

In a recent finding it was published that there are five (05) major cities across Delhi / NCR which falls under the World's most polluted cities (historical data 2017-2022) based on annual average PM2.5 concentration (μg/m3). The present study is entirely focused on Delhi / NCR and the measurement is done through the continuous type of air quality monitoring analyzers.

Various activities like construction, manufacturing, trash burning, production units, burning of organic compounds, power plants, biomass burning, demolition, vehicular emission etc. are the key sources that contribute to poor air quality. As a result of these activities, numerous dangerous chemicals, pollutants with different ionic species (along with gases and aerosols) are released and pose serious threats to health and environment. The primary sources of air quality degradation are identified by methodological & scientific type of measurement done through advanced & sophisticated instruments which are having the capabilities to assess the concentration levels of various pollutants such as PM2.5, PM10, CO, SO2, O3, THC, VOC, NOX, NH3, HONO and HNO3 as well as different ionic species Ca2+, Mg2+, K+, Na+, Cl-, NO2-, NO32- and SO42- using standard methods.

In the present study, four (04) different sites across the Delhi / NCR were chosen as control sites and it was concluded that the largest sources of PM10 emissions are from the industries, road dust and residential as well as biomass burning. The ionic species (unregulated) Ca2+ &Mg2+ were found to be higher in the samples collected from all the four sites & during the off peak hours the NO32- and SO42- were reported to be in the higher ranges. There is a need of implementation of more stringent & revised guidelines for industries and also to formulate the framework for unorganized sector which are engaged in emissions largely not controlled / reported.
DeNOx Strategy Adaptation and Optimization in Naturally Aspirated Engine LCV Application for BSVI OBD-II Norms
Authors: Hareesh Sangaraju , V Suryanarayanan , Sharma Prashant , Redii Ashok , Raut Sandip , Golla Srinivasa Rao
Published: January 2024

Powertrain complexity rapidly increasing to meet fast moving regulation requirements. The BS6 Phase-1 regulation norms were implemented in India from April 1, 2020 and replaced the previous BS4 norms. Phase-2 of the BS6 regulation norms were came into effect on April 1, 2023. To meet this stringent regulation requirement, need effective performance of after treatment systems like DOC, DPF and SCR demands critical hardware selection and implementation. In Indian market, LCV application is cost sensitive and highly competitive where operational cost is most critical factor.

Naturally aspirated engine has less operating cost, which is the best for LCV applications, but is has its own challenges to meet BS6 norms like higher engine out NOx, dynamic temperature profiles etc. A robust DeNOx emissions strategy is developed in naturally aspirated engine LCV application to meet cycle emissions, real drive emissions and OBD requirements. It is always a challenge to adapt EATS in LCV application as these are low-cost vehicles and EATS components impacts the overall cost of the vehicle.

This paper briefs about robust DeNOx emissions strategy in naturally aspirated engine LCV application for BSVI OBD-II norms to address high engine out NOx with dynamic temperature profiles which is first time in India. Feasibility study has done with two different architecture and finalized the better one by considering EATS performance robustness and overall system layout. SCR catalyst size and urea mixer design has done by considering EATS architecture and LCV application. SCR performance has optimized with higher engine out NOx and dynamic temperature profiles to meet cycle emissions, real drive emissions and OBD requirements. Vehicle with EATS system validated on road at sea level and various altitudes with different drive profiles like city, 2lane and highway. Validation results assure real drive emissions well within limit with optimized fuel economy and urea consumption.
Regulatory Trends for Enhancement of Road Safety
Authors: Nayak Pratik , Rawal Vishal , Patil Kamalesh , Tandon Vikram , Badusha Akbar
Published: January 2024

India is one of the largest markets for the automobile sector and considering the trends of road fatalities and injuries related to road accidents, it is pertinent to continuously review the safety regulations and introduce standards which promise enhanced safety. With this objective, various Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) regulations are proposed to be introduced in the Indian market. ADAS such as, Anti-lock Braking Systems, Advanced Emergency Braking systems, Lane Departure Warning Systems, Auto Lane Correction Systems, Driver Drowsiness Monitoring Systems, etc., assist the driver during driving. They tend to reduce road accidents and related fatalities by their advanced and artificial intelligent fed programs. This paper will share an insight on the past, recent trends and the upcoming developments in the regulation domain with respect to safety.
Industrialization of the Commercial Hydrogen Engine till 2025
Authors: Arnberger Anton
Published: January 2024

India striving for carbon neutrality influences futures powertrain architecture of commercial vehicles. The use of CO2-free drives as battery electric have been demonstrated for various applications. The productivity still is a challenge due to missing high power charging infrastructure or limited range. This draws the attention to the use of sustainable fuels due to lower refueling times.

