VEHICLE TECHNOLOGY ENGINEER
Formula SAE-A run & won
FSAE-A moved to Winton with great results for everyone EV - Drive day entices switch by fleets to EVs Toyota - Trial with Melbourne council for hydrogen cars iMove - iMOVE’s cutting-edge project to improve urban transport MEEA Submission - Active Rear-wheel Steering for an FSAE Vehicle
December 2018 Issue 18 Representing mobility engineers since 1927 www.saea.com.au
iMOVE’s cutting-edge project to improve urban transport They look exactly like any other regular CBD fringe streets. But the area in Melbourne bounded by Alexandra Parade, and Lygon, Victoria, and Hoddle Streets, is more than a collection of high-traffic streets, they are also the location of a world-leading urban laboratory. The lab’s name is Australian Integrated Multimodal Ecosystem (AIMES). The research taking place there, is to look at all the many ways we move around in the area — and by extension other urban areas — by foot, or by vehicle. How and where we enter and exit, where and how we move around.
First things first
It collects its data from around 1,000 sensors, placed on the roadside and infrastructure, and in selected cars, trucks, and public transport vehicles. Combine this with other data sources such as myki cards, parking data from the City of Melbourne and the City of Yarra and here is an information-rich environment, purpose built for projects to inform decision making, planning, implementation, and enhancement of transport systems.
“The first thing you need to do to allow multimodal autonomous transport to happen, is to create connections between infrastructure and the transport systems and the customers. Currently, no country in the world actually has a truly fully integrated multimodal transport management system, although many have elements and building blocks in place.”
An iMOVE project with partners Cubic Transportation Systems, the University of Melbourne, VicRoads, Transport for Victoria, and the Transport Accident Commission is currently evaluating data on AIMES to deliver better transport management and demonstrate that improved journey reliability can be delivered in a connected environment. The project is already well progressed. All necessary data has been agreed upon, and early in the New Year a new interface, in which to feed the data, will be ready. Then, toward the end of April 2019, the project researchers will begin to push the data through the system, ready for analysis.
‘At present, everyone is talking about autonomous vehicles and they take for granted that we will have them tomorrow and our cities will be ready for them, however the reality is far from that,’ says Majid Sarvi, the founder and the director of AIMES.
Not only will the collection and evaluation of the data allow transport managers to act in real-time, this project will also deliver algorithms that can predict the onset of congestion, and identify how best to mitigate its potential impact.
Smart and personalised While this would indeed have an impact on individuals, improving travel time, tweaking the allocation of public transport vehicles, and lessening commute-induced stress, there is also a far more personal side to this project. ‘In instances of trouble along a route, rather than broadcasting the same message to everyone on the bus, we could send a message to each person sitting on that bus
and tell them what the best solution is for them,’ says Tom Walker, Cubic TS Managing Director of Asia Pacific, Tom Walker. ‘Transport management of the future has to deliver door-to-door journey management at a personal level. It must recognise that there’s a finite capacity available on each individual route that a customer might use. We can’t build more roads overnight, nor can we infinitely expand the number of carriages on a train, or double the frequency of buses overnight.’
Australia in the lead These limitations to traditional transport options are what make R&D initiatives such as the Cubic project so compelling. Australia has the expertise and facilities to deliver good outcomes in multi-modal mobility, and is already making its mark. Says Walker of Cubic’s choice of home for this research, “‘Australia is leading the world in multi modal transport management – why wouldn’t we [Cubic] want to be at the heart of that?’ Find out more about all our projects and Australia’s smart transport future at www.imovecrc.com
VTE | Contents
Contents
DECEMBER 2018
General meeting of the SAE-A
5
Technical Crash Investigation
6
Formula E and Audi’s new etron
10
Winton welcomes FSAE-A
16
MEEA Submission
22
Special Features 2
iMove -iMOVE’s cutting-edge project to improve urban transport
16
Formula SAE-A - Winton welcomes FSAE-A
VTE News 6
General News
8
Auto News
10
Motorsport News
11
Aerospace News
12
Defence News
13
Rail News
14
Truck News
15
International News
Society News 4
Notes from the Chair - Welcome from Adrian Feeney
5
SAE News - General meeting of the SAE-A
5
Moving - SAE-A moves in with VACC
22
MEEA Submission - Active Rear-wheel Steering for an FSAE Vehicle
Products 26
New Products - for engineering
On the Cover FSAE-A entry from ECU lines up at Winton Raceway in the Internal Combustion class
About the SAE-A SAE-A was founded in 1927 to address the need for further education for all facets surrounding Automotive Engineering, and now encompasses all mobility engineering industries in the Australasian region. The SAE-A is a non-profit organisation that works to serve the needs of its members and to promote the relevance of mobility related technologies to governments, industry and the community in general.
The editor, publisher, printer, the Society of Automotive Engineers – Australasia (SAE-A) and their employees, directors, servants, agents and associated or related entities (Publishing Entities) are not responsible for the accuracy or correctness of the text, pictures or other material comprising the contributions and advertisements contained in this publication or for the consequences of any use made of the products, services and other information referred to in this publication. The Publishing Entities expressly disclaim all liability of whatsoever nature for any consequences arising from the use or reliance on material contained in this publication whether caused to a reader of this publication or otherwise. The views expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect the views of the Publishing Entities. The responsibility for the accuracy or correctness of information and other material is that of the individual contributors and the Publishing Entities do not accept responsibility for the accuracy or correctness of information or other material supplied by others. To the extent permissible by law, the Publishing Entities exclude all liability pursuant to the Competition and Consumer Act 2010 (Cth) or other applicable laws arising from statute or common law. Readers should make their own inquiries prior to the use of, or reliance on, any information or other material contained in this publication, and where necessary seek professional advice. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or part without the written permission of SAE-A is strictly prohibited.
www.saea.com.au
VTE | 3
Introduction | Secretary, CEO and Chairman Society of Automotive Engineers
VTE Published By:
Adrian Feeney
ABN: 95 004 248 604
Secretary, CEO and Chairman Society of Automotive Engineers – Australasia
Society of Automotive Engineers - Australasia
Address: PO Box 103, Werribee Vic 3030 Phone: 0403 267 166 Email: info@sae-a.com.au Web: www.saea.com.au
Board of Directors: Chairman CEO & Secretary Adrian Feeney Committee:
Kai Morganti Mounir Kiwan Membership & Subscriptions Name: Rose DeAmicis Email: rose@sae-a.com.au
Magazine Production: Editor Mandy Parry-Jones Trading Terms Media Email: mandypj@optusnet.com.au Mobile: 0409 806 986 Design Brigid Fraser Email: fraseram@optusnet.com.au Mobile: 0413 009 122 Advertising Jill Johnson Jill Johnson Media Email: jj@jilljohnsonmedia.com.au Mobile: 0409 217 624
VTE Industry Partner: Excellerate Australia
4 | December 2018
Dear members, welcome to the final edition of our magazine, Vehicle Technology Engineer for 2018. No doubt you are looking forward to a relaxing break and some quality time spent with family and friends. This is indeed a special time of the year and an opportunity to recharge the batteries and prepare for another big year in 2019 as it will no doubt be, it always is. Here at SAE-A National Office, we to are looking forward to putting our feet up and reflecting on an amazing year. We are humbled by the support we have received from our members over the past 12 months and are eternally grateful for the confidence you have shown us as we worked to rebuild the Society. To that end, I am pleased to report that we have finished the year off with a great deal of momentum. In November we held our first General Meeting since the rebuild and reported the financial stability we now enjoy, the money we have in the bank is sufficient to provide us with the surety to launch into 2019 knowing we can afford to run all the programs we have planned. Our flagship event, Formula SAE was a huge success with 32 teams attending, more than 700 students competing and more than 130 volunteers helped to make FSAE 2018 the best ever. Everyone was full of praise for our new
venue, Winton Raceway in Central Victoria where we were thrilled to welcome the mayors of both Benalla and Wangaratta as our keynote speakers and guests of honour. The whole community made us feel so welcome it’s an easy decision for us to return there in 2019. Congratulations to the winning teams, our own Monash in the Internal Combustion class and from Germany, TU Munich in the Electric Vehicle class. But also, congratulations to all teams that participated as this event is the best opportunity those students will get to enhance their abilities as professional engineers The Board is about to hold its final meeting for the year, where there will be a heavy focus on planning for 2019 and beyond. To that end, I would like to take this opportunity to welcome our newest staff member, Amanda Bain who takes on the role of Event Coordinator, so please make her welcome as she settles into her new role and contacts you in the new year as we ramp up our activities for the benefit of our members Again, thanks to each one of you for your support, have an amazing time over Christmas and New Year and I look forward to more engagement with you in the coming months.
SAE | News
General meeting of the SAE-A
On 14 November 2018, a general meeting of the SAE-A was held in Melbourne where Adrian Feeney, Mounir Kiwan and Rose DeAmicis presented an update on the SAE-A. A look at the years in review showed that in September 2017 the association went into voluntary administration which led to a small group being formed to save the SAE-A and FSAE-A. This was accepted by the unsecured creditors and through the support of members the association was able to start the rebuilding process. The financial situation for the SAE-A was provided to members in attendance – these figures may be obtained by members of the SAE-A from the office. The figures showed a steady climb back into the black and projections for the future are solid. Today the SAE-A team consists of Rose DeAmicis who works 3-days per week in membership and administrative duties, Adrian Feeny who is honorary CEO and secretary with a board that includes Mounir Kiwan and Kai Morganti. Ray Samos has been the bookkeeper for the association. The magazine group has been working for a year to revitalise the SAE-A magazine: Vehicle Technology Engineer (VTE). In 2018, the
association has focused on delivering FSAE-A, producing four editions of VTE, running training courses, and presenting a FISITA travel scholarship as well as updating the SAE-A website. The future of the automotive industry in Victoria was touched on and shows a better picture than is often described with Ford Australia keeping design and engineering and R&D in Victoria (2000 employees), Holden expanding its engineering base with 150 new engineers, and the State remains home to the Nissan Casting Plant (exporting Leaf components), and head offices for Nissan, BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Porsche, Renault and Mazda. IVECO and PACCAR remain as major players in the truck sphere and our universities and training institutions are world class. However, it is necessary to cast a wider net for engineers and so new industry sectors to explore include transport technologies, off-site construction, defence and aerospace, rail and autonomous and EV technologies. So, in 2019 there are a number of new and
exciting opportunities on the horizon with tours planned of APV and Walkinshaw Racing, then 20th anniversary celebrations for FSAE-A in September, the FSAE-A event again to be held at Winton Raceway, planning for the 2021 FISITA conference in Australia, the Excellence Awards in Mobility Technology, and a member survey among other things.
