VEHICLE TECHNOLOGY ENGINEER
Australia’s new truck manufacturing facility EV: Australia’s 3000 EV charging points Hyzon: Hyzon truck manufacturing in Victoria Toyota: Rapid X-ray imaging developed for Toyota’s Mirai WIM: Hearts and Minds are Racing in F1
APAC21 Call for Abstracts
CLOSING SOON
See page 6
March 2022 Issue 31 Representing mobility engineers since 1927 www.saea.com.au
VTE | Contents
Contents March 2022
Formula SAE-A gearing up for Winton in December
5
APAC 21 gets a boost with Australia’s open borders
6
Provenance for our region and automotive
18
Rapid X-ray imaging developed for Toyota’s Mirai
21
Hearts and Minds are Racing
22
Special Features 6
APAC 21 – Gets a boost with Australia’s open borders
17
EV – Australia’s 3000 EV charging points
18
Hyzon – Provenance for our region and automotive
21
Toyota – Rapid X-ray imaging developed for Toyota’s Mirai
22
Formula One – Hearts and Minds are Racing
VTE News 9
Automotive News
12
Truck & Bus News
14
Defence & Aero News
15
Overseas News
16
General News
Society News 4
Notes from the Chair - Welcome from Adrian Feeney
5
SAE-A News
Technical Feature 26
Technical – Study on Basic Principles of Operation Noise of Wiper System on Vehicle
About the cover Hyzon is Australia’s newest truck manufacturer
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: Society of Automotive Engineers - Australasia ABN:
95 004 248 604
Adrian Feeney
Address: PO Box 103, Werribee Vic 3030
Chairman and CEO Society of Automotive Engineers – Australasia
Phone: 0403 267 166 Email: info@sae-a.com.au Web: www.saea.com.au Membership & Subscriptions Rose De Amicis Email: rose@sae-a.com.au Events Cara Coughey Email: events@sae-a.com.au
Board of Directors: Chairman & CEO Adrian Feeney Board Luke Callaway Prof. Mohammad Fard Samsone Lagozzino (Sam) Noelle Parlier Bernard Rolfe Greg Shoemark Michael Waghorne
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 | March 2022
As we welcome in the New Year, the Board of SAE-A is already hard at work developing programs for 2022. This started in February with an extraordinary board meeting to review what SAE-A stands for and what we should be doing to ensure our members get value for their investment in us. This is an ongoing process, but one outcome is a revised Mission Statement and Vison Statement which has been reproduced at the end of this editorial. Creating such documents is not, in itself an outcome, but it does allow us all to focus on what is our purpose and our expectations, so to that end, it is a timely reminder of what we stand for. What is important is what the Board has planned for this year and the first thing we are aware of is that Australia has now returned to as normal as possible since the Covid pandemic. As I write this article, I am buoyed by the announcement that Westen Australia has not only opened its borders to the rest of Australia, but to overseas visitors as well. That means that as a country, we are now open for business and that is very important to SAE-A, as we can now plan for some very exciting events. As you read this edition, you will see some of those planned, particularly for the first half of this year. Our events committee, Luke Callaway and Sam Lagozzino have been working closely with our KE Creative colleagues, in particular, Cara Coughey to develop not only some on-line events but finally face-to-face opportunities for our members to engage after two long years of isolation I wish to highlight some of these events, in particular the Careers Expo scheduled for 31 March, which is an extension of our Formula SAE program. Throughout the pandemic, I must confess one of my pet hates was people
calling a Zoom meeting a “virtual” meeting. This Expo is genuinely a virtual conference, 3-D with interactive features, excellent industry leaders speaking about what organisations look for in potential employees and with the opportunity for delegates to ask questions of our guests. I have seen the software at work, and it feels like a real conference, but projected onto your computer screen in the comfort of your home or office. Although aimed at the student membership group, this Expo will also be useful to all our members by way of expanding their knowledge and connecting with industry leaders. Registrations are open. Which leads me to the next major announcement, that Formula SAE 2022 is on and will be back at Winton in December this year, with many local and overseas teams re-joining us after what must have felt for them like an eternity. Planning has already started and this year we will be running a live Driverless Class demonstration, more announcements and details to follow. Finally, our world class APAC 21 Conference (refer details within this edition) is progressing very well with nearly 60 technical paper submissions received from Australia and overseas, with more coming in every week. It is our belief that with the opening of international boarders, delegates and presenters will be keen to embrace a face-to-face conference again and so ours is well timed to attract this group of travellers. I encourage SAE-A members to embrace and take advantage of this opportunity; whether as a delegate, a presenter or a sponsor (perhaps all 3). As I mentioned, 2022 is going to be a big year for all of us, so jump on board and take advantage of what your Society has to offer
Mission statement
Vision Statement
Our mission is to advocate for, develop and connect Australasian mobility engineers for the future of global mobility
Our vision is to foster a thriving mobility engineering industry within the Australasian region.
SAE | News
Formula SAE-A gearing up for Winton in December University motorsport is gearing up for a big post-Covid return this year, when electric cars will dominate – along with driverless cars – for Formula SAE-A 2022 at Winton Motor Raceway. The Society of Automotive Engineers – Australasia will stage Formula SAE-A at Winton from 8-11 December 2022. Chairman and CEO Adrian Feeney said the post-Covid resurgence of the event would bring significant new technologies to the track, especially in the driverless cars. “The teams are super-keen to get back to the track this year, coming from all over Australia and the Asia-Pacific region,” he said. “This year’s program starts early, on 31 March, with a special virtual careers expo, at which our sponsors will connect with the brilliant students who compete in Formula SAE-A. “Although Covid prevented us from staging a physical event in February, we are determined to preserve the core educational and career benefits of Formula. “It’s a big year all round for Australian automotive engineering, starting with APAC21, the 21st biennial Asia Pacific
Automotive Engineering Conference, which we are hosting in Melbourne, 3-5 October. “Autonomous technology features in both of these events, and they serve to highlight just how much of the world’s engineering innovation is happening right here in Australia.” This year will mark the 21st running of Formula SAE-A, which ran as a physical event from 2000 to 2019, then a virtual event in 2020 before its full-scale return this December. More information at: www.saea.com.au/formula-sae-a
SAE-A Careers Forum delivers for graduates Over the past few years Covid has meant that the much-anticipated career forums that were held in conjunction with Formula SAE were off the table. These events were a great introduction for students into the roles and companies that were eager to recruit young talent, and they are just as vital now as they were in the past. So, the SAE-A has designed and will deliver an innovative event to engage students with companies and direct them into the right career pathways and employment opportunities.
break out rooms will enable students and companies further and closer interactions.
As a three-hour event the Formula SAE-A Career Expo will provide ample opportunities for graduates to meet key employers across all mobility sectors including aerospace, automotive, rail, trucks, off road and recreational vehicles.
Ms Storey is Chief Executive Officer of Eastern Innovation which acts as the innovation hub for Melbourne’s East and South-East. The start-ups work in the heart of Melbourne’s hitech, scientific sector and Monash National Employment & Manufacturing cluster and neighbours include CSIRO, Monash University, the Australian Synchrotron, Monash Science & Technology Park and Monash Medical Centre.
Participating companies include PACCAR Australia, Ford Australia, Toyota Australia, SEA Electric, Transport for NSW and Australian Defence Force Recruitment.. This event will be using a unique 3D virtual online portal for the first time which will enable easy interaction between attendees and company representatives. Following an introductory speech key presentations by participating companies will showcase opportunities and key skills portfolios,
The event will be hosted by Danielle Storey CEO of Eastern Innovation and an entrepreneur for more than 35 years.
She is also engaged in the development of the #MonashPrecinct innovation and collaboration network to engage and serve industry, government, education and institutions in the Monash National Employment and Innovation Cluster (NEIC). She is also Acting Deputy Chair of the Eastern Metropolitan Partnership, part of Metropolitan
Partnerships, which is a significant State Government initiative that helps communities in the Eastern region engage directly with government on their challenges and opportunities which encourages better service delivery and informs policy. And Ms Storey is a member for Regional Development Australia (RDA). This work is part of her passion to help build communities and businesses in areas outside the CBD which includes the science and education hub of Monash, the manufacturing hubs of Dandenong and Kingston, the industry hub in Knox, the retail hubs of Manningham. The event is on Thursday 31 March from 3.30pm until 6.30pm Melbourne time the event is free for SAE-A members and just $22 for non members. For further information or to register go to www.saea.com.au/events or contact Cara Coughey events@sae-a.com.au or 0438 745 552 VTE | 5
News | SAE
APAC 21 gets a boost with Australia’s open borders Academic and industry researchers from Asia and Europe are joining Australian colleagues to present at APAC21 in Melbourne in October. Leading automotive researchers from Asian and European automakers and universities are signing up to present their work at APAC21, the 21st biennial Asia Pacific Automotive Engineering Conference. As Australian and overseas borders open up, more and more international researchers are signing up for the conference, to be staged in Melbourne 3-5 October 2022. The Asia Pacific Automotive Engineering Conference (APAC) is hosted by the Society of Automotive Engineers – Australasia, Chairman and CEO Adrian Feeney said Australia and South Korea were leading the count, with the rate of submissions growing now that Australia’s borders were open. “We also have papers coming from India, Japan, China and Malaysia, plus a growing number from Austria, Germany, and most recently the Czech Republic,” he said. “Industry and academia are both strongly represented, with contributions from Volkswagen and BMW in Germany, and from the Graz University of Technology in Austria.
“Not least, from Australia we have abstracts from Toyota Australia, RMIT University, University of Melbourne, ARRB, AustRoads and several specialist researchers.” APAC21 technical chair, Prof Mohammad Fard of RMIT University, said the quality of papers would make a world class conference on the theme of Harmonising the Future of Mobility. “With our focus on autonomous vehicle technology, we have a great number of abstracts on digital transformation, software and electronics, and automated and connected mobility,” he said. “But there are also really interesting submissions in more traditional vehicle engineering areas such as materials and manufacturing, vehicle dynamics, crash safety and even comfort and ergonomics. “Importantly, our abstracts also cover electric, hydrogen and fuel cell technology, and the wider topic of vehicle emissions and pollutants.“ The Australian automotive industry has
been repositioning itself over the past 10 years from a manufacturing producer of vehicles to that of a centre of competency in vehicle design, engineering, innovation and technology. The SAE-A is also transforming. It has more than 90 years of automotive history and is well accredited to host the 21st APAC conference and reposition our future in Australia – one that has the infrastructure to be at the forefront of technology and innovation, research and development and smart manufacturing. APAC has been held every two years since 1981, it provides excellent opportunities for international automotive experts to present the latest product and development innovations and exchange information in mobility, autonomous cars, and transport vehicle technology as a global challenge for the industry, users and society. Online registration and full conference details are at www.autonomous2022.com the conference secretariate is Georgia Perillo who can be contacted on 0466 747 910 or georgia@kecreative.com.au Opposite is a taste of the type of papers you can expect to experience at APAC21.
