AUTOMOBILE ENGINEERING: Syllabus: Topics Tentative Lectures 1. Introduction to auto vehicles, various systems of automobiles. 4 2.

Power transmission: Purpose of clutch, types of clutches and their working, fluid coupling, types of gear boxes, sliding mesh, constant mesh, synchromesh gear box, epi cyclic gear box. 6 3. Torque converter, hydromantic transmission, transfer case, universal coupling, telescopic joint and propeller shaft. 2 4. Purpose of differential, types of differential and their construction, type of axles, semi, and fully floating axle, wheels, tires and rims, tire wear and maintenance. 4 5. Suspension systems: type of chassis, dependent and independent suspension, coil and leaf spring suspension, shock absorbers. 4 6. Steering system: definition of true steering, Ackermans steering linkages and steering gear boxes. Wheel alignment, Centre Point Steering, caster, camber, king pin inclination, Toe in and Toe out.4 7. Braking system: Mechanical, Hydraulic, vacuum and pneumatic brake, their merits and demerits, types of brake, drum and disc type, hand brake. 4 8. Road and aerodynamic resistance calculation, Engine power calculation. 2 9. Road safety, Influence of vehicle characteristic on accidents. 4 Books and References: 1. The Motor Vehicle: by- Newton and Steed, 2. Automotive Mechanics: by- Heitner J. 3. Advanced Vehicle Technology- HEINZ HEISLER 4. Any other reference discussed in class for specific topics. Along with the above following is also desired: Visit to automobile repair shops for the feel of Engineering. Motor vehicle acts and rules being enforced from time to time available from law book stores. Production catalogue from various automobile manufactures and if possible the service manual of the vehicles. Various trade magazines on automobile published nationally and internationally. A watchful eye on news paper reports on automobile related accidents for the purpose of analyzing the cause of accident such that the accident can be reduced in the society. During the course students are required to work on projects allotted to them. hsg11-01-2012 Visit the following web site: Feel the adventure of Kids car museum http://www.mitsubishi-motors.com/en/discoveries/kids/index.html

Problem: Discuss the theme of the file Naya Daur as an Indian technologist under the present global energy situations. Enclosure: Naya Daur is a 1957 Indian drama film starring Dilip Kumar, Vyjayanthimala, Ajit and Jeevan. Originally filmed in Black and white, the film was colourized and re-released on 3 August 2007. The film is set in post-independence India where Industrialization is slowly creeping in. The focus is on Tangawallahs who earn their living transporting people from place to place on Tangas(horse - carts). Their livelihood is threatened when the son of a rich landlord (Jeevan) begins operating a bus service in the town,which he subsidizes heavily with the sole intention of first driving the Tangawallahs out of the down and then making profits. Dilip Kumar plays one of the Tangawallahs who petitions the landlord over this injustice.Then, Jeevan's character proposes a competition to decide which service is the best - The Bus or the Tanga? It is then decided that there will be a race between both the vehicles. The Bus driven mechanically and the Tanga driven by Dilip Kumar's character. If the Bus wins the race, the Tangawallahs would not complain further and if the Tanga wins, the Bus service would stop. This competition was a farce from the start itself since nobody could even dream that a horse cart could beat a machine operated bus. Dilip Kumar, however, accepts the challenge to everybody's surprise. His logic is that they would anyway be driven to starvation if the Bus Service continues. This race at least gives them an opportunity to try and do something. However, the rest of the Tangawallahs do not share his hope. They blame him for his foolishness. In the end, he is left alone with nobody's support except his sweetheart, played by Vyjyanti Mala. As the movie unravels,a hopeless situation begins to turn around because of the way the people come together. Mishap after mishap occurs but nothing can deter the determined. The highlight of the film is definitely the heart stopping final race where the underdog wins and how?
Directed by Produced by Written by B. R. Chopra B. R. Chopra Akhtar Mirza Kamil Rashid

Annual Average Domestic Crude Oil Prices 1949-Present U.S. Average (in $/bbl.) Year 1946 1957 1972 Nominal Inflation Adjusted 2007 $1.63 $3.14 $3.60 $17.66 $24 $20.48

Brief History of Transmission Systems in Cars

A car receives power from the engine under its hood, but it is the transmission that helps utilize engine power efficiently. The gearbox in a car brings variety to driving and a very responsive transmission can make a big difference in ride quality for the occupants. Most cars today come installed with good transmissions.

