Automotive Industrial Sectors Research Articles

Effect of Low Impact Energy on Kenaf Composite and Kenaf/Fiberglass Hybrid Composite Laminates

Kenaf fibres recently have been a substitute material in many weight-critical applications such as aerospace, automotive and other industrial sectors. Their characteristics, such as low densities, specific strength and specific modulus are considered superior to those of metallic materials. The tensile and low velocity impact of kenaf composites and kenaf/fibreglass composites were investigated. The findings of such revealed that the tensile properties of the composites were seriously impaired even when low energy was used. As for hybrid composites, the tensile properties were hardly affected when tested with energy of below (6J). However, the tensile properties were reduced after the energy increased above (6J). Therefore, the impact damage of the composites can be predicted from measurements taken from the residual tensile strength of impacted specimens, and the damaged zones of the composites.

An environmental uncertainty-based diagnostic reference tool for evaluating the performance of supply chain value streams

This research has responded to the need for diagnostic reference tools explicitly linking the influence of environmental uncertainty and performance within the supply chain. Uncertainty is a key factor influencing performance and an important measure of the operating environment. We develop and demonstrate a novel reference methodology based on data envelopment analysis (DEA) for examining the performance of value streams within the supply chain with specific reference to the level of environmental uncertainty they face. In this paper, using real industrial data, 20 product supply value streams within the European automotive industry sector are evaluated. Two are found to be efficient. The peer reference groups for the underperforming value streams are identified and numerical improvement targets are derived. The paper demonstrates how DEA can be used to guide supply chain improvement efforts through role-model identification and target setting, in a way that recognises the multiple dimensions/outcomes of the supply chain process and the influence of its environmental conditions. We have facilitated the contextualisation of environmental uncertainty and its incorporation into a specific diagnostic reference tool.

Marking, Ablating, Cleaning, Cutting and even Micro Welding!

AbstractDespite outstanding beam qualities, air cooled pulsed fiber lasers were previously mainly used for marking purposes due to their limited average power level. Increasing power levels enable those laser sources now to be used for applications that required totally different (more sophisticated/more complex) laser sources in the past. These latest developments will lead to a name change for the devices now called laser markers (source plus scanner) to “fine process lasers”, as they are able to mark, cut and weld small parts in the medical, automotive and defense industry sectors.

Redes vehiculares Ad-hoc: aplicaciones basadas en simulación

Recientes esfuerzos de investigación de la academia, la industria automotriz y el sector gubernamental de transporte señalan a los sistemas de transporte inteligente (STI) como la tecnología clave tanto en el mejoramiento de la seguridad en las carreteras, como en la eficiencia en el tráfico y el confort al conducir. Las redes vehiculares ad hoc (VANET) tienen un gran potencial para generar aplicaciones dirigidas a aumentar la seguridad en el tráfico. La interacción entre los vehículos y la infraestructura permite la comunicación en tiempo real, lo que a su vez permite proveer información a los conductores en situaciones peligrosas y evitar accidentes. Este artículo provee una visión general de las redes vehiculares Ad-hoc, describe sus conceptos fundamentales, los estándares de comunicación y las aplicaciones vehiculares, y presenta además, una evaluación de simuladores VANET.

Supplier assessment based on corporate social responsibility criteria in Indian automotive and textile industry sectors

Mandatory disclosure of corporate social responsibility (CSR) reporting forces supply chain members to consider CSR issues in developed countries. Researchers have viewed CSR content within different themes, such as human (social), ethical and environmental perspectives. So far, in India, very little research has been done to study the impact of human issues in employment (social), ethical issues in business operations and pollution (environmental) issues at both regional and specific sector level. This paper emphasises the perspective view of supplier selection, considering CSR issues as opposed to traditional methods using conventional selection criteria such as cost, quality, delivery and service. It employs six CSR criteria such as discrimination, abuse of human rights, child labour, long working hours, unfair competition and pollution to assess small- and medium-sized suppliers who produce and deliver products to the automotive and textile industry sectors. The results of this study indicate that to prevent discrimination against pay variation, minimise cases of abuse of human rights and incidence of child labour, suppliers must put in place proper policies and procedures regarding employment contract, identification and verification records. Furthermore, to reduce unfair competition, suppliers of both automotive and textile sectors may introduce processes for investigating reports of unethical conducts and take severe disciplinary action. The suppliers of both automotive and textile sectors believe that the competitive advantage can be achieved through environmental oriented business practices. However, they differ in their approaches in attaining this objective.