The hydrogen engine got highest attention in the last couple of years. For markets as the EU the driver for hydrogen is the CO2 emission reduction, whereas for markets as India hydrogen offers the additional opportunity for more independence from fossil imports.

Different OEMs all over the world have converted diesel engines to hydrogen operation with strong focus on performance and emission demonstration, so far with limited technology readiness of different key components. As of a strong market pull, AVL will show how to ensure SOP readiness in 2025 by effective use of simulation, verification & validation methodologies.
Optimised Air Management System for Heavy Duty Hydrogen Engines
Authors: Emran Ashraf , Paranjape Sumeet , Sreedharan Sajil N , Jagodzinski Bartosch , Garg Shivam , Sharma Vijay , Wagh Sachin
Published: January 2024

Many Indian cities are amongst the most polluted cities in the world. Transport sector is identified as one of the major contributors to air pollution. Following the global trend, Government of India is also promoting near zero emission fuels with zero CO2 emissions as a way forward to solve the emission problems. With its policies like Green Hydrogen Mission, government of India plans to accelerate the adoption of Hydrogen as a fuel in the country. These initiatives have created a breakthrough in development of Hydrogen ICEs by the Indian OEM’s. Hydrogen ICE have only NOx emissions as the most prominent engine out emissions. NOx emission in Hydrogen engines is very sensitive to operating lambda, where in, after a certain threshold lambda the emissions rise significantly. Therefore, the air management system plays a very important role in the hydrogen engine performance & NOx emissions. This study evaluates various air management system options for a heavy-duty Hydrogen engine. Initially, a single stage variable geometry turbocharger (VGT) was assessed with focus on good low-end torque capabilities. The rated power output with the single stage turbocharger can be improved by supplying cooled HP EGR, by shifting the turbocharger operating points towards higher efficiency and lower turbocharger speed improving speed margin. The single stage TC configuration is then evaluated against a 2-stage VGT turbo charger configuration, which achieved higher lambda levels, thereby improving low-end torque, and reducing NOx emissions. The 2-stage turbo charging achieved higher brake efficiency and improved altitude capability. This study has been performed using 1D simulation based on validated engine model from FEV database. The mentioned TC systems have been matched for the engine requirements, and engine mappings created. The mappings are then used to assess the cyclic NOx emissions for the different TC configurations over the WHTC emissions cycle to assess the improvement in the emissions and requirement of overall De-NOx system requirements.
Development of an Efficient Vehicle Energy Management System for Fuel Cell Electric Vehicles
Authors: Jacob Joe , Prasad Pulugurtha , Adsul Aniket , Brahmbhatt Smitan
Published: January 2024

Fuel cell electric vehicles generally have two power sources – the fuel cell power system and a high voltage battery pack - to power the vehicle operations. The fuel cell power system is the main source of power for the vehicle and its operations are supported by the battery pack. The battery pack helps to tackle the dynamic power demands from the vehicle such as during acceleration, to which the response of the fuel cell might be slower. The battery is also used to recover the energy from regeneration during braking and can also be used to extend the range of the vehicle in case the storage tanks runs out of hydrogen. In order to maximize the fuel efficiency of the fuel cell power system it is critical that these two power sources are used in conjunction with each other in an optimal manner. The two power sources must operate such that the power demand from the vehicle is met at all times without over exerting either of these two sources as this can lead to drop in life and health of the battery pack and/or FCPS. In this paper an energy management system for a fuel cell bus meant for intra-city application is developed whereby the operational efficiency of the stack as well as the performance of the battery pack is maximized while delivering the power required by the vehicle. Additionally, the energy management logic ensures sufficient SOC is always maintained in the battery pack to provide a minimum pure electric range. The parameters of this model are tuned using simulations and the final model with the tuned parameters are validated in field trials.
Effects of Low Temperature on Forged Steel Materials in Hydrogen Internal Combustion Engines Applications: Assessing Ductile-Brittle Transition
Authors: Parasumanna Ajeet Babu Kumar , Karle Ujjwala , Ambhore Yogesh
Published: January 2024