SAE-A moves in with VACC
After fruitful discussions with the Victorian Automobile Chamber of Commerce (VACC) it was decided that the Society of Automotive Engineers – Australasia would benefit from having an office inside VACC house in St Kilda Road, Melbourne. The synergy of this association is seen as beneficial for both parties.
SAE-A Welcome PACCAR
The SAE-A would like to welcome PACCAR as a member and as a major sponsor of the association. PACCAR has been involved with truck manufacturing since 1966 and produced its 60,000th Kenworth truck in 2017. The company also imports and sells DAF Trucks and supports its truck sales with PACCAR Parts. PACCAR supports an extensive engineering area at its office, warehouse and manufacturing facility located in Bayswater, Victoria. Recently the company was presented with the Large Employer of the Year Award for 2018 at the Australian Training Awards in recognition of a large business that employs www.saea.com.au
200 or more full-time employees and achieved excellence in the provision of nationally recognised training. PACCAR Australia earlier this year won the Victorian Manufacturing Award for Workforce Development. The company has twice won the Victorian State Government’s Employer of the Year (WPC category) Training Awards, and the Federal Government’s Industry Training Award for Manufacturing, in 2012 and 2007, as well as AHRI Awards for Talent Development and Management in 2017 and 2014.
Rose DeAmicis and Jill Johnson
The SAE-A office is now fully operational and is situated at: SAE – Australasia VACC House, Level 3, 464 St Kilda Road Melbourne Vic 3004 Tel: 0403 267 166 Email: info@sae-a.com.au Website: www.saea.com.au Postal: PO Box 103 Werribee Vic 3030 VTE | 5
News | General
New staff member FISITA 2018 attended by SAE-A’s student travelling fellow for SAE-A Late in 2018 the SAE-A announced the appointment of a new staff member, Amanda Bain from The Bain Event, a consulting company specialising in event management.
In October 2018, the 37th FISITA Congress took place in Chennai, India, one of the biggest cultural, economic and educational centres in South India. The FISITA 2018 theme was Disruptive Technologies for Affordable and Sustainable Mobility. Alongside the technical program, the Congress featured a global exhibition, special sessions, student and young engineers’ activities, technical visits and social events.
SAE-A was represented by Durgada Sankesh a PhD student from RMIT University as the SAEA’s student travelling fellow. He presented a paper Lean Limit Study of CNG with Direct Injection. Mr Sankesh said of his trip:
“This is an exciting development; not only does Amanda bring a wealth of experience in this area but for those who have had the pleasure of meeting her, a high level of what I call contagious enthusiasm,” Adrian Feeney SAE-A CEO said. “Equally important though is the significance of SAE-A being able to grow our staff levels post the events of 2017, a truly remarkable achievement and a sign of our strong sense of direction for the Society. “The plan is for Amanda to start early January, immediately after we return from our Christmas close down.” The Bain Event was established in 2017 by Amanda Bain, an event manager and professional conference organiser with more than 10 years’ experience.
“The entire event of two weeks was great! We had travelling fellows from Europe (Italy, Switzerland, Germany and Czech), India and SriLanka. It was wonderful networking with everyone. We had three industrial visits: 1. Wabco Brakes - We had a live demonstration of ABS braking system on heavy duty trucks in their proving ground. 2. Ashok Leyland - We visited their manufacturing and assembly plant. They are mainly into commercial transport (buses, trucks, etc) 3. Mahindra Research Valley (MRV) - this is
one of the biggest automotive research centers in the industry in India. We were shown some of the ongoing research projects on vehicle testing, NVH and powertrain development. 4. Renault Nissan India Technical Center - this was a short visit. Here the head of product development presented their developmental activities and we had a good discussion on the future directions for the auto industry. The MRV was the main highlight and the most interesting among the three. Following the industrial visits, we had two days of cultural visit to some of the prominent historical monuments around Chennai. The conference and exhibition was well organised by SAE India. They did a really good job in managing such a big gathering. We had attendees from all over the world. It was insightful listening to the auto giants sharing their views on the future of automotive industry. Connected and shared mobility, improvement of engine technology, alternate and efficient propulsion – these were the main topics of discussion in the congress.”
Technical Crash Investigation
Ms Bain has worked with the Council of Ambulance Authorities, the Master Plumbers’ and Mechanical Services Association, Australian Glass & Glazing Association as well as a number of other well known industry and government departments. She will be instrumental in organising various events for the SAE-A including conferences, seminars, workshops and training events. Ms Bain has qualifications in business administration from Victoria University. www.thebainevent.com 6 | December 2018
A total of 11 participants enrolled in the Technical Crash Investigation course delivered by Dr Shane Richardson from 17 - 21 September 2018. Dr Richardson is a regular expert witness in many road collision court cases in Australasia due to his wealth of experience and knowledge in this field. Candidates came from all over Australia as well as Singapore to learn how to investigate vehicle collisions based on scientific and mathematical analysis. The four days of classroom training was followed by a day at the RACV crash vehicle garage facility where participants correlated their theoretical learnings with actual outcomes. SAE-A plans to run more courses in 2019 and it’s highly recommended that engineers, insurance assessors and critical response police officers should complete this course as a part of their job training.
General | News
Yamaha 3-wheeler in production
When Yamaha debuted the MWT-9 concept three-wheeler at the Tokyo Motor Show in October 2015, many were impressed by its technology. Two years later at the same show, Yamaha unveiled the world’s first 3-wheel leaning motorcycle and production of the Niken began in the second half of this year. Based on the popular Yamaha Tracer 900 sport‐touring motorcycle, the Niken is powered by a similar 847cc, liquid‐cooled, four‐valve DOHC crossplane‐crankshaft 3-cylinder engine retuned via fuel‐injection mapping and a slightly heavier crank. Invented in 1817 by German carriage builder Georg Lankensperger (and named for Rudolph Ackermann, who filed the patent), an Ackermann linkage permits wheels tied by an axle to independently track the required radius of a turn, as the inner wheel must follow a tighter radius than the outer to prevent wheel slip or scrubbing. Yamaha calls its Ackermann setup the Leaning Multi‐Wheel (LMW) system. The Yamaha LMW parallelogram uses Ackermann steering geometry with separate steering and lean axles, a 20‐degree caster angle and a fixed track of 410 mm (16.1 in). An offset steering knuckle and tie rod keep the geometry consistent throughout the full range of lean regardless of steering input, and the parallel linkage connects to two fork stanchions mounted to the outside of each front wheel to create the fixed geometry. This allows the front wheels to turn and articulate in their own radius, even during lean.
On the Niken, maintaining low friction in the parallelogram was key in creating a natural feeling as the motorcycle moves throughout its roll axis. To accomplish this, the LMW linkage uses a combination of bushings and tapered‐roller, ball and spherical bearings. All adjustments are factory set, with the only provisions a front‐wheel “toe” adjustment and a steering‐ head adjustment to correlate handlebar‐to‐ wheel alignment. The engineering team noted that reaching the Niken’s maximum lean angle of 45 degrees was one of its biggest challenges, in concert with creating an Ackermann setup that still behaves like a normal motorcycle — including requisite counter‐steering inputs. The innate stability provided by the two-wheeled front end allows for aggressive chassis geometry, including a trail specification of only 74 mm (2.9 in), 25% less than a typical sportsbike.
Further information about the bike is at www.sae.org/news/2018/10/2018-yamaha-nikenchassis-tech?eid=363790092&bid=2290959
Female engineers the only field where women earn more In 2017, the median starting salary for female undergraduates was $59,000 compared with $60,100 for male undergraduates. Of note, the male starting salary rose by $100 between 2016 to 2017, whereas the female salary rose by $2600. Female undergraduates in science and mathematics recorded the largest annual salary increase of $2900. Only four of the 19 fields of study, for which data are available, saw female undergraduates with a median starting salary higher or on par (a difference of $1000 or less) with male counterparts in 2017. Engineering was the only field where women earned more ($1500 per annum) than men in 2017. Interestingly, while women were far www.saea.com.au
less likely to study engineering and related technologies than men, they tended to study at higher levels than men when they did study in this field. In 2017, 39 percent of women with a qualification in engineering and related technologies had a bachelor degree and 11 percent had a postgraduate degree as their qualification, compared with 17 percent and 4 percent of men, respectively. Around 61 percent of men with a qualification in engineering and related technologies, had a Certificate III/IV as their qualification.
November manufacturing performance down after 26 months of recovery The Australian Industry Group Australian Performance of Manufacturing Index fell 7.0 points to 51.3 points in November, indicating slower growth in the manufacturing sector. This is the lowest result since October 2017. Manufacturing conditions were stronger in Victoria and South Australia but fell into contraction in New South Wales and Queensland. The Australian PMI has indicated 26 months of uninterrupted recovery and expansion which is the longest run of recovery or expansion in this data series since 2005. Five of the eight sectors in the Australian PMI expanded in November and three were broadly stable. The large metals and machinery & equipment sectors reported buoyant conditions at the start of the year but have been slowing in the past six months to be broadly stable in November. The average wage index fell below its historical average in November, indicating that fewer manufacturing businesses lifted wages than in the preceding months. Manufacturing employed 978,000 people in August 2018 its highest level since 2010. Manufacturing employment increased by 3.2 percent over the quarter and 10.5 percent over the year to August 2018. Manufacturing accounted for 30.4 percent of all new jobs created in Australia in the year to August 2018, according to the ABS Labour Force Quarterly. The Australian PMI employment index moved into mild contraction in November. This index was buoyant in the first half of 2018, reaching a record high in March 2018 but the index been trending down over the last few months. VTE | 7
News | Auto
Auto Innovation Lab for Victoria
Toyota trial with Melbourne council for hydrogen cars
Victorian manufacturers will be better equipped to design and make more innovative products for the global automotive market, thanks to the backing of the Andrews Labor Government after the government announced $640,000 for a new Automotive Innovation Lab to be based in Victoria.