6 | March 2022
SAE | News
APAC21 – 21ST BIENNIAL ASIA PACIFIC AUTOMOTIVE ENGINEERING CONFERENCE – A SAMPLE LIST OF ABSTRACTS Title
Topic
Organisation
Country
Virtual Gearshift
Digital Transformation
Hyundai Motor Company
South Korea
Sustainable Circular Economy – The Hybrid & EV Battery
Materials and Manufacturing
IM Group
Victoria, Australia
WayM8 Leaning Car – Transforming Individual Mobility through Contentment
Digital Transformation
Ino8 Pty Ltd
Victoria, Australia
Development of GPU-accelerated NDT Localization Vehicle Software and Electronics Algorithm in GNSS-denied Urban Area
Department of Automotive Engineering, Kookmin University
South Korea
A Study on Crash and Stiffness Structure of Door for B Pillar-less Vehicle
Vehicle Crash Safety
Hyundai Motor Company
South Korea
Optimum Life for Minimum CO2 in Light Duty Vehicles – Comparison of EVs with ICEs on Biogas or CNG
Emissions and Pollutants Caused by Vehicles
School of Engineering, University of Melbourne
Australia
Omni-Aware: Learnings from a roadside adaptation of automated vehicle LiDAR
Digital Transformation
AustRoads
Australia
Cooperative Intelligent Transport Systems research within the AIMES Environment
Automated and Connected Mobility
Toyota Motor Corporation Australia
Australia
Development of emotion, early drowsiness and distraction recognition action savvy (ERAS)
Ergonomics and Human Factors
Universiti Kuala Lumpur
Malaysia
Supporting Automated Driving through Investments in Physical Infrastructures
Automated and Connected Mobility
ARRB
Victoria, Australia
Supporting Driver Training – from Vehicles with Advanced Driver Assistance Systems to Fully Autonomous Vehicles
Ergonomics and Human Factors
RMIT University
Victoria, Australia
Development of a testing methodology for Autonomous Vehicles
Automated and Connected Mobility
Transport for NSW
Australia
Topological Data Analysis (TDA) on the Application of Ergonomics and Human Factors Fatigue Driving Detection
Zhejiang University of Technology; RMIT University
China
Novel Assessment Approaches to Support Accelerated Electric, Hydrogen, Fuel Cell Technology Automotive Battery Design and Development Using Tailored Mission Profiles
Graz University of Technology, Institute of Automotive Engineering
Austria
The Study on Optimization to Weight Reduction of Battery Case
Materials and Manufacturing
SEOJIN INDUSTRIAL
South Korea
An autonomous vehicle at the handling limit: A hierarchical controller based on the Quasi-Steady-State model
Vehicle Dynamics and Controls
RMIT University
Australia
The development of hybrid chassis components applied by the GFRP and steel
Vehicle Dynamics and Controls
Sungkyunkwan University
South Korea
Automated safety assessment of passengers in vehicles with non-standard seating configuration in rear impact
Vehicle Crash Safety
University of West Bohemia
Czech Republic
Side Pole crash – Developing objective targets
Vehicle Crash Safety
Tata Motors Ltd
India
Designing and Deploying Service-Oriented Architectures
Vehicle Software and Electronics
MathWorks Australia
Australia
Optical Automotive Multi-gigabit Ethernet Communication Channel Physical Layer Characterisation
Vehicle Software and Electronics
BMW
Germany
Development of seat suspension with skyhook type characteristics using duffing style spring characteristics and damping characteristics
Mobility Comfort
Delta Kogyo Co., Ltd
Japan
Verifying Automated Driving Software Using Behaviour Driven Design
Automated and Connected Mobility
CARIAD
Germany
Development of slim seat adapting to characteristic of low-speed high torque of drive motor for vehicles
Mobility Comfort
Delta Kogyo Co., Ltd
Japan
www.saea.com.au
VTE | 7
News | SAE
New Members The SAE-A would like to welcome the following new members and congratulate our Milestone Members. Individual members Clint Steele Corporate Member Applied Electric Vehicles Pty Ltd Milestone Members 60 years John Dagley 50 years John McKee Keith Negus 40 years Joseph Beninca David Inall Campbell Jenkins 30 years John Barton Antony Bizzai Trevor Booth David Cooper Barry Porter 20 years Tharanga Basnayake William Bons Darrell Chambers Peter Hanenberger Bernard Lakshman Rajapakse Shane Richardson Tim Stevenson More information at www.saea.com.au/membership
MoTeC EV design and development webinar MoTeC has grown from a modest company in the 1980s to a world leader in 21st century motorsport technology. Now boasting a network of more than two hundred authorised dealers worldwide, with offices in Europe and the USA, this innovative Australian brand has become synonymous with motor racing success in almost every category across the globe. Initially adopted by sport sedans and roadregistered vehicles, the demand for MoTeC technology spread quickly. Today it is difficult to find an avenue of motorsport untouched by the brand, with customers in such series as Le Mans, ALMS, NASCAR, FIA GT, Australian V8 Supercars, Indy Car, Dakar Rally, World Superbikes, Professional Drag Racing including Top Fuel and Sport Compact, Porsche Carerra Cup, Star Mazda USA, TC2000 Argentina, World Rally, Group N Rally, GP Masters, Formula 4000, Formula Ford, Toyota Racing Series New Zealand, Formula Campus China, V8 Jetboats, F1/ Offshore Powerboats and all manner of club competition. MoTeC systems have also been put to use in military vehicles and commercial automotive test facilities. Dr Alireza Tashakori will be presenting a webinar for SAE-A on MoTeC products in EV Control System Design and Development on
Vale There is no doubt that many members of the SAE-A will have met Dr Uhlenbruch during their time in the industry, and so it is with much regret that we have to announce his passing away.
Over his years in the industry, he was a former director, chief executive office and chair of 14 private and/or public companies in the automotive parts, construction and superannuation industries across Australia, SE Asia and the US. Dr Uhlenbruch was a graduate of Ostendorff College in Germany and gained his doctorate from Columbia Pacific University in the US. He 8 | March 2022
Dr Tashakori has a BEng Electrical, and MSc Electronics and a PhD in Engineering and began working on electric vehicle drivetrain control systems in 2010. Since then, he has led multiple EV design and development projects including for buses and trucks, OEM concept cars, mining vehicles and high performance EVs. His presentation will cover MoTeC products in EV applications, M1 integration tool for use with Simulink, customised EV solutions, EV control system design engineering services, EV test lab facilities and target EV markets. For further information or to register go to www.saea.com.au/events or contact Cara Coughey events@sae-a.com.au or 0438 745 552 many years Suzanne and her husband Michael travelled down under to impart their many years of experience. She was the first woman to hold the post of Chief Scrutineer for an F1 race, and she held that post in the United States until she retired in October of 2021
Dr Walter Uhlenbruch 21.07.1936 – 30.11.2021
Dr Uhlenbruch emigrated to Australia and was instrumental in establishing the Hella business, he was inducted into the Australian Automotive Aftermarket Association Hall of Fame and awarded the Outstanding Service to Industry Award in 1994. In 2005 he was awarded the “Officer of the Order of Australia (AO)” the second highest award conferred in Australia.
Wednesday 30 March at 12pm (Melbourne time) for 45 minutes, the event is free for SAE-A members or $20 for non-members. The first 20 minutes of the webinar will be a presentation followed by a 20 minute Q&A session.
Dr Walter W.J Uhlenbruch AO (left) with Hella Australia Managing Director Darren Robinson
started his working life with Hella in Germany and moved up through the ranks eventually becoming Chief Executive Officer of Hella Asia-Pacific and then deputy chairman. Dr Walter Uhlenbruch was a much-admired past president and board member of the SAE-A.
Suzanne Royce It is with much sadness that I announce that Suzanne passed away recently. Suzanne was part of the team of US Formula SAE experts that helped us establish our event in Australia, starting in 2000 at the Ford Proving Ground. For
Details of her passing are not fully known but I believe Michael had been by her side through a series of health issues the last couple of months, and sadly complications from COVID. As a close friend and supporter of SAE-A over many years her passing is a shock and very sad to hear We send our sincerest best wishes to Michael and their family in this very difficult time, she will be sorely missed
Auto | News
EV charging infrastructure gets a boost Kempower and JET Charge, one of Australia’s EV charging infrastructure specialists, are working together to support the take-up of EVs in Australia.
VW and Bosch software for Level 2 autonomous driving Volkswagen’s software subsidiary Cariad and Bosch are teaming up to develop software for automated driving to use in Volkswagen’s cars using data from Volkswagen’s fleet, the partners will develop so-called Level 2 autonomous driving software enabling hands-free driving in cities, rural areas and on the motorway as well as a Level 3 system that takes over all driving functions on the motorway. They expect to implement Level 2 software in Volkswagen vehicles from 2023.
Currently, less than two percent of new vehicles sold in Australia are electric. In November 2021, the Australian government announced a new $250 million plan to incentivize electric mobility in the country. This strategy includes partnering with private enterprises to accelerate the rollout of 50,000 EV charging and hydrogen refuelling stations. The government expects the sale of battery electric or plug-in hybrid electric to increase to 30 percent by 2030.
Here one-minute VinFast the next Vietnamese VinFast has decided to exit Australia and is closing all operations including its Australian engineering centre in Port Melbourne and the Lang Lang Proving Ground it purchased from GM Holden for around $34 million. The company cited Covid as the reason. This comes as a double blow for many of VinFast’s Australian staff who were ex-GM and have now been made redundant twice.
The collaboration between the partners started when JET Charge was looking for a portable DC charger with an intelligent design, high quality and robust performance. This search led JET Charge to Kempower’s movable T-Series, which offers 40 kW of pure charging power and has a simultaneous dual charging option providing 20 kW from each channel.
Savic Motorcycle launches online design service Savic Motorcycles has launched a sophisticated Motorcycle Configurator that allows users to ‘build’ an electric motorcycle to their own specifications and enables users to design their own Savic C-Series in different colours with various trims and optional components and upgrades – offering a distinctive new way for customers to interact and shop online.
Since then, the companies have expanded their relationship to include Kempower’s C-Series and S-Series chargers, now being installed at major charging hubs and bus depots.
Yamaha develops hydrogen engine for Toyota Yamaha Motor has been commissioned by Toyota Motor Corporation to develop a 5.0-litre V8 engine for automobiles that is fuelled entirely by hydrogen.
At that announcement the V8 hydrogen engine developed by Yamaha for Toyota was unveiled to the public.
Yamaha began developing a hydrogen engine for cars about five years ago. Takeshi Yamada from the Technical Research & Development Centre’s Automotive Development Section is a member of the hydrogen engine development team, and he began to sense the depth of potential in the powerplant as the project progressed.
The unit is based on the 5.0-litre engine in the Lexus RC F luxury sport coupe, with modifications made to the injectors, cylinder heads, intake manifold and more, and delivers up to 336kW at 6,800 rpm and a maximum 540 Nm of torque of at 3,600 rpm.
Another thing that Mr Yamada and the team valued in the development process was Kanno Seino, meaning sensual or exhilarating performance. One example is the harmonic high-frequency exhaust note produced by the engine’s 8-into-1 exhaust manifold.
www.saea.com.au
The website also has a built-in Augmented Reality viewer which enables users to project their virtual motorcycle to scale in their driveway – both as a practical tool for storage and a unique visualisation of their ownership experience. M-B’s new chemistry for electric cars Experts from Daimler’s Formula One team have developed the EQXX Mercedes Benz electric car that can drive more than 1000 kilometres with a battery half the size of the company’s EQS electric car. This battery technology is expected to be used in the company’s compact cars from 2024. The technology employs new chemistry and used a new one-part casting method to form a major aluminium component for the rear of the car.
In Japan, Toyota and other automotiverelated companies are about to begin a collaborative effort to expand the range of fuel options for internal combustion engines. In November last year, five companies: Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Subaru Corporation, Toyota Motor Corporation, Mazda Motor Corporation, and Yamaha Motor jointly announced they would begin discussions for conducting collaborative research into possible avenues for expanding the range of fuel options for internal combustion engines in the quest for carbon neutrality.
Briefs
Semiconductor shortage to continue The US Commerce Department has published a semiconductor supply chain report estimating that the global shortage will last until at least the second half of 2022 but may extend into 2023. Demand was also 17 percent higher in 2021 than it had been two years before. Toyota has said it expects to miss its annual vehicle production targets because of the competition for semiconductors. Automotive News has said that the shortage will “dent global vehicle output by four million more vehicles in 2022”.Infineon which is one of the biggest suppliers of auto semiconductors says the shortage should ease by 2023. The German company plans to expand its production at its semiconductor plant in Austria which opened in 2021. VTE | 9
News | Auto
Ford and QUT to R&D on LIDAR and cameras QUT Centre for Robotics’ researchers are working on a new fundamental research project with the Ford Motor Company to develop improved localisation and perceptions techniques for autonomous vehicles. The project will look at how cameras and LIDAR sensors, commonly used in autonomous vehicles, can better understand the world around them. Professor Michael Milford will lead the two-year, $271,000 project and its research team, which includes QUT Research Fellow Dr Sourav Garg and PhD candidate Ming Xu. “We’ll dive deep into research developing the algorithms and artificial intelligence systems that could improve the capabilities of autonomous vehicles,” Prof Milford said. “In particular, we’ll be looking at the synergistic relationship between autonomous vehicles and the world around them. “If vehicles are able to understand the environment, they are in such as in an urban environment, the vehicle can better understand its surroundings such as a pedestrian crossing. We can take that understanding of what is in the environment to then help the vehicle better understand where they are located in it.”
Brabham simulators Brabham Branding has collaborated with Base Performance Simulators (BPS) to create a limited run of special edition simulators that will both celebrate the illustrious history of Brabham in motor racing and bring the iconic designs into the eSports age. The Brabham name is synonymous with engineering and innovation, with Sir Jack Brabham setting new standards in grand prix racing during the late 1950s, first leading the Cooper brand to global success before establishing Brabham as a leading name in the sport in 1962. Through this new partnership with Base Performance Simulators, Brabham Branding has been able to pay tribute to some of its most iconic grand prix cars, bringing elements of their styling into the digital age.
Each rig will make use of cutting-edge simulation technology, allowing drivers to test, compete and play on a truly professional level – be they professional racing drivers, eSports competitors, or enthusiastic home gamers. The three Brabham Motorsport/Base Performance Simulator racing sims are as follows: BT19, BT46B and BT52.
