Vehicle Manufacturing Industry Research Articles

Health risk assessment of exposure to benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene and xylenes in a vehicle manufacturing industry in Iran

IntroductionConsidering the adverse carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic health effects of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC) and specially Benzene, Toluene, Ethylbenzene and Xylenes (BTEX) which are widely used in vehicle manufacturing industry, it is clear that monitoring and control of occupational exposure to these substances is of utmost significance. More often than not the studies on occupational exposure to VOCs in vehicle manufacturing industry—specifically BTEX—have been carried out exclusively in paint shop units. The purpose of this study was to assess occupational BTEX exposure & health risk in different units of a vehicle manufacturing industry.Material and methodsFoam injection unit (FIU), gluing unit (GU), repair shop unit (RSU), molding unit (MU) as well as paint shop units (PSU) were selected for this study. Sampling and analysis were conducted based on National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) 1501 guidelines by utilizing MSA personal sampling pumps set to 0.2 l/m and Gas Chromatography equipped with Flame Ionization Detector (GC-FID). Risk characterization and assessment was performed using Environmental Protection Agency Risk Assessment Information System (EPA RAIS).Results and conclusionThe results revealed that the concentration of benzene in gluing and paint shop units was above occupational exposure limits. Carcinogenic risk levels in 8 out of 10 units registered in the 1E-2 to 1E-4 range, and only two units registered a risk level below EPA’s acceptable risk level (10–6). The highest risk levels were measured in gluing, paint shop and repair shop units. Furthermore, the total non-carcinogenic hazard quotient was measured higher than 1 in 8 out of 10 studied units. Considering the abundance and wide use of VOCs -most notably BTEX- and the adverse carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic health effects of these compounds, it is advised to: change the type of paint used in paint shops, improve the existing ventilation systems, develop new and more efficient ventilation systems and conduct consistent training.

Dual Redox Mediators Assisted Hierarchically Porous Hollow Carbon Shell Cathode for Enhanced Performance Li‐O2 Battery

AbstractRechargeable lithium‐oxygen (Li‐O2) batteries with high theoretical energy density are regarded as a promising candidate for the booming electric vehicle manufacturing industry, whereas their commercial application is hindered due to poor cyclic stability caused by the sluggish kinetics and inevitable cathode passivation. Herein, a synergistic working mechanism of Li‐O2 battery is initiated by implementing well‐designed hollow carbon shells with hierarchically porous hollow structure (HCS) assisted by dual redox mediators (RMs) simultaneously, so as to systemically address issues of diminished discharge capacity and reaction kinetics. The hierarchically porous structure of HCS constructs more space to accommodate Li2O2, increases the accessibility of active sites, and enhances discharge capacity. More importantly, the dual RMs regulate the growth mechanism of Li2O2 in surface‐mediated mode, resulting in an easily decomposed film‐like Li2O2 with higher electron transport capacity and improving the reaction kinetics. As a result of the synergistic effort, an HCS‐based Li‐O2 battery with dual RMs manifests a total discharge capacity of 24580 mA h g−1 and a prolonged cycle life of 2500 h at the current density of 100 mA g−1. This design philosophy will open up a new way to optimize and upgrade the cathode materials of Li‐O2 batteries.

Is China ready for a hydrogen economy? Feasibility analysis of hydrogen energy in the Chinese transportation sector

Hydrogen plays a crucial role in achieving deep decarbonization in the global transportation sector. This study aims to identify an efficient development strategy for hydrogen energy in China's transportation sector. We propose a market acceptance model integrated with life cycle assessment to analyze the feasibility of adopting hydrogen energy in this sector. We develop a profit-fairness optimization model to maximize the profits of the entire industrial chain, ensuring a fair distribution across upstream, midstream, and downstream components. The study finds that hydrogen energy is currently not feasible in China's transportation sector, with consumer preference close to zero. With the anticipated decrease in the cost of future hydrogen applications, achieving suitable development of the industrial chain requires optimal profitability: 39.44 % in production, storage, and delivery industries, and 11.14 % in the hydrogen fuel cell vehicle manufacturing industry in our case. Recommended future marketing strategies include increasing the profitability of production, storage, and delivery industries through guaranteed market-acceptable prices. Additionally, adopting a thin margin strategy for hydrogen fuel cell vehicle manufacturing industries and prioritizing subsidies.