Toyota Australia is partnering with a Melbourne council for a real-world trial of environmentally friendly, zero CO2 emitting hydrogen-electric vehicles.
The lab will have the high-tech equipment, tools, vehicles and latest digital technologies to enable businesses to innovate, design, test and create automotive aftermarket products.
Toyota Australia’s Manager of Advanced Technology Vehicles and Site Development, Matt MacLeod, said the trial will go a long way to normalising the new technology.
Led by the Australian Automotive Aftermarket Association (AAAA), the lab will feature a dedicated on-site training facility to help smaller organisations and startups develop new products and grow their capability.
Three Toyota Mirai Fuel Cell Electric Vehicles (FCEVs), the first of their kind to be driven by members of the public in Australia, will be provided to Hobson’s Bay City Council in Melbourne’s inner west for a 12-week trial. During that period, the Mirais (Japanese for ‘future’) will be driven by council staff under a range of conditions and at different times of the day, just like any other vehicle.
“We know that it’s only a matter of time before CO2 regulations arrive in Australia, and that’s why there is such a huge focus on zero emission vehicles like the Mirai,” Mr MacLeod said. “This trial is a step in the right direction and that’s why we’re excited to partner with Hobson’s Bay City Council to see these Mirai used in a number of real-world applications. “It’s a great opportunity to highlight the fact that these cars drive just like any other vehicle, except they don’t make any engine noise and emit nothing but water vapour. “Like most hydrogen powered vehicles, the Mirai isn’t currently available for sale in Australia, mainly because there isn’t existing hydrogen refuelling infrastructure to support it,” Mr MacLeod said. The trial FCEVs will be refuelled at a mobile hydrogen refueller based at Toyota’s former manufacturing site in nearby Altona - a 13-minute drive to Hobson’s Bay City Council. The trial with Hobson’s Bay City Council will be the first of several trials run by Toyota Australia over the next three years, with Australia’s number one car company planning to loan the Mirai FCEVs to participating companies or organisations for up to 12-weeks at a time.
The lab will offer advanced manufacturing services including 3D scanning and printing, measuring sessions, technology transfer and Computer Aided Design. With these testing facilities available in Australia, companies will save time and costs in designing and delivering new products. The lab will benefit advanced manufacturers across a broad range of industries and help create more than 600 jobs across the automotive aftermarket manufacturing sector. Victoria’s manufacturing industry contributes $27.7 billion to the Victorian economy, with over 13,000 businesses employing 288,000 people. It also exported $18.16 billion of manufactured goods in 2016-17. Victorian manufacturing is thriving, with the latest figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics showing growth of over 6700 jobs from August 2017 to August 2018. The growth in manufacturing is backed by the Labor Government’s $130 million in manufacturing support, which is creating over 6,000 jobs and driving $1.6 billion in private investment. 8 | December 2018
Australian Robyn Denholm chair of Tesla board Tesla announced that Australian Robyn Denholm was appointed as chair of the Tesla board.
Ms Denholm has served on the Tesla board as an independent director since 2014. Her global experience in both Australia and Silicon Valley encompasses leadership roles across a range of technology companies, including Telstra, Juniper Networks and Sun Microsystems. She is widely credited with leading a team that drove significant increases in Juniper’s revenues, overseeing Juniper’s corporate transformation during her nine-year tenure as Chief Financial and Operations Officer. Her experience also includes numerous finance management roles in the automotive industry. “I believe in this company, I believe in its mission and I look forward to helping Elon and the Tesla team achieve sustainable profitability and drive long-term shareholder value,” Ms Denholm said. “Robyn has extensive experience in both the tech and auto industries, and she has made significant contributions as a Tesla Board member over the past four years in helping us become a profitable company,” said Elon Musk. “I look forward to working even more closely with Robyn as we continue accelerating the advent of sustainable energy.”
Auto | News
EV drive day entices switch by fleets to EVs
Australian fleet buyers have signalled a switch to electric vehicles (EVs) in the next two years, on the back of a unique EV Drive Day convened by the Clean Energy Finance Corporation (CEFC). The EV Drive Day brought together 60 fleet buyers and managers from 41 organisations, who were given the chance to test drive electric passenger and light commercial vehicles. With 13 models available for testing, the event represented the largest collection of EVs in one place in the Australian market.
included charging infrastructure and the upfront cost of EVs.
Collectively, the drivers completed 180 laps of the three-kilometre Lakeside Drive track at Melbourne’s Albert Park, giving them a chance to experience the performance options of multiple vehicles.
“We see fleet buyers and managers as having a critical role to play in accelerating the switch to electric vehicles. They have strong purchasing power, which can help drive down costs. With their focus on operational efficiency and cost, they can also help demonstrate the benefits of electric vehicles compared with diesel and petrol-powered engines.
The majority of the fleet buyers and managers who participated in the EV Drive Day (47 percent) had more than 250 vehicles in their fleet, with almost a third having 50-250 vehicles In a post event survey, the fleet buyers and managers were asked about their intentions regarding electric vehicles: 50 percent signalled the would include EVs in their fleets within 12-24 months, and 38 percent forecast they would have more EVs within three months. The fleet buyers and managers were also asked to name the main attraction of EVs, identifying reduced fuel and maintenance costs, as well as lower emissions. Potential concerns about switching to EVs
“Electric vehicles offer an exciting opportunity to tackle our greenhouse gas emissions, from family cars through to light commercial vehicles and heavy-duty trucks,” CEFC CEO Ian Learmonth said.
“Our survey provides a small but important snapshot of buyer intentions.” The EV Drive Day was co-sponsored by the Victorian Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning, and supported by the Australasian Fleet Management Association (AfMA), JET Charge, Chargefox and the Royal Automobile Club of Victoria. Attendees included nine manufacturers, as well as fleet financiers and rental and car share companies. Another very important development in this
market is the increasing range of commercial vehicles, from smaller-scale buses and vans to heavy duty trucks and electric garbage trucks. The CEFC has identified lowering transportrelated emissions as a key priority in efforts to reduce carbon emissions across the Australian economy. Transport accounts for almost 20 percent of Australia’s greenhouse gas emissions, or around 100 million tonnes of emissions each year.
$10M to support Australia’s auto innovation The Coalition Government is supporting Australia’s automotive innovation with a $10 million initiative to help local businesses expand into new markets. Minister for Industry, Science and Technology, Karen Andrews, announced applications are open for the $7 million Automotive Innovation Lab Access Grants program—supporting businesses across Australia to undertake automotive product development.
Innovation Lab facility in South Australia and enhance an approved facility in Victoria. While the South Australian facility is being built, a shopfront will be established in South Australia to facilitate business access to the Victorian facility.
Australian business can receive up to $200,000 in matched funding for eligible project costs through the Automotive Innovation Lab Access Grants program.
“The Coalition Government is committed to supporting an internationally competitive and globally integrated automotive sector in Australia,” Minister Andrews said.
Eligible project costs can include design, prototype and testing activities at established commercial and research facilities and Automotive Innovation Labs.
“The Automotive Innovation Lab Access Grants program will help businesses improve the time to market for new automotive products, enhance product offerings for local and global markets and expand high-value automotive manufacturing operations in Australia.”
As part of the initiative, the Australian Automotive Aftermarket Association, the national industry association representing the automotive industry, will also receive a $3 million grant over the next two years. The grant will be used to build an Automotive www.saea.com.au
“Automotive Innovation Labs are worldclass automotive testing facilities that allow businesses to integrate new automotive
products with the latest vehicle models and technologies.” “This will boost industry capability to manufacture products that comply with both local and international standards.” The $10 million Automotive Innovation Labs program, announced in the 2017-18 Budget, is a key element of the Coalition Government’s $100 million Advanced Manufacturing Fund, supporting Australian workers and businesses to move into new areas of growth in the automotive sector. The Government recognises Centre Alliance’s strong advocacy in the establishment of this grant. This initiative follows the recent launch of $5 million Automotive Engineering Graduate Program, aimed at providing a steady flow of qualified, job-ready engineers into the Australian automotive sector. VTE | 9
News | Motorsport
Formula E and Audi’s new etron Audi has unveiled the newly developed Audi etron FE05, which will be driven by Daniel Abt and Lucas di Grassi in the fifth season of the ABB FIA Formula E Championship. The new season, which starts on December 15, in Ad Diriyah (Saudi Arabia), will see a new era in the championship – the electric car’s greater range meaning for the first time, drivers will need only one race car for each race. This represents the greatest Formula E innovation to date. For the first time since the series was launched in 2014, drivers will only use one car per race to tackle the new 2018/2019 season. Since the batteries now have the capacity to last the entire 45 minute race distance, the mandatory car change during the race has been eliminated. This is a testimony to how motorsport – especially Formula E – is advancing innovations and technology. At the heart of the Audi etron FE05 is the drivetrain, which consists of the motor, inverter, gearbox, components of the rear suspension, as well as the corresponding software. While the rest of the car is identical for all teams, manufacturers get the opportunity to showcase their technical expertise with the drivetrain. In the fourth season of the all electric race series, which concluded with Audi Sport ABT Schaeffler winning the teams’ title in New York mid July. The motor generator unit, dubbed the Audi Schaeffler MGU03, was jointly developed by Audi and its technology partner Schaeffler, with engineers putting particular emphasis on making the package even more efficient and further increasing its level of effectiveness. “We retained the basic concept with one gear and at the same time refined the
details and manufactured all of the parts,” Tristan Summerscale, Formula E Project Leader at Audi said. In all, 95 percent of the drivetrain parts are new and engineers were able to shave 10 percent off the weight. Summerscale and his team began developing the Audi etron FE05 as early as mid 2017, even before the start of last season. By the end of July 2018, the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) had homologated the car. Changes are no longer permitted, only the software may be improved during the season. For the fifth season of Formula E, the motor is permitted to produce up to 250kW in qualifying, but in the race, the output is capped at 200kW. New are the so called activation zones: when drivers pass through this zone on the racetrack, they can briefly access a higher power mode of 225kW. Formula E fans can still support their favourite driver by casting their vote online via ‘FanBoost’, which gives drivers a temporary power boost of up to 250kW. All Formula E teams draw electricity from identical McLaren batteries weighing 374 kilograms. The lithiumion battery is mounted between the driver’s seat and the powertrain and has a capacity of 52 kWh and can be charged within 45 minutes.