Hydrogen Internal Combustion Engine (H2ICE) has hydrogen gas storage system and is operated at very low temperature before it enters the combustion chamber. The effect of hydrogen on steel materials is detrimental because of hydrogen embrittlement. Forged steel parts are used in engine specifically valve. The goal of the work is to analyze the outcome of low temperature i.e. 35 °C to -30 °C on three types of forged steel materials i.e. 40Cr4, 42CrMo4 and EN8 and assess any potential changes in their properties due to ductile to brittle transition. Charpy impact test is widely used to determine the temperature at which a material shifts from exhibiting ductile behavior to brittle behavior. This transition is critical for understanding the safety and reliability of steel components, as brittle fracture can lead to catastrophic failures. The steel samples were subjected to six different temperatures and identified changes in the transition temperature and micrographs of the failed steel samples, such as shear area. The transition temperature was found to shift towards lower temperatures, indicating an increased susceptibility to brittle fracture. This shift in the transition temperature suggests that the steel used in engine parts may exhibit reduced fracture toughness and impact resistance when operating with hydrogen as a fuel. Based on the test results, steel grade 40Cr4 consistently exhibits the highest impact energy absorption across all testing temperatures, in contrast to steel grades 42CrMo4 and EN8. This highlights its superior toughness and suitability for various applications.
Design and Optimization of Air Intake and Cooling System for Commercial Fuel Cell Electric Vehicles
Authors: Gawhade Ravikant , Gadve Dhananjay , Patil Nikhil , Adsul Aniket , Amancharla Naga Chaithanya
Published: January 2024

There is need of the hour to reduce greenhouse gases and become carbon neutral. Global warming and the increase in pollution are big threats to humankind. The Paris agreement is a major step towards reducing pollution and greenhouse gases.

To improve the situation, hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicle is a promising technology that enables zero emissions, zero greenhouse gas generation and high efficiency with superior performance for long-range applications as compared to other green technologies.

Although it is a promising and beneficial technology, there is limited information available in the public domain about fuel cell technology and its accessories.

Air intake and cooling system’s right functioning is very important for proper fuel cell functioning. Incoming air to the fuel cell stack needs to be processed by cleaning, humidifying, cooling or heating. If the incoming air isn't clean, it will deteriorate the fuel cell's performance; it may get blocked, or even damaged. Similarly, to get sustainable performance from the fuel cell stack, it needs to operate within the recommended temperature range, which can be achieved by an optimum cooling system.

This paper is intended to discuss the design and optimization of the air intake system and cooling system for fuel cell vehicles. Their design considerations, sizing, packaging and placement on vehicle. In addition, it covers the effects of various parameters and their impact on performance, reliability, life of the fuel cell stack. Also, it incorporates guidelines and best practices while designing.
Development Challenges for Hydrogen Test Cell Facility Requirements and Safety Constraints
Authors: Phadke Abhijit N , Mokhadkar Rahul Prakash
Published: January 2024

The globe moving towards setting up targets for greenhouse gas emissions considering short term and long-term strategies, efforts in ICE domain has been accelerating to find an alternative way and H2 is among one of them leading! H2 as fuel is known to be clean source of energy for several years. Recent advancements in fuel cell and Internal Combustion engine technologies are making use of H2 as fuel more feasible for end application for mobility and industrial power generation segment. This paper helps understand the basic properties of Hydrogen which are critical for deriving safety aspects to be considered while designing an engine test cell to handle H2 as fuel. Also it summarizes the survey of relevant reference standards to be considered while designing and developing an H2 engine test cell. It elaborates typical test cell facilities and utilities to give an idea about the critical sub-systems required for an engine test cell. The hydrogen storage design considerations, its handling from storage till engine test cell are studied and summarized. Also, the critical sub-systems which are required for safe handling of H2 as fuel inside the engine test cell are discussed and elaborated. Various reference standard guidance is summarized for safety features and considerations like blow out panels, ATEX considerations etc. Few critical risks to be considered while developing the safety controls are discussed. The operational and human safety and its control are discussed in detail. It also provides information on protection systems to be considered for hydrogen leakage detection and its controls. In summary it compares the infrastructure and test cell utilities required for a typical Diesel Vs H2 ICE test cell.
Retained Newness of Commercial Vehicle Interiors
Authors: Shah Kapil , Apte Sanjay , Navsariwala Prashant , Kumar Sunil , Komar Sanju , Ghodageri Santosh , Surendran Shiju
Published: January 2024

Commercial vehicle are exposed to harsh environment conditions like dust, mud, wind, rain, extreme sun and winter throughout. Apart from white goods and other conventional loading these vehicles also used in applications which involve Handling of Dirty Loads, Construction Raw materials, Mining Industry etc. which leads to fast deterioration of Interiors. Also, in most cases drivers are not the owners. Hence due to high cost of Cleaning at dealerships and low Product maintenance awareness amongst Commercial Vehicle Users, on Road Washing & Cleaning by riverside is common practice which leads to early deterioration of Interior trims. This paper deals with the retention of newness of soft trim parts such as headliner, wall trims and carpets. Causes of product deterioration and attributes which influence newness like product appeal, NVH, perceived quality, environmental impact, geometry retention over time etc. have been discussed in detail. Material properties and design considerations for enhancing the product appeal for a longer period have been analyzed and solutions listed. Design verifications methodology has been formulated at digital level and physical validation plans have been developed. These designs have subsequently converted to physical prototypes which were successfully validated with the above methodologies and subsequently implemented in the final product. This work also involved manufacturing feasibilities for both in house and supplier end considering current practices and need for additional tooling and equipment. Finally, we concluded with Customer survey to ascertain the benefits and optimize our solutions to meet their techno-commercial requirements.
New Pass-by Noise Regulatory Norms IS 3028:2023 (Part 2) - an Analysis of Acceleration and Noise Source Contribution
Authors: Kalsule Shrikant Balasaheb , Titave Uttam , Patil Jitendra , Jadhav Kamalakar , Naidu Sudhakara
Published: January 2024