Импортоемкость регионов российской экономики

In the pre-sanction period, foreign economic relations in Russia were growing in importance. While the country’s gross domestic product increased by 1.75 times in 2013 compared to 2000, imports increased by 5.7 times in comparable prices during this period. Despite actual and potential effects of comparative advantages, the growing dependence on foreign markets also had negative consequences. The study assesses the demand for imported goods, considering the existing interindustry relations in the Russian economy. The paper describes the first stage of comparison of direct and total costs for the Russian economy and presents mathematical tools used to calculate indicators of its import dependence. In the future, we are planning to extend this approach to examine the spatial economy of two macrozones, namely, the European and Asian parts of Russia. Statistics show that the direct import intensity of the Russian economy is approximately 6 %, which is less than the global average. The vertical specialisation index of about 11 % indicates a relatively low dependence of the export of domestic goods on imports. In 2014–2020, total import costs reduced the most in the pulp and paper industry (-5 %) and vehicle manufacturing industry (-3 %) mainly due to a decline in their import intensity. In general, the impact of forced import substitution turned out to be negative for most regions after 2013. The proposed methods can be used to forecast the trade balance and consequences of implementing various import substitution policies. Since that intermediate consumption flows are included in indirect and total costs, it is advisable to develop a methodology accounting for investment goods.

Analysis and Optimization Plan of Supply Chain Management in Chinese Electric Vehicle Manufacturing Industry

Supply chain management is the treatment of the entire production process of goods or services to maximize quality, delivery, customer experience, and profitability. Although the theoretical research on supply chain management in China's manufacturing industry has achieved certain results, how to properly utilize supply chain management in such a rapidly developing society is still an urgent issue. In addition, in China, electric vehicles have gradually replaced traditional fuel vehicles to gradually increase the market share and become the first choice of consumers to buy cars. Thus, the purpose of this paper is to explore the problems in the construction of supply chain management systems for Chinese electric vehicle enterprises through theoretical analysis, put forward suggestions for improvement, and choose Guangzhou Automobile Group as a case study. The difficulty of supply chain and supplier management caused by the multi-level supply chain, as well as the product problems of the enterprise, also exacerbate the exposure of its problems in supply chain management. Therefore, it is necessary to optimize the management system to balance the customer's demand and the company's supply capacity, as well as to strengthen the logistics supervision system.

Review on the Role of Rubber on the Performance of Concrete

Due to the rapid development of the vehicle manufacturing industry, the hazards caused by scrap tire rubber have become one of the serious problems faced by people today. Rubber concrete is made of waste rubber into different particle sizes to replace the fine aggregate in ordinary concrete formed by a new type of composite material, for the disposal of waste tires and rubber opened up a new way, so that waste rubber can be reused. Rubber concrete compared to ordinary concrete has Light weight, good elasticity, high toughness, ductility, impact resistance, good damping, good frost resistance, but its strength is reduced. From the perspective of mechanical properties, durability and modification treatment, the article introduces the research progress of its compressive strength, frost resistance, carbonation resistance, modification treatment, etc., which provides a method for rubber concrete to be used in a wider range of practical projects.

