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Traditional automotive proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) endurance testing relies on the fuel cell (FC) dynamic load cycle (FC‐DLC) protocol, which inadequately reflects real‐world driving conditions. To address this limitation the "Investigations on degradation mechanisms and Definition of protocols for PEM Fuel cells Accelerated Stress Testing" (ID‐FAST) consortium defined the new representative "ID‐FAST driving load cycle," a novel approach capturing the load distribution, transitions, temperature variations, and humidity fluctuations experienced by FCs in real‐world operation. We demonstrate the ID‐FAST driving cycle itself and the integration into a realistic durability test program for FC test benches and present the resulting test data. Furthermore, we showcase its implementation within an accelerated stress testing (AST) protocol, highlighting its potential to significantly reduce testing time by accelerating degradation. Additionally, a novel method for highly dynamic humidity adjustment within test benches is introduced. By overcoming limitations of existing methods and incorporating the ID‐FAST driving cycle, this work paves the way for a new era of efficient and realistic FC endurance testing, ultimately contributing to the development of more robust and durable automotive FC stacks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Carbon-carbon composites are advanced materials known for their high strength, high-temperature stability, and superior thermal conductivity. Mechanical properties such as tensile strength, flexural strength, and compressive strength are examined, as well as thermal properties like the coefficient of thermal expansion and thermal conductivity, to understand the characteristics of the composite. Carbon-carbon composites are ideal for the aerospace industry's need for lightweight and high-performance materials. Tribological and surface properties are relevant to this discussion, given the use case of carbon-carbon composites in extreme conditions, the effect of exposing the composite to different fluids and the change in friction and wear properties. Coatings can protect the composite from environmental factors such as UV radiation, oxidation, and erosion. Self-healing composites that can repair themselves can increase the lifespan of structures while reducing maintenance costs. These have been used in aerospace applications such as airplane braking systems, rocket nozzles, and re-entry vehicle heat shields. Furthermore, researchers have recently addressed the problem of finishing and drilling without delamination and loss of properties, and this study looks into unconventional methods that can be adopted for the same. This study aims to provide an overview of the current state of carbon-carbon composite materials and their applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In electric or hybrid vehicles' propulsion systems, Permanent Magnet-Assisted Synchronous Reluctance Machines represent a viable alternative to Permanent Magnet Synchronous Machines. Based on previous research work, the present paper proposes, designs, and optimizes two ferrite PMaSynRM topologies, analyzed against a reference machine (also PMaSynRM) with improved torque ripple content, based on similar specifications and dimensional constraints. Considering the trend of increasing the DC voltage level in electric and hybrid vehicles, the optimal topology is included in an analysis of the DC voltage level impact on the design and performances of PMSynRM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Carbon-carbon composites are advanced materials known for their high strength, high-temperature stability, and superior thermal conductivity. Mechanical properties such as tensile strength, flexural strength, and compressive strength are examined, as well as thermal properties like the coefficient of thermal expansion and thermal conductivity, to understand the characteristics of the composite. Carbon-carbon composites are ideal for the aerospace industry’s need for lightweight and high-performance materials. Tribological and surface properties are relevant to this discussion, given the use case of carbon-carbon composites in extreme conditions, the effect of exposing the composite to different fluids and the change in friction and wear properties. Coatings can protect the composite from environmental factors such as UV radiation, oxidation, and erosion. Self-healing composites that can repair themselves can increase the lifespan of structures while reducing maintenance costs. These have been used in aerospace applications such as airplane braking systems, rocket nozzles, and re-entry vehicle heat shields. Furthermore, researchers have recently addressed the problem of finishing and drilling without delamination and loss of properties, and this study looks into unconventional methods that can be adopted for the same. This study aims to provide an overview of the current state of carbon-carbon composite materials and their applications.

The application of advanced high-strength steels (AHSS) by automakers is now a consolidated reality. In this scenario, Dual Phase (DP) steels deserve special mention due to their versatility in a vast range of applications, since they present an excellent combination between high mechanical strength and high ductility. On the other hand, applying a classical DP steel, with microstructure formed essentially by ferrite and martensite, shear fracture and edge cracking, have regularly been observed in die-bending and flanging operations. In this work the improvement of stretch-flangeability, while still keeping an appropriate ductility, of a classical 980 MPa DP steel was pursued by testing different intercritical annealing conditions in a dilatometer and a Gleeble thermomechanical simulator. According to the results obtained in this study, the stretch-flangeability improvement of a cold-rolled dual phase steel intercritically annealed can be obtained by increasing the soaking and austempering temperatures.

