Total Vehicle Weight Research Articles

Statistical analysis of trends in Battery Electric Vehicles: Special reference to vehicle weight reduction, electric motor, battery, and interior space dimensions

Electric vehicles (EVs) are increasingly being used, as they are more environmentally friendly than conventional vehicles with internal combustion engines (ICE). Battery electric vehicles (BEVs) can be said to have zero exhaust emissions only if the electricity used to drive these vehicles is obtained in an environmentally friendly way. It is common knowledge that BEVs have a significantly higher overall mass than conventional vehicles. The significantly higher total vehicle weight of BEVs can have various adverse effects on energy consumption during movement and the vehicle's dynamics. In contrast to the negative aspects of BEVs, there are also positive aspects that are primarily related to the comfort of drivers and passengers, considering the main fact that they do not require the presence of a floor tunnel. In this paper, trends related to BEVs in the previous five years were statistically analysed. Changes in average sizes related to BEVs are shown, primarily internal dimensions that can be of crucial importance when deciding between BEVs and conventional vehicles. In the paper itself, other important trends are presented, both for the electric motor itself and for the batteries used in BEVs.

Applying matrix regularization to identification of traffic-induced equivalent loads and multi-vehicle weight on beam-like bridge

Identification of traffic-induced forces is an important topic in the field of bridge structural health monitoring (B-SHM). It can provide reliable data to support the great demand for monitoring and evaluating the working conditions of bridges. Bridges may serve under consistent moving vehicles and this requires that the methods of moving force identification (MFI) should be applicable under circumstances such as multiple-vehicle loading and long-term monitoring. Centering on cases containing multiple vehicles, this study proposed a matrix regularization-based method for the identification of traffic-induced equivalent loads and multi-vehicle weights. Herein, multiple moving forces in the spatial domain are converted into a certain number of equivalent loads which virtually act at fixed locations on the bridge as a kind of coordinate transformation. The MFI problem then can be transformed into tasks of identifying some concentrated forces. To solve the problem of equivalent load identification, the structural input-output relationship is firstly reorganized in a matrix-matrix-matrix form with the help of segmentation via time windows and consideration of unknown structural initial conditions. Then the matrix regularization with a sparse penalty term is introduced to formulate an identified equation so that, it can ensure the strong noise robustness of the identified results. Finally, the total weight of multiple vehicles can be empirically estimated from the sum of the identified equivalent loads. Numerical simulations and model experiments are performed to verify the proposed method's performance. The effects of vehicle speeds, measuring noise, number of modal orders, number of vehicles, and vehicle spacings are investigated. The illustrated results show that the proposed method turns out to be effective and precise in identifying the traffic-induced equivalent loads and the weight of multiple vehicles.

The Impact of the Change Type of Wagon on the Efficiency of the Single Wagon Consignments

Abstract The transportation of shipments by rail is usually more expensive than other modes of transport. The costs are dependent on different factors, like the length of the train route, energy consumption based on traction, or the number of crew members in the train. The total price for using the railway infrastructure is also calculated, as is the total weight of the railway vehicle—the weight of the shipment and the weight of the wagon. The different types of wagons have different properties. For the operators, it is an ideal situation to have good values of the technical coefficient of tare. In the case of good values, the operator has effectively used their vehicle park. Railway transport should be affordable for customers. By operating non-efficient wagons, transport is more expensive and has low efficiency. By reducing the dead weight of the wagon, it is possible to reduce the cost rate. In synergy with this, more efficient and eco-friendly transportation can be achieved by reducing energy consumption. By reducing energy consumption, it is possible to get closer to the goal of the European Union, which is to reduce greenhouse gases from transport.

Numerical and Experimental Analysis of Stress-Strain Characteristics in DP 600 and TRIP 400/700 Steel Sheets.