Rheinmetal pyrofuse for EVs Technology group Rheinmetall has developed a pyrofuse, a pyrotechnical safety switch system which was developed by its Sensors and Actuators division. It ensures safe operation of battery electric vehicles (BEV), plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEV) and fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEV). The system disconnects the battery or the DC charger in case of emergency such as accident, crash or short circuit, reducing possible dangers and risks for passengers, rescue teams and first aiders. It has an ultrafast response speed below one millisecond and breaks the power supply immediately. The operating voltage of Rheinmetall’s innovation ranges from 450 to 1000 VDC and it can break high currents of up to 30kA, operating at temperatures up to 120 °C. The fuse system has lowest best-in-class internal electrical resistance (<30 μΩ ) and reduces
power losses and thermal self-heating. Further benefits are the low weight and the cost-efficient design and the ability to disconnect short circuit currents without outburst of conductive and hot gases. In addition, the system is also available with an integrated current sensor, saving costs, space, and assembly efforts and simplifying component harmonization. With the ongoing transformation to e-mobility and new market demands, pyrofuse systems will be widely used in electric vehicles and this technological segment will undergo rapid development.
CUPRA the new car on the block Dr Punarjay (Jay) Chakravarty will lead the project on behalf of the Ford Autonomous Vehicle Future Tech group. The Ford and QUT team will work together to understand how to decrease the cost of autonomous vehicle technology adoption by lowering the cost of sensing and computing using state-of -the-art deep learning technology. Professor Milford has worked with autonomous vehicle projects in mining, as well as a project which involved taking an artificial intelligence system on a road trip to identify the key role high-definition annotated maps could play in autonomous driving on Australian roads. 10 | March 2022
CUPRA Australia is the latest car brand to hit our shores with the CUPRA Ateca SUV, which will be available in one highly specified model grade, named VZx. The Ateca will form part of CUPRA’s Australian model launch in mid-2022, which also includes the Leon hatchback, and the Formentor crossover SUV. The Ateca, named after an historic town in Spain, has a 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine mated to a sevenspeed DSG and 4Drive all-wheel drive. While CUPRA is now its own brand, initially it was a part of Spanish car maker SEAT’s cars, SEAT is owned by Volkswagen. The cars will be sold online but backed up with a network of around 12 showrooms.
Auto | News
Hyundai invests in hydrogen refuelling
Briefs New CEO for Hyundai Australia Hyundai Motor Company Australia (HMCA) has appointed Ted Lee to the position of Chief Executive Officer, effective from 1 January 2022. Mr Lee joins HMCA from Hyundai Motor Company Headquarters in Seoul, South Korea, where he was formerly Head of Western Europe Team. He first joined Hyundai Motor Company in 1997 and is returning to Australia following his tenure as HMCA Coordinating Director of Sales from 2015 to 2019. He is the first CEO to have previously held a position at HMCA. GM invests in more battery cell plants
Hyundai Motor Company Australia has invested in a new hydrogen refuelling station in Sydney. To be located at its corporate headquarters in Macquarie Park, the facility will be constructed in partnership with Australian gas technology company ENGV. The new refueller will replace HMCA’s existing hydrogen refuelling station, which has been operational since 2014 and has conducted fills of both Hyundai and competitor FCEVs and hydrogen forklifts. The facility will enable Hyundai to support its expanding range of hydrogen fuel cell vehicles through faster refuelling and green hydrogen generated on site. It will also enable the company to continue its activities showcasing the benefits of hydrogen mobility technologies to external stakeholders. The state-of-the-art station will produce up to 20kg of hydrogen per day via an integrated electrolyser, as well as providing 700bar refuelling capability. This will enable the Hyundai NEXO FCEV to travel up to 666km (WLTP) on a single tank, with a refuelling time of less than 5 minutes.
Hyundai has selected US-based PDC Machines and IVYS Energy Solutions to supply the hydrogen refuelling station, known as the SimpleFuelFast, with ENGV responsible for local integration, installation and ongoing operational services. This engagement follows CSIRO’s Victorian Hydrogen Hub announcement in mid-2021 which will see ENGV, PDC Machines and IVYS Energy Solutions working together to construct a hydrogen refuelling system at the national science agency’s Melbourne facility. This announcement follows Hyundai’s deployment of the NEXO SUV to the ACT and Queensland Government, with both successfully integrating the vehicles into their existing fleets. HMCA anticipates a growing market for its advanced hydrogen technologies in Australia, including passenger and commercial vehicles as well as stationary power applications.
The EV6, Kia’s first dedicated battery electric vehicle (BEV) built on the company’s EV platform (Electric-Global Modular Platform or E-GMP), has arrived in Australian showrooms. The EV6 is the first of seven dedicated BEVs to be built on the E-GMP Platform. It is powered exclusively by electric energy and brings a long-range, zero-emissions powertrain to the large SUV market.
The performance EV6 eGT with follow in late 2022 or early 2023. The RWD single motor EV6 produces 168kW www.saea.com.au
The investment includes two previously announced sites: the Ultium Cells battery cell plant in Lansing, Michigan and the conversion of GM’s assembly plant in Orion Township, Michigan. A third, a new Ultium battery cell manufacturing plant will be in Lansing, Michigan. Ultium Cells is the partnership between LG Energy and GM, it expects the facility will have 50 gigawatt hours of battery cell capacity when running full production. GM and LG Energy already are planning two battery cell manufacturing sites that are being constructed in Ohio and Tennessee. Premcar due to produce its 1000th Warrior
The company is now working with government and industry stakeholders across Australia to realise hydrogen mobility projects, with the ultimate aim being a connected hydrogen refuelling network nationwide.
KIA EV6 arrives in Australia
The EV6 is available in two grades; the range focused EV6 Air in rear-wheel drive only (RWD) and top trim GT-Line with RWD or allwheel drive (AWD) options.
General Motors will invest in four Michigan factories focused on battery cell and electric truck manufacturing, including a third plant with partner LG Energy Solutions, as the company aims to meet ambitious EV production targets.
power and 350Nm of torque and a single charge driving range of 528km, with 0-100 acceleration being reached in approximately 7.3 seconds on 19” alloy wheels. The AWD dual motor produces 239kW/605 Nm and hitting 0-100 in approximately 5.2 seconds. The AWD has a range of 484km.
Australian automotive manufacturing is flourishing in Victoria with more than 750 examples of the Nissan Navara PRO-4X Warrior by Premcar having already rolled off the production line. Premcar’s Epping facility has been abuzz with activity since the launch of the Warrior 2.0, with the 35-strong Warrior team on track to produce its first 1000 vehicle by the end of March 2022. The Nissan Navara PRO-4X undergoes extensive re-manufacturing at the advanced Premcar facility to deliver the world’s toughest Navara, with the team engineering a unique flagship vehicle that is tailor-made for Australia and Australian conditions. Lambos go plug in Lamborghini has announced that starting next year it will only introduce new vehicles with electric motors starting with hybrids and plug-in hybrids, with the first likely to be a four-door model. VTE | 11
News | Truck & Bus
Briefs BrightDrop bright start
New ADRs for commercial vehicles in Australia In late February 2022, the Assistant Minister to the Deputy Prime Minister, the Hon Kevin Hogan MP, signed two new Australian Design Rules (ADRs):
Earlier in the year Brightdrop, a subsidiary of GM, announced two marquee electric light commercial vehicles – the EV600 and its mid-size counterpart, the EV410.In December 500 EV600s were delivered to FedEx Express. Those vehicles are already out in the field making deliveries today in Los Angeles. That milestone established the EV600 as the fastest vehicle produced, from concept to market, in GM’s history. Then the company landed some of the world’s largest companies as EV customers, Walmart has signed an agreement to reserve 5,000 EVs, and FedEx entered into an agreement to secure priority for production of an additional 2,000 EVs on top of the 500 they were already slated to receive. In addition to becoming a leading commercial EV provider, the company developed an electric cart designed to transport goods over short distances – for example, from a delivery vehicle to a front door. Electric Last Mile Solutions
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ADR 97/00 – Advanced Emergency Braking (AEB) for Omnibuses, and Medium and Heavy Goods Vehicles; and
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ADR 35/07 – Commercial Vehicle Brake Systems.
Both ADRs are published on the Federal Register of Legislation (www.legislation.gov.au) and are available together with the associated Explanatory Statements and Final Regulation Impact Statement (RIS) at: •
ADR 97/00 – www.legislation.gov.au/ Details/F2022L00211/Download
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ADR 35/07 – www.legislation.gov.au/ Details/F2022L00213/Download
ADR 97/00 mandates Advanced Emergency Braking (AEB) systems for buses, and goods vehicles greater than 3.5 tonnes Gross Vehicle Mass (GVM), to avoid or mitigate the severity of rear-end in lane collisions. ADR 35/07 expands the applicability of the mandatory requirements for a Vehicle Stability Function incorporating both rollover control and directional control (otherwise known as Electronic Stability Control or ESC for heavy vehicles) under the preceding ADR
35/06, to all categories of buses, and goods vehicles over 3.5 tonnes GVM. Both ADRs will be mandatory for new models from 1 November 2023, all new buses from 1 November 2024, and all new goods vehicles over 3.5 tonnes GVM from 1 February 2025. Exemptions from mandatory fitment of AEB and ESC are provided for buses specially designed with spaces for standing passengers, articulated buses, trucks with four or more axles, and trucks and buses ‘designed for off-road use’ (as defined in each ADR). These are equivalent to exemptions in place in the European Union. Mandating AEB for heavy vehicles was identified as a priority in Future Steps of the National Road Safety Strategy 2011-2020 (NRSS) as well as a Priority Action (item 4) of the National Road Safety Action Plan 20182020 (NRSAP). The expansion of the scope of application of the mandatory requirements for ESC on heavy vehicles, follows a commitment from the Commonwealth in the RIS for ADR 35/06, to consider this as part of the RIS for AEB on heavy vehicles.
Hydrogen Dakar truck This is another US manufacturer who has already delivered with a range of vehicles including the Urban Delivery van about the size of a Ford Transit and very conventional in its looks and very affordable which is attracting sales from couriers, contractors and tradies. Stellantis Stellantis, the company that was the merger of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles and the French PSA Group, has a deal with Amazon to sell the company the Ram ProMaster delivery vans in 2023. While Stellantis has not officially revealed the electric vans, Amazon is expected to become the first commercial customer when it eventually enters production. Kenworth has its first Class 8 electric truck In the US Kenworth has unveiled its first US Class 8 electric truck designed for a gross vehicle weight rating of about 37 tonnes, the Kenworth T680E electric tractor features a Meritor powertrain and offers 400 kW of continuous or 500 kW of peak power.It is equipped with a 396 kWh capacity battery for approximately a 240 kilometres range and can be charged at up to 120 kW via a CCS1 DC fast-charging port, the T680E can be fully charged in about three hours. 12 | March 2022
After its successful run in the Dakar Rally in January 2022 in Saudi Arabia, Gaussin’s H2 Racing Truck – the first hydrogen truck to complete the challenging rally will be exhibited internationally from Europe to the US and Canada. The truck will also be accompanied by other vehicles from the Gaussin range, including the APM, the ATM and the Cit-e (ex-Bluebus). According to Gaussin the H2 Racing Truck is the most powerful 100 percent hydrogen and electric racing truck ever built, performed well at the 2022 Dakar Rally. It ran from the Red Sea, in Jeddah, through the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia traversing to Hail, Al Artawiyah, Al Qaisumah, Riyadh, Al Dawadimi, Wadi Ad Dawasir, Bisha and returning in the final sprint of the race to Jeddah, where it all began. This heavy class 8 truck was entered in the experimental category of the Dakar 2022 for new clean energies The H2 Racing Truck is a showcase of Gaussin’s latest innovations. Unlike the solutions currently available on the market, the implementation of the hydrogen system has been developed on the basis of an ultralight chassis, designed around the hydrogen and electric powertrain and based on a
modular skateboard launched last April. It is the precursor of Gaussin’s new range of 100 percent hydrogen and electric road trucks, designed by Pininfarina, which will be marketed this year and of which it is the first model.