This study demonstrates the applicability of an explicit model predictive controller (ExMPC) to the air mass flow control in a fuel cell electric vehicle. The two control tasks comprise the supply of air to the fuel cell stack for the electrochemical reaction as well as the dilution of hydrogen in the outlet gas flow of the cathode subsystem. With the aim of achieving zero control deviation for steady states, the linear model in the state observer is extended with two perturbations. During the experimental validation of the proposed controller, fast dynamics are achieved with the ExMPC, which generally exploits the limits of the control variables. After the calibration of the ExMPC, the final comparison to a set of reference PI controllers reveals a significant improvement in the closed-loop behavior of the cathode subsystem during step changes in the controller setpoints. • An explicit model predictive controller is applied to a fuel cell electric vehicle. • Delays for control and controlled variables are considered. • The operating limits of the control variables are exploited during dynamic operation. • Improved closed-loop behavior is achieved in comparison to reference PI controllers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper presents a redesign of the custom disc-on-disc-type tribometer intended for the experimental characterization of the friction and wear of automotive dry clutch friction lining. The redesign is aimed at expanding the operating range at which the machine is not sensitive to shudder vibrations. This is achieved through a set of hardware and software upgrade measures. First, the natural frequency of the normal load-generation linear axis of the machine is increased by enlarging its bending stiffness and reducing the suspended mass. The former is realized by replacing the single, two-axial force/torque piezoelectric sensor with a set of three three-axial piezoelectric force sensors, adding a set of stiff linear guides, and reducing the lengths of the cantilevers of lateral forces acting on the linear axis guide system. The latter is accomplished by reducing the overall dimensions of the cooling disc and redesigning the thermal insulation components. The shudder sensitivity resistance is further reduced through individual normal force-readings-based adjustment of parallelism between friction contact surfaces and the increase in the stiffness of eccentrically positioned water-cooling pipes. Finally, the stability of the coefficient of friction and, consequently, the wear process are boosted by adjusting the control routines to minimize the circumferential and/or radial temperature gradients. These adjustments include the introduction of a clutch lock-up interval at the end of the clutch closing cycle, a minimum cooling delay inserted between two closing cycles, and maximum normal force demand of the clutch torque controller. The performance gain of the upgraded tribometer is demonstrated through a study of the dry clutch friction plate static wear experimental characterization for a wide range of operating conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposes a integrated starter and generator(ISG) braking control method considering battery condition. Recently, hybrid brake which combines mechanical brake and electric brake causes from ISG regenerative operation has been researched in automotive application for efficient and fast braking operation. However, previous works for hybrid brake are focus on braking performance improvement, this can deteriorate the current flowing through battery, it can cause reducing the battery life time. In order to improve this, another previous works use DC/DC converter and ultracapacitor to regulate the battery current. However, it increases cost and size. This paper firstly analyze the DC-link current ripple of inverter drive. After that, analyze the affection of this current ripple during in constant current (CC) and constant voltage control (CV) operation. Finally, a novel regenerative torque control method of ISG considering battery condition will be illustrated. Proposed control method is verified by experimental results.

In electric or hybrid vehicles’ propulsion systems, Permanent Magnet-Assisted Synchronous Reluctance Machines represent a viable alternative to Permanent Magnet Synchronous Machines. Based on previous research work, the present paper proposes, designs, and optimizes two ferrite PMaSynRM topologies, analyzed against a reference machine (also PMaSynRM) with improved torque ripple content, based on similar specifications and dimensional constraints. Considering the trend of increasing the DC voltage level in electric and hybrid vehicles, the optimal topology is included in an analysis of the DC voltage level impact on the design and performances of PMSynRM.