The body constitutes the largest proportion of the total vehicle weight. Recently, increasing efforts have been made towards reducing its weight and improving its crashworthiness. By reducing its weight, fuel consumption will be reduced, and this will also translate into lower CO2 emissions. In terms of safety, vehicle body components use high strength steel which can absorb a substantial amount of impact energy. The present study pays attention to DP 600 and TRIP 400/700 stress-strain characteristics at quasi-static strain rates. The stress-strain characteristics of absorption capacity, stiffness, and deformation resistance force were investigated experimentally by tensile tests, three-point bending tests, and numerical simulations. The results indicate the potential for increasing the absorption capacity, stiffness, and deformation resistance force of the vehicle body's deformable steel components. The present study verified the possibility of replacing physical testing with numerical simulation. A reasonably satisfactory agreement between the experimentally determined stress-strain characteristics and the numerical simulation was achieved, which can reduce the development time of deformable vehicle body components, reduce costs and optimize the selection of materials. The results extend the state of knowledge on the deformation characteristics of high-strength materials and contribute to the optimization of body components in terms of passive safety and weight.

Research on Pavement Traffic Load State Perception Based on the Piezoelectric Effect

Accurate multi-parameter perception of pavement traffic load state is a prerequisite for smart highway construction, which is essential in improving the level of road intelligence and realising road information management. This research was based on the piezoelectric effect. Piezoelectric perception devices and strips were prepared and placed in asphalt mixture specimens and test sections, respectively. Through laboratory tests and outdoor vehicle loading tests, piezoelectric signals were collected by the data collector. The signal output peak value, peak area, and other parameters of piezoelectric sensing devices under different test conditions were analyzed. The perceptive calculation method of driving speed, axle number, wheelbase, and total vehicle weight was proposed. The perceptual calculation formula of vehicle load, including temperature, vehicle speed, and signal output parameters, was established and improved. The results show that the peak value of the output signal has a high correlation with test temperature, load, and loading frequency. Also, the signal of piezoelectric material under wheel loading has good stability; the perception accuracy of driving speed can reach more than 95%, the perception accuracy of vehicle axle number was 97.3%, the perception accuracy of vehicle wheelbase was 92.99%, and the perception accuracy of total vehicle weight was 95.19%. Piezoelectric devices have high accuracy in the perception of traffic load state.

Fatigue Analysis of Front Axle for Automobile Heavy Motor Vehicle

Abstract: The axles in a system must bear the weight of the vehicle as well as any cargo weight. The front axle beam is one of the major parts of vehicle suspension system and it houses the steering assembly as well. About 35 to 40 percent of the total vehicle weight is taken up by the front axle. Corrosion, wear and fatigue are the main causes of failure of mechanical parts. Main failure form of front axle beam is fatigue damage. The axles serve to transmit driving torque to the wheel, as well as to maintain the position of the wheels relative to each other and to the vehicle body. Therefore, the research on the fatigue life has important value. So, proper design and optimization of front axle is extremely crucial to Fatigue strength. The paper focuses on design, analysis and optimization of front axle. The approach in this research paper has been divided into two steps. The First step involves design of front axle by Analytical method. For this, types of forces loads with the help of CAD UNIGRAPHICS NX9.Second step involved further Pre-processing using ANSYS bench work 15.0 and post

Optimization of engine and transmission mounting system for a V6 front wheel drive vehicle

Engine mounts helps to attach power train with the frame of the vehicle. The engine mounts help to keep the power- train in its position with the SUV chassis as vehicle experiences several torque loads and inertial loads. The mounting system helps in controlling the motion of the engine and transmission unit, preventing it from physical contact with other components of the vehicle system from sudden impact due to vibrations. The power train Mounting system helps in several ways to keep the engine and transmission unit firmly in its position during vehicle motion and helps in better drivability. Engine along with transmission unit con– tributes 25% of total weight of vehicle, it is important to isolate noise and vibration generated in the engine entering into the vehicle cabin, as power train is the source of vibration in the vehicle. So, it is important to study and investigate rigid body mode shapes for the engine and transmission unit for particular position of mounting unit and spring stiffness. This paper investigates the engine mounting system location and spring stiffness for a vertically mounted v8 engine. The engine and transmission unit mounted on vehicle chassis by elastomeric bushings. The bushing acts as spring mass damper system, helping in isolation of vibration and noise entering into cabin also prevents physical contact of engine with other critical vehicle components. Design of experiments approach is used to study effects of design variables. By varying mount location and stiffness rates the effects of these variable on the power train mounting system is studied and appropriate mounting location and stiffness rates is suggested to improve overall NVH performance of the power train.