Truck & Bus | News
Active Grip for Volvo trucks Volvo Trucks has launched a new patented safety feature for electric trucks – Active Grip Control. The new technology significantly improves stability, acceleration and braking in slippery conditions. Thanks to the fast response of the electric motors, the force generated between the wheels and the road can be controlled in an instant to proactively prevent wheel spin. The feature clearly improves acceleration in slippery conditions. Tests performed with the Volvo FH Electric on a low friction surface with a loaded trailer showed 45 percent improvement at full acceleration. “The improvement when going up a slippery, gravel road is really impressive. I believe this will increase productivity, not least for our construction customers,” said Anna Wrige Berling, Traffic & Product Safety Director at Volvo Trucks. If the truck starts to skid, multiple sensors allow the vehicle’s control system to react to the road surface conditions and utilize the
The new feature is also designed to reduce the risk for jack-knifing and oversteering when driving unloaded. Improvements can also be seen when braking, as the function can be used for controlled regenerative braking without going into ABS. This increases efficiency, since more time is spent in regeneration, allowing for a smoother braking experience. The Active Grip Control feature will be available on the heavy-duty Volvo FH, Volvo FM and Volvo FMX Electric trucks, that are used for regional haul and construction operations. A version of the feature will also be available on trucks with a diesel or LNG driveline.
The NSW Government is supporting the creation of local manufacturing jobs in Western Sydney with a $70 million investment to transition the state’s bus fleet to zero-emissions technology.
Minister for Transport and Veterans David Elliott said the $70 million investment takes the number of bus orders placed with Custom Denning past 100, which will help drive a post
From seats to fuel cell production
vehicle’s electric motors, along with other actuators, in an intelligent way to help the driver stay on the road.
NSW orders 79 electric Denning buses Western Sydney-based company Custom Denning has been awarded a contract to design, manufacture and assembly 79 new electric buses.
Briefs
pandemic jobs recovery and a boost for local manufacturing. Once built, the 79 buses will operate services in Sydney’s inner west. Transport for NSW, in collaboration with its contracted bus operators, have ordered 101 electric buses from Custom Denning.
Through its Symbio joint venture with Michelin, Faurecia is investing beyond its interior-systems base into the fuel-cell future. The French Tier-1 supplier, whose automotive seating and interiors businesses accounted for nearly 69 percent of sales in 2020, is staking a significant slice of its future growth in hydrogen fuel-cell systems. The company currently has hydrogen-related development activities with nine OEMs. Three of them – Hyundai, Stellanis, and Renault – have hydrogen fuel cell vehicles fitted with Faurecia storage tanks and related hardware entering production in 2021. Cummins and Izuzu create a battery truck Cummins and Isuzu Motors Limited announced an agreement to create a prototype medium-duty, battery electric truck to be developed for North America, it is the first zero-emissions solution by the Isuzu Cummins Powertrain Partnership (ICPP) formed in May 2019. Cummins will integrate the Cummins Power Drive 6000 into Isuzu’s F-Series truck. Mac has its first Class 8 electric truck
Fortescue purchases Williams to become greener Fortescue Metals Group has entered into a share sale and purchase agreement to acquire 100 percent of Williams Advanced Engineering Limited (WAE) from EMK Capital and Williams Grand Prix Engineering Limited for $294 million. WAE will be vertically integrated into Fortescue’s diversified resources and green energy business. Fortescue has worked closely with WAE since early 2021 to design and build a prototype battery system to power an electric mining haul truck. The acquisition of WAE provides critical technology and expertise in high-performance battery systems and electrification and will enable Fortescue to accelerate and support the decarbonisation of Fortescue’s mining operations as well as establishing an important new business growth opportunity. Together, Fortescue and WAE will develop battery electric solutions for Fortescue’s rail, mobile haul fleet and other heavy mining www.saea.com.au
equipment. In addition, Fortescue and WAE will work together to grow WAE’s worldleading green technology and engineering business. One of the first major projects to be developed will be a world leading battery electric train concept. “For decades, Sir Frank Williams’ F1 racing business was at the forefront of innovation in engineering and I thank him for his pioneering vision in founding WAE over a decade ago. I was sorry to hear of his passing last year and I pay tribute to him. I have huge respect for him, his family and the Williams’ business,” Fortescue Founder and Chairman Dr Andrew Forrest AO said.
Mack Trucks’ first fully electric Class 8 vehicle, the Mack LR Electric, has entered production. Mack announced the launch of the LR Electric in 2018 and delivered its first demonstration truck to the New York City Department of Sanitation in 2020 to undergo real-world testing. Having passed its evaluation cycle, the LR Electric being delivered to customers. The LR Electric is powered by four lithium-ion batteries and can be charged via a 150-kW, SAE J1772-compliant charging system. The NMC (nickel manganese cobalt oxide) batteries provide power to a pair of AC motors with a combined peak output of 400 kW (536 hp) and a continuous output of 334 kW (448 hp). A three-mode regenerative braking system enables energy recapture from the truck’s frequent stops. The LR Electric has a range of 113 Km with a charge time of 90 minutes at a rate of 150 kW. VTE | 13
News | Defence & Aero
Briefs Australian companies to work in astronomy Australian manufacturers will be able to bid for work in astronomy projects under the European Southern Observatory (ESO) Technology Development Program. Australian industry and astronomy institutions will be able to tender for contracts, opening a new door to support Australian innovation.
Adelaide to house Space Manufacturing Hub Fleet Space Technologies announced that the Australian Government has committed $20 million for the development of the Space Manufacturing Hub in Adelaide, South Australia.
BAE Systems new Australian CEO Gabby Costigan has been promoted to Group Managing Director of Business Development for BAE Systems and will hand leadership of BAE Systems Australia to Ben Hudson. Mr Hudson was previously the Chief Technology Officer in the UK and led the global vehicle systems portfolio for Rheinmetall, based in Germany, he held senior roles with General Dynamics in Switzerland, and served as an officer in the Australian Army, including active service in East Timor. INDO PACIFIC conference in May INDO PACIFIC 2022 will take place at Sydney’s International Convention Centre on 10-12 May, hosting key players from Defence, government and industry. This will be the largest single gathering of maritime defence, government and industry key players in the region, as part of the INDO PACIFIC 2022 International Maritime Exposition. INDO PACIFIC 2022 will combine high level defence and industry conferences, including the Royal Australian Navy’s Sea Power Conference and industry’s IMC 2022 International Maritime Conference, with an industry. Hanwha Defense armoured vehicle centre for Victoria Hanwha Defense Australia will establish its Armoured Vehicle Centre of Excellence at the Avalon Airport Industrial Precinct in Victoria, where they will manufacture self propelled howitzers for the $1 billion LAND 8116 program. The $170 million facility will provide hundreds of highly skilled jobs in design, engineering and advanced manufacturing. Lockheed Martin’s new program director Lockheed Martin Australia has appointed former Royal Australian Navy (RAN) director of General Navy Aviation Systems, Commodore (Retd) Peter Ashworth, as its program director for Global Training Systems. With a career spanning over 40 years of service in the RAN, Ashworth brings a wealth of experience across Navy Aviation and Defence aircrew training projects, Defence helicopter systems, and the management and acquisition of large-scale Defence capability. Based in Lockheed Martin Australia’s headquarters in Canberra, Ashworth will lead a 135-strong team over four locations around Australia to deliver comprehensive sustainment services with excellence for the Australian Defence Force’s JP9711 core simulation capability, AIR5428 Pilot Training System and Basic Wings Course programs. 14 | March 2022
This adds to funds already committed by the Government of South Australia ($20 million AUS) and a consortium of leading space, aerospace and advanced mobility companies including Fleet, Q-CTRL, At Space Pty Ltd and Alauda Aeronautics. The total value of the project is therefore $66 million. This state-of-the-art facility will enable further growth of Fleet Space Technologies in line with Australia’s aim to create one of the world’s leading space industries. In total 221 jobs are expected to be created in the sector across Space Technologies and its partners. A further 1104 indirect jobs will
be created in the supply chain and associated businesses. The Space Manufacturing Hub is set to be one of the most advanced facilities of its kind in the world. It will create common user facility that will support Australia’s rapidly growing space industry and its overall space ecosystem. The Space Manufacturing Hub will provide the required facilities to design, manufacture, test and launch critical components for spacegoing vehicles and satellites. The State Government is in discussions with Adelaide Airport as a potential location for the Australian Space Park.
Fisherman’s Bend construction to begin 2023 Fisherman’s Bend, which is already home to global industry giants such as Boeing, Siemens and a major Department of Defence research and development facility, is set to welcome the University of Melbourne Engineering and Design innovation campus. Bringing industry, institutions, and innovators together presents a once-in-a-generation opportunity to redefine what manufacturing means in 21st century Australia. By 2050 it is envisaged that the precinct will be home to at least 40,000 jobs and over 20,000 students and be internationally renowned as a centre for innovation in advanced manufacturing, engineering and design. By supporting a culture that fosters experimentation and learning from doing, the Employment Precinct will push design boundaries through a continual process of prototyping, testing and refining ideas.
Icon SI Pty Ltd, one of Australia and New Zealand’s largest construction providers, has signed a $7.3 million contract with the federal government as the managing contractor for the Fisherman’s Bend redevelopment project. The specialist research base accommodates elements of the Defence Science and Technology Group (DSTG), which is the lead agency dedicated to providing science and technology support for the country’s defence and security needs. Pending government and parliamentary approvals, construction is expected to start in mid-2023 and be completed by late 2025.
Overseas | News
Coventry uni students win design and F1 internship Coventry University student Muaaz Shah will get to work with a Formula One team during his studies after being selected for a Formula One scholarship as he pursues his dream of working in elite motorsport. The scholarship program was launched by Formula One as part of their WeRaceAsOne campaign last year, which was aimed at addressing the societal issues facing motor racing and the world through sport. It specifically seeks to break down barriers to the industry and address the issue of under-representation in the sport. Coventry University was chosen by Formula One as part of a small, carefully selected group of universities to award the unique scholarship, and just 10 students in the UK and Italy have been given the opportunity. Now, 20-year-old Muaaz from Birmingham, an avid Formula One fan and aspiring engineer, is setting his sights on a career in one of the sporting world’s most exciting and lucrative industries as he combines his BSc degree in Motorsport Engineering alongside a work placement with a Formula One team. “With all the equipment here at Coventry University I’m spoilt for choice. We have racing simulators, state-of-the-art facilities – we practically have our own Formula One garage here. I have every confidence that this course can help me pursue my dream of working in research, development and design within the F1 industry,” he said.
Briefs EuroBrake for May EuroBrake is the world’s largest annual gathering of braking industry professionals. Attendees include all major brake industry stakeholders, including passenger car and commercial vehicle component suppliers and manufacturers, raw material suppliers, and leading names in rail, aerospace, and academia. This year’s EuroBrake will be held online from 17 – 19 May 2022, and will feature more than 90 technical presentations, panel discussions and keynote addresses that are impacting and shaping the future of braking. SAE-A members can register with a special member code to attend EuroBrake 2022 at a discounted rate of 25% off. Contact SAE-A for the code at info@sae-a.com.au For more information about EuroBrake visit: www.fisita.com/diary/eurobrake-2022 New HQ for Gordon Murray Group
Another Coventry University student Hwijun Moon, a South Korean student studying Automotive and Transport Design, won the Top Honour Prize at an international car design festival, Auto Design Award. The theme of the awards was ‘meta mobility, electrified universe’ and Hwijun’s project, entitled Autobiography, incorporated virtual reality and an autonomous driving mode. The concept of Autobiography is to allow drivers to create their own stories by using virtual and augmented reality to change their travel experience. In autonomous mode, displays inside the car would allow the occupants to experience different weather conditions, tour different landscapes across the world, take part in a race or even drive through a different point in time via a time travel mode. The event saw Hwijun’s design considered by an expert panel of judges including senior figures in the global car industry.