Real Time Monitoring of Morphologic and Mechanical Properties of Polymer Nanocomposites During Extrusion by near Infrared and Ultrasonic Spectroscopy

AbstractExtrusion is one of the most applied technologies for the processing of polymer nanocomposites for applications in automotive, electrical and packaging industrial sectors. These nanostructured materials have advantages in comparison to traditional polymer materials, so that properties like tensile strength and modulus, barrier and surface properties, electrical properties and flame retardancy will be improved. There is a need to control amount and dispersion of the nanofillers in the polymer matrix during melt processing and to control the influence of the processing conditions on the nanocomposite formation. For an adequate real time characterization it is necessary to measure directly in the extruder. Spectroscopic methods and Ultrasonic measurements are outstanding methods for this kind of in‐line monitoring.This paper deals with the real time determination of the dispersion and the impact strength of polymer nanocomposites in the melt during extrusion by Ultrasonic measurements and NIR spectroscopy. These in‐line measurements were correlated with off‐line rheological measurements, transmission electron microscopy and mechanical test measurements by multivariate data analysis. The polymers used are polypropylene and polyamide 6. As nanofillers we used different modified layered silicates. We determined the degree of exfoliation as an indicator for the dispersion of the nanofiller in the polymer matrix for different layered silicates and at different process conditions.

The Competitiveness of the Russian Automotive Industry as an Important Aspect of the Strategy of Development of the Automotive Industry in the Russian Federation

The paper presents an analysis of some factors affecting the competitiveness of the Russian automotive industry sector. The basic development strategy of the automotive industry in Russia, the main directions of state policy in shaping the domestic car market with foreign partners, foreign investment and innovation. One reason for the low competitiveness of Russian car is problems in engineering education, the low level of funding and setting priorities of research and development activities.

Barriers to the Implementation of Environmentally Oriented Reverse Logistics: Evidence from the Automotive Industry Sector

Even though reverse logistics has existed as long as forward logistics, growing social concern for the environment has caused reverse logistics activities to become a critical function for many organizations. Yet, barriers to implementation of environmentally oriented aspects of reverse logistics still exist. The aim of the present study is to identify the barriers that impede or hinder the implementation of environmentally oriented reverse logistics practices, with a focus on the automotive industry. Empirical evidence and robust statistical analysis provide insights into the practices of environmentally oriented reverse logistics and barriers encountered in the Spanish automotive sector. Using structural equation modelling we are able identify two types of barriers, external and internal, and to study whether these barriers, previously identified in the literature, hinder environmentally oriented reverse logistics practices. The model also allows for identification of the most relevant barriers for the automotive sector.

Global green car learning clusters

As the global automotive industry sector is attempting to embrace the new green car technology paradigm, there is an urgent need to build the intellectual capacity of its workforce to achieve this objective. The challenge is to rapidly consolidate the relevant enabling knowledge as a strategic resource and make this available to relevant stakeholders, including students, engineers, researchers, managers and others. This paper provides a comprehensive overview of research that aims to build industry-aligned automotive research and education capability in green car technologies, address government policy objectives to build a domestic green car industry and create new labour market opportunities. The paper describes the global learning clusters concept and the key technological challenges and opportunities considered by the established clusters.

Progress Made by the South African Light Metals Development Network

Through focused investment by the CSIR, the South African Innovation Fund, the Automotive Industry Development Centre and the Department of Science and Technology over the past eight years, the national Light Metals Development Network has been established and grown into a well aligned collaborative research and development programme. The research and development focus has been primarily on aluminium and titanium technologies as applied in the automotive and aerospace industry sectors, with the latter growing in prominence over the past three years. Since 2009 the titanium-related research and development activities have been consolidated in a Titanium Centre of Competence. This paper provides an overview of the current status of the programme, the R&D focus areas, the collaborating entities and the industry involvement. It also highlights some of the significant achievements of the network and notable outputs produced. The Titanium Centre of Competence as a vehicle for strengthening industrial research and innovation capabilities in specific fields of technology is discussed and some initial experiences are shared.

Standards Column

ABSTRACT In this column we announce publication in November 2008 of ISO 9001:2008, the latest edition of the world's most popular standard. We will also discuss the introduction and support packages available from ISO/TC 176 for ISO 9001:2008. The forthcoming third edition of ISO/TS 16949, the automotive industry sector specific QMS document based on ISO 9001:2008, will be discussed. We will review the DIS of a new version of ISO 9004. We will update the status of the recent systematic reviews of ISO quality management systems and statistical documents.

Effect of notch size and fibre content on the tensile strength of fabric reinforced hybrid composites

Hybrid composite materials reinforced with woven fabrics are becoming increasingly popular for various structural applications in the automotive, aerospace, and other industrial sectors; particularly in thin walled structures. The present investigation concentrates on fabric-reinforced hybrid composite laminates with seven different volume fractions of the constituent materials; epoxy resin, plain-woven S2 glass fabric, and textile satin fabric. Fracture toughness of a material has immense importance in the determination of the resistance of the material to crack propagation. In this paper, an experimental investigation has been carried out on the tensile strength and fracture toughness of woven fabric reinforced hybrid composites with 0?/90? orientation for six different notch configurations. Experimentation and specimen dimensions are in accordance with ASTM D5766 standards. The fracture toughness has been found to increase continuously with increased volume of glass fabric, whereas the fracture toughness has been found to be less dependent of notch size upto certain limit.

