Variable Geometry Cooling Intakes for Passenger Vehicles. Cars reject engine heat via air forced through the grille, radiator and engine bay. The associated "cooling drag" increases total aerodynamic drag by 10-15% hence increasing fuel consumption. The highest heat load that needs to be rejected by the engine determines the quantity of cooling air, resulting in systems that are over designed for typical driving. This research provides a strategy of adjusting the cooling airflow to match the ....Variable Geometry Cooling Intakes for Passenger Vehicles. Cars reject engine heat via air forced through the grille, radiator and engine bay. The associated "cooling drag" increases total aerodynamic drag by 10-15% hence increasing fuel consumption. The highest heat load that needs to be rejected by the engine determines the quantity of cooling air, resulting in systems that are over designed for typical driving. This research provides a strategy of adjusting the cooling airflow to match the engine requirements (via variable geometry intakes that can be under the control of the engine management computer) offering substantial reductions in fuel consumption and emissions.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE0347553
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$175,000.00
Summary
Smart Equipment for Remote Monitoring of Isolated and Mobile Infrastructure. The partners' research involves the collection and assessment of data to determine the condition, maintenance strategies and risk of failure of plant in diverse areas such as transport, cargo and packaging, mining and power. Recent advances in data processing, computing and telemetry mean that it is now possible to actually install small and rugged data acquisition equipment on remote infrastructure or mobile plant. T ....Smart Equipment for Remote Monitoring of Isolated and Mobile Infrastructure. The partners' research involves the collection and assessment of data to determine the condition, maintenance strategies and risk of failure of plant in diverse areas such as transport, cargo and packaging, mining and power. Recent advances in data processing, computing and telemetry mean that it is now possible to actually install small and rugged data acquisition equipment on remote infrastructure or mobile plant. This equipment can acquire, condition and process the signals and use wireless telemetry to transmit the data for remote assessment. The proposed infrastructure will enable the partners' research to be extended to these challenging applications.Read moreRead less
Dynamic Modelling and Gear Shift Simulation of Powertrains with Dual Clutch Transmissions. The project will make a significant contribution to the development and commercialisation of dual clutch transmissions, which represent a breakthrough vehicle transmission technology. The acquired knowledge and advanced simulation tools will enable engineers to design superior vehicles with improved fuel efficiency and performance. The project will hence benefit the nation and community, resulting in:
1) ....Dynamic Modelling and Gear Shift Simulation of Powertrains with Dual Clutch Transmissions. The project will make a significant contribution to the development and commercialisation of dual clutch transmissions, which represent a breakthrough vehicle transmission technology. The acquired knowledge and advanced simulation tools will enable engineers to design superior vehicles with improved fuel efficiency and performance. The project will hence benefit the nation and community, resulting in:
1) powertrains with improved fuel efficiency, drivability and gear shift quality at the lowest production cost;
2) increased employment in the automotive sector benefiting from leading the world in applying the frontier technology to vehicles;
3) increased knowledge base on complex dynamic systems, well trained researchers and engineers.
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Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE0214172
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$320,000.00
Summary
Measuring highly resolved flow and sound in Australia's largest wind tunnel. Monash and RMIT Universities have developed an aero-acoustic facility of international standing to study flows around vehicles, buildings and structures. This is based around the largest wind tunnel in the Southern Hemisphere, which provides a National facility crucial to the development of a competitive automotive industry. To achieve the next stage of research development, velocities and acoustic fields need to be mea ....Measuring highly resolved flow and sound in Australia's largest wind tunnel. Monash and RMIT Universities have developed an aero-acoustic facility of international standing to study flows around vehicles, buildings and structures. This is based around the largest wind tunnel in the Southern Hemisphere, which provides a National facility crucial to the development of a competitive automotive industry. To achieve the next stage of research development, velocities and acoustic fields need to be measured with increased accuracy and spatial resolution than currently available. Given the physical scale of the facility, it is proposed to achieve this with an automated measurement system, which will also be integral to future research programs.Read moreRead less