Battery Gigafactory for the UK In the UK the West Midlands Gigafactory joint venture has taken the next step in its journey with Warwick District Council and Coventry City Council having resolved to approve outline plans for a Gigafactory creating up to 6,000 new highly skilled jobs directly alongside thousands more in the wider supply chain in Coventry, Warwickshire and the surrounding region. With many major automotive manufacturers based in the region, the West Midlands is the automotive skills capital of the UK and has access to current and future talent, as well as the existing skills needed to support the West Midlands Gigafactory. Production ready from 2025, the 530,000sqm facility will manufacture high-tech lithium-ion batteries for the global automotive and energy storage industries. The Gigafactory will have capacity to deliver up to 60GWh by the end of the decade. As the world rapidly moves towards an increasingly electrified future, Gigafactories have been identified as critical to the UK’s automotive and domestic energy sectors, future economic growth and achieving Net Zero targets making the West Midlands Gigafactory an imperative for the UK’s electrified future. www.saea.com.au
The Gordon Murray Group announced that its new global headquarters and technology campus will be the principal manufacturing site of Gordon Murray Automotive’s second car. Construction work will soon be underway on Highams Park, in Windlesham, Surrey, UK to build the state-of-the-art facility, it will include vehicle design, development, a test track, a heritage centre, and customer sales and servicing suites. Lotus’ new design studio From the start of 2022, the Geely design studio in Warwickshire has a new name – the Lotus Tech Creative Centre Limited (LTCC). The LTCC team continues to be led by highly experienced designer Ben Payne in the role of managing director and head of studio. LTCC is a world-class automotive design facility delivering the complete range of disciplines – design strategy, exterior and interior design, user interface and user experience design, visualisation, studio engineering, digital and physical modelling, plus colour, materials and finish. Lotus has other facilities in the UK, Germany and China. VTE | 15
News | General
Briefs Auto Aftermarket Show for Melbourne
The Australian Auto Aftermarket Expo, co-located with the Collision Repair Expo is the nation’s only comprehensive exhibition for Australia’s $25 billion aftermarket industry. The show will showcase more than 250 of the country’s leading brands. Hosted by the Australian Automotive Aftermarket Association (AAAA), the Expo is run by the industry, for the industry and will take place 7 – 9 April 2022, at the Melbourne Convention & Exhibition Centre. With the theme ’The Workshop of the Future is Here’ the Expo will showcase the latest vehicle repair and servicing equipment, parts, tools and accessories, new technology and trends. More information at: www.autoaftermarketexpo.com.au Australian Manufacturing Week goes to Sydney Australian Manufacturing Week is scheduled to take place at the International Convention Centre (ICC) Sydney on 7 – 10 June 2022. Admission is free to trade personnel. More information is at www.australianmanufacturingweek.com.au Self-repairing tyres
STEM gender equality investments An additional $6.7 million in federal government funding has been secured for Science & Technology Australia’s Superstars of STEM program and is backing the Women in STEM ambassador initiative, including its Future You campaign. Making the announcement on International Day of Women and Girls in Science, the investments aim to support gender equity in STEM, building on $147 million of related investments. The federal government will invest $2 million in the Superstars of STEM program, allowing it to develop an additional 120 women Superstars into future leaders. An additional $2.4 million will support the Women in STEM ambassador initiative. Only 20 percent of girls reported being interested in STEM jobs before 2018, but now upwards of 68 percent of girls are now interested in a STEM career. In addition to the funding announced in February, the Australian Academy of Technology and Engineering (ATSE) has been named the sole implementing partner for the federal government’s 7-year $41.2 million “Boosting the Next Generation of Women in STEM” fund, through a transformational program named Elevate.
Elevate will award up to 500 undergraduate and postgraduate scholarships to women in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). The program aims to address gender inequities in STEM through fostering more women-led industry academia collaborations in applied research and business, growing skills of women in STEM and by propelling women into senior leadership. ATSE and its partners will co-design a highquality program spanning industry, academia and government to upskill women with STEM qualifications, research and business expertise, so they can lead and shape a dynamic and impactful Australian STEM sector. The program will help create a diverse, inclusive and vibrant STEM ecosystem that can attract, retain and progress girls and women into STEM education and careers.
New Monash lithium-sulphur battery improves performance and lifespan Researchers from Monash University have taken another step towards the holy grail of renewable energy: the ability to store it cheaply. The team has created a new lithium-sulphur battery interlayer that promotes exceptionally fast lithium transfer, also improving the performance and lifetime of the batteries.
Michelin Selfseal seals a hole in the tyre tread at the very moment it is made. At the heart of this technology is a thin layer, which is a few millimetres thick, of tough sealant based on natural rubber which is applied to the inside surface of the tread. If a nail or screw punctures the tyre and the sealant, the pressure inside the tyre immediately forces this tough mass against the foreign object as it penetrates. This stops air escaping from the tyre, and the tyre pressure stays constant. If the nail or other object falls out as the vehicle drives on, or if it is removed, the sealant is immediately forced after it, reliably sealing the tyre. Selfseal tyres will plug around 90 percent of all tread punctures with a diameter of up to six millimetres that have been caused by nails and screws. 16 | March 2022
This cheaper, greener and faster lithiumsulfur battery enables the charge and discharge of batteries and discharge of energy at a much faster rate than previously offered and can be made in Australia. This latest breakthrough into lithium battery development by a team from Monash University’s Faculty of Engineering is led by Professor Matthew Hill, Dr Mahdokht Shaibani and Professor Mainak Majumber, in partnership with the CSIRO. “A lithium battery interlayer sits in the middle of the battery and keeps the electrodes apart, it helps lithium get from one side of the battery to the other faster. The new interlayer overcomes the slower charge and discharge rates of previous generation lithium-sulfur batteries,” said Professor Hill. Lithium-sulphur batteries offer higher energy density and reduced costs compared with the
previous generation of lithium-ion batteries; they can store two-to-five times as much energy by weight than the current generation of lithium-ion batteries. This means a car with one of these batteries might only need to be charged once a week. However, previously, the electrodes in lithium-sulphur batteries deteriorated rapidly and the batteries broke down. The new interlayer delivers high capacity and long-life. “The interlayer stops polysulfides, a chemical that forms inside this type of battery, from moving across the battery; polysulfides interfere with the anode and shorten the battery life. It means the battery can be charged and discharged as many as 2000 times without failing,” said lead author, PhD candidate Ehsan Ghasemiestabanati. Additionally, lithium-sulfur batteries do not rely on metals like cobalt, nickel and manganese, which are critical minerals found in lithium-ion batteries.
EV | Feature
Australia’s 3000 EV charging points With a country that is almost 8 million square kilometres how many charging points are needed for EVs? The Australian Government has now embraced EVs and is enabling their future use by the release of their Low Emissions Technology Statement 2021, where they specified ‘Enabling Infrastructure’ as a key category. Their plan is to invest in infrastructure that will allow the widespread delivery of low emission energy to the commercial and residential sectors. Currently Australia has just over 3000 EV public charging points to cover 7.692 million square kilometres and of those 2531 are AC standard and 470 are DC supercharge with most located in New South Wales. They are to service the .78 percent of new cars that are EVs. The world average is 4.2 percent, we are lagging well behind even the US has 2.3 percent. Three levels of charging stations are available in Australia. Level 1/Mode 2: The at-home charging station This is like plugging in any other electrical device at home, but with a special cable. It uses 10-15 Amp, single-phase power and delivers 1.4kW – 2.4kW. This will ‘top up’ any kilometres used from a small trip (10-20 km) but won’t fully charge your battery. This charging method will also be useful on destination trips if no other charging points are available. Level 2/Mode 3: Charge while shopping Using the power equivalent to an oven or dryer, this is a dedicated EV charger, delivering up to 22kW, on a 32 Amp, 3-phase point. It is normally found in public places such as shopping centres where the car can be left for an hour to top up daily usage (40 to 100km) or fully charge overnight. Level 3/Mode 4: The DC supercharger The two previous methods use AC power, but this is DC. Designed to be much quicker (up to
40x faster) at charging, it is suitable for fully charging a vehicle rapidly and is a dedicated point at petrol stations, car parks. It will deliver from 25kW to 350kW on a 40–500 Amp, three-phase point and charge around 150km per hour. Generally, the bigger the battery, the more it will cost to charge. The cost of charging publicly varies widely amongst the approximately 18 private charging infrastructure providers available. Prices will fluctuate depending upon demand, but many suppliers offer the first few kilowatts for free. The RAC estimates that costs are approximately 45 to 60 cents per kilowatt-hour maximum, which still makes them cheaper than their combustion engine counterparts. Tesla electric chargers are a different beast though. They are the fastest chargers (called destination chargers) but can only be used on Tesla cars. A 2021 Savvy survey (www.savvy.com.au/73percent-australiansagree-moving-to-electricvehicles-important-to-curb-climatechange) found 17 percent of respondents were most concerned about charging station availability when making an EV purchase. This proves that the accessibility of charging points could be a large restraint to EV market growth in Australia. By the end of 2022, it is estimated that there will be 58 EV models for sale on the Australian market, a rise of 53 percent from 31 models in 2021. Installations of public chargers increased by 23 percent (DC) and 24 percent (AC) from 2020-21 and at present, for every public charger, there are 7.21 EVs in Australia. The biggest hindrance to the growth of the EV market overall in Australia is the lack of charging stations and it is a catch-22
situation. We can’t have more EVs on the road until we have more charging stations, and we can’t have more charging stations unless we have more EVs. Therefore, we are reliant on government policies and funding and the growth that private providers can foresee and are therefore willing to invest upon, to fix the problem. If you have an EV, then it is quite obvious that you need a charging point at home. Public charging stations pose a different challenge as they, unfortunately, aren’t always easy to find and their distribution depends upon the population, state, territory, local council implementation policy and willingness of private providers. A free app for iOS, Android and the internet called PlugShare (www.plugshare.com) allows users to find charging stations in Australia and worldwide, and map new ones. Hopefully soon Google Maps will roll out their EV charging station finder that has been released in the United Kingdom and the United States.
www.saea.com.au
VTE | 17
Feature | Hyzon
Provenance for our region and automotive Hyzon is spearheading a foundational and fundamental change for Australia with a new manufacturing facility for automotive underway in Victoria ‘It’s not a folly, it’s not a shot in the dark, it’s a fundamental change that’s really viable,’ John Edgley, managing director for Hyzon Motors Australia and New Zealand told VTE Magazine during an interview. Exciting news for the local economy and for manufacturing jobs for the future as well as engineering, which is close to Nr Edgley’s heart as a mechanical engineering graduate of Melbourne University in the early 1990s.
“The other part is that there are a number of formats that we are importing from overseas. So, there’s a prime mover – a cab over prime mover – being imported from Europe. We’re using local suppliers and purchasing nearly all the key components of that, but the master assembly is happening in a European facility. And we’ve got a very strong sourcing relationship through our division in China for some of the bus and coach market.”
Mid last year Mr Edgley joined Hyzon in the same month as the company listed on the NASDAQ, during COVID and at a time when one of the founders of parent company Horizon Fuel Cells, Craig Knight, was holed up in Sydney and unable to leave the country due to the pandemic. Perhaps a fortunate thing as he was able to do a lot of early business development work in the region. Mr Knight, an Australian, is usually located in New York and it has been said that his roots may have led to Hyzon engaging with the Australian market.
For Australia the strategy focus is leading the development of the Hyzon heavy rigid truck platform. Global engineering for that is in Australia, with master assembly also here though the chassis is imported, the cab and fuel cells also imported but the assembly will be at Noble Park. The development of the structure, the ancillary bill of materials – the majority of that is to be sourced locally alongside the workforce.
Horizon Fuel Cells was founded about 18 years ago as a Singaporean company making fuel cells, Hyzon Motors is a natural spin off with the evolution of the fuel alternative and now the company is setting up in Noble Park, Melbourne on the same site as the RACV headquarters. “Yes, 2000 square metres is the site that we’re on today. And the extension, which was part of our announcement with RACV is what we’re developing. We’re building a 10,000 square metre facility on the same site,” Mr Edgley said. Along with the manufacturing facilities there will be a showroom, corporate offices and warehousing in a facility estimated to cost more than $50 million. “It happens to be part of an existing facility that was developed by the RACV in the seventies. It’s got great provenance for the region and for automotive. It’s suitable and we’ll be able to produce somewhere around a hundred vehicles a year. 18 | March 2022
John Edgley, Managing Director for Hyzon Motors Australia and New Zealand
Hyzon | Feature
“The local development that we’re doing here for that platform globally is about everything to do with the vehicle. It’s about the operating system. It’s about compliance, not just with Australian design regulations, but it’s to do with compliance for the drivetrain, it’s about the design and development of the drivetrain to proving the drivetrain and the integration of the hydrogen system into the chassis. It’s full vehicle assembly and development and engineering,” Mr Edgley added.