China is currently vigorously implementing the “energy conservation and emission reduction” and “dual carbon” strategies. As the most resource-advantaged light metal material in China, Magnesium (Mg) alloy is progressively expanding its application in automobile, rail transportation, aerospace, medical, and electronic products. Chongqing University, Shanghai Jiaotong University, and Australian National University have conducted extensive research on the preparation, properties, and processes of Mg alloys. In the past 20 years, the proportion of Mg alloy in the automotive industry has gradually expanded, whereas currently the design and development of Mg alloy parts for automobiles has rarely been reported. Thus, the application models and typical parts cases of Mg alloy are summarized mainly from the four systems of the whole vehicle (body system, chassis system, powertrain system, interior, and exterior system). Subsequently, two actual original equipment manufacturers (OEM) cases are used to introduce the development logic of reliable die-cast Mg alloy, including forward design, formability analysis, process design analysis, structural redesign, manufacturing, and testing, aiming to share the methods, processes, and focus of attention of automotive OEMs for developing Mg alloy parts to enhance the confidence and motivation of applying Mg alloy in automotive field. Eventually, the multiple challenges faced by Mg alloy materials are sorted out and how to face these challenges are discussed. National policies and regulations, environmental protection and energy saving, and consumer demand will continue to promote the application of Mg.

China is currently vigorously implementing the "energy conservation and emission reduction" and "dual carbon" strategies. As the most resource-advantaged light metal material in China, Magnesium (Mg) alloy is progressively expanding its application in automobile, rail transportation, aerospace, medical, and electronic products. Chongqing University, Shanghai Jiaotong University, and Australian National University have conducted extensive research on the preparation, properties, and processes of Mg alloys. In the past 20 years, the proportion of Mg alloy in the automotive industry has gradually expanded, whereas currently the design and development of Mg alloy parts for automobiles has rarely been reported. Thus, the application models and typical parts cases of Mg alloy are summarized mainly from the four systems of the whole vehicle (body system, chassis system, powertrain system, interior, and exterior system). Subsequently, two actual original equipment manufacturers (OEM) cases are used to introduce the development logic of reliable die-cast Mg alloy, including forward design, formability analysis, process design analysis, structural redesign, manufacturing, and testing, aiming to share the methods, processes, and focus of attention of automotive OEMs for developing Mg alloy parts to enhance the confidence and motivation of applying Mg alloy in automotive field. Eventually, the multiple challenges faced by Mg alloy materials are sorted out and how to face these challenges are discussed. National policies and regulations, environmental protection and energy saving, and consumer demand will continue to promote the application of Mg. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The number of auxiliary electric drives can exceed 100 for luxury cars. Due to their ever‐increasing prevalence, the electromagnetic emissions (EME) of these drives are becoming increasingly important. This work explores the influence of four different stator winding topologies on the electromagnetic emissions and the efficiency performance of fractional horsepower (FHP) brushless direct current (BLDC) drives. Two monofilar windings with a wire diameter of 0.15 and 0.27 mm, an untwisted bifilar winding, and a twisted bifilar winding are inspected. The parasitic stator to winding coupling capacitance is the motor's main source for common mode currents and thus, for radiated emissions. A three‐media capacitance model is introduced to allow estimating this coupling path in the design phase of the motor. Twisting the phases of a bifilar winding reduces the excitation of this path. Therefore, the radiated emissions are reduced by 5 dBμV/m ${\mathrm{B}}_{\mu \text{V/m}}$. The stator winding topology also affects the winding resistance and thus the efficiency. The monofilar winding with a wire diameter of 0.27 mm shows the lowest level of consumed power, followed by the monofilar winding with a wire diameter of 0.15 mm, the untwisted bifilar winding and the twisted bifilar winding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fuel cells for mobile applications obtain their oxygen from the ambient air in road traffic. This air has contaminations of various impurities that can have negative effects on the lifetime of fuel cell systems in vehicles. The identified most relevant contaminants are toluene, nitrogen dioxide, ammonia, and sulfur dioxide. A modified test bench enables different dosages of the above‐mentioned pollutant gas concentrations on the cathode side. We examined influences both in static cycles for quasi‐steady states and in dynamic cycles for rapid load changes to examine reversible and irreversible degradation effects. We showed that the harmful cathode gases examined could lead to a shortening of the service life of fuel cells. Whereas this is well known for higher concentrations of pollutants, this contribution provides data in the sub‐ppm range – including the effects of gas mixtures – for which literature data is still