Worldwide automotive sector regulatory norms have changed and become more stringent and complex to control environmental noise and air pollution. To continue this trend, the Indian Ministry of Road Transport is going to impose new vehicle exterior pass-by noise regulatory norms IS 3028:2023 (Part2) to control urban area noise pollution. This paper studies the synthesis of M1 category vehicle driving acceleration, dominant noise source, and frequency contribution in exterior PBN level. A vehicle acceleration analysis study was carried out to achieve an optimized pass by noise (PBN) level based on the vehicle’s PMR ratio, reference, and measured test acceleration data. Based on the analysis, test gear strategy was decided to achieve a lower PBN level. This strategy involved increasing the effective final drive ratio and optimizing engine calibration, resulting in improvement with acceleration in the ith gear. This increased acceleration surpassed the upper limit of the reference acceleration range; hence, the vehicle was tested in a combination of both gear (ith and ith+1) conditions. With this approach, a significant noise improvement could be achieved in overall PBN level. Furthermore, an analysis of exterior pass-by noise sources was conducted during acceleration and constant speed test conditions. Using a masking technique, each major noise source contribution to the overall pass-by noise level was identified. The powertrain emerged as the primary noise source, with its mid-frequency noise making a substantial contribution to pass-by noise. A frequency analysis was also performed to address higher intake noise. These innovative approaches resulted in a considerable reduction in the overall pass-by noise level. Additionally, by implementing these strategies, OEMs could meet the new PBN regulatory standards for all their existing and upcoming vehicle models.
Application of Hydraulically Controlled Rear Mount to Mitigate Key on/off Requirement of Passenger Car
Authors: Hazra Sandip , More Vishwas
Published: January 2024

Key on/off (KOKO) Vibration plays a vital role in the quality of NVH (Noise Vibration and Harshness) on a vehicle. A good KOKO experience on the vehicle is desirable for every customer. The vibration transfer to the vehicle can be refined either by reducing the source vibrations or improving isolation efficiency. For the engine mounting system of passenger cars, the mounts are an isolating element between the powertrain and receiver. Various noise, Vibration, and harshness criteria must be fulfilled by mounting system performance like driver seat rail vibration (DSR), tip-in/tip-out, judder performance, DSR at idle and Key on/off Vibration. Out of these requirements, in the paper, the investigation is done on KOKO improvement without affecting other NVH parameters related to mount performance. Higher damping is required to isolate Vibration generated during the Key-on event, and lower damping is required during the idle condition of the vehicle. These contradictory damping requirements can only be fulfilled by something other than conventional rubber mounts. The proposed solution is designed to have different damping during Key on and idle vehicle conditions. Increasing the mounting system damping can decrease the KOKO vibration by absorbing the energy during the event. As a result, the hydraulically controlled switchable rear mount is proposed, which can provide high damping during KOKO events but switches to lower damping to isolate vibrations under idle conditions. The level of damping is controlled by the proper design of the bypass channel and piston movement. The effect of damping is validated at the rig level to get the required performance at the vehicle level. The physically prototyped performance is demonstrated on the vehicle, which this paper explains.
Enhanced Development Process for UPDs – Digital Approach
Authors: Ugale Dinesh , D Dileep Kumar , Mohod Pravin , Khaleelullah Abdul , Bandru Shreenu
Published: January 2024