Quantitative analysis of dynamic performance of vehicles with uncertain system parameters and road inputs. Ride comfort, road holding and stability of on-road vehicles are not only important quality indicators but major public health and safety issues. To accurately predict and prevent unsafe motions of a vehicle under all circumstances is still a major technological challenge. The research, which aims to develop a novel design theory, presents a significant step forward in tackling the challeng ....Quantitative analysis of dynamic performance of vehicles with uncertain system parameters and road inputs. Ride comfort, road holding and stability of on-road vehicles are not only important quality indicators but major public health and safety issues. To accurately predict and prevent unsafe motions of a vehicle under all circumstances is still a major technological challenge. The research, which aims to develop a novel design theory, presents a significant step forward in tackling the challenge in the quantitative performance analysis of vehicles with various uncertainties. The acquired knowledge will assist engineers in developing safer vehicles and also benefit the aeronautical, military and other transportation industries. The wider community would benefit by potentially reduced death rates and fatal injuries caused by car crashes.Read moreRead less
Demand Dependent Active Suspensions for Preventing Vehicle Rollover. Rollover crashes are a major public safety issue in Australia. Reliable and low cost anti-roll technology and the availability of required design methodology and simulation tools will greatly assist the automotive industry in improving vehicle safety and consequently enhance its competitiveness in the global marketplace. The knowledge acquired from this project would provide an essential theoretical basis for commercialising th ....Demand Dependent Active Suspensions for Preventing Vehicle Rollover. Rollover crashes are a major public safety issue in Australia. Reliable and low cost anti-roll technology and the availability of required design methodology and simulation tools will greatly assist the automotive industry in improving vehicle safety and consequently enhance its competitiveness in the global marketplace. The knowledge acquired from this project would provide an essential theoretical basis for commercialising the proposed suspensions and enhance the exports of Australian car component manufacturers. It would also benefit aeronautical, military and other industries. The wide community would benefit by potentially reduced death rates and fatal injuries caused by rollover crashes, and through increased employment in industry.Read moreRead less
Developing Light Weight Automotive Structures. In Australia, most automotive companies are now considering advanced high strength, formable steels for weight reduction. These steels are extremely complex with little published research in key areas of their application. The objective is to develop a detailed understanding of the forming and post forming properties of a range of these steels and from this to design and produce new lighter weight automotive structures. This work will include improv ....Developing Light Weight Automotive Structures. In Australia, most automotive companies are now considering advanced high strength, formable steels for weight reduction. These steels are extremely complex with little published research in key areas of their application. The objective is to develop a detailed understanding of the forming and post forming properties of a range of these steels and from this to design and produce new lighter weight automotive structures. This work will include improved finite element models to predict the shape as well as a detailed understanding of how to manufacture components from these steels at high production rates and the mechanical properties after manufacturing.
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Dynamic Characteristics of Kinetic Suspension Systems for Vehicle Applications. Suspension systems play a key role in vehicle dynamics and, in addition to providing ride comfort, can prevent or minimise fatal collisions by enhancing vehicle stability. This project aims to advance the theory and design of the kinetic suspension systems (KSS), which break the compromise between ride comfort and vehicle handling inherent in most existing systems. Industry Partner, Kinetic, has invented many novel K ....Dynamic Characteristics of Kinetic Suspension Systems for Vehicle Applications. Suspension systems play a key role in vehicle dynamics and, in addition to providing ride comfort, can prevent or minimise fatal collisions by enhancing vehicle stability. This project aims to advance the theory and design of the kinetic suspension systems (KSS), which break the compromise between ride comfort and vehicle handling inherent in most existing systems. Industry Partner, Kinetic, has invented many novel KSS and currently leads the world in the R&D of KSS technology. The gained ability in reliable analysis and virtual experimentation on the systems prior to prototyping and on-road tests enables the industry to rapidly commercialise the cutting-edge, safety-critical technology, thus bringing great benefits to society.Read moreRead less
Investigation into on-road vehicle rollovers using a combined rigid and flexible multibody model. Rollover propensity is one of the major safety indicators of vehicles. In-depth understanding of the causes and mechanisms of vehicle rollovers and the availability of advanced design and simulation tools will greatly assist the automotive industry in improving vehicle safety and consequently enhance the industry's competitiveness in the international marketplace. The developed knowledge would also ....Investigation into on-road vehicle rollovers using a combined rigid and flexible multibody model. Rollover propensity is one of the major safety indicators of vehicles. In-depth understanding of the causes and mechanisms of vehicle rollovers and the availability of advanced design and simulation tools will greatly assist the automotive industry in improving vehicle safety and consequently enhance the industry's competitiveness in the international marketplace. The developed knowledge would also benefit aeronautical, ship building and military industries which are generally well-equipped to absorb new technology and seek a competitive edge. The wide community would benefit by potentially reduced death rates and fatal injuries caused by rollover crashes, and through increased employment in industry. Read moreRead less