(Digital Presentation) Using Simulations to Determine the Effects of the Lithium-Ion Battery Pack Sizes on Performance of Electric Vehicles

Internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles have a longer driving range with a full tank of gas than lithium-ion battery-powered electric vehicles (EVs). Alongside having a higher purchase cost and a lack of charging infrastructure, the range of EVs is a large deterrent to potential buyers. One solution to increasing the range of EVs is using a battery pack with a higher capacity. However, increasing the capacity typically involves an increase in lithium-ion battery cells, which leads to a higher weight, higher vehicle cost, lower energy efficiency, and higher battery charging time. In addition, regenerative braking recovers the vehicle's kinetic energy which is related to speed and weight. To find the optimal battery pack size, a numeric road test simulation can be used to determine how battery pack size affects energy efficiency, driving range, charging time, and cost. This is more optimal than a real-life road test since inconsistent variables like traffic conditions and weather can be controlled. This paper applies work-energy mathematic modeling of an electric vehicle under different EPA dynamometer driving schedules to investigate the problem proposed above, using an EV model with 21700 type lithium-ion cells. In addition, total vehicle weight, motor efficiency, wheel sizes/weight, and the weight of passengers will also be considered. The simulation revealed that when the total vehicle weight reaches a certain point, it can regenerate significant kinetic energy back to the battery pack to increase the range. Figure 1

Methods of Wood Volume Determining and Its Implications for Forest Transport.

Proper measurements are extremely significant for the forest owner, the harvesting company, the hauler, the final buyer, and the wood processing company. The accuracy of round wood volume determination is of fundamental importance in planning and accounting for individual processes related to the wood trade. It is the basis for determining the maximum quantity in single load of wood that allows for using the permissible total gross vehicle weight. The determination of wood load in cubic meters does not allow unequivocally determining its weight, which often leads to overloading of vehicles. This paper presents a comparison of the photo-optical method for determining the volume of wood to be transported with the real measurement and determination of the weight of a load and the total gross vehicle weight (GVW) with the simultaneous application of conversion factors determining the weight of the load from the volume of wood. The measurement included 23 broadleaf round wood piles (193.73 m3) and 14 coniferous round wood piles (149.23 m3). The measurement error for broadleaf wood piles ranges from −47.67% to 63.16%, and from −43.31% to 24.72% for coniferous wood piles. Determination of the volume of a broadleaf wood pile using the iFOVEA method had an average error of 1.34%, while the Timbeter method had an average error of −1.83%. In the coniferous wood pile measurement, the error is −12.82% and 2.41%, respectively. Verification of the volume of the large-sized wood indicated on the delivery note (reference value) on the log sorting line (by laser scanning) showed larger volumes by 0.10 m3 to 2.54 m3, giving a percentage error of 0.35% and 8.62%, respectively. As a consequence of the application of such methods for determining the weight of wood loads, the transport truck sets are often significantly overloaded, which has a significant impact on the accelerated degradation of roads and safety in traffic and timber transportation.

Data Loss Reconstruction Method for a Bridge Weigh-in-Motion System Using Generative Adversarial Networks.

In the application of a bridge weigh-in-motion (WIM) system, the collected data may be temporarily or permanently lost due to sensor failure or system transmission failure. The high data loss rate weakens the distribution characteristics of the collected data and the ability of the monitoring system to conduct assessments on bridge condition. A deep learning-based model, or generative adversarial network (GAN), is proposed to reconstruct the missing data in the bridge WIM systems. The proposed GAN in this study can model the collected dataset and predict the missing data. Firstly, the data from stable measurements before the data loss are provided, and then the generator is trained to extract the retained features from the dataset and the data lost in the process are collected by using only the responses of the remaining functional sensors. The discriminator feeds back the recognition results to the generator in order to improve its reconstruction accuracy. In the model training, two loss functions, generation loss and confrontation loss, are used, and the general outline and potential distribution characteristics of the signal are well processed by the model. Finally, by applying the engineering data of the Hangzhou Jiangdong Bridge to the GAN model, this paper verifies the effectiveness of the proposed method. The results show that the final reconstructed dataset is in good agreement with the actual dataset in terms of total vehicle weight and axle weight. Furthermore, the approximate contour and potential distribution characteristics of the original dataset are reproduced. It is suggested that the proposed method can be used in real-life applications. This research can provide a promising method for the data reconstruction of bridge monitoring systems.