“We’re taking the lead on the current program. We’re building the team and adding engineers for localization of vehicles. We’re building a facility and the manufacturing plant, which, you know, all of it requires engineers to operate and manage. “I think as we grow out the hundred plus local jobs that we announced, 80 percent of those will be working on the factory floor. And some of those will be engineers and some
of those will be fabricators, some of them will be electricians. I think that 80/20 split is about right. But of course, that’ll depend on how much engineering we’re able to drive down here and I have a bias to that. I happen to think that Australian engineers are some of the best in the world. And that’s why we’re leading the development of this heavy rigid program.” Australia’s supply chain will also benefit from this establishment and Mr Edgley said that it was already becoming obvious although the chain was shortened after the exodus of car manufacturing and possibly since IVECO’s announcement late last year that it would draw the curtain on manufacturing trucks at its Dandenong plant just up the road from Hyzon. However, with that exodus comes an opportunity to perhaps re-employ local manufacturing personnel who had been with IVECO including engineers and tradespeople. “There are great service firms here to do with homologation and to do with ADR compliance. We’ve already partnered with some of them. When I say partner, we’ve engaged them to help us with the vehicle development for this platform for the localization of the imported platform for validation and quality control on imported parts,” Mr Edgley explained. Growing the supplier base is important for Australia, second and third tier suppliers employ a significant number of engineers and hopefully companies like Hyzon will revitalise that sector and accelerate growth. Behind
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VTE | 19
Feature | Hyzon
that though Mr Edgley said Government at all levels needs to get behind the changes by accelerating the trends to change from diesel to hydrogen ‘they are both an enabler and our direct customers’ explained Mr Edgley. “The garbage trucks, for instance, the government is our customer’s customer. And I think the more that happens, the faster we’re able to build capacity of the facility, the more local jobs will be created directly on the shop floor, but also throughout the local supply chain,” he said. Contracts were already afoot in Australia for Hyzon with Fortescue Metal Group taking coaches, prime movers for Coregas in New South Wales, and prime movers for the TR Group in New Zealand and it has an agreement with garbage truck company Superior Pak in Queensland. Now the RACV’s towing arm the Nationwide Group expects delivery of three locally made prototype tow trucks by the end of this year. The prototypes are two Hyzon HyMax TT7 tilt-tray trucks and one HyMax prime mover. Overseas in 2021 shipments were delivered in heavy duty truck models ranging in weight
from 18 to 49 metric tonnes for applications including garbage collection, sewer cleaning, steel haulage and dump trucks. “The RACV has a very broad business, they own 100 percent of Nationwide Towing. Most people just see it as a roadside assist or insurance, but under the current CEO, there’s been a tremendous diversification and investment in energy. And so, there’s great synergy there with the evolution of hydrogen,” Mr Edgley said. “So, there was a great fit in terms of one – the site, which is in the industrial heart of the automotive industry. The second is the tie-up with Nationwide as a great partner for early testing and adoption of the vehicles and I think that’s a solid foundation for us to be able to partner with them and work together. “We’re actively working to marry hydrogen up with key users. And so, our early customers are back-to-base operators. When you’ve got a vehicle with a 600-kilometre range, which is our base prime mover or 300 kilometres and 1200 bin lifts for our garbage trucks you don’t actually need a hydrogen refuelling station in every fuelling station.
“With hydrogen, you can make it in your own backyard. So as a corporate owner investor, you can build your own stainless-steel plant and equipment and operate that and actually create your own fuel. You don’t have to put a penny of that offshore. Whereas with diesel, you’re entirely relying on a system that is importing at least two thirds of the stock from overseas. And so, I think that’s the other part of independence. And from an engineering perspective there’s tremendous opportunity. “There’s tremendous activity now, nearly every engineering firm I’ve come across has a growing hydrogen division. There are startups that are coming up with new technology around electrolysers and compression technology. “The influence on taking an entire industry that is fed by imported product and replacing that with an industry that is entirely domestic is a foundational and a fundamental change for the economy.” Competitors on the market are few and far between, so far, but Hyzon is not naïve enough to think that will be the case in the future and wants to get the most out of its early advantage. It is also looking across the ‘ditch’ to New Zealand as an export possibility. “What we are exporting is we’re exporting engineering expertise through the development program that we’re running globally for our heavy rigid platform. That’s not an immediately obvious one, but it’s certainly important when you’re talking about the value that Australia shows and leverages overseas. The products definitely we will be exporting to New Zealand,” Mr Edgley concluded. Let’s hope that this is the start of a new upswing in manufacturing for Australia to generate more new jobs and stimulate new technology to underpin a sustainable future for the region.
20 | March 2022
Toyota Mirai | Feature
Rapid X-ray imaging developed for Toyota’s Mirai Two major forces in Japanese manufacturing came together to solve the problem of particulate contamination of fuel cells for electric vehicles When Toyota announced its new Mirai fuelcell electric vehicle the focus was on the design and performance features: longer cruising ranges, greater seating capacity and a stylish exterior makeover. What did not make the headlines were groundbreaking manufacturing innovations that will increase the number of zero-emission fuel-cell electric vehicles on the road and contribute to the slowing of global warming due to carbon emissions. Fuel-cell electric vehicles produce the electricity needed to power their electric motors via a chemical reaction that involves hydrogen and oxygen in the fuel-cell stack, the heart of fuel-cell electric vehicles. The fuel-cell stack in the second-generation Mirai contains 330 fuel cells. At the centre of each fuel cell are proton exchange membranes, which are sandwiched between bipolar plates, gaseous diffusion layers and catalysts. Oxygen drawn in from air outside the vehicle is fed to the cathode side of each bipolar plate, while hydrogen is fed to the anode side. The catalyst separates hydrogen into protons and electrons, of which the latter are forced into an external circuit, generating electricity for the motor. To make the fuel-cell stack in the new Mirai smaller, cheaper and more efficient, the proton-exchange membrane in the fuel cells was made thinner to enhance its proton conductivity. But that made the membranes more susceptible to metallic particles introduced during the manufacturing process.
“But it turned out that we had a major problem with X-ray inspection technology,” Shinya Takeshita, an engineer in the Fuel Cell Manufacturing Division of Toyota’s ZEV Factory said. “The foreign metallic matter was showing up as flat two-dimensional shadows in the X-ray images. To judge whether they would actually cause membrane deterioration, we needed to determine their sizes in three dimensions.”
two-dimensional size of foreign matter and the darkness of shadows in X-ray images, in addition to a correlation between the thickness of the foreign matter and the shadow darkness. While pondering the reason for this relationship, Hitachi High-Tech project leader Toshiyuki Takahara suggested it could be caused by diffraction, a phenomenon where light bends around the edges of objects in its path.
Three-dimensional X-ray computed tomography can grasp such fine detail, but a single measurement with this technology takes several hours — an impossible constraint for the mass production of vehicles.
The pair reasoned that because the darkness of the shadows on X-ray images intensifies with the amount of diffraction, the phenomenon could be used to estimate the three-dimensional size of foreign matter.
Results were needed in seconds, so he turned for help to Hitachi High-Tech Science Corporation, which manufactures measurement and analysis equipment. The two companies worked together to develop an X-ray inspection system that could rapidly and accurately infer the size of foreign particles. Mr Takeshita looked at some experimental data that showed a correlation between the
Experiments confirmed this effect, and the two cooperated on developing a new inspection system that can determine the presence of detrimental foreign matter in a fuel cell in just a few seconds. After building a prototype, they gathered data on how to stabilize the system for a noisy environment like the production line and then put it to work. The result was a rapid, accurate and automated inspection system that can detect foreign matter in the cell production line in a few seconds.
These particles can lower the membrane’s resistance to chemical deterioration, which, if left unchecked, can reduce the fuel cell’s fuel efficiency and power generation. To ensure the quality of fuel cells, it was vital to weed out any cells that had been contaminated with metallic particles during production. The engineering team thus needed a reliable and efficient way to check the cells for foreign matter. Since optical inspections were impractical, the team turned to X-rays, which have the power to see through surrounding structures. The concept sounded good in theory. www.saea.com.au
VTE | 21
Feature | WIM
Hearts and Minds are Racing Formula One is about to start, by the time this magazine is in print it may have held its first event for 2022 the Bahrain Grand Prix but that race is neither the start nor the end for race car engineers
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The ruling class Two years of Covid have placed a great strain on the behemoth that is F1 racing, now finally it is returning to a more ‘normal’ schedule its organisers have released a calendar, but even then, it was hastily changed to exclude Russia. New rules were meant to be in place for 2021 but the pandemic saw to it that teams were unable to face the costs of developing new cars and so the changes were pushed to 2022. A quick look at the 2022 car regulations: • ground-effect floor with two long tunnels in place of a flat floor will ensure a greater proportion of the car’s total downforce is generated from the underbody, helping create a much cleaner wake and an aero platform less sensitive to wake. • Upwash of air from the floor is designed to be much higher, allowing it more time to dissipate its energy before falling upon the car behind. • Simplified front wing and endplate. Not standardised but highly prescriptive, with four-element wing attached directly to nose, transitioning into a much-simplified single-piece endplate. It will be far less sensitive to wake than current designs. • A prescriptively shaped rear wing with an incut wrap-round connection between main profile and lower beam wing, which effectively banishes the rear wing endplates and the strong vortices they shed. • Bargeboards are outlawed. • Flush wheel covers standardised to banish using the wheel/axle to create downforce-inducing airflows. • Front wheel deflector to limit ‘outwash’ of airflow. • Although the bodywork geometry and engine cover will differ from team to team, they will be defined within quite tight templates which to create as clean and unsensitive airflow as possible. • Limits placed upon brake duct shaping for downforce creation. • The combined effect showed in simulation that the following car retains 86 percent of its maximum downforce 22 | March 2022
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when one car length behind the car in front under the new rules, compared to current car’s 55 percent. The switch to 18-inch wheel rims from the current 13 inches means new lowprofile Pirelli tyres. The intention is for these to be less temperature-sensitive and allow drivers to push hard throughout stints while still having a performance drop-off to make strategy interesting. The way the suspension is attached to the wheels has been simplified, with the extended mounting points pioneered by Mercedes and what was Toro Rosso that have since become di rigeur outlawed. This means the suspension must now be attached directly to the wheel hub. Hydraulic suspension is outlawed, only the springs and dampers can control the stiffness. Inerters attached to the suspension are banned. A standard tyre pressure sensor will be used to monitor the running conditions of tyres. Formula One components are now divided into a group of five different designations as part of a push to allow cost savings when it comes to parts not deemed to be performance differentiators. Listed parts remain the components a team must design and own the IP to. This includes the monocoque and the any non-prescribed aero surfaces. Standard supply components are ones that are design and manufactured by a designated supplier. This includes parts such as the fuel pump and tyre pressure sensors. Transferrable parts are those that can be supplied from one team to another, for example the gearbox and hydraulics systems Prescribed parts are those that the teams build themselves but to a set specification Open-source parts are free for teams to design to their own specification. However, the full design details must be made available to all other teams. The 1.6-litre V6 turbo engine rules remain largely the same, but the design of the power units will be homologated at the start of the season and be frozen up to the end of at least 2025. At least 10 percent of the fuel must comprise “advanced sustainable ethanol” (E10).
Ripples and curls on the floor Because of the wide variation in cooling layouts and the associated sidepod design of the new generation of cars, the way in which teams are striving to maximise the effectiveness of the underbody venturi tunnels is similarly varied. The most visible area of this differentiation is in the wildly different contouring and detail of the outer edges of the floor. Although accelerating the airflow over the top of that floor, down the side of the sidepods (via the coke bottle section) is crucially important in maximising the effectiveness of the tunnels beneath, the contouring of the very edges of the floor is all about manipulating what the airflow is doing beneath. At the forward end of the floor’s outer edge, the downward ramp covering the beginning of the venturi tunnel accentuates the pressure difference between there and the floor beneath. The ramp creates a higher pressure on the external surface, increasing the pressure difference between there and the underfloor in that early part of the venturi tunnel, causing more air to be sucked into the tunnel inlets. As the air is directed around the side corner of the lower sidepod by the outermost of the four permitted fences, it will lose some of its energy – so behind that ramped section, most cars feature a further ‘curl’ where the floor edge rises up gently, then back down again. This ‘curl’ (above) is also about energising the airflow beneath, maximising its energy and its ability to pull the car into the ground. But rather than a single curl, the Mercedes has a series of small ripples which will create anti-clockwise vortices of air all the way down the sides of the floor, preventing the air around the back from being sucked into the diffuser’s low-pressure area and reducing its performance.
WIM | Feature
tyres (so not as much cushioning effect) the problem has returned with a vengeance. None of the teams had seen this effect in simulation. In a wind tunnel, even the stiffest belt of the rolling road is more flexible than the track surface, and accurately modelling the dynamics of the springs and dampers in this situation is not really possible. So, the teams are now back in the same position as the early ground effect pioneers of the late 1970s/early 1980s of trying to make the underside of the car a little less switch-like and critical – either through changing the shape of the surfaces or adjusting the suspension. Red Bull has its nose in the air
The porpoise returns ‘Porpoising’ is back in F1, having been largely missing from the vocabulary for the last 40 years. Virtually every team was complaining of the phenomenon on the first day of testing for the new generation of cars. A violent bouncing on the suspension at high speeds is what the driver feels. The cause is an aerodynamic one, where either the leading edge of the floor, or perhaps the front wing, is pushed ever closer to the ground as the downforce acting upon it increases. The closer to the ground it gets, the more powerful the ground effect is, as the air rushes ever faster through the shrinking gap. This increases the pressure difference between the underside and upper surfaces, so increasing the downforce yet more until it stalls. At which point, much of the load is suddenly released, the front of the car rises up suddenly in response, which allows the ground effect to begin working again! Repeat in cyclic fashion until it’s time to brake for the corner.With much more underbody downforce, stiffer suspensions and stiffer
Red Bull has opted for a high nose with a big clearance under the centre section of the wing to maximise the volume of airflow to the underfloor. The underside of the nose tip can be between 125mm and 250mm above the ground. The wing elements attached to it will tend to generate greater direct downforce from the wing itself. Operating closer to the ground there should be a bigger difference in air pressure between the underside and upper surface of the wing. But the lower wing also forms a blockage to the flow being fed to the floor and the inlets for the crucial venturi tunnels which create the car’s underbody downforce. Because there are dimensional allowances for where the front axle is in relation to the nose tip, there are significant variations between cars in the distance between the axle and the sidepods which contain those inlets. As such, the optimum nose/front wing height needs to be considered as a three-dimensional challenge. Part of that includes how the front suspension is packaged and Red Bull has joined the McLaren club switching to a pullrod front with the inboard rockers down low. At the rear, Red Bull, like McLaren and Alfa Romeo, has switched to a push-rod layout. Given that AlphaTauri is taking the full Red Bull rear end, it means that the AT03 is also pushrod at the rear.