Underrun Protection devices (UPDs) are specially designed barriers fitted to the front, side, or rear of heavy trucks. In case of accidents, these devices prevent small vehicles such as bikes and passenger cars going underneath and thus minimizing the severity of such accident. Design and strength of UPD is such that it absorbs the impact energy and offers impact resistance to avoid the vehicle under run. Compliance to UPD safety regulations provides stringent requirements in terms of device design, dimensions, and its behavior under impact loading. Since accuracy of Computer Aided Engineering (CAE) predictions have improved, numerical tools like Finite element method (FEM) are extensively used for design, development, optimization, and performance verification with respect to target regulatory performance requirements. For improved accuracy of performance prediction through FEA, correct FE representation of sub-systems is very important. One such sub-system in UPDs is bolted connection. Modeling of bolted connection requires correct representation of critical attributes of bolted joint, to accurately capture bolted joint behaviour under extreme loading situations. The two primary important bolted joint attributes are bolt pretension and a mating part contact. This paper compares the UPD FE analysis with two types of bolt modelling methods, a) solid elements method b) a combination of beam, shell and constrained spot-weld elements method. The solid element method can accurately model mating part contact behavior of the structure. In this case material stiffness representation for solid elements is based on an elasto-plastic material, defined by a piecewise stress-strain curve and a strain rate dependency. The bolted joint failure is modeled through strain-based failure criteria. With this method it is being observed that, pretension modeling is very tedious and it results into numerical instability. In second method mating part contact is achieved through shell elements modelling and failure is based on the “constrained spot-weld failure”. Failure definition requires failure load values of bolted joint in axial & shear loading condition. These failure load values are usually derived from component level physical tests on bolted joint. In this study, bolted joint performance prediction for RUPD with both modeling methodologies is compared with physical test results.
Simulation Based Validation of Battery Structural Integrity for Mechanical Abuse as per AIS 156
Authors: Dandge Sunil , Mahamuni Ameya , Sevda Gaurav , H Rajesh , Kumar Ravindra , Mahajan Rahul
Published: January 2024

Battery is one of the safety critical systems in EV. As the number of EVs increases, battery safety becomes an important task to avoid any mishap during its use, as even small accidents may slow down the adaptation of EVs. Automotive environment being one of the harshest operating environments, it is important to ensure both mechanical and electrical safety of the battery pack.

Li-Ion batteries are most popular among traction batteries, due to their high energy density, long life, and fast charging capabilities. But mechanical damage, over temperature, short-circuit, etc. may lead to battery thermal runaway, causing a major accident. Mechanical abuse of battery can be one of the reasons that may lead to the damages mentioned above, eventually causing thermal runaway in batteries. That’s why all major battery safety standards have requirements for vibration and mechanical shock tests.

In this paper, we have developed a methodology to evaluate the structural integrity of a battery pack against drop, vibration, and mechanical shock using simulation. AIS 156 requirements for swappable batteries have been considered for load parameters of these simulations, and boundary conditions have been kept similar to physical testing. Implicit and explicit analysis were carried out to simulate drop, vibration, and mechanical shock. Study of stress and displacement of components in this analysis can be used for design optimization, thus saving overall time and cost of development.
Design & Optimization for Vehicle Dynamic Events of Electric 2-Wheeler Using Genetic Algorithm Approach
Authors: Gopakumar Sreekanth , Gumma Muralidhar
Published: January 2024

The drive of Electric vehicles gained lot of traction in two-wheeler market, customer preferences and affordability are major reasons leaning towards electric 2 wheelers. As the two-wheeler market is huge, product development timelines are very sensitive to capture the market. Simulation based approaches are gaining lot of traction among manufacturers helping them to optimize the performance and production cycle time. During the design phase, hard points of the vehicle need to be defined. A multi body dynamic simulation approach will be made to evaluate the vehicle’s performance with initial design of hard points. Based on the ride and handling results, hardpoints optimization will be set up using Design of Experiments (DOE) studies. Suspension characteristics and sensitivities are studied to improve the ride behavior of the vehicle. A two-wheeler vehicle is a highly unstable and heavily depend on the skill of rider model. To improve the safety and handling behavior a fall detection and self-balancing mechanism can be designed and simulated using multibody simulation tools with Genetic Algorithm approach (GA). A specific ISO event identified to simulate the design parameters for balancing the vehicle with right Proportional Integral Derivative (PID) tuning based on the mass imbalance, counter balancing signals will be applied to stabilize the vehicle while maneuverings and help to improve the driving pattern to make a better handling characteristics and safety of the vehicle.
Fatigue Assessment & Test Correlation of Seam Welded Joints Using Force Based Equivalent Structural Stress Solid Weld Approach
Authors: Pendse Ameya , Babar Ranjit , Patil Sanjay
Published: January 2024

The stress concentration at welded joints and small crack propagation from some pre-existing discontinuities at notched regions control the fatigue life of typical welded structures. There are numerous FEM stress-based weld fatigue assessment approaches available commercially which unify FEM stresses with various fatigue software codes embedded with international weld standards. However, FEM stress-based approaches predict extensively conservative results. Considerable efforts & subjective decision making is required to arrive at desired level of weld life correlation with physical test results, in terms of weld life and failure location. This is majorly because of inconsistency & inaccuracy in capturing the hot spot stress results due to stress singularities occurring at the notched regions owing to the mesh sensitivity, modeling complexity.