Rolling stock for international motor trucking

International motor transportation in Russia is analyzed. The main directions of cargo transportation, environmental requirements for rolling stock, rules of vehicle admission for transportation under customs seals, peculiarities of vehicle inspection for international transportation for multilateral approvals, and certificate issuance of roadworthiness are studied. The market of rolling stock for international road transportation is described, along with limits on dimensions, total weight and thrust capacity of motor vehicles according to standards of the European Community.

Solar Power and Energy Storage for Decarbonization of Land Transport in India

By considering the weight penalty of batteries on payload and total vehicle weight, this paper shows that almost all forms of land-based transport may be served by battery electric vehicles (BEV) with acceptable cost and driving range. Only long-distance road freight is unsuitable for battery electrification. The paper models the future Indian electricity grid supplied entirely by low-carbon forms of generation to quantify the additional solar PV power required to supply energy for transport. Hydrogen produced by water electrolysis for use as a fuel for road freight provides an inter-seasonal energy store that accommodates variations in renewable energy supply. The advantages and disadvantages are considered of midday electric vehicle charging vs. overnight charging considering the temporal variations in supply of renewable energy and demand for transport services. There appears to be little to choose between these two options in terms of total system costs. The result is an energy scenario for decarbonized surface transport in India, based on renewable energy, that is possible, realistically achievable, and affordable in a time frame of year 2050.

Hydrogen vs. Battery-Based Propulsion Systems in Unipersonal Vehicles—Developing Solutions to Improve the Sustainability of Urban Mobility

The percentage of the population in urban areas has increased by ten points from 2000 (46%) to 2020 (56%); it is expected to reach up to 70% by 2050. This undoubtedly will encourage society to use alternative transports. On the other hand, the widespread fear of pandemics seems to be here to stay, and it is causing most people to leave public transport to use private cars, and a few have chosen unipersonal electric vehicles. As a consequence, the decision of using private cars negatively affects the air quality, and consequently urban population health. This paper aims to demonstrate a sustainable solution for urban mobility based on a hydrogen powered unipersonal electric vehicle, which, as shown, provides great advantages over the conventional battery powered unipersonal electric vehicle. To show this, the authors have developed both vehicles in comparable versions, using the same platform, and ensuring that the total weight of the unipersonal electric vehicle was the same in both cases. They have been subjected to experimental tests that support the features of the hydrogen-based configuration versus the battery-based one, including higher specific energy, more autonomy, and shorter recharge time.

Designing lightweight diesel engine alternator support bracket with topology optimization methodology

Decreasing fuel consumption and tailpipe emissions have been an important issue nowadays for automotive industry after new regulations. Fuel consumption is also an important parameter that highly affects the customers’ choice. Reduction of total vehicle weight with optimization is one of the common methods to improve fuel consumption and emissions. There are a lot of studies on body, interior, and engine components of the vehicle to improve fuel efficiency and emissions including design modifications, using alternative material and architectural optimizations. In this article, the optimization of an aluminum support bracket that carry alternator and hydraulic steering pump is studied. First, design space is determined with layout analysis defining constraints and fixing points. Then, topology optimization method is applied in order to explore the load carrying path of the component. Final design is frozen through computational analysis verifications and industrialization phase modifications. A comparison of the new design with the actual production showed that the mass of the current design could be reduced by 37%, while all product expectations were met.

Topology optimisation of crankshaft for weight reduction possibility in farming tractor

The crankshaft is one of the heaviest parts of farm tractor which contributes around 11% total weight of vehicle. This research aims to optimise the lightweight model of internal combustion diesel ...

STRESS ANALYSIS SIMULATIONS OF WELDED AND BOLTED JOINTS METHOD FOR FULL STEEL AND COMPOSITE-STEEL CHASSIS STRUCTURE OF ELECTRIC LOW FLOOR MEDIUM BUS