limited. Additionally, a physical fuel cell model is developed to analyze the effects of various contaminants. The overall intention is to determine acceptable contamination levels and thereby increase the lifetime of fuel cells with the help of simulations. The presented model allows for the computation of cell voltage dependent on cathode side media conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The authors researched the physical, metallurgical, and mechanical characteristics of A354 alloy (Al-Si-Mg-Cu) reinforced with 5, 10, and 15 wt% of fly ash metal matrix composites. A baseline alloy and three composites were fabricated by a liquid metallurgy route and poured into a permanent mold to obtain cast rods of dimension Φ32 mm × 156 mm. The metallurgical characterization of the developed alloy and metal matrix composites was conducted using energy-dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), and X-ray diffraction. All the developed composites showed a pore-free nature, but only A354 alloy reinforced with 5 wt% of fly ash (AF5) possessed a homogeneous distribution and perfect bonding of the fly ash with the A354 matrix. Therefore, transmission electron microscopy (TEM) analysis was performed on the sample AF5. All developed alloys and metal matrix composites were subjected to hardness and mechanical property tests. It was observed that the AF5 sample had 170 ± 5.6 HV and tensile strength of 216 ± 2.3 MPa, 18.8% and 24.8% higher than the A354 matrix, but the ductility (6.5 ± 0.43%) was reduced by 23% from the baseline alloy. Finally, the fractography analysis was conducted on all the samples using FESEM to analyze the fracture mode. The fabricated 5 wt% fly ash-based metal matrix composite showed better mechanical performance than other samples. Hence, sample AF5 is suggested for manufacturing components in automotive and structural parts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Upcoming gasoline engines should run with a larger number of fuels beginning from petrol over methanol up to gas by a wide range of compression ratios and a homogeneous charge. In this article, the microwave (MW) spark plug, based on a high-speed frequency hopping system, is introduced as a solution, which can support a nitrogen compression ratio up to 1:39 in a chamber and more. First, an overview of the high-speed frequency hopping MW ignition and operation system as well as the large number of applications are presented. Both gives an understanding of this new base technology for MW plasma generation. Focus of the theoretical part is the explanation of the internal construction of the spark plug, on the achievable of the high voltage generation as well as the high efficiency to hold the plasma. In detail, the development process starting with circuit simulations and ending with the numerical multiphysics field simulations is described. The concept is evaluated with a reference prototype covering the frequency range between 2.40 and 2.48 GHz and working over a large power range from 20 to 200 W. A larger number of different measurements starting by vector hot- $S_{11}$ measurements and ending by combined working scenarios out of hot temperature, high pressure and charge motion are winding up the article. The limits for the successful pressure tests were given by the pressure chamber. Pressures ranged from 1 to 39 bar and charge motion up to 25 m/s as well as temperatures from 30° to 125°. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents the study of air-core transformers for electric vehicles, developing them for medium-power (tens of kWs) converter applications specifically used at a high frequency. Air-core transformers have the advantage of lacking magnetic saturation and iron losses, making them suitable for high-frequency applications. We designed and manufactured a transformer for a determined frequency and inductance value. The design of this passive component aims to both keep the magnetic field inside the transformer and manage the thermal energy efficiently. The electrical, magnetic, and thermal properties are simulated and then verified by experiments with a specific test bench. The transformer reaches high performances for a higher frequency than usual for an equivalent power transfer in automotive applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper presents some possible applications started from a six revolute joints (6R) overconstrained mechanism. The spatial devices obtained are based on the 6R Wohlhart symmetric mechanism in a special spatial position, with three non-adjacent joints constrained to remain in a fixed plane. This special spatial disposition allows us to obtain some reconfigurable/foldable devices, with an estimated application in the automotive industry field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A vertical alignment mode liquid-crystal display (VA-LCD) with a wide nematic temperature range was developed in this work. For development of this LC cell, a negative dielectric anisotropy liquid-crystal material (nega-LCM) with wide nematic temperature range from −40 to +90 °C (nega-WNT-LCM) was selected. The fabricated VA mode LC cell showed twice faster response time at −20 °C compared with the conventional negative-type LCM, and significantly high contrast ratio (2910:1). In addition, the VA mode LC cell with the nega-WNT-LCM would be used in a severe environment with remarkably high- and low-temperature region. Thus, the developed VA mode LC cell would be useful for outdoor-use applications, such as the automotive application. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Continuous developments in Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells (PEMFC) make them a promising technology to achieve zero emissions in multiple applications including mobility. Incremental advancements in fuel cells materials and manufacture processes make them now suitable for commercialization. However, the complex operation of fuel cell systems in automotive applications has some open issues yet. This work develops and compares three different controllers for PEMFC systems in automotive applications. All the controllers have a cascade control structure, where a generator of setpoints sends references to the subsystems controllers with the objective to maximize operational efficiency. To develop the setpoints generators, two techniques are evaluated: off-line optimization and Model Predictive Control (MPC). With the first technique, the optimal setpoints are given by a map, obtained off-line, of the optimal steady state conditions and corresponding setpoints. With the second technique, the setpoints time profiles that maximize the efficiency in an incoming time horizon are continuously computed. The proposed MPC architecture divides the fast and slow dynamics in order to reduce the computational cost. Two different MPC solutions have been implemented to deal with this fast/slow dynamics separation. After the integration of the setpoints generators with the subsystems controllers, the different control systems are tested and compared using a dynamic detailed model of the automotive system in the INN-BALANCE project running under the New European Driving Cycle. • The control structure of a PEM fuel cell system in an automotive application is described. • An off-line optimal setpoint generator is compared to MPC techniques. • Slow and fast dynamics are split in the MPC design for computational burden reduction. • Simulations are based on a model tuned using experimental data from a real automotive fuel cell system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents the study of air-core transformers for electric vehicles, developing them for medium-power (tens of kWs) converter applications specifically used at a high frequency. Air-core transformers have the advantage of lacking magnetic saturation and iron losses, making them suitable for high-frequency applications. We designed and manufactured a transformer for a determined frequency and inductance value. The design of this passive component aims to both keep the magnetic field inside the transformer and manage the thermal energy efficiently. The electrical, magnetic, and thermal properties are simulated and then verified by experiments with a specific test bench. The transformer reaches high performances for a higher frequency than usual for an equivalent power transfer in automotive applications.

The study involves a bottom-up approach, from bottom cells to large supercapacitor pouch cells, encompassing the design, modelling and fabrication stages of the cells leading to a 12 V transient start–stop (TSS) power system for automotive applications. More specifically, the design of a large composite supercapacitor is presented, consisting of a high power density component and a high energy density component, hybridised at material level. The composition of the composite supercapacitor is optimised to be application-specific so that it satisfies a specified energy-to-maximum power ratio for the 12 V TSS system. The testing of the large composite supercapacitor pouch cells and the 12 V TSS system proves the validity of the bottom-up approach, validates the design and the proposed electric circuit model and its parameters, fitted according to experimental data of small laboratory cells and applied successfully to the large cells, and proves the high quality of the scaled-up fabrication processes. The 12 V TSS power system of seven large composite supercapacitor cells satisfies the set criteria of energy and maximum power for the specified duration, 15 Wh and 4.2 kW respectively, at a total mass of 3.94 kg, below the original set limit of 5 kg. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although an automotive radar system tends to be practical presently, it still needs to set up an extra device to achieve communication for vehicle. Considering system complexity and equipment costs, the research on automotive radar and communication integration has a very good application prospect. These days, there has been some research work on radar and communication integration based on the traditional LFMCW, but not involving triangle LFMCW, FSK, and MFSK waveform used typically for automotive radar, and its realization of dual function mainly depends on frequency diversity, meaning that systems need to occupy more spectrum resources. In this paper, a method on radar and communication integration with shared spectrum is proposed by using FMCW, which combines between Chirp-BOK modulation and FSK radar. In the system, communication information can be demodulated by decision on chirp polar, and target information can be extracted from phases of chirp. Moreover, to reduce the complexity of the receiver, a matching filter method is used commonly to complete the implementation of dual function in the system. However, it is necessary to note that the Doppler effect make phases of matching output change, which has an impact on target detection based on FSK. Therefore, the relationship of phases between Doppler and matching output will be analyzed first. Then, the system's operating principle, derivation of the algorithm, the limitation of system parameters selection, and simulation results are described in this paper.