Car transmissions were not always like this. The ones we see today are the result of an incremental evolution and development over the past century. The earliest transmissions were all of manual type. Later on a fusion of computing technology with well evolved manual transmissions led to the creation of automatic transmission systems in cars. Manual transmissions still continue to be just as popular as they used to be for the sole reason that they give the driver a sense of thrill through the ability to shift gears up or down at any desired moment. The transmission in a car is an intertwined system of gears, shafts and other parts that form a bridge to transfer power from the engine to the wheels. The setup helps the car maintain its cruising speeds and slow down or rev up depending on the condition of the road. It does all this without affecting the engines performance at any time. The first manual transmission was introduced by a company called Warner Gear (now BorgWarner) in 1927. It was a four speed gearbox with an H-shaped pattern. It helped the car achieve high speeds with ease and at no discomfort to the occupants. In 1930, an improved technology was introduced. Car manufacturers were now encouraged to try out different technologies in gearboxes. One such noticeable improvement was in the Buick Series 40 from Chrysler Corporation in 1939 where springs were employed to exert high pressure on the clutch plates while the driver was required only to apply light pressure on the clutch pedal to start or stop the car. However, the system soon saw several technical problems and became redundant. After weighing other options, Chrysler settled for a fluid drive system in which the clutch pedal was operated in two vaned plates. Power was transmitted through shearing action in low viscosity mineral oil. Through this new concept drivers could stop the car without using the clutch, while leaving the gear in high mode. However, this system too did not find many takers and was eventually dropped. The next new system to be developed used a sliding spur gearbox with three or four forward gears and a reverse gear integrated into it. This was the beginning of the modern gear box. The shifter slid a spur gear into the desired position to employ engine power. In the early stages, the shifter moved with great stiffness and required skill to prevent the clutch teeth from clashing against each other. Later on, the clutch plates were synchronized with the shifter so that the parts moved in unison. The only hurdle left for the driver was that the shifter needed to move simultaneously with the accelerator pedal, clutch pedal and the gearshift model. Transmission design remained nearly the same for several years to come until the first automatic transmission was developed. The automatic transmission was introduced first in some luxury cars before it was adapted to small cars. Though automatic transmissions became popular due to ease of use, many people today still prefer manual transmissions on their cars.

Car Transmission Mystery Explained!

Car transmission system in a car helps to transmit mechanical power from the car engine to give kinetic energy to the wheels. It is an interconnected system of gears, shafts, and other electrical gadgets that form a bridge to transfer power and energy from the engine to the wheels. The complete set up of the system helps to maintain the cruising speed of the car without any disturbance to the cars performance. The oldest variant of the transmission system in India is the manual transmission that has undergone various modifications and alterations to form the present day automatic transmission.

Types of Car Transmissions

The two common types of transmissions are manual transmission and automatic transmission. In India, manual transmission is known as the Sequential Manual Transmission. This kind of transmission system is controlled by a driver operated clutch that helps to change gears during acceleration or deceleration. The first manual transmission was introduced in 1909 by a company known as Warner Gear, now called BorgWarner. The first gearbox was available with an H-shaped pattern comprising of fur shift gears. Later on, various innovations and advancements took place, which gradually transformed the pattern and number of gears in the manual system. In modern day cars, manual transmission systems are found with five forward gears and one reverse gear. These gears help the driver to drive with ease and comfort even at high changing speeds. The first automatic transmission was introduced by the Sturtevant brothers of Boston in 1904. The modern form of transmission provided two forward speeds that work on the action of centrifugal weights. When the speed of the car engine increases, the weight would swing out transmission to engage the gears and when the weight flew apart, the gears would disengage. In India, this modern system of transmission was launched by Kinetic Motors through its most successful running Kinetic Honda bike. In this type of transmission, gears are automatically shifted in the gearbox, relieving the driver from