 Stress analysis of welded steel-to-steel, bolted steel-to-steel, and bolted composite-steel chassis in an electric low floor medium bus structure is presented in this paper. The analysis was carried out on the condition that is when the bus is full of load in idle/static. This condition reflects the situation of the vehicle in full load with passengers and components, which is important to be analyzed to anticipate the unwanted structural failure of the chassis. Finite Element Method (Harmonic response simulation) is used to investigate the structural behavior of both welded and bolted methods. Several parameters such as 2 Hertz for the maximum frequency, 5000 kg for the total vehicle weight, and the uniform distribution of load are used for this study to simulate the simplified, real application in the real world. The first comparison is between the welded and bolted steel-to-steel chassis which results in the bolted method has a lower stress value by the difference of 4.3 MPa in the joint section than the welded joint. This means that the bolted joint is more recommended than welded for the use as an electric low floor medium bus and has the potential to be optimized further. In terms of reducing the weight of the chassis structure, then lightweight material (carbon fiber composite) is used to replace the full steel chassis to be a composite-steel chassis. The use of this hybrid material depicts the stress value of 61.5 MPa in the joint area, this value is still far below the limit of carbon fiber that is 3200 MPa makes this bolted composite-steel is considerably safe in full load condition as an electric low floor medium bus structure. Using this hybrid bolted composite-steel chassis structure also reduces the total chassis weight by about 22.7 % compared to the full steel chassis structure, thus one could expect to extend the mileage of electric vehicles by more than 20 %

The Impact of Freight Vehicle Load on the Condition of Roads in Bosnia and Herzegovina

The number of registered commercial freight vehicles in Bosnia and Herzegovina has been increasing over the years, which affects the traffic load and the condition of roads, especially in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Vehicle overloading is considered to be one of the biggest causes of damage to part of the road surface, especially with regard to the load-bearing road substructure. The focus of the research is the vehicle overloading on the roads of Bosnia and Herzegovina, with special emphasis on determining the type and degree of overloaded vehicles and determining the equivalence factor (EF). In the research phase, data from weighing control stations were used, taking into account the total weight of vehicles, the distribution of total weight on vehicle axles and the equivalent standard axle load for a particular vehicle type over a period of two years. A high degree of overloading was found, especially 5-axle vehicles (58.7%). The level of overloading in the range of 10-20% in relation to the maximum allowed weight is especially apparent. The calculated EF is 3.64 and is higher than the standard EF.

Overview of heavy-duty transport on the territory of Republic Serbia

The subject of this paper is heavy-duty transport in the Republic of Serbia. Permits for heavy-duty transport issued by the public company Roads of Serbia for two representive months: April and September in 2019 were considered. The following data from permits were analyzed: dimension of vehicle, number of axles, total vehicle weight and axle overload. The first part of this paper presents short review of the current analysis of heavy-duty transport in Europe and the world over the last 20 years, and also trends and expectations in the future. Second part of this paper represent statistical processing and analysis of data from permits of heavy-duty transport. On the end of this paper are given conclusions based on analysis of data from permits.

Optimization of ER8 and 42CrMo4 Steel Rail Wheel for Road–Rail Vehicles

Railway track maintenance services aim to shorten the time of removing failures on the railways. One of the most important element that shorten the repair time is the quick access to the failure site with an appropriate equipment. The use of road-rail vehicles is becoming increasingly important in this field. In this type of constructions, it is possible to use proven road vehicles such as self-propelled machines or trucks running on wheels with tires. Equipping these vehicles with a parallel rail drive system allows for quick access to the failure site using both roads and railways. Steel rail wheels of road-rail vehicles are designed for specific applications. Since the total weight of vehicle is a crucial parameter for roadworthiness, the effort is made to minimize the mass of rail wheels. The wheel under consideration is mounted directly on the hydraulic motor. This method of assembly is structurally convenient, as no shafts or intermediate couplings are required. On the other hand, it results in strict requirements for the wheel geometry and can cause significant stress concentration. Therefore, the problem of wheel geometry optimization is discussed. Consideration is given to the use of ER8 steel for railway application and 42CrMo4 high-strength steel. Finite element analysis within Ansys software and various optimization tools and methods, such as random tool, subproblem approximation method and first-order method are applied. The obtained results allow to minimize the rail wheel mass with respect to the used material. Moreover, computational demands and methods leading to the best results are compared.

Rolling Stock for International Motor Trucking

The analysis of the international motor transportation in Russia is carried out, the main directions of cargo transportation, environmental requirements for rolling stock, rules for the vehicles admission for transportation under customs seals, peculiarities of vehicles inspection for international transportation by multilateral approvals and certificate issuance of roadworthiness are presented. The market of rolling stock for international road transportation is described; the limits on dimensions, total weight and thrust capacity of motor vehicles according to the standards of the European Community are mentioned.