Hence to address these concerns, a force based equivalent structural stress solid weld approach in commercial weld fatigue code fe-safe VERITY™ was used for developing correlation with physical test results. This paper presents detailed study using this mesh-insensitive weld fatigue assessment approach. For this study, the DOE matrices of product use cases for open and closed welds were chosen to accommodate the mix of weld fatigue assessment parameters such as weld algorithm, mesh size, survival probability, loading & weld direction. Weld fatigue correlation was assessed in terms of failure life cycles, failure mode & location, mesh sensitivity and result interpretation quality. The key findings from these product use cases for open and closed welds were identified based on the inferences drawn on multiple physical test correlation evidences. For getting a better correlation between weld life simulation results with that of physical test results, specific weld analysis parameters, guidelines were streamlined. For open welds, end capping traction effects were studied for different loading circumstances. For closed welds, throat failure mode has been identified & simulated. Assessment of weld subjected to complex combination of normal & shear structural stresses has also been studied & decision factors identified. The outcomes of this study helped to reduce the number of failures in physical test by addressing & tracking failure beforehand in CAE and thereby saving cost involved in redesign and revalidation.
Lubrication Effectiveness Determination for Wet-Sump Transmissions using Multiphase Computational Fluid Dynamics Modeling
Authors: R Shamini , Sachdeva Aniket , Handa Joji , Sena Carlos , Marson Luigi
Published: January 2024

Wet-sump transmissions are widely used in heavy duty and medium duty vehicles. As these transmissions do not have a dedicated forced lubrication system, it is important that the gear train, shafts, and enclosure are designed appropriately so that enough oil splashes to critical locations to ensure sufficient lubrication. The lubrication effectiveness of such transmissions can be studied through detailed tests or numerical simulations.

Often, the vehicle, and therefore the transmission, encounters some severe operating conditions, such as climbing on an incline, driving downhill, etc. Studying these conditions through tests is an expensive process and this imposes the need for an analysis first approach. In this paper, the 3D multiphase Volume of Fluid (VOF) method is used to examine two such extreme cases: an 8-degree tilted installation of transmission in a vehicle, and an inclined condition of transmission during a 10-degree uphill climb. By studying the oil volume fraction on gears and splash patterns, inertia and reverse gears in the first case and headset gear in the second case are found susceptible to oil starvation. The effectiveness of a simple and easily deployable solution of increasing the transmission oil level is then assessed. Results show that increasing the oil level improves the lubrication effectiveness in the first case, but only slightly in the second case. However, both cases show higher churning losses. This calls for a trade-off between lubrication effectiveness and power/torque consumption. Present work demonstrates how the developed methodology can help identify oil-starving locations and evaluate potential solutions for extreme cases, eliminating the need for testing multiple prototypes before arriving at a suitable solution.
Understanding the Complexities and Validation of Exhaust System Components for New Emission Requirement with Thermal Load and Multi-Axis Vibration
Authors: Sundarrajan Manikandan , Narasimman Obuli Karthikeyan , Nagarajan Gopikannan , Rajaraman Manikandan , R Suresh
Published: January 2024

The new emission requirement norms in India calls for a robust Exhaust and After Treatment System (EATS) in automobiles. Its main purpose is to reduce the emission of harmful pollutants into the environment. EATS have a series of components that cleans the diesel exhaust emitted by the engine prior to releasing it through the tailpipe to the outside air. All the EATS components must undergo stringent testing protocol prior to its implementation in vehicle. During the exhaust treatment process, a very high temperature of about 550°C is produced in the EATS system. Hence, the effect of this higher temperature needs to be considered for validation. Moreover, the components will undergo multi-axial vibration in real road conditions which also need to be simulated during validation. In addition, engine vibrations are directly transmitted through a flex bellow to EATS system. These vibrations need to be captured and simulated in component level testing. In this paper, we detailed on various test conditions for validating EATS assembly and flexbellow inclusive of thermal & multi-axial vibration loading.
Genesis of the “Automotive Homologation 4.0” Framework for India
Authors: S Thipse Yogesh
Published: January 2024