A completely new development for the fifth season is the ‘BrakebyWire’ system. Brake control and transmission to the rear axle are decoupled from each other and electronically controlled, meaning the brake balance is always optimally distributed and recuperation becomes even more efficient. Like in Formula 1, the driver sits in a monocoque made of carbonfibre, developed to comply with FIA safety standards. The minimum weight of a Formula E race car is 900 kilograms (including the driver). The electric race car accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h in 3.1 seconds with a top speed of around 240km/h. Of particular note, the new generation of the Audi etron FE05 comes without a rear wing, which is a rarity in motorsport. Instead, downforce is generated by a large diffuser at the rear of the race car. Thirteen races in 12 major cities are planned for the fifth season of the electric race series. Between the opening round in Ad Diriyah and the doubleheader finale in New York in mid July 2019, races will be held in Marrakesh (Morocco), Mexico City (Mexico), Hong Kong (China), Rome (Italy), Paris (France), Monaco and Berlin (Germany). In addition to the Audi works team, the British Virgin Racing squad will field Audi etron FE05 race cars for the first time in the 2018/2019 season. This partnership is new for the fifth season, with a healthy competition between the two teams intended to continually increase the performance level. The Audi Sport ABT Schaeffler team is a founding member of Formula E with Daniel Abt and Lucas di Grassi competing since the very first race. The Brazilian clinched the title in the drivers’ championship in the third season (2016/2017), and the 2017/2018 season concluded with di Grassi as runner up and Abt in fifth place.
10 | December 2018
Aerospace | News
Australian International Airshow 2019 shows F-35 and F-22
The world’s two most potent warplanes will lead the cavalcade of military heavy metal at Airshow 2019. Both the F-35 Strike Fighter and the F-22 Raptor will perform high energy, simulated combat manoeuvres and also be on static display. The F-35 is the latest addition to Australia’s airborne arsenal. The Raptor, from the United States, also boasts an impressive design profile. In terms of speed, manoeuvrability, stealth and its ability to strike the enemy this $400-million jet fighter is an awesome defence asset. The aircraft’s shape and the use of radar absorbent materials make it difficult to detect
and track by radar. It is also designed to have low radio, heat and noise emissions and is difficult to see with the naked eye. Impressively the F-22 can “supercruise” at almost twice the speed of sound without engaging its after burners. The Australian International Airshow 2019 will be on from 1 -3 March 2018. For more information visit www.airshow.com.au
Quickstep secures inaugural Defence Business of the Year award Sydney-based Quickstep has taken out the Defence Business of the Year Award at the 2018 Optus My Business Awards. The Defence Business of the Year Award recognises achievement in the fields of defence-related manufacturing, technology, transportation, training and education, media and communications businesses, and was contested in 2018 by leading Australian businesses, including the Australian subsidiaries of international companies. Quickstep’s portfolio of long-term defence and aerospace contracts includes component manufacturing for the Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) Program, the C-130J and LM-100J military transport and commercial aircraft, and new business secured with Boeing Defense and Chemring. The award showcases Quickstep’s capability in providing reliable and innovative advanced carbon fibre manufacturing for the aerospace industry. www.saea.com.au
Asia Pacific MRO to promote industry in Queensland
Brisbane has landed the latest in a global series of aviation industry maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) events, establishing Queensland as an aerospace industry leader. Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk and Minister for State Development, Manufacturing, Infrastructure and Planning Cameron Dick announced Brisbane to host MRO Australasia 2020, on 11-12 March. MRO Australasia will analyse and investigate the MRO landscape in our fast developing region and provide a forum for airlines, MROs, suppliers, OEMs, regulators and industry experts. A 2-day conference will cover maintenance, repair and overhaul for all fixed wing aircraft, business, general and regional aviation and rotorcraft. Attendees will get hands-on with the latest technologies, tools and resources through the exhibition. “We look forward to welcoming the inaugural MRO Australasia to Brisbane in 2020,” the Premier said. “With Queensland’s growing reputation as a major aviation hub of the Asia-Pacific, there is no better place in Australasia to discuss aircraft maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) than Queensland.
This announcement follows recent wins in the Premier’s Export Awards in the NSW Defence Industries category, which recognised a variety of key export successes for 2018, with a series of contract wins, collaborations and contract expansions on key projects with major global industry partners responsible for driving the Quickstep’s growth, including Boeing Defense, General Atomics and Airbus. Quickstep is an independent aerospacegrade advanced composite manufacturer in Australia, operating from state-of-theart aerospace manufacturing facilities at Bankstown Airport in Sydney and a manufacturing and R&D/process development centre in Geelong, Victoria. The group employs more than 200 people in Australia and internationally.
“Our state boasts considerable civil and military aviation strengths - our depth of capability, our world-class expertise and our strategic location. “In 2015–16, Queensland’s aircraft manufacturing and repair businesses generated around $1.2 billion in revenue and contributed $565 million to Queensland’s economic growth, as well as providing over 4200 jobs across more than 300 enterprises. “Hosting the event will accelerate growth in the sector, and help generate the high paid, sustainable jobs of the future.” Like MRO Asia-Pacific, MRO Australasia will be run by Aviation Week Network. “Australia is a rapidly growing aviation hub and the aviation MRO industry is booming in the region,” said Greg Hamilton, President of Aviation Week Network.
VTE | 11
News | Defence
DST alliance with Rheimetall for land capability research A new strategic alliance between Rheinmetall and Defence Science and Technology (DST) will advance the development of innovative technologies for land capability. The alliance cements a longstanding research relationship that will deliver greater land power for Defence. Some of the cutting edge technologies developed under the strategic alliance will support the Boxer combat reconnaissance vehicle fleet which Army is acquiring from Rheinmetall.
to achieve future warfighting success and partnering with industry ensures Defence stays ahead of the technology curve.
The five-year strategic alliance expands cooperation into new technology areas, including the development of autonomous vehicle systems.
Chief Defence Scientist, Dr Alex Zelinsky and Mr Gary Stewart, Managing Director of Rheinmetall Defence Australia signed the alliance in Melbourne.
The alliance with Rheinmetall marks DST’s 17th long-term, strategic partnering agreement with industry to deliver game changing capabilities for Defence.
Research in autonomous systems is a must
Women and girls encouraged to engineer for defence
More than 1400 female students and 80 teachers participated in various interactive activities at Melbourne’s Luna Park, including learning about driverless cars and experiencing HoloLens firsthand. Minister for Defence the Hon Christopher Pyne said the interactive activities offered students the opportunity to have fun with rides and attractions while exploring the possibilities of STEM-related fields. “Women represent only 16 percent of STEM graduates across Australia. In order for
Defence, and indeed the country, to get the very best capability, we need to have greater female participation in STEM subjects,” Minister Pyne said. “We may have the next aerospace inventor, satellite engineer, or a future fast jet pilot at the AIR4 event. For these girls, we see their
future as limitless, and we would like them to see it that way too.” Minister Ciobo said activities like AIR4 offered students the opportunity to better understand how STEM subjects can be applicable across all professions and industries.
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Rail | News
Labour crisis in the rail sector at peak hour A fast developing skilled labour crisis in the rail sector will deliver a substantial blow out in project costs and delivery delays to rail projects in Australia and New Zealand over the next 10 years according to BIS Oxford Economics Pty Ltd in a report commissioned by the Australasian Railways Association. “The report is a call to action to government and industry. Immediate corrective action to fill skills gaps with fit-for-purpose training is needed to avoid these blowouts,” CEO Danny Broad said. “Investment of over $100 billion in rail projects by Australian governments over the next 10 years, will be undermined by shortages of skilled labour that dramatically impact the construction of new rail systems, and our capacity to operate them. “The next 10 years will herald a renaissance of rail in Australia – important urban passenger projects such as the Melbourne and Sydney Metros, Brisbane’s Cross River Rail, Perth’s Metronet and multiple light rail infrastructure and rolling stock investment as well as crucial freight projects such as Inland Rail, which will provide direct freight link from Brisbane to Melbourne.
high-level taskforce of government, industry, and education providers with three-pronged focus: 1. Facilitate the development and maintenance of an Australasian Rail Industry Pipeline of rail projects to map skilled labour required across construction, manufacturing, operations and maintenance. The ANZIP pipeline, established by Infrastructure Partnerships Australia, which enjoys financial backing from both the Australian and NZ governments, should be adapted and refined for this purpose; 2. Develop a National Rail Industry Skills Development Strategy to drive reform in education and training systems and practices that increase the availability of required skills, their productivity, transferability, and mobility while retaining a commitment to quality and safety;
“Modelling shows that in 2023, the peak of the construction phase, we may have workforce gaps of up to 70,000 people.”
3. Boost awareness and attraction of rail careers. The need to attract skills and career aspirants to the rail industry is widely recognised. Industry has a significant responsibility in this regard. The taskforce should add its weight to initiatives such as establishing ‘branding partnerships’ with related industries across transport, mining and manufacturing. transport, mining and manufacturing.