Nanolubricants, thanks to their ability to reduce friction and wear, are increasingly studied in the transport and automotive sectors. These systems are generally produced with a two‐step procedure by dispersing nanoparticles into base oils. Very recently, one‐step methods have received increasing attention for the production of highly stable nanosuspensions at lower cost. Degradation‐decomposition of the base oil can however occur during the synthesis affecting the final performances. In this work, copper‐based nanolubricants were produced using a new procedure that preserves the base oil from the degradation induced by the synthesis and allows producing highly stable nanolubricant. The produced fluid showed a monodisperse distribution of nanometric particles and a good stability up to at least 60 days from its production. The as‐produced nanolubricants showed notable performance reducing the friction coefficient even up to 32.7% for Cu concentration of 0.01 vol% at 80°C. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Current research has led to a significant improvement at the system level of thermoelectric generators (TEG) for automotive applications. The previously low power density could be increased considerably up to 267 W/kg and 478 W/dm3. In addition, the cost–benefit ratio of the technology in the overall system of the vehicle was improved through intensive optimizations on system level. The results presented so far are based on measurement data of single thermoelectric modules (TEM) and simulation of the TEG system. In this paper the high simulative increases at the system level, achieved through a holistic optimization method, are validated by a functional prototype, completely equipped with TEM. Thereby, a functional prototype has been developed and built successfully and measured on a hot gas test bench. In the experiment all TEM show a stable power output and the highest gravimetric power density of automotive TEG systems known to the authors could be measured. Further tests will be performed with the functional prototype as described in the outlook. In addition to the successful tests, the simulation is validated with the detailed measurement data. After adapting the measurement method of the TEM for providing more accurate TEM measurement data as input for the simulation, a suitable match could be achieved between the TEG simulation and the experiment. In the measurement points performed so far, the accuracy of the simulated temperatures reaches more than 95%. The accuracy of the simulated output power is more than 97%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One of the major challenges of the future automotive development is to achieve the required reductions of the CO2 emissions. Therefore, it is necessary to investigate all potential technologies for efficiency improvement. In a combustion engine, about 2/3 of the chemical energy of the fuel is dissipated as waste heat. Due to its high temperature level, the waste heat in the exhaust gas is very promising for the technology of thermoelectric generators (TEG). In this work the methodology for a holistic TEG optimization for automotive vehicle applications will be presented. Thereby, all system interactions between the vehicle and the TEG are modelled and the CO2 reduction can be optimized within the vehicle system. Moreover the costs are calculated for each TEG design, and the method realizes an optimization of the cost–benefit ratio in a direct way. The optimization method is applied with a highly integrated TEG design, which has been developed to be compact and lightweight. Through the combination of improvements in TEG design and system optimization, a gravimetric power density of 267 W/kg and a volumetric power density of 478 W/dm^3 could be achieved. These power densities are about 900% and 700%, respectively, higher than the state of the art. The optimization method was applied exemplarily to a conventional vehicle (Volkswagen Golf VII) and a hybrid vehicle (Opel Ampera/Chevrolet Volt). As a result, reductions in consumption and CO2 emissions of up to 2.2% for the conventional and 3.4% for the hybrid vehicle could be achieved within the worldwide harmonized light duty driving test cycle. The cost–benefit optimum is 81.3 €/(g/km) for the conventional vehicle and 54.8 €/(g/km) for the hybrid vehicle in charge sustaining mode. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article presents the effect of auditory feedback on tactile intensity perception, which may be of interest to haptic or audiotactile interaction engineers. An experimental setup consisted of a touchscreen, an electrodynamic shaker, and a closed-back headphone for a subject to interact with the touchscreen and to feel audiotactile feedback. In the experiment, participants were asked to judge perceived tactile intensity, using the magnitude estimation method, in the absence and presence of simultaneous auditory feedback. All data collected from the subjects were analyzed statistically, and then the effect of auditory feedback was investigated focusing on the following aspects: whether the presence of auditory feedback changes perceived tactile intensity, whether the frequency component of auditory feedback affects tactile intensity perception, and whether the coincidence of tactile and auditory frequencies influences on tactile intensity perception. Besides, changes in Stevens's exponent were analyzed to discuss how tactile intensity perception varies due to the auditory feedback. Finally, an equal intensity contour, in the domain of sensation level and frequency of tactile stimulation, was drawn. It can be applied to adjust the level of tactile stimuli for haptic feedback designers to provide a constant perceived tactile intensity considering the presence of auditory feedback. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Corrugations can be considered to be one of the ways to improve the mechanical properties of thin-walled structure in terms of manipulation of surface area. However, this theory requires further validation through experimentation of different materials. Although many research works have been done towards the corrugated shell structures, the flexibility of corrugated sheets of thermoset composite material remains unknown. This study focused on the effects of surface area manipulation by using trapezoid origami structure which is trapezoidal folded lobe shape on the absorbed energy and mechanical properties of Epoxy reinforced with S-type fibreglass. Then the trapezoidal folded lobe shape design was drawn by using AutoCAD which consist of the design of the corrugated composite sheets and the design of trapezoidal folded lobe shape mould. Moreover, the fabrication of the Aluminum mould was done by using a CNC milling machine according to the drawing. So, a compression moulding machine will be used to fabricate the composite structure. Therefore, the vibration and compression tests were carried out to perform a study on the behaviour of the trapezoidal folded lobe thermoset samples and to investigate their deformation behaviour respectively. Based on those tests, the results are shown that the trapezoidal origami samples have higher virtual stiffness than the flat samples, and the trapezoidal origami crash thin wall absorbs 40 % more energy in Y-axis direction compared to in X-axis direction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper presents some possible applications started from a six revolute joints (6R) overconstrained mechanism. The spatial devices obtained are based on the 6R Wohlhart symmetric mechanism in a special spatial position, with three non-adjacent joints constrained to remain in a fixed plane. This special spatial disposition allows us to obtain some reconfigurable/foldable devices, with an estimated application in the automotive industry field.

A novel photo-alignment fringe field switching mode liquid crystal display (PA-FFS-LCD) with a wide nematic temperature range from −40 °C to 95 °C was developed. The new developed PA-FFS-LCD shows fast gray-to-gray response time (<20 ms at 25 °C and < 300 ms at −30 °C), wide viewing angle, and high contrast ratio about 1600 owing to use an isomerization-type photo-alignment material. Image sticking was not recognized owing to a suitable arrangement of pixel and common electrodes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A concept of flat, spectrum splitting concentrator photovoltaic system for electric vehicle roof is presented. • The flat structure and the lateral displacement of sun tracking mechanism allow installation on EV's roof. • Simulations show the system can harvest 4.48 kWh on a summer day. A car, Kia Ray can travel 37.7 mk using this amount of energy. • Simulations for different climates show the proposed system is more suitable with high DNI area. In this paper, we present a novel design and an optical simulation of a flat concentrator photovoltaic (CPV) system for electric vehicle application. The sunlight concentration component is comprised of a planar waveguide integrated dichroic mirror-coated cone prisms and a mirror-coated lens array. Sunlight reflects firstly at the mirror-coated lens array and then strikes the cone prism of the planar waveguide. The prisms are coated by the dichroic mirrors to divide the solar spectrum into two bands. The low-energy band is transmitted and reaches the GaInAsP/GaInAs dual-junction solar cells. The mid-energy band is reflected at the prism surface and coupled inside the waveguide. The exit port of the waveguide is attached with GaInP/GaAs dual-junction solar cells. The simulation results demonstrated a maximum electricity conversion efficiency of 32.88% at the high concentration ratio. The system thickness is 35 mm, which is as thin as the conventional flat photovoltaic panel and system allow for a lateral sun-tracking mechanism. This is suitable for installation on the vehicle's roof. The results showed that the presented flat CPV system is a new approach for a highly efficient application of solar energy to the electrical vehicle. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We have developed a long lifetime OLED display by optimizing each organic layer materials. The lifetime of the new developed blue OLED under 50 mA/cm2 driving at 85 °C was improved more than four times compared with the previously developed OLED, and achieved longer than 1,500 hours in a real use. The developed OLED display would be useful for automotive application. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]