At 23 races this 2022 F1 season has the longest calendar ever. Race 1 – 20th March Bahrain Grand Prix Bahrain International Circuit Race 2 – 27th March Saudi Arabian Grand Prix Saudi Arabia, Jeddah Race 3 – 10th April Australian Grand Prix Albert Park, Melbourne Race 4 – 24th April Emilia Romagna Grand Prix Italy, Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari, Imola Race 5 – 8th May Miami Grand Prix, USA Circuit of the Americas, Austin Race 6 – 22nd May Spanish Grand Prix Spain, Circuit de Catalunya, Barcelona Race 7 – 29th May Monaco Grand Prix Monaco Race 8 – 12th June Azerbaijan Grand Prix Azerbaijan, Baku City Circuit Race 9 – 19th June Canadian Grand Prix Canada, Circuit Gilles Villeneuve Race 10 – 3rd July British Grand Prix UK, Silverstone Race 11 – 10th July Austrian Grand Prix Austria, Red Bull Ring, Spielberg Race 12 – 24th July French Grand Prix France, Circuit Paul Ricard, Le Castellet Race 13 – 31st July Hungarian Grand Prix Hungary, Hungaroring, Budapest Race 14 – 28th August Belgian Grand Prix Belgium, Spa-Francorchamps Race 15 – 4th September Dutch Grand Prix Netherlands, Zandvoort Race 16 – 11th September Italian Grand Prix Italy, Monza Race 17 – 2nd October Singapore Grand Prix Singapore, Marina Bay Street Circuit Race 19 – 9th October Japanese Grand Prix Japan, Suzuka International Circuit Race 20 – 23rd October US Grand Prix USA, Circuit of the Americas, Austin Race 21 – 30th October Mexican Grand Prix Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez, Mexico City Race 22 – 13th November Brazilian Grand Prix Brazil, Interlagos Race 23 – 20th November Abu Dhabi Grand Prix UAE, Yas Marina Circuit
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VTE | 23
Feature | WIM
1. Around the nose, where the elements are quite full and heavily cambered up to the flap adjusters. The nose and central section of the wing are positioned quite high – not as extreme as the Aston Martin but higher than most. This is prioritising airflow to the underfloor. The nose tip sits within a small drop-down extension of the lowest of the four elements, creating a slot there which will condition the airflow to the shaped underside of the nose, accelerating it towards the venturi tunnel inlets. There is a complex contouring of the four elements relative to each other in this inboard section as they manipulate the airflow between them, despite regulations which limit the overlap allowed between each element, and therefore their effectiveness.
Alfa Romeo’s bold C42 Initially during testing Alfa Romeo opted for camouflage livery in an attempt to disguise its innovative new platform which was later shown in the team’s official red and white colour scheme that shows off the car’s elegant lines and relatively short wheelbase. Its notable features include: •
A sophisticated front wing
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A push-rod rear suspension (like Red Bull, AlphaTauri and McLaren) and an unusual geometry of its front push-rod layout
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Similar packaging of the Ferrari cooling system, as seen on Ferrari and the Haas with sidepods which are fat but heavily undercut at the front, with heavily louvred sidepod tops.
The 2022 regulations stipulate a wheelbase length of between 3460-3600mm. Everyone but Alfa is towards or at the upper end of this, as packaging of the power unit and their cooling systems is very demanding. But Alfa has managed to package everything into a wheelbase of just over 3500mm, making it easier to bring the car down to the regulation minimum weight. The front wing continues the team’s tradition of the elements falling away heavily at the outboard ends to encourage outwash around the tyre. It is unusual in how heavily the lower edge of the wing is contoured, making for quite a wavy line with the ground. These curves reflect how the wing elements across the span of the wing are separated into three quite distinct sections:
2. The central section of the elements, from the flap adjusters to around level with the tyre’s inner face, are medium-cambered. 3. The outboard flaps which reduce dramatically in profile and are ramped steeply down, carrying very little camber. A wing creates downforce by the pressure difference induced over its upper and lower surfaces. The aerofoil shape creates a low pressure beneath, which the air rushes to fill, and a high pressure on top. This pressure difference creates the downward force. As the elements on the Alfa’s wing become less aggressively shaped from inboard to outboard, so the downforce they create can be tuned with the shape of the lower edge relative to the ground. The closer to the ground, the lower the air pressure on the wing’s underside will be and the harder the elements will work. As the elements are reducing in how aggressive their upper contours are, so the bottom edge of the wing is closer to the ground, giving a compensating effect. Although the C42’s front suspension retains a conventional push-rod operation of the inboard rockers, the geometry is quite extreme. The top wishbone’s front leg is mounted high, the rear leg much lower. This will give a big resistance to dive when the car brakes, thereby keeping the aerodynamic platform of the car more stable. The venturi channels below the 2022 generation of cars dominate almost every aspect of car design and keeping them fed with air throughout all the different states the car will see in roll, pitch and dive is crucial. Alfa’s Jan Moncheaux-led technical team has opted to prioritise keeping the car as level as possible under braking to retain as much of the ground effect induced by the tunnels as possible. The radiator arrangement for water, oil and intercooler on the new Ferrari power unit looks much the same as on the Ferrari and Haas, with a relatively small airbox inlet, a concentration of area into the front of the sidepod, giving a wide front but a teardrop shape in plan-view. Because of the shorter wheelbase, that teardrop stays fat at the front for longer. While the teardrop shape helps accelerate the overbody airflow as it travels to the back of the car, it reduces the space available for cooling exits. Hence the facility for a lot of louvred cooling on the upper face of the sidepods and hence also the big radiator inlets at the front of the pods.
24 | March 2022
WIM | Feature
Life in the fast lane
Australian Krystina Emmanouilides is forging a career with Alfa Romeo F1 Team ORLEN and forging a legacy for Australian women in Formula One engineering Women have been trying to push their way into the motor industry and professional motor racing since the 1970s, back then in dribs and drabs held back by gender and sometimes incredibly low glass ceilings. Most of the glass has been shattered but still there is a shortage of female engineers and nowhere more so than in Formula One. Melbourne born Krystina Emmanoulides is one engineer who has made the grade and works with the Sauber Alfa Romeo F1 Team ORLEN. “Within the Sauber Group, in which there are 513 employees, we have 53 (9.7 percent) women. The largest presence is 28 within marketing, communications, finance, HR, admin, purchasing and facilities management. This is reduced when comparing to the technical department, in which only 15 women are working, and 10 in production, and 11 of the women are in management/key positions,” she explained. “When I think about how we can get more women into engineering, I ask myself, why are women not entering into engineering at the same rate as men? Are we still leading our children to believe that certain industries are not suited for women? Is there a misrepresentation of what engineering is when we advertise careers (language and imagery)? “I believe the answer to all of these is yes, and, as with many industries where women have lower representation or lower funding (such as in sport), we must continue to build from the ground up. We must ensure that girls today are introduced to STEM programs in school, in order to ensure that we see women in STEM tomorrow.” Ms Emmanoulides works in the computational fluid dynamics (CFD) area as part of a team of 12 employees in the correlation group whose job it is to make sure that what is undergoing simulation lines-up with what is seen with wind tunnel and track testing, and so constantly improving the
simulations and processes for users. Growing up she could hear the F1 cars race from her home, but of course being interested in F1 is not enough to get you there. Initially Ms Emmanoulides wanted to be a race engineer atop the pit wall but through her studies her interests turned to vehicle dynamics, and she eventually found herself completing a Masters’ project in aerodynamics focussing on CFD and wind tunnel (WT) testing. “It wasn’t until then that I realised I had a deeper interest for aerodynamics. I think it’s an important part of the story to share, as while I was certain I wanted to be an engineer, it was through my studies and work experience that I was able to really find an area to focus on,” she said. Towards the end of her studies, she began the laborious task of find a job – the job – but finding an entry point into F1 is not for the faint hearted, male or female. “I used to have a spreadsheet to keep track of applications I was sending out, and their status. My applications were rejected many times, at different stages in the interviewing process, and at the end it always came back to ‘we hired someone with more experience’. I grew increasingly frustrated that F1 teams were hiring for experience, but not giving any opportunities to grow experience,” Ms Emmanoulides said. “I never thought I wouldn’t work in F1, it was more a matter of when not if. Of course, it was difficult to receive rejections, but I was resilient, and I knew in the end that an opportunity would come at the right time in the right place.” A phone call out of the blue, from a F1 engineer who had interviewed her was the tipoff that pointed her in the right direction saying that she needed to get relevant working experience to make her more appealing to the industry so she headed to work in CFD for a software company in the UK called EXA who was responsible for
automotive clients including F1 teams. After three years she finally found her way into a position with Sauber Motorsport which is now the Alfa Romeo F1 Team ORLEN. “I’ve long said that being and staying in F1 is crucial to me for various reasons; to show young girls that we are here and that there is space for them, to be a visible reminder to my colleagues, in all teams, that women have a place in F1, and subsequently to help shape the workplace environment to be one that is more welcoming for women and LGBTQ+ people, who often feel it is not one where they are safe. I’d like to leave one day knowing, and seeing, that the workforce is more diverse in all of its areas,” Ms Emmanoulides explained. Over the last few years, Ms Emmanoulides has fielded many questions from current engineering students about how to get into F1, how to prepare for interviews for which she has always been happy to provide advice based on her experiences. This year, she joined as an ambassador for Motorsport Australia and their FIA Girls on Track program, for which she will be working with the other ambassadors to provide support for the Motorsport Australia FIA Girls on Track events throughout Australia, as well as acting as a career mentor for one of the participants chosen to participate in the event at the 2022 Formula 1 Heineken Australian Grand Prix. “I am a strong believer in the ‘see it, be it’ concept, and I am committed to doing my part in showing young girls and other women that they belong in motorsport,” she said. VTE | 25
Feature | Technical
Nak Kyoung Kong, Kihong Lee, and Jongmin Park, Hyundai Motor Company Citation: Kong, N.K., Lee, K., and Park, J., “Study on Basic Principles of Operation Noise of Wiper System on Vehicle,” SAE Technical Paper 2019-01-1421, 2019, doi:10.4271/2019-01-1421.
Study on Basic Principles of Operation Noise of Wiper System on Vehicle Introduction The wiper system consists of a motor, linkage, arm, and blade, which provides a clear front view to the driver by removing rain, snow, and foreign matter from the windshield glass. It is a system component that requires a robust design to meet system rigidity, scrubbing performance, and operating noise in any external environment to provide the driver with a front view. However, after analyzing the customers’ complaints about the wiper system, it was confirmed that the customers were most dissatisfied with the noise / vibration of the wiper blade. As a result of analyzing the customer complaints by car class, it was confirmed that the noise of the luxury car was more complaining than the small and medium sized passenger car. We have confirmed that our evaluation criteria focus on emotional evaluation that is not sufficient to improve the various wiper operating noises that customers are dissatisfied with. Therefore, this paper proposes a quantitative analysis method that can analyze various noise that can occur in wiper system. The human auditory system consists largely of the outer ear, the middle ear, and the inner ear. The sound transmission path consists of the cranium -> outer ear canal -> eardrum -> Ossicle -> cochlea. The basement membrane of the cochlea is called the basal membrane, which is made up of hard, short fibers, but it is made up of long, soft fibers going to the end of the cochlea. Due to this structural difference, the basement membrane of each part reacts to different frequencies. That is, since the basement membrane at different positions
along the frequency of the sound is bent, the activated hair cells are different. The treble in the near basal membrane resonates well in the remote basement membrane. Important physical quantities of sound are frequency and intensity. A person can distinguish a sound by the difference between frequency and intensity. The difference in frequency can be determined from what type of hair cells the vibration is detected, and the difference in frequency is recognized by the pitch of the sound. The intensity of the sound can be determined by the magnitude of the signal detected by the hair cell, and the intensity of the sound is divided by the amplitude. In other words, due to the structural form of the human ear, it is impossible to recognize the quality of sound simply based on the size of the sound. While we still manage the wiper noise based on the noise level only for the wiper noise, other competitors who recognize the need to improve the noise quality manage the wiper noise by introducing psychoacoustic quality standards using Zwicker parameters have. Competitors’ evaluation criteria for noise evaluation are based on evaluation of sound quality for emotional, as well as performance evaluation criteria of blades that meet various environmental conditions that have the greatest influence on wiper noise. In this paper, we propose quantitative emotion noise discrimination for wiper blade noise and establishment of verification method considering environmental impact.