The report recommends the establishment of a
The Australasian Railway Association
“Unless we address shortages due to market failure, attrition, and unsuitable training arrangements, projects will blow out in terms of delivery and cost.
engaged BIS Oxford Economics to undertake a workforce capability analysis for the rail industry based on planned and forecast rail infrastructure development in Australia and New Zealand over the next 10 years, with implications for a range of rail industry skills across construction, manufacturing, operations and maintenance. Through expansive stakeholder and industry engagement and extensive data analytics – the report explores skills shortages over the coming decade, key threats to workforce capability, and what government and industry can do to respond to meet the challenges of delivering on the significant rail infrastructure and rolling stock investment. The report can be found at www.ara.net.au/ ara-skills-capability-study
AusRail 2018
Rail industry leaders and key stakeholders from Australia, New Zealand, Asia, the USA and Europe were meetng in Canberra at the largest rail event in Australasia this year. AusRail 2018 Conference & Exhibition has a focus on the opportunities and challenges presented by the growing investment in new rail infrastructure projects and new rolling stock contracts in Australia and New Zealand – over $100b forecast over the next 10 years. Topics included the skills and resources crisis, case studies of particular projects, the impact of technological change, safety and the importance of future leaders. Two significant reports were launched on rail workforce skills shortages and technological change in rail. There were around 90 expert presenters, 90 exhibitors and more than 600 delegates. “The rail sector transports over one point three billion tonnes of freight and moves over 800 million customer journeys each year. www.saea.com.au
It contributes over $26 billion to GDP and employs over 140,000 workers,” said ARA Chief Danny Broad. “And we are seeing a true renaissance of rail projects around Australia, with new metro and light rail projects in most of our capital cities, and the construction of the massive Inland Rail Melbourne- Brisbane freight line” he said. Key speakers and panel discussions included: • Identifying the Skills for a Better Futurepresentation by Adrian Hart, Associate Director of BIS Oxford Economics on the Rail Workforce Capability Study- Skills Crisis: A Call to Action, • Future-Proofing the Rail Industry- A Customer Centric Exploration by Futurist Frances Valentine, • Canberra Metro – Peter O’Brien, Canberra Metro Operations, • Sydney Light Rail- John Casimir, Jacob & Chris
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McDougall, GHD, Where is Rail Safety in 2018- Sue McCarrey, Office of the National Rail Safety Smart Rail- Technology of the Future panel discussion, The Great Debate - Would passengers get a better deal if trains were privately operated? Panel discussion, The Young Rail Professional Pitching Competition & Future Leaders Program, Transforming the Future: Inland Rail UpdateRichard Wankmuller, Australian Rail Track Corporation, Leveraging Major Project Procurement to Deliver benefits to Regional NSW- Guy Collinshaw & Yvette King, Transport NSW, and Urban Rail and Smart Cities- James A Moore. Advanced Planning Group, Jacobs (USA). VTE | 13
News | Truck
Plug-in hybrid electric Cummins solution Cummins has unveiled a suite of plug-in hybrid-electric powertrain solutions under the PowerDrive banner. The system was featured in an electric hybrid version of a Kenworth T370 utility truck. Paired with a Cummins B6.7 diesel engine, the PowerDrive 6000 system replaces the conventional transmission in the Class 6 truck. The flexible hybrid architecture shifts between pure electric drive and a choice of parallel or series hybrid drive modes, to suit the operation. PowerDrive offers a pure electric range of up 80km, while the hybrid drive extends that to more than 480km of driving. Series hybrid operation, where the electric motor is the only means of providing power to the wheels, is best suited to lower road speeds, for urban driving with stop/start conditions. The motor takes electric power from the batteries or from the enginegenerator.
Good work prospects in transport and manufacturing
Australian hiring intentions have hit a six-year high, powered in large part by employer sentiment in large and medium-sized organisations that continue to report increased demand for labour. These are results from the ManpowerGroup Employment Outlook Survey for the fourth quarter of 2018, signalling that more employers expect to increase staffing levels than not in the final three months of 2018. The survey collects data from 1500 in Australia employers in Australia. A heightened optimism is evident in the Transportation and Utilities sector which reported the strongest employment outlook of +23% for the final three months of 2018. Following close behind are the Finance, Insurance & Real Estate and Mining & Construction sectors, both reporting a solid Net Employment Outlook of +21%. The services and manufacturing sectors have remained relatively stable quarterover-quarter, reporting positive employment outlooks of +13% and +10%, respectively. 14 | December 2018
The parallel hybrid operation is said to be ideal for higher road speeds, when the engine and the electric motor combine to provide the power to drive the wheels. A third mode, called electric plus, comes online when higher energy is required, for instance when the system senses a gradient or the driver calls for acceleration to overtake. Cummins claims that a US Class 6 truck like the Kenworth T370, featuring PowerDrive, can see exhaust emissions reductions of up to 80 percent when compared with a standard diesel truck. Fuel costs could be cut by 40-80 percent, depending on the drive cycle. The utility truck had been equipped with a recovery crane, that could be operated using either the diesel engine power take-off, or
an electric drive from the battery pack. In addition, the vehicle is capable of providing grid-quality electric power to recharge other vehicles, through a 100-kW fast charger or a 6.6-kW standard charge port. “The Cummins PowerDrive is intelligent, versatile and compact, providing our onhighway customers the flexibility needed to meet the demands of their diverse jobs and markets,” said Julie Furber, Cummins executive director of electrified power. For more information on this vehicle visit www.sae.org
Sydney’s driverless shuttle bus trial Through Transport’s Smart Innovation Centre, the NSW Government is working with industry and research partners, including Australian universities, to trial a highly automated passenger shuttle at Sydney Olympic Park. Automated vehicle technology has the potential to reduce death and injuries on NSW roads that result from factors such as driver fatigue, driver distraction, speed and inexperience. The pilot is the first precinct-based trial of an automated shuttle in Australia and is the first trial of vehicle automation to take place in NSW. With a focus on testing automated vehicle technology, the trial presents a unique opportunity to develop a research platform that improves customer mobility. The trial aims to understand what supporting technology and infrastructure is needed to operate an automated shuttle in this environment, how it interacts with other precinct users (pedestrians, cyclists, etc.) and how it integrates with the broader transport network. We will also better understand passengers’ responses to this type of vehicle and the services it can enable, like on-demand transport in off-peak times. Transport for NSW is working with industry partners HMI Technologies,Telstra, NRMA, IAG and Sydney Olympic Park Authority (SOPA) to deliver the trial as well as engaging university research partners to support technical aspects of the trial, customer-centric design thinking
and identify opportunities for the trial to contribute to broader research. NSW has a strong university research base in CAV-related fields, including sensor technologies, software engineering, data analytics and high-value manufacturing. This provides NSW with significant expertise that can support the development and deployment of CAVs, as well as competitive advantage in CAV technologies. Findings from the trial will help to further the understandings of the system requirements of automation within the Australian context. It will help industry develop technology, products and services to deliver improved mobility for customers.
Stages of the Trial Stage 1 (Q3 2017) of the trial will involve testing in an enclosed off-road environment at Newington Armory, adjacent to Sydney Olympic Park. Stage 2 (Q1 2018) progresses to initial operation at a closed section of Sydney Olympic Park. Stage 3 (Q3 2018) involves the shuttle operating live at Sydney Olympic Park. This tests things like infrastructure, how customers will interact with the vehicle and provides an opportunity for general public to experience the automated vehicle.
International | News
Australian and Chinese engineering partnership
The Australia-Sino Engineering Partnership has been launched as an alliance between the Australian Technology Network of Universities (ATN) and the Excellence 9 League of Universities (E9). Marking the start of this important partnership, the ATN signed a network to network Memorandum of Understanding with the E9 at an event at Northwestern Polytechnic University in Xi’an, attended by representatives from all ATN and E9 Universities.
collaboration on the international stage. It recognises the world-class reputation Australia’s technology universities have for producing work-ready graduates and realworld research. Almost a quarter of Australia’s engineering students attend ATN Universities,” she said.
The MOU, formally signed by Prof Wang Jinsong, President of Northwestern Polytechnic University (NPU) and ATN’s Chair, Martin Bean CBE, Vice-Chancellor of RMIT University, will encourage staff exchange, student mobility and industry focused research collaborations between the two countries.
“Students are at the heart of everything we do and deepening our relationship with China and the E9 universities will pave the way for a strategic collaboration to meet future challenges.
This partnership is extremely significant in deepening links between Australia and China, with a commitment from both sides to grow strong links between students and engineering faculties; recognising the worldclass expertise from both networks and commitment to tackling real-world problems. ATN Executive Director, Renee Hindmarsh says that “a focal point of the ATN’s mission is identifying and developing international alliances and collaborations that provide rewarding opportunities for our students, staff and career researchers”. “This MOU is a commitment from ATN member universities to demonstrate Australia’s capacity for innovation and
Managing director of REDARC, Anthony Kittel www.saea.com.au
This project will see the construction of a state-of-the-art development building and new headquarters for the company’s automotive OEM division. At the same time, the globally active automotive and industrial supplier will boost its activities in the field of electric mobility worldwide.
The ATN is a consortium of the University of Technology Sydney, RMIT University in Melbourne, the University of South Australia in Adelaide and Curtin University in Perth. The E9 is a consortium of Chinese technology universities. They are Northwestern Polytechnic University, Beijing University of Technology, Dalian University, Tongji University, Harbin University of Technology, Southeast University, South China University of Technology, Tianjin University and Chongqing University
REDARC Electronics has a new strategic partnership with DEFA, a Norwegian company who provide a range of products and services centred around pre-heating, electric vehicle charging solutions and security of vehicles.
The strategic partnership will allow both REDARC and DEFA to cover a wider scope and scale in the future, contributing their resources to support, promote and introduce new cutting-edge technology to their regions.
Schaeffler is investing 60 million euros to enhance its location in Bühl.
“Beyond the deep cultural and economic links between our two countries, there is a recognition that a profound and respectful relationship between Australia and China has the potential to change the lives of citizens from both countries.”
REDARC and DEFA join to co-brand
The strategic partnership brings together two family-owned organisations who share comprehensive product portfolios centred around charging and power supply solutions for vehicles.
Schaeffler invests 60m in new HQ for mobility
said: “We feel that REDARC and DEFA have complementary product portfolios which have the potential to add value to our organizations through collaboration, we look forward to building a strong, mutually beneficial relationship with DEFA.” In the coming months, REDARC will be introducing a range of co-branded products by DEFA.