The term Industry 4.0 is well known in contemporary automotive landscape. It encompasses a smart integrated framework of IIoT (Internet of Things) and industrial automation with machine learning, artificial intelligence and big data analytics to arrive at optimal solutions to running the processes in a streamlined, efficient and effective manner. Industry 4.0 has assumed critical significance in the contemporary era of people working from remote locations to operate processes in order to build products, thereby ensuring business continuity. Consequently, it follows that if industry 4.0 is applied to automotive homologation activity, it will lead to a standardized evaluation, consistent fidelity of testing, accurate judgement of the product under test with regards to its certification, and most importantly, timed delivery to release in the market. The author hereby elucidates a unified Industry 4.0 Framework for Automotive homologation in India which is the need of the hour. This framework consists of five elements. The first is use of IIoT to ensure optimal use and maintenance of the homologation machinery. The next is use of industrial automation to drive the testing in a streamlined manner and make it consistent. Further, machine learning can be deployed to calibrate the learning of the various variables and parameters. Next, artificial intelligence can be deployed to arrive at the best practices of efficient and effective use of the machines. Finally, big data analytics can facilitate insight into the outcome of the test and establish correlation between the output homologation criteria with respect to the test setup parameters. An example is showcased for expounding this methodology in the context of Indian Homologation scenario. The example showcases the tremendous benefits that can be reaped by this framework in terms of efficient machine utilization, empowering and enriching operator knowledge, making the processes streamlined and productive and lending high confidence to the product certification activity, thus holistically overhauling the entire homologation program in a revolutionary manner, much to the benefit of all stakeholders involved therein.
Effect of Tire Pressure on the Fatigue Life of an Automotive Three-Wheeled Vehicle’s Chassis & Body
Authors: Polisetti Sagar
Published: January 2024

The need and dependency on objective measurements are increasing rapidly across all industries for reliable and faster data for product validation, and the automotive industry is no different. Objective measurements are becoming increasingly popular than subjective evaluation as they offer objectivity and repeatability. Typical industry practice for structural validation is to acquire the vehicle responses, viz. spindle accelerations, wheel displacements, wheel forces, speed, strain at a few critical locations, and others as per the requirement. Vehicle responses are usually acquired on specific road surfaces, test tracks, and proving grounds. Prior to the tests or measurements, the vehicles are configured as per the company's recommendation, such as tire pressure, camber angles, engine oil, coolant oil type and quantity, load, and load distribution, to name a few. The test vehicles with which these measurements are carried are usually only with these vehicle settings. However, the actual customer usage deviates significantly from the manufacturer's recommendations. In the current work, the effect of tire pressure on the fatigue life of the chassis and the body of an automotive three-wheeler is studied with varying tire pressures. Current work also presents the data of the deviation of fatigue life from an actual customer's usage to the estimate from the measurements.
Optimization of Trim Clip Design for Performance Improvement
Authors: Deole Sameer Shrikant , Mohammed Riyazuddin
Published: January 2024

As customers are inching towards adoption of electric vehicles as an alternative to internal combustion engines, automotive OEM’s will have to embrace this change and equip with new product development process. When it comes to Electric Vehicle (EV) in comparison with Internal Combustion Engine (ICE), NVH plays a major differentiator for vehicle refinement. Squeak and rattles will account for 20-25% of overall in-cabin noise source in an electric vehicle, most of which is observed from interior trims. Trims are mounted using small plastic clips which function as attachments and play a significant role in part retention and part integrity during normal operation and in case of any transient events. The engineering specifications for selecting a clip is force in newtons and it is mostly driven by ease of assembly, serviceability, and durability. A single DOF system with a specimen mass is developed and stiffness and damping are calculated based on transmissibility. In this work, an attempt is made to evaluate different designs and material combinations of clips to optimize for best performance. An attempt is made utilize stiffness methodology [1] and optimize existing design to improve refinement with respect to squeak and rattle. Durability also plays a key role in design optimization.
Test Bench Phase Shift-ICE to EV
Authors: Koka Harikishan , Patel Hiral , Bhavikatti Gururaj , Sutar Suresh
Published: January 2024

Since last decade automotive Industry is witnessing transition from ICE to EV due to stringent environmental laws by government bodies and technological breakthrough. EV technology is emerging day by day. Biggest challenge in front of OEM is the phase shift from ICE to EV. OEM need to decide on glide path for test rig development for this change to support ICE & EV powertrain validation to deliver reliable product to their customers. In EV development, major focus is on investment for battery development. Hence, for the Motor and Gearbox validation balanced approach is to upgrade existing ICE test bench for the EV with minimum effort and cost. This paper provides details on need and approach required to make the ICE test bench capable for EV powertrain validation. Proposed methodology helps to support both type of powertrain and have maximum utilization of the test bench. This paper provides guideline for selection of the additional parts required for EV validation on ICE test bench and its integration. This paper also discuss the challenges faced during the integration and few solutions identified to address same. This paper also provide details of performance and durability test which can be conducted on such type of test bench to simulate the vehicle conditions.
Breast Carcinoma among Patients Undergoing Breast Diagnostic Ultrasonography in a Tertiary Care Hospital in Nepal
Authors: Guragain Seema , Mandal Sandip K. , Sharma Nitu , Adhikari Ganga D. , Richman Mark J. , Yadav Ajay Kumar
Published: January 2024