Application of Automatic Recognition and Positioning Technology of Industrial Robot based on Monocular Vision Technology in Vehicle Manufacturing

Combining machine vision technology with intelligent algorithms to improve the automatic identification and positioning technology of industrial robots to meet the production needs in different industrial environments is the current research direction of intelligent robots. In this study, an automatic identification and positioning technology for industrial robots based on monocular vision technology is proposed. First, the template matching algorithm and the Scale-invariant feature transform (SIFT) algorithm are introduced. Aiming at the shortcomings of the Hessian matrix in the SIFT algorithm in the process of eliminating boundary effects, an improved SIFT algorithm using Harris corner point detection is further proposed, and the improved SIFT algorithm is used in the automatic recognition and target positioning operations of industrial robots. In order to verify the performance of the proposed improved SIFT algorithm, the recognition accuracy and positioning angle deflection of the algorithm in different plastic sheets were detected. The experimental results show that under the improved SIFT algorithm, the recognition accuracy of five different styles of plastic sheets is above 98%. The improved SIFT algorithm also has less error between the predicted value and the actual value of the positioning angle deflection on the four plastic sheets. The robot under the improved algorithm is applied to the vehicle manufacturing industry and the production efficiency of the vehicle is improved through the automatic recognition and positioning technology of intelligent robot.

A hybrid fuzzy based approach for industry 4.0 framework implementation strategy and its sustainability in Indian automotive industry

Recently, Indian manufacturing industries have undergone a significant transformation emphasising customer-centric objectives to meet the dynamic market's demands. To achieve this, existing industries must upgrade their existing infrastructure to a smart environment driven by automatic data exchange, transparency, and interconnected digital systems. These are the key enabling elements of Industry 4.0. As a result, many Indian industries are developing various sophisticated implementation strategies for adopting it. However, few research works and strategies contribute to its effective and successful implementation. This paper proposes two types of implementation strategies for implementing Industry 4.0 enabling technologies based on the requirements and adaptability of India's commercial vehicle manufacturing industry. The first strategy identifies various aspects of implementing Industry 4.0 enabling framework elements and categorizes it for developing implementation strategies based on India's commercial vehicle manufacturing industry. The significance of each was determined using fuzzy-AHP analysis and ranked accordingly based on the linguistic responses of the industry experts. The most significant framework element is found to be ‘Decision Making and Management Skills’. The second strategy emphasizes long-term sustainable implementation objectives. The framework elements are reconstructed and developed into a novel, customized sustainable framework based on six dimensions of sustainability. Using the Fuzzy-DEMATEL method, the causal relationships among these elements are investigated to determine a sustainable implementation strategy. ‘Central Database Server’ is determined to be the most significant sustainable framework element, while the maximum number of casual relationships is obtained from the group, ‘Skill upgradation of the workforce’. This paper proposes a novel research direction for implementing Industry 4.0 technologies into the existing industry. The findings provide several insights and strategies for technological upgradation in other industries in this geographical region. The findings of the work enhance the implementation process of I4.0 technologies, transitioning it from a conventional approach to a futuristic sustainable implementation that is economical and effective.

Using Game Theory to Analyze the Carbon Quota Mechanism of China in New Energy Vehicle Manufacturing Industry

In China, with the promotion of sustainable development strategy, controlling carbon emissions of manufacturing industry and promoting energy transition have become important issues. Excessive carbon has contributed to climate warming and increased the cost of environmental governance. This paper will use the approach of evolutionary game to determine the conditions to reach the optimal equilibrium point by studying the decision-making behaviors and benefits of the three main participants: government, enterprises and consumers. And this article also analyzes the efficiency of carbon quota mechanism promoting enterprise transformation. This paper finds that the introduction of carbon quota mechanism can more effectively promote the automobile manufacturing industry to invest in the research and development and production of new energy vehicles. Moreover, according to the results, this essay gives some useful advice that it is necessary to continuously improve the carbon quota mechanism and carbon trading market system and pricing of carbon quota. It is effective to promote enterprise transformation through the market elimination mechanism.