Purchasing Consortia and Electronic Markets - A Procurement Direction in Integrated Supply Chain Management

In supply chain management literature, there has been little empirical research investigation on purchasing consortium issues focusing on a detailed analysis of information and communication (ICT) based procurement strategies. Based on the exploration of academic literature and two surveys among purchasing organisations as well as e-Marketplaces / procurement service providers (PSPs) in the automotive and electronics industry sectors, the research methodology follows a positivistic approach in order to assess the overall statement: ‘Effective participation in electronic purchasing consortia (EPC) can have the potential to enhance competitive advantage. Implementation therefore requires a clear and detailed understanding of the major process structures and drivers, based upon thetechnology-organisation-environment framework.’ Key factors and structures that affect the adoption and diffusion of EPC and the performance impact of adoption are investigated. The empirically derived model for EPC can be a valuable starting point to EPC research.

Editorial

Editorial

Four Models of Design Definition: Sequential, Design Centered, Concurrent and Dynamic

Most organisations adhere to one form of product definition as the core of their product development process. The dominant design methodology employed is the foundation upon which the process has to be defined. This paper identifies four very different models for design definition: sequential, design centered, concurrent and dynamic. Using case studies from the automotive and aerospace industrial sectors, this paper illustrates the models identified, which appear to be based on the dominant and prevailing drivers of new product introduction for a given company. The sequential model shows the traditional functionally based organisation and explores how the design is developed through the various functions. The design centered model demonstrates the front end fixing of the design through the use of Design for Lifecycle tools and techniques. The concurrent definition model introduces the concept of concurrent engineering and stage gate systems, with the design definition being fixed at various gates in the process. Finally, the dynamic model demonstrates the interaction of the various functional skill groups and shows a radical departure in the way the design information is transferred in complex organisations.

Survey of Risk Reduction and Pollution Prevention Practices in the Rhode Island Automotive Refinishing Industry

In 1996 a survey of pollution prevention, environmental control, and occupational health and safety practices was conducted in the Rhode Island automotive refinishing industry sector. In conjunction with project partners, the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management developed a multidimensional survey instrument to identify risk reduction opportunities. Investigators sought to characterize the range of environmental and industrial hygiene controls employed by Rhode Island facilities for the purposes of focusing state technical and compliance assistance efforts. Data were collected on a diverse range of subject areas including work force demographics; source reduction; potential health hazards; worker protection and safety; solid and hazardous waste management; and air pollution control. Nearly one-half of the shops employ three or fewer people, and in many cases, spray painters double as body repair technicians thereby increasing their potential exposure to workplace contaminants. While nearly all of the shops reported that they use spray painting booths, only 38% own booths of the more effective downdraft design. Based on the self-reported data, recently promulgated state air pollution control regulations (requiring the use of compliant coatings, enclosed or modified spray gun cleaners, and high-volume, low-pressure, spray guns) appear to be effective at motivating companies toward source reduction. A range of risk reduction opportunities were identified as input material changes, technology changes, and improved operating practices. Better methods of risk communication; a professional licensing requirement; and targeted training, compliance, and technical assistance would help to achieve greater levels of risk reduction in this mature, high-hazard industry.

Survey of risk reduction and pollution prevention practices in the Rhode Island automotive refinishing industry.

In 1996 a survey of pollution prevention, environmental control, and occupational health and safety practices was conducted in the Rhode Island automotive refinishing industry sector. In conjunction with project partners, the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management developed a multidimensional survey instrument to identify risk reduction opportunities. Investigators sought to characterize the range of environmental and industrial hygiene control employed by Rhode Island facilities for the purposes of focusing state technical and compliance assistance efforts. Data were collected on a diverse range of subject areas including work force demographics; source reduction; potential health hazards; worker protection and safety; solid and hazardous waste management; and air pollution control. Nearly one-half of the shops employ three or fewer people, and in many cases, spray painters double as body repair technicians thereby increasing their potential exposure to workplace contaminants. While nearly all of the shops reported that they use spray painting booths, only 38% own booths the more effective downdraft design. Based on the self-reported data, recently promulgated state air pollution control regulations (requiring the use of compliant coatings, enclosed or modified spray gun cleaners, and high-volume, low-pressure, spray guns) appear to be effective at motivating companies toward source reduction. A range of risk reduction opportunities were identified as input material changes, technology changes, and improved operating practices. Better methods of risk communication; a professional licensing requirement; and targeted training, compliance, and technical assistance would help to achieve greater levels of risk reduction in this mature, high-hazard industry.