Background Ultrasonography (US) is an important modality for investigating breast lesions, as it lacks radiation exposure, differentiates between solid tumor and fluid-filled cysts, and is particularly-useful for young females with dense breast tissue. This study aimed to determine test characteristics (sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values, and accuracy), and the prevalence of breast cancer, among patients undergoing diagnostic breast US for clinically-detected abnormalities in a tertiary care cancer hospital in Nepal, comparing US findings with histopathology and cytopathology.Data and Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted among a convenience sample of 418 female patients who underwent diagnostic breast US between April 15 and September 10, 2022. Data were entered and analyzed on SPSS 25.0. Prevalence of cancer was determined among US patients who were referred for tissue diagnosis on the basis of clinical or US findings. Sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values, and accuracy of US in detecting breast lesions in comparison to histopathology and cytopathology findings were calculated. Results The study respondents’ age ranged from 13 to 75 (±11.8) years. Among 97 patients who underwent fine needle aspiration or biopsy based on US findings, 52 (12.4% of total) were diagnosed with breast carcinoma. The sensitivity, specificity, negative predictive value, positive predictive value, and accuracy of US to detect breast cancer were 94%, 100%, 93.7%, 100%, and 96.9%, respectively. Conclusion Among women with breast complaints or physical examination findings, diagnostic US revealed a high prevalence in the population investigated and demonstrated very good sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy to detect breast cancer. This study confirms the important role of ultrasound in the evaluation of breast lesions, particularly in underdeveloped countries.
Obstetric Complications in Bacterial Vaginosis Cases
Authors: Nasir Rida , Iyeke Lisa , Jordan Lindsay , Richman Mark
Published: January 2024

Not applicable for a Brief Communication
Motivation and Job Performance among Nurses at Public Hospital in Bangladesh
Authors: Rahman Shela , Mallick Dipali Rani , Parveen Shahanaz , Islam Md. Shariful
Published: January 2024

Background: The performance of nurses plays a crucial role in achieving positive outcomes for healthcare organizations. Performance is directly related to motivation; as higher motivation leads to better performance. Motivated nurses tend to have a strong sense of organizational belonging, resulting in improved work quality, increased productivity, and enhanced job performance. Objective: The study aims to examine the relationship between motivation and job performance among nurses at public hospital in Bangladesh. Methods: A descriptive correlational study was conducted at Shaheed Suhrawardy Medical College Hospital. A total of 112 nurses were selected using a convenience sampling technique. Data were collected from February 2023 to March 2023 using a structured questionnaire. The instrument consisted of three parts: Part I, the Socio-Demographic Questionnaire (SCQ-10); Part II, the Nurses' Motivation Measurement Questionnaire (NMMQ-32); and Part III, the Nursing Job Performance Related Questionnaire (NJPQ-52). Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyze the data. Results: The average age of the participants was 37.3 years (SD = 57.102). Among them, 94.6% were female, 97.3% were married, and 75% identified themselves as Muslims. The mean score of motivation was 3.43 (SD = 0.660), indicating that nurses were motivated. The mean score of job performance was 2.78 (SD = 0.640), indicating that nurses had good job performance. The results also showed that more than half of the nurses expressed dissatisfaction with their remuneration. There was a significant positive correlation between motivation and job performance (r = 0.725, p = 0.000). Conclusion: The present study found that motivation and job performance strongly correlate with each other. Although the participants were motivated and had a good performance, there is still a lack of a fair performance evaluation system and proper resources for better job performance. Based on these findings, the researchers recommended that further study be conducted with a larger sample size and in multiple healthcare settings to allow the generalizability of the findings and provide a more diverse and comprehensive understanding of the relationship between motivation and job performance.
Geotourism: Use of Environmentally Friendly Geological Wealth
Authors: Hakimah Nurul Lathifatul , Sanjaya I Gusti Made , Hariyono Eko , Kodir Abdul
Published: January 2024

The writing of this article examines how solutions using geology can be cultivated in the management of historical sites as community ecotourism and community economic activities. The geotourism management paradigm is how tourism management can optimize the natural potential (geology) to add value to the economic well-being of local people living in the Kayangan Api area and minimize potential natural damage in Kayangan Api environment. The method used in this study is Kayangan Api tourist observation, expert interviews (guards) and literacy surveys. Therefore, this paper proposes a tourism management model. Geotourism management is grouped under five main focuses, including the formulation of natural opportunities used in tourism activities, the description of criteria for geotourism sites (Kayangan Api), the management of geotourism (Kayangan Api), and the explanation of geotourism activities and finally the indicators of success or Kayangan Api Bojonegoro Geotourism Print.