Study on the Fingerprint and Atmospheric Activity of Volatile Organic Compounds from Typical Industrial Emissions

China is prone to severe surface ozone pollution in summer, so it is very important to understand the source of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) to control ozone formation. In this work, the emission characteristics of 91 VOC components from the plastic products industry, packaging and printing industries, printing ink industry, furniture manufacturing and vehicle manufacturing industries were studied. The results show that there are significant differences between these sources, and for the plastic products industry, alkanes (48%) are the most abundant VOCs. The main emission species in the packaging and printing industry are OVOCs (36%) and alkanes (34%). The proportion of OVOCs in the printing ink (73%) and furniture manufacturing industries (49%) is dominated by VOC emissions; aromatic hydrocarbons (33%), alkanes (33%), and OVOCs (17%) are the main emission species in the vehicle manufacturing industry. At the same time, the ozone generation potential (OFP) and secondary organic aerosol formation potential (SOA) of anthropogenic VOC emissions were evaluated, and the top 10 contributors to OFP and SOA were identified. Toluene, o-xylene, and m-xylene had a significant tendency to form OFP or SOA. Then, a health risk assessment of VOC components was carried out. These data can supplement the existing VOC emission characteristics of anthropogenic emissions, thus enriching the research progress of VOC emission sources.

INSIGHTS INTO ELECTRIC VEHICLE MARKET GROWTH IN SOUTH AFRICA: A SYSTEM DYNAMICS APPROACH

The international share of plug-in electric vehicle sales was 8.6% in 2021, compared with South Africa’s 0.1%. Increasing the sale of these vehicles in South Africa is directly tied to the continued existence of South Africa’s vehicle manufacturing industry. To address this challenge, businesses and governments need to understand better the factors influencing electric vehicle adoption. This study identified significant factors that influence and are influenced by electric vehicle adoption. By reviewing the current literature, numerous factors were identified and mapped in a causal loop diagram with an adapted system dynamics approach. The impact of taxation on the cost of electric vehicles and the low availability of electricity negatively affects both consumer confidence in owning an electric vehicle and local manufacturing capacity. This model serves as a useful tool to piece together how various factors in South Africa affect and are affected by electric vehicle adoption.

Automation-induced efficiency and inefficiency: transformative views from air and ground vehicle industry experts

Over years, we have witnessed automation maturity, thus it has become a hot topic in vehicle manufacturing industries. With higher automation poised to appear on roads and air networks, it is vital that we evaluate possible constrains. The results presented in this paper are deduced from a comprehensive interview study, with 20 air and ground vehicle experts. This paper offers the reader a fruitful discussion on automation-induced efficiency and inefficiency from the experience perspectives of experts, and bridge the knowledge gap and contributes to knowledge in the field of automated driving, trucking, flying and farming. The lessons learned show that the industrialisation of vehicle automation is largely hinged by transport and economic demands, and there is still a long way before it is a central part of human life, as there are issues that still needs to be resolved and designed for.

Reduce Transportation Costs Using the Milk-run System and Dynamo Stages in the Vehicle Manufacturing Industry

The vehicle manufacturing industry is one of the automotive industries in Indonesia that produces four-wheeled vehicles with the main product being cars. The vehicle manufacturing industry has several sub-companies including Vehicle Manufacturers (VM) and Vehicle Sales (VS). The VM industry is experiencing problems with rising transportation operating costs. The same thing is also experienced by the corporate company such as VS. In 2020, transportation operational costs incurred by the company exceed the target, which can cause losses for the company. The purpose of this study is to find the cause of the problem and improve the transportation operational costs that continue to increase so that the company gets a reduction in transportation costs. The implementation of the improvement concept is carried out using the Dynamo++ stages starting from pre-study until the implementation of improvements. Through improvements to the milk-run system, it was found that vehicle manufacturers and vehicle sales benefited from a reduction in transportation costs of 77,861 USD or a decrease of 79.3%.