In his speech, Matthias Zink, CEO of Automotive OEM at Schaeffler AG, added: “We will be using this new building primarily to develop technologies for electric mobility and mobility for tomorrow for our customers, so its construction represents far more than just a capacity increase.” The E-Mobility business division is becoming increasingly significant in the light of Schaeffler’s “Mobility for tomorrow” strategy. Schaeffler has opened global competence centres for electric mobility in Bühl, in Wooster (USA), and in Anting (China), which will be steered from the new headquarters and work as a network on new drive technologies, future mobility solutions for urban living spaces, and components designed to make automobiles more ecofriendly. A total area of 23,400 square meters is planned, which will include office space for some 500 employees, a canteen, and a conference area as well as prototype construction and test rig facilities. Around 350 new jobs, primarily in the field of electric mobility, are expected to be created over the next few years. VTE | 15
Feature | FSAE
Winton welcomes FSA Just 12 months ago Formula SAE-A was held at Calder Park Raceway in outer suburban Melbourne at a venue that had not seen any love or attention for a long time, sure it was close to the city but apart from that it had little else to recommend it.
Photos courtesy of JJ’s Photography www.jjsphotography.com.au
During 2018, the organising committee reviewed their options and decided to investigate Winton Raceway near Benalla, some two and a half hours drive out of Melbourne. They took a chance that the extra distance would not outweigh the benefits offered by Winton, the chance paid off handsomely in every way possible. Not only were the teams willing to go the extra mile, but once there every team I spoke with had nothing but praise for the facilities. Volunteers too turned up in large numbers despite the distance and were equally pleased with Winton. Finally, and also very importantly the team that run Winton Raceway were more than eager to assist FSAE-A at every turn. Winton runs a whole host of events every year from national racing to state racing, motorcycles, historic racing and club events so the place is well used to hosting large contingencies with varying needs. Throughout the event extensive use was 16 | December 2018
FSAE | Feature
AE-A
made of the numerous garages with those on pit lane housing the 32 teams who attended as well as the BOSCH workshop, the GOTAFE Welding Workshop and the EV cleanroom. Garages in the lower paddock area were used for technical inspections, and the large corporate hospitality centre was base camp for volunteers and also used for presentations and events. SAE-A admin was housed in the media centre ground floor with the large upstairs area servicing visiting media. Everyone was well housed and comfortable. Certainly, having the team garages directly facing pit lane and the track made it not only easier for the teams to access the track but it gave them the opportunity to see a lot more of the action throughout the days.
Thursday 6 December – bump-in This was the day that the workers clocked on with volunteer sign in, team registrations, tech inspections and safety induction all done in preparation for the weekend’s events.
Friday 7 December – day one A very warm day greeted the competitors when they attended the various events scheduled for the day – design and cost events, business presentations, technical inspections (weigh, tilt table, brake and noise).
Saturday 8 December – day two With the business presentations and tech inspections done and dusted it was time to take to the track with the acceleration and skid pad events. Later that day comprehensive feedback was provided to the teams in the corporate hospitality area on their business
www.saea.com.au
VTE | 17
Feature | FSAE
presentations as well as engineering feedback from the judges on the static events held on the Friday. That evening a career and networking expo was held for students to meet with engineering companies, and perhaps their future employers.
Sunday 9 December – final day Now it was time for the autocross and endurance events on the track to bring to a close all the competition for the teams with presentations at the end of a very busy and eventful weekend. Team TU Munich, who had come all the way from Germany were unbeatable, even after a shaky start with their business presentation the team was way out in front in the EV class with Monash University and The University of Auckland second and third. Monash fought back with a win in the IC class well ahead of UNSW Sydney who finished second just ahead of Edith Cowan University (WA). Overseas representation was outstanding with entries from Sophia University (Japan), the University of Canterbury (New Zealand), Tokyo Denki University (Japan), University of Waikato (New Zealand), Alfaisal University (Saudi Arabia), Vit Vellore University (India), TU Munich (Germany), University of Auckland (New Zealand), Indian Institute of Technology Dehli (India) and Hochschule Ruhr West UAS (Germany). Unfortunately, three universities that had entered were unable to compete at the event – Alfaisal University, the Indian Institute of Technology Delhi and the University of WA. A special mention should be made of the universities who put in outstanding efforts in fielding more than one team – RMIT University, the University of Canterbury, the University of Queensland, the University of Melbourne, the University of Wollongong and Monash University were able to field a team in both the EV and IC categories. Event partners were Toyota, Ford, Holden CAMS, BOSCH, RACV, gotafe, Altair, leap, JJs Photography, In Pit Lane, ANSYS and Defence Force Recruiting. The final results are below
18 | December 2018
FSAE-A’s key judging panel and organising committee. Front L-R are Steve Deakins, Kai Morganti, Chris Hurren, Willem Toet Centre L-R are Adrian Feeney, Dave Adams, Matthew Lloyd, Matthew Grieshaber, Jim Stewart, Hashan Mendis Rear L-R are Mark Doody, Mario Cappola, Conor Duxbury
FSAE | Feature
SPECIALTY AWARDS CAMS Award Awarded to: Sofia University For the team that showed the best spirit throughout the 2018 Formula Competition and most inspired the judging panel. The team arrived late Friday but despite the setback competed in spirit of the event.
LEAP Australia Award 1
Awarded to: Monash University For the team that best uses simulations throughout the 2018 competition, as judged by LEAP Australia.
SAE-A Encouragement Awards Awarded to: Tokyo Denki University – TDU Racing For finishing the endurance event. VIT Vellore – Pravega Racing For finishing as the highest placed Indian team to compete at FSAE-A. Full results at www.saea.com.au/2018_fsaea_results
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www.saea.com.au
1: Sofia University CAMS award winners. 2: VIT Vellore one of the SAE-A Encouragement award winners 3: Tilt table testing on the University of Auckland car. 4: Thales at the careers and networking expo event. 5+6: Winners EV class TU Munich
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Feature | FSAE
Formula SAE-A Team ECU On the Friday of the FSAE event at Winton I was quickly roped in to judge some of the presentations delivered by the teams. These were marketing/business presentations aimed at investors to garner ‘imaginary’ funding for the team. Engineers in the teams may not see the true value of this exercise, that is until they hit the real world and need money for their projects. But unfortunately, it may be the marketing people who also may not see the true value of the media. I approached two highly organized and large teams who had both done very well at the event in the past – Monash University and the University of Melbourne and asked them to do what any race team must do during an event – keep the media informed. They both had marketing people onboard. One response was for me to follow them on FB, happy to do that but I as I said to them if you want to stand out you need to keep the media informed. They said they would keep me informed – I did check their FB page the following day – as well as my emails and phone, nothing from them on either – they had updated their FB page but not me. A simple email, link or txt would have alerted me to the posts but nothing. A week after the event there was still nothing. The other team’s FB page had not had an update for 4 days – in other words no event information – and nothing for me, or to me, was sent. Left to my own devices, I chose to chase up another team to see how they were going. I chose Edith Cowan University – ECU – quite apt. In pit 19B, the furthest from the media centre, was the ECU entry. They impressed me during their presentation with their enthusiasm, the fact that they travelled further than even the New Zealanders (though not as far as the German, Indian or Japanese teams) and very importantly they had designed and manufactured a lot of their components including castings. As soon as I put my head in pit garage 19B everyone stopped, fearing someone with a ‘staff’ bracelet was about to impart bad news, quite the opposite. Eric Curwood from ECU (yep his initials spell ECU something for which his team rib him) was hastily chosen 20 | December 2018
as their media representative – they had only engineers in their team.
a chambered muffler and we passed noise easily,” Eric said.
ECU together with the University of WA were meant to have one EV (electric vehicle) and one IC (internal combustion) car in the competition but the EV car from the University of WA was not finished in time so the IC from ECU made the trip across the Nullabor.
“One of the biggest benefits we have at the university (ECU) is we have students involved from first year through to fifth year. It helps us mentor the students the whole way through … and enables us to do very long-term projects.
The joint teams had a combined engineering staff of around 40. The University of WA (UWA) hadn’t built a FSAE-A car for some time and was starting with a totally new team. Management from both universities worked together to split manufacturing resources with ECU giving UWA an older chassis in order for them to complete an electrical conversion – it gave them one less thing to have to build from scratch. ECU had competed already in 2018 in an FSAE event in the UK called Formula Student and finished 32nd out of 81. “Unfortunately, we didn’t go too well. A few untested components tested us in tech inspection so we struggled to pass brake,” said Eric. “Quite interestingly we bought our brake calipers from ISR in Sweden and we had a failure of the caliper. It yielded and forced a leak and as result we struggled to pass brake. “We then reverse engineered what they had, changed it from aluminium 60/61 to 70/75, added some extra ribbing for stiffness now we have our own custom caliper.” The design of the ISR motorcycle caliper wasn’t suited to the application. That’s what grabbed my attention about ECU, their enthusiastic approach to problem solving which transfers through every area of their work for FSAE-A. “We had a few issues with noise, with the muffler. Since then we’ve gone from a mostly fiberglass matting perforated tube muffler to
“We have a lot of long-term projects and a lot of them revolve around manufacture. So, we keep a lot of our manufacturing knowledge in the team as we move forward. “Back in 2010 was the first monocoque chassis we did. And we kept that manufacturing technique through since then - refined it to take weight out but essentially kept the same technique. “All the manufacturing techniques centre around simplifying, reducing cost and reducing time for manufacture.” The team’s cut and fold chassis is one of those, the other main one is the engine, which is part custom built at ECU. In 2010, they started looking at how to implement that, and then in 2012 they worked on their own custom Honda CBR 600 motorcycle engine. It had the internals and head of a CBR 600 with a gearbox and casing designed and made by ECU. According to ECU the first one was quite expensive because it was machined out of a billet so on the second CBR engine they turned to wax 3D printing investment casting. They cast an aluminium venturi as a test for manufacture. Now the team uses a Ducati engine but still employs their own gearbox and casing. “This year we implemented a new technique for our aero package so it’s a foam core wire cut and single layer of pre-carbon is laid over the top then we wrap it in a skin of aluminium. It’s done quite quickly, rather than creating
FSEA | Feature
ECU CAR SPECS 2018 Vehicle ‘Pirate’ Track:
1200mm front, 1150mm rear
Wheelbase: 1530mm Weight: 185kg
moulds out of fiberglass and having to polish them etc,” Eric said. “We implemented another technique this year where we did simple two-dimensional wood structures - the floor in our car has curved end plates. So, we put together wood structures and then covered them in Teflon then laid up the end plates on top of that. Cheap easy tooling.” Most of ECU’s testing is track testing for both driver training and testing the vehicle. A lot of the car is designed for high lateral acceleration and high yaw acceleration. That’s what the targets have been for this car so it’s a quite an aggressive aero package. “We’ve implemented a hydraulically interconnected suspension system for platform stability and increased mechanical grip. But primarily for aero stability. Our main targets have been autocross and endurance,” Eric said. WA is a long way from manufacturing hubs. “There is much less manufacturing in WA compared with over here (Victoria) especially in automotive and that’s a lot of the reason
Weight Distribution:
49% front 51% rear
Powertrain
ECR695C3 custom engine based on Ducati 695 with investment cast casing
Drivetrain:
Single speed integrated gearbox direct drive output through rzeppa CV joints
Fuel:
98 RON with 5L capacity tank
most of our manufacturing is inhouse. We’re trying to set up at ECU the ability to do our manufacturing and hopefully long-term bring that manufacturing space to WA,” Eric said.