Noise Measurement and Evaluation For this study, we recorded the wiper operating noise by clas-sifying large
FIGURE 1. Customer Claims of Wiper System
26 | March 2022
ABSTRACT The wiper system consists of a motor, linkage, arm, and blade, which provides a clear front view to the driver by removing rain, snow, and foreign matter from the windshield glass. It is a system component that requires a robust design to meet system rigidity, scrubbing performance, and operating noise to any external conditions to provide the driver with a front view. In recent years, however, customer complaints about wiper noise have increased as automobile engine and noise levels have decreased. Based on the analysis of wiper noise, this paper presents quantitative judgment criteria for various wiper noises. In addition, we predict the change of wiper noise to environmental factors through the sound field analysis and propose the solution. / medium / small / small / small / RV vehicles. The sensory evaluation was carried out by 82 customers using data recorded in the interior of the vehicle to classify the preferred / non-preferred vehicles for wiper noise. Based on the above results, we analyzed the outdoor / indoor noise characteristics, the influence analysis according to the applica-tion of the sound insulation film, the noise of the motor & linkage, and the noise trend of the new / aged blades. As a result, it was possible to distinguish the non-preferred vehicle group in which the quality of the wiper noise was rapidly deteriorated. Table 2 shows the results and examples of preference group and non-favored group vehicle classification. Based on the results of this evaluation, we conducted a comparative analysis with the vehicles clas-sified as the preferred group for the vehicles classified as non preferred wiper noise. Visualization Noise Analysis We compared the operating noise of new and aged wiper system for the preferred and non - preferred vehicles. The aged wiper system was used for comparative evaluation after confirming satisfaction of blade pressure, attack angle, overrun specification after 300,000 cycles of continuous oper-ation according to the durability evaluation specification without replacing the wiper blade. Visualization noise measurements were performed in indoor and outdoor of the car under the engine off and wet windshield condition in the anechoic room for the preferred and non - preferred group vehicles.
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mainly in the band below 1,500Hz. As a result of the visualization analysis of the noise characteristics, the wiping noise is distributed outdoors in the band of more than 3000Hz. On the other hand, wiping noise transmitted through the interior of the vehicle is mainly present at less than 500 Hz. TABLE 1. Sensibility Quality Evaluation Table
TABLE 2. Classification result
FIGURE 3. Spectrum and visualization noise analysis
Figure. 2 shows the results of noise visualization analysis for the preferred and non-preferred vehicles. The vehicle of preference group has no change of noise position between new and aged at outdoor measurement and low frequency inversion noise increases at indoor measurement. In the non-preferred group, noise position of aged wiper is changed compare with new at outdoor measurement, low frequency inversion noise increases at indoor measurement.
lower reversal. As the wiper system ages, the magnitude of the transmitted noise is signifi-cantly affected at frequencies below 500 Hz. Considering the influence factors of various noise, it is not possible to know the noise position and the cause of the noise change only by the above result. Therefore, it is necessary to analyze the char-acteristics of wiper noise by analyzing wiper transmission noise and wiping operation.
The frequency of the highest noise of the wiper occurs mainly at 1.5 ~ 3Khz outside and at 1KHz or less inside, regardless of the division between vehicles and the durability of the wiper system. In addition, the wiper noise is larger at the upper and lower reversal positions than the moving range, and is larger at the upper reversal than the
The characteristics of outdoor noise and indoor noise during wiper operation were analyzed. Figure. 3 shows the outdoor and indoor wiper noise spectra when the wiper speed is low in the glass wet state when the engine is off. The outdoor noise has a spectrum ranging from 2,000 to 8,000 Hz, but the noise heard mainly in the room is
Noise Characteristics Analysis
As shown in Figure. 4, wiper scrubbing noise when passing through the room from outside shows the attenuation of the high frequency band and the increase characteristic of the low frequency band as a whole. It can be seen that the windshield glass acoustic PVB film which blocks the wind noise in the high frequency range applied to the luxury car cannot have a great effect on the wiping noise. When the wiper noise is transmitted to the room and transmitted to the low frequency noise, the noise can be largely divided into two. The first is the friction noise of the wiper blade and glass, and the second is the transmitted noise due to the operation of the motor & linkage. Table 3 shows the results of analysis of the transmission noise of the motor and linkage in the off-state of the wiper blade when the engine is off. As a result, the transmission noise of the wiper motor and the linkage can be divided into two types. It can be divided into a low frequency structure noise of less than 300Hz, and around 500Hz band, which corresponds to noise generated by the motor. Especially, #8 and #2 are similar design to each other. However, #8 is well transmitted with motor operation noise, whereas #2 is characterized by transmission of struc-tural sound. #2 is a vehicle belonging to the group of preference result of customer’s emotional evaluation, and #8 is a vehicle belonging
FIGURE 2. Visualization Noise Analysis
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transmission characteristics of the wiper motor & linkage noise are affected by the characteristics of the engine noise, the body structure, and the sound insulation performance.
Wiper Noise Classification The effect of deterioration of the wiper blade affects the blade, glass friction coefficient and frictional force, and causes direct transmission noise.
FIGURE 4. Noise transmittance
This analysis analyzed the noise of new blades and internal parts under the condition of wiper low and glass wet condition with the engine turned off. As shown in Table 5, the aging blade noise is larger than that of the new blade. However, the frequency range in which the noise of the vehicle is increased is different.
TABLE 3. Motor & Linkage Transmission Noise
TABLE 4. Masking Effect of Motor & Linkage Noise
The customer’s preferred wiper noise is in the frequency range of 20 ~ 500Hz in the wiper reverse section and the low-frequency sound tends to increase. However, wiper noise, which is not preferred by customers, shows a tendency to increase squeak noise in the high frequency band of 1,500 to 2,500 Hz. Although the size of the sound is not large, it can be confirmed that the squeak noise in the high frequency band causes dissatisfaction with the sense of listening to the customers. As a result of analyzing the wiper noise characteristics of the preferred group and the non-preferred group based on the result of the auditory evaluation of the customer, the charac-teristics of the noise can be analyzed by frequency as shown in Figure 5. In addition, we were able to distinguish the noise-sensitive customers of each frequency band. Customers responded sensitively to high-frequency rubber squeaks and motor transmission noise. Wiper Noise Simulation Theoretically, the factors affecting the wiper noise are rubber section and physical prop-erties, change of friction coefficient, pressing pressure, and contact angle as shown in Figure 6. In order to determine the influence of these theoretical parameters, the fundamental duration factors affecting the wiper noise were identified and classified as shown in Table 6.
TABLE 5. Noise Difference (New/Aged Blade)
to the non-preferred group as a result of the noise evaluation of the customers. This allows us to deduce what kinds of noise are sensitive and uncomfortable with customer. Wiper motor & link operation noise of # 4 of the preferred group shows a peak at about 28 | March 2022
300 and 500 Hz in the room, which shows the same peak as engine #4 noise of Table 4. It can be seen that this noise masking effect actually causes the wiper motor & link noise to be smaller than the other vehicle noise. In other words, it was confirmed that the
Typical durability factors that can cause noise are push pressure change, operating speed change, rubber property change, friction coefficient change, blade wear, glass contamination, low temperature / high temperature environment change. Figures a, b, and c in Table 6 represent cross sections of the blades used in our company. a, b, and c have different shapes,
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TABLE 6. Wiper Noise Factor
friction coefficient, and rubber properties. Therefore, in this paper, the Mooney-Rivlin parameters were obtained through rubber hardness evaluation, tensile test, and shear test of each of a, b, and c, and noise analyzes were conducted for a, b, and c.
FIGURE 5. Noise Difference (New/Aged Blade)
A sound field analysis technique is applied to implement the classified noise factors. The sound field analysis method is a method of converting the surface speed of the wiper on the glass measured by the structural analysis of the wiper system into the sound pressure using Ohm’s acoustic law. This makes it possible to construct wiper environment conditions with various conditions and to predict the noise of the wiper through actual sound field analysis.
FIGURE 6. Theoretical background of wiper chattering
The sound field model was constructed using the surface velocity obtained from the durability analysis and the noise analysis according to the durability change was performed. The results of this analysis were compared and analyzed for frequency - specific noise through analysis of durability and dynamic characteristics of wiper blade. As a result of comparison of sound pressure (SPL) value, loudness, sharpness, roughness, and fluctuation intensity of the wiper blades using the sound quality analysis parameter of Zwicker, Figure. 7 shows the sensitivity analysis results. The horizontal axis of the graph represents defects of the blades that can occur according to changes in the environmental conditions. The sound field analysis was performed to deter-mine how the sound pressure (SPL) value, loudness, sharpness, roughness, and fluctuation intensity change when blade defects occur. The higher the slope on the graph, the greater the noise variation between the new and aging blades. The analysis shows that the ‘a’ and ‘c’ blades show a large slope of the graph under both deteriorating and cold-deforming conditions, which may indicate that noise is poor for degrada-tion and low-temperature deformation conditions. The ‘b’ blade also exhibits high noise fluctuations in glass contamination and low temperature conditions. In addition, as shown in Figure. 8, As www.saea.com.au
FIGURE 7. Wiper Blade Sensitivity Analysis
a result of analyzing the sound field, it was confirmed that the ‘a’ blade generates chatter and squeak noise at the deteriorated and low temper-ature condition, and the ‘b’ blade shows that the reversible noise is increased in the glass contamination condition where the glass friction coefficient is not constant there was. In addition, the ‘c’ blade was found to have large reversal noise and chattering noise under deteriorated and low temperature conditions.
Figure 8 shows the noise levels for the five environmental conditions of ‘a’, ‘b’, and ‘c’ blades. In the chattering, inversion, and squeak noise frequency regions, noise magnitudes of blades were analyzed by environmental conditions. As a result, ‘a’ and ‘c’ blades exhibited higher noise levels under blade deformation and cold conditions. However, the ‘a’ blade showed a high squeaky noise while the ‘c’ blade showed a tendency to show a large reversal noise. The ‘b’ blade had a large VTE | 29
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glass were confirmed as the same as the analysis result. This can be prevented by pre-simulating noise problems that can occur in the wiper, using sound field analysis that reflects the physical properties and environmental conditions of the wiper system.
Summary/Conclusions This paper is to investigate the weakness of our wiper noise criterion through basic research on wiper noise and to study its improvement direction. The following conclusions were obtained through this study.
FIGURE 8. Wiper Noise by frequency
1. Qualitative criteria for wiper penetration noise were established in accordance with customer standards. Frequency range and noise characteristics for chatter, reversal, and sweep noise of wiper are presented. 2. We analyzed the influence factors of the wiper noise and analyzed the frequency - specific noise of the wiper system through sound field analysis technique and Zwicker noise sensitivity evaluation. 3. We propose to introduce the sound field analysis technique that reflects deterioration of wiper, wear condition, high temperature / low temperature condition, and glass pollution condition as our preliminary problem prevention technique. 4. In addition, we introduced a method to build a quality control process for the wiper noise problem by introducing our reliability evaluation standard considering the same blade deterioration condition as the above analysis considerations.
FIGURE 9. Dynamic Analysis and high-speed camera simulation
reversal noise in the glass contamination condition. In other words, it was confirmed that the type of noise can be changed according to blade characteristics even under the same environmental conditions. In order to verify the above results, dynamic character-istics analysis and behavior of the actual vehicle wiper blade were compared and analyzed. The aged blade was attached to the glass of the actual vehicle and the glass was contaminated to change the coeffi-cient of friction. The analysis conditions were simulated similar to the actual conditions by varying the coefficient of friction of the glass and distributing the blade pressing pressure unevenly. As a result, ‘a’ and ‘c’ blades exhibited SLIPSTICK and chattering phenomenon after reversing. Figure 9 shows the results of real 30 | March 2022
vehicle evaluation and the results of highspeed camera imaging and measurement of blade vertical vibration. As a result of the analysis, the vibration position and vibration phenomenon of the blade on the
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