Driving cycle tracking device big data storing and management

<span>Driving cycle is commonly known as a series of speed-time profile. Research on this discipline aids vehicle manufacturing industries in vehicle manufacturing, environmentalists to study on environment quality and profile in accordance to vehicle emissions besides traffic engineers to further investigate the behavior of drivers and the conditions of roads in a certain area or cluster. This also assists automotive industries to innovate energy efficient vehicles which reduce vehicle emissions and energy wastages which lead to air pollution in which a major threat for human health according to Goal 3 of united nations (UN) sustainable development goals (SDG). To construct an accurate driving cycle, data based on real-world driving behavior is crucial and as the world is advancing in technology, the usage of internet of things (IoT) plays an important role in innovatietcons. IoT is an idea of computing every day physical object and information into computers, devices and software. These devices work by using sensors that transmit data to a computer or software allowing them to perform important tasks as needed. In this research, an idea of data collecting device, driving cycle tracking device (DC-TRAD) is constructed with implementation of IoT in which the collected data will be saved into my structured query language (MySQL) database instantly for data storing.</span>

Review on Designing and Development of Loading and Unloading Platform for Two Wheelers

Abstract: Lift is a simple device use to raise the object from ground level to a certain height to perform a specific work with aiming of possible maximum load and minimum efforts. Lifts are generally operated either hydraulic, pneumatic or mechanical type. In many vehicle manufacturing industries, there are using lifting mechanism for loading and unloading operations which have to invest a huge capital for installing a exsisting bulkey and large platform which generally based on hydraulic means. This type of machine uses while export and import business. The main purpose of our study is to design and develop loading and unloading platform for two wheelers. Material selection plays important role in designing a machine and also influence on several factor such as strength, reliability, durability and resistance which leads to increase the life of lift. The aim of the project is to design and development of wire rope operated platform which lifts maximum 877.5 kg load including factor of safety with minimum time and labour for per cycle operation. Platform movement is achieved safely by using wire rope with the help of motor and drum assembly mechanism is of 2.8 m from the ground level. The design is performed by considering a mechanical lift as a portable, suitable for all type of load application and without any hydraulic or pneumatic means. The design is developed keeping in mind that consideration of all safety parameters. Lubrication required in few moving parts only. The aim of this paper is design, analysis and fabrication of a prototype mechanical lift which operate efficiently, consistently, sholud be easy to handle, multifunctional, cost effective, compact in size. Drafting and drawing of loading and unloading mechanical lift carried out in AUTOCAD with suitable modeling. The analysis of mechanical lift includes total deformation load, reaction forces, buckling and bending failures, equivalent stresses were done in ANSYS Software. Finally this analysis of strength, toughness, elasticity and temperature distribution is carried out in order to check the coherance of the design value. Keywords: Lifting Mechanism, Platform, Machine, Design and Development, Analysis, AUTOCAD, ANSYS Software.

Identification and evaluation of barriers in implementation of electric mobility in India

There is a worldwide movement towards the reduction in greenhouse gas emissions using renewable energy resources. Transportation is the main source of greenhouse gases, which are mostly contributed by fossil fuel driven automobiles. The entire world is now focusing on reducing the dependency on fossil fuels and switching over to the usage of electric vehicles. This initiative would result in alleviation of air pollution, reduction in dependence on oil imports and improved business opportunities for electric vehicle manufacturing industries. However, unlike developed countries, the electric vehicle market in India is quite sluggish on account of technological, social and economic barriers. In this paper, various barriers are identified through literature and interaction with domain experts. Subsequently a hybrid structural model, which is a combination of AHP (Analytic Hierarchy Process) and DEMATEL (Decision making trial and evaluation laboratory) is used to evaluate those barriers. The AHP method helped in assimilating the weights or importance of barriers. The DEMATEL approach established the interactive relationships among the barriers and categorized them into cause and effect groups. The findings would help the policy makers and manufacturers to develop strategies that would enhance the penetration of electric vehicles in Indian market.

WITHDRAWN: Analysis of electric vehicle purchase behavior based on FPGA system and neural network

The electrical vehicle purchase behavior is one of the purchase behaviors faced by the vehicle manufacturing industry. The electric vehicle is mainly produced for non-pollution and which provides a majorly green environment and eco-friendly systems, in the previous method, based on fuzzy logic control and digital signal processing for electrical vehicle purchase behavior. And the method is uneven processing of purchase behavior and uneven behavior analysis of the electric vehicle. The proposed system is based on FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array) and Neural Network for electrical vehicle purchase behavior. It easily interfaces with Application-Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC) without any complexities. The neural network calculates electrical data's attribute value without any complex or any error and vehicle purchase development and key factors influencing consumers to electric vehicles. Electric vehicles are to different models and consumers' needs, which serve as a theoretical basis for the widespread use of electric vehicles and serve as a reference for consumers to choose and buy. The application-specific integrated circuit is analyzed in the vehicle manufacturing industry, and related electrical spares manufacturers should consider charging schemes to attract consumers by promoting attractive specifications rather than modification and development.

The effects of the steel’s surface quality on the properties of anti-corrosion coatings

The requirements of painted vehicle construction in terms of corrosion resistance apply not only to cars but also to heavy duty lorries, trucks and agricultural machinery. Phosphating is the most commonly used method for the pre-treatment before painting of ferrous metals in the vehicle manufacturing industry. The task of the phosphate layer between the metal surface and the paint is to protect the metal from corrosion under the paint film and promotes the adhesion of the paint film to the metal substrates. In this study the zinc phosphate conversion layer was deposited onto the steel surfaces from a bi-cationic (nickel-free) phosphating bath by dipping using identical technological parameters. The developed crystal structure and morphology was examined in terms of surface roughness and blasting quality of the metal. The surface quality of the metal was tested by digital light microscopy (LM), and the structure of phosphate coating was investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM).

TESTING OF THE DRONE SWARMS AS A COMMUNICATION RELAY SYSTEM

Background. Intensive development of the unmanned aerial vehicle manufacturing industry has led to the emergence of many of their options for various applications. A separate class of low-flying drones, the work of which takes place within the framework of a certain self-organizing (robotic) group, was made up of drones, combined in a constellation or swarm. All drones of such a swarm together can perform one common function as an independent robotic complex.Objective. The aim of this work is experimental testing and development of the basic principles of controlling a swarm (constellation) of drones and the formation of a cooperative relay system.Methods. The structural and functional methods of constructing a wireless network based on a drone swarm are investigated.Results. Testing a swarm of drones was carried out according to two relay scenarios: passive using metallized reflectors and active using additional SDR radio units. Drones were formed on the basis of the quadcopter model Syma X8 PRO. For testing, radio channels in the 2.4 and 5.8 GHz bands were involved.The developed kit based on the Raspberry Pi and ADALM-Pluto programmable modules allows you to use them very flexibly both on drones and on the ground control station by changing the software on them. Each of the drones has many degrees of freedom with respect to the choice of wireless connection to other swarm drones or external devices, including ground control station. This increases the noise immunity, fault tolerance and functionality of sucha system, as well as the possibility of building it up.Conclusions. Experimental testing and testing of the basic principles of controlling a swarm (constellation) of drones and the formation of a cooperative relay system were carried out. Scenarios for centralized and distributed construction of a collective drone swarm management network for communication services have been developed.

Understanding TiN Precipitation Behavior during Solidification of SWRH 92A Tire Cord Steel by Selected Thermodynamic Models

Tire cord steel is widely used in the tire production process of the vehicle manufacturing industry due to its excellent strength and toughness. Titanium nitride (TiN) inclusion, existing in tire rod, has a seriously detrimental effect on the fatigue and drawing performances of the tire steel. In order to control its amount and morphology, the precipitation behavior of TiN during solidification in SWRH 92A tire cord steel was analyzed by selected thermodynamic models. The calculated results showed that TiN cannot precipitate in the liquid phase region regardless of the selected models. However, the precipitation of TiN in the mushy zone would occur at the final stage during the solidification process (at solid fractions greater than 0.98) if the LRSM (Lever-rule model was applied for the N and Scheil model for Ti) or Ohnaka models (without considering the effect of carbon on secondary dendrite arm spacing (SDAS)) were adopted. For the Ohnaka model, in the case when the effect of carbon on SDAS was considered, TiN would probably precipitate in the solid phase zone rather than precipitate in the liquid phase region or mushy zone.