Chassis
Carbon fibre skinned aluminium honeycomb panel cut & fold joined structure
“ECU runs a Bachelor of Technology (Engineering) in motorsports so a lot of our student cohort comes from the B Tech and generally migrate into Mech Eng (mechanical engineering) after that.
Tyres:
Hoosier R25B
Wheels:
Two piece welded aluminium shells
Suspension Front:
Double unequal length A-arm. Pull Rod Interconnected dampers with torsion bar springs
Suspension Rear:
DeDion rear beam with 4 links, push rod interconnected dampers with coil over springs
Steering:
Floor mount rack and pinion
Brakes:
ECU-R custom twin piston aluminium caliper
“A lot of the students we have are motorsports driven rather than engineering as a result they are looking at race engineering jobs in motorsports whether it be V8SuperCars or European competition. “We have three alumni in here right now who are working with V8SuperCars, we did have a couple in Nascar and we have one or two in Formula One.”
Competition Summary for ECU Throughout the year, the team tackled a range of challenges with the travel to, and results from the FSUK competition (UK F-SAE) so it was extremely rewarding to come away with strong results at FSAE-A. This year also saw an unusually large turnover
Aerodynamics: Multi element wings, with carbon skinned, 2d wire cut polystyrene core elements. CLA: 4.4 CDA: 1.8 of team members from previous years and it resulted in a very fresh though inexperienced team tackling the 2018 projects. Conversely the week leading up to, and during the competition was possibly one of the smoothest the team had experienced. This goes to show the strength of the current team and the importance of an extensive testing program to ensure the reliability of the vehicle. ECU came away with: • 4th in cost • 3rd in business presentation • 2nd in design • 3rd in skid pad • 3rd in autocross • overall 3rd place in the IC category.
www.saea.com.au
VTE | 21
MEEA | Active Rear-wheel Steering for an FSAE Vehicle
Active Rear-wheel Steering for an FSAE Vehicle Dylan Glasson ABSTRACT New methods of improving vehicle dynamic must be investigated as the competition levels rise at FSAE events. This paper investigates the employment of active rear wheel steering in an FSAE compliant vehicle using fuzzy logic. This is based on a multi-body vehicle dynamic model used in IPG Carmaker. Variables used to control the rear wheel steering were steering wheel angle and vehicle velocity. These were chosen as the initial investigation due to sensors being readily available. It was found that using these parameters improved the vehicles overall handling and stability extensively. This was shown by the reduction in the vehicles body-slip angle whilst reducing the steering wheel angle applied. Lap times were also reduced in an autocross event by 1.02%.
INTRODUCTION Background As the efficiency, power output and precision of the vehicles entered into the Formula SAE (FSAE) competitions are increased, so does the vehicles handling. It is well known that a correct suspension and front steering arrangement can further improving corner handling. However, there reaches a point where simply steering from the front wheels cannot provide the stability required to handle the lateral acceleration. This is where the possibility of implementing an Active Rear Wheel Steering (ARWS) vehicle can improve stability and handling.
Scope This report outlines the project conducted, providing the reader with an appreciation of the aim, goals and methods of completion for this project. Previous work in this field is mentioned and methods utilised to test the applicability of ARWS for an FSAE vehicle. This leads into the design of the fuzzy logic controller and discussing the results produced.
PROJECT OUTLINE Hypothesis ARWS provides an advantage for an FSAE vehicle competing in an FSAE event.
Goals The goals for this project are: 1. Choose the most appropriate control method for providing Rear Wheel Steering (RWS) to a FSAE vehicle
an FSAE autocross track with front wheel steering and ARWS variants. The body slip angle, lateral acceleration and lap times will be recorded as a measure to determined the improvement.
PREVIOUS WORK ARWS in FSAE is not very common due to its complexity and added weight. However, with current technology providing engineers access to computer processors that can handle the demands of ARWS, the possibility has begun to grow. There was a small number of attempts during 1990 - 2000 but since 2000, there has been none of recent [2–4]. Moving to 2016, Porsche have im-plemented ARWS into their 911 GT3 [20] amongst a number of manufacturers including Audi, BMW, Lamborghini and Ferrari.
Vehicle Dynamics The key parameters for ARWS are the vehicles yaw rate γ and the body-slip angle β. The body-slip angle β is shown in Figure [1] and is produced by the angle of the vehicles instantaneous velocity V from the CoG and the vehicles plane of symmetrya. Dynamically, controlling the body-slip angle reduces lateral motion of the vehicle while improving maneuverability. Controlling the yaw rate aims at reducing the rotational motion (in the z-axis) therefore allowing the vehicle to maintain its current direction [22]. A trade-off occurs between optimising the body-slip angle and the yaw rate as typically when the body-slip angle is reduced, the yaw rate of the vehicle will increase [9]. Vice versa for reducing the yaw rate, lateral motion of the vehicle will increase. This will be covered off later in the report.
2. Determine the significance of ARWS for a FSAE compliant vehicle
Methodology From the literature outlined below, all valid control methods were analysed and tested in Matlab/Simulink in order to determine the most effective method to employ. Once a control method was chosen, it was simulated in IPG CarMaker as a means of providing a dynamic simulator. The reason this software package was chosen is there is an FSAE model in the package and it has a very extensive interface between Matlab/Simulink providing flexibility in the development. This step involved testing the vehicles performance around the skid-pad and 22 | December 2018
Figure 1: Body-slip angle on a bicycle model [23]
Active Rear-wheel Steering for an FSAE Vehicle | MEEA
A screenshot of IPG Carmaker simulating an FSAE vehicle with ARWS at an Autocross event
Additionally, the tyres no longer oper-ate within their linear region when the lateral force vs the slip angle curve is observed. This is noted in Figure 2.7 of Milliken and Milliken’s Race Car Vehicle Dynamics book [16]. As such, the system becomes non-linear. An alternate method for controlling the RWS was thus utilised called fuzzy logic. Fuzzy logic is an alternate approach to discrete thinking. It is based on the ”degree of truth” rather than an exact calculated output [14]. Humans use this method on a day-to-day basis to solve problems around them. For example, instead of telling someone that a 1000 kg car is approaching them at 20 m/sec, you say ”watch out”. It is this kind of thinking that fuzzy logic employs to solve and control problems [15]. Where the LQR method was based on a continuous linear mathematical model, fuzzy logic can model non linear functions of arbitrary complexity. It is however governed by the level of knowledge the developer has about the system. This is to provide accurate membership functions to both inputs and outputs. A professional race engineer was contacted to discuss and appreciate the vehicle dynamic characteristics that are present whilst a vehicle proceeds through a corner.
FUZZY LOGIC CONTROLLER DESIGN CONTROL METHODS TESTED A large percentage of the literature that was reviewed applied a control method known as the Linear Quadratic Regulator (LQR)[1,5,6,13,17,18]. LQR is an application of optimal control theory where it attempts to minimise the cost for a dynamic system [12]. As this was the most commonly referred method and had the most information about it in ARWS, it was first to be tested. A 2DOF vehicle model was ideal for controlling ARWS as it is governed by linear differential equations as shown in Equation [1] below. a
The term ”body slip angle” is typically referred to as side slip angle in literature. Body slip angle was used in this report to remove confusion with tyre slip angle
The first steps of implementing ARWS into an FSAE vehicle was to utilise the steering wheel angle and velocity to determine the level of RWS applied. This would enable a simple integration into the car due to the readily available sensors. The theory behind providing effective RWS to a vehicle is to steer the rear wheels out of phase to the front when it is traveling at a slow velocity. This increases the maneuverability of vehicle but can increase instability at a high velocity. When the vehicle is traveling at a faster velocity, the rear wheels will turn in phase with the front. This aids in stability of the vehicle [22]. As stated in the FSAE rules, the average speed during an autocross event is between 40 km/h and 48 km/h [7]. Therefore the out of phase RWS was the primary focus as this is the vehicles typical operating region. Additionally, due to the various levels of driving ability in FSAE, the RWS must integrate with the front wheel steering (FWS) smoothly. Reducing the body slip angle is the important parameter as it determines the maneuverability of the vehicle and handling. From these design considerations, the membership functions (MF) were produced for the two inputs; steering angle Figure [2b] and velocity Figure [2a] and the RWS output, Figure [2c]. It can be seen in the MFs for the velocity that the ”slow velocity” ranges from 0 - 40 km/h providing a large portion of the driving that occurs in an autocross event. The NULL period is the window where no RWS is applied at all. The purpose for this is it prevents the RWS jumping from out of phase to in phase steering as the velocity varies through a corner. The steering angle is separated into five categories. These break up each direction of steering into two categories, small (left/right) and big (left/right) with a zero steering angle separating left and right. The scaling system for the steering angle is a percentage of the maximum steering angle. This maximum angle was determined by the steering travel from the Australian Defence Force Academy’s FSAE vehicle. The significant overlap between each of the MF allows a smooth transition between each steering angle categories leading to a smoother RWS output.
This method was mainly used in commercial vehicles where the application for ARWS could employ a 2DOF model. This assumed small lateral accelerations would occur (≤ 0.4g [9, 10, 19, 21]), thus the load transfers could be neglected. The nature of FSAE dynamic events are designed to push the vehicle to their lateral acceleration limits (≈ 1g [11]) and thus are well outside the spectrum utilised in LQR. www.saea.com.au
Similarly, the RWS output follows a similar pattern. This allows the smooth transition provided by the steering angle MF to be converted to a smooth RWS transition to the driver. The scaling of the RWS MF allows the controller in Simulink to multiply the output of the fuzzy logic by the maximum RWS angle being±4o. The LBRWS and RBRWS are small allowing the controller to activate the complete range of RWS [8]. VTE | 23
MEEA | Active Rear-wheel Steering for an FSAE Vehicle
RESULTS From designing the fuzzy logic to control the ARWS, this was simulated in IPG Carmaker for an autocross event and skid pad. The autocross track was based off the track from the 2013 FSAE-A event and the skid pad directly from the FSAE rules [7]. The data shown below outlines a section of the autocross track consisting of a slalom section before taking a left hairpin. These two sections highlight the ability ARWS has to improve an FSAE teams score in an autocross event. Slalom and tight corners are key components to testing an FSAE vehicles characteristics. (a) Velocity Membership Functions
As mentioned previously, the goal in designing this fuzzy logic system was to provide a smooth application of RWS. Figure [3] shows how the RWS varies with an applied steering angle. It was required to provide a smooth transition between 0RWS and LSRWS/RSRWS as this was the initial application of RWS to the vehicle. Once the driver has a applied ≈ 110o steering angle, the intentions of the maneuver of the car become obvious thus, the rate of RWS applied is increased. This allows the driver to receive maximum RWS early when taking sharp corners, a typical theme seen in FSAE autocross tracks.
Results show the efficiency of the vehicles ability to drive in the desired direction was improved extensively coupled with a reduced steering angle. This provides the driver with a reduction in effort in steering the vehicle to the desired direction. It has also enabled an increase in lateral acceleration whilst cornering providing an significant advantage at an FSAE event. Table [1] shows the improvement in lap times seen at an autocross and skid pad event.
Figure 2: Fuzzy Logic Membership Functions
Table 1: Lap Times Comparison
CONCLUSION
(b) Steering Angle Membership Functions
The application of ARWS in an FSAE vehicle has shown to improve the vehicles handling and stability. This was shown in the results by reducing the slip error whilst reducing the steering angle applied. Utilising fuzzy logic for controlling the RWS has allowed a non-linear system to be properly analysed without having to compress the system to fit a linear model. This has allowed simple inputs, steering wheel angle and velocity to control the output RWS by producing sets of MFs for each variable. From using the steering angle and vehicle velocity the significance of the improvement is small but it is worth noting that the driver controller module employed in IPG Carmaker was set to ”Racing Driver”. It is a reasonable expectation that ARWS will assist an inexperienced driver to a higher degree than an already proficient one. Investigation is currently underway of utilising the vehicles yaw rate and body slip angle to control the RWS with previous literature suggesting improved results. Overall the finding support the hypothesis and prove that it is a worthwhile avenue to further develop.
(c) RWS Output Membership Functions Figure 3: Application of RWS as the steering angle is varied
(a) Slow Velocity
24 | December 2018
(b) Fast Velocity
Active Rear-wheel Steering for an FSAE Vehicle | MEEA
10 Hife Kensell. Four wheel steering comparison with two wheel steering. 2014. 11 Calkins Dale E Kramer Kenneth D. Lateral response of a formula sae race car. 1994. 12 Sivan Raphael Kwakernaak Huibert. Linear optimal control systems. first edition. 1972. 13 Chen Si Zhong Liu Qi Jia. The control of the braking stability of active rear wheel steering vehicle based on lqr. Applied Mechanics and Materials, 416-417:909, 2013.
Figure 4: Comparison of Body-slip Angle
14 Rouse Margaret. What is fuzzy logic? - definition from whatis.com. 2017(05 April 2017), 2017. 15 MathWorks. What is fuzzy logic? 2017(05 April), 2017. 16 Milliken Douglas Milliken William. Race car vehicle dynamics. pages 24 – 25, 1995. 17 Yamanaka Sachiko Nagai Masao, Hirano Yutaka. Integrated control of active rear wheel steering and direct yaw moment control. Vehicle System Dynamics, 27(5-6):357–370, 1997. 18 Yamanaka Sachiko Nagai Masao, Hirano Yutaka. Integrated robust control of active rear wheel steering and direct yaw moment control. Vehicle System Dynamics, 29(sup1):416–421, 1998. 19 Timoney Sean O’Kane Colm. Investigation of four-wheel steering algorithms for a formula sae car. 2004.
Figure 5: Comparison of Lateral Acceleration
20 Elephant Racing. 2014 porsche gt3 active rear steering demonstration. 2014. 21 Starkey John M Smith Dirk E. Effects of model complexity on the performance of automated vehicle steering controllers: Model development, validation and comparison. Vehicle System Dynamics, 24(2):163–181, 1995. 22 Newsday Tom Incantalupo. Four-wheel steering set for introduction in 1987. page J.8, 1986. 23 Richard Topping. Understeer concepts with extensions to four-wheel steer, active steer, and time transients. SAE International Journal of Passenger Cars -Mechanical Systems, 5(1):167–186, 2012.
ACKOWLEDGMENTS Figure 6: Comparison of Steering Angle
References 1 Oraby W.A El-Sinawy S.R El-Nashar M.A, Abdelhady M.B. Enhanced vehicle lateral stability in crosswind by limited state kalman filter four wheel steering system. 2007.
Thanks to Erik Pender from Melbourne Performance Centre in providing his expertise in vehicle dynamics. This was heavily appreciated in order to properly understand the vehicles characteristics in cornering. Dylan Glasson Email: dylan.glasson11@gmail.com
2 FSAE Forums. is 4 wheel steering a better option???? [archive] fsae.com forums. 2017. 3 FSAE Forums. Rear wheel steering r/fsae. 2017. 4 FSAE. 4 wheel steer in fsae. 2017(May), 2017. 5 Luo Fengmei Fang Shude Hang Peng, Chen Xinbo. Robust control of a four-wheel-independent-steering electric vehicle for path tracking. 2017. 6 Ziming Qi Hao Qiu, Zhengbao Lei. Variable ratio control strategy for a rear wheel active steering. Int. J. of Intelligent Systems Technologies and Applications, 13(4), 2014. 7 SAE International. Formula sae rules. 2017 - 2018. 8 Gulley Ned Jang JS. Matlab fuzzy toolbox. pages 2–24 – 2–25, 1997. 9 Allwright Joshua. Four wheel steering (4ws) on a formula student racing car. SAE-A Vehicle Technology Engineer Journal (VTE-J), 1(1), 2015. www.saea.com.au
VTE | 25
Products | New Products
REDARC in-vehicle battery charger REDARC has a new, bigger and more powerful 12-volt dual input 50amp In-vehicle battery charger; the BCDC1250D. A 50-amp charging output makes it the most powerful in REDARC’s BCDC range. It has been designed to charge all major lead-acid batteries, it also includes a lithium (LiFeP04) charging profile. The BCDC1250D has been developed to provide a higher current output, it features an additional charging stage known as Soft Start which has been engineered so that it can handle more demanding applications. A key feature of the BCDC1250D is separate vehicle DC and solar inputs which ultimately simplifies the installation process. The unit will charge from both solar and the alternator simultaneously and with inbuilt Green Power Priority the BCDC automatically selects the solar charge first, taking the load off the vehicle’s alternator.
The 50-amp charger is compatible with both standard and variable voltage/smart alternators and can be used in both 12 and 24-volt vehicle systems.
Bendix R&D in Ballarat engineering centre
At the Bendix Product Engineering Centre in Ballarat, Victoria countless hours go into research and development of brake pads and components to make sure that they suit specific driving styles and perform to the highest standards. Components are tested to extreme tolerances with the first phase of the process is developing the compounds to make up each particular brake pad. The formulations are developed in the product engineering centre in Ballarat. “Both international and special in-house procedures and guidelines are used to validate the materials to ensure that our brake pads are safe once installed in a vehicle. They then undergo extensive lab testing both on hub dynamometers and on vehicles,” chief engineer Andrew French said. Bendix designs pads for general use, for 4WD/SUV use, for European cars, heavy duty use and for motorsport applications. According to Mr French, it can be tricky finding the right parts for European cars and this includes brake pads. Bendix has developed the Euro+ brake pads to meet and exceed OEM and European Union’s ECE Regulation 90 rules. These regulations stipulate that the brake pads need a plus or minus 15% performance against the OEM item. To meet these stringent rules Bendix selects the right formulations to suit each vehicle and also includes all the hardware such as sensors and sundry components.
Autoland diagnostic scan tools Burson Equipment has advised that the company is stocking Autoland diagnosic scan tools.
They have three Autoland products in the range, the ISCAN Scan Tool, the VEDIS -3 Scan Tool and the PS-M1 Vehicle Power Stabiliser. The Autoland VEDIS-3 Deluxe diagnostic system is a high-level scan tool that supports hundreds of vehicles from more than 40 vehicle manufacturers. Burson Equipment also offers the Autoland PS-M1 Vehicle Power Stabiliser Tool to regulate battery voltage during vehicle diagnosis and ECU programming. 26 | December 2018
Along with the research, development and manufacture of brake pads for passenger vehicles brake pads, brake shoe kits and brake linings are also manufactured for commercial vehicles such as long haul trucks, trailers and buses. The development of formulas for these applications draws on what has been learnt from the passenger car brake pad research and development, adding materials for improved strength and wear life to meet heavy commercial use. Dynamometer and extensive field testing is also undertaken with fleet operators around Australia providing real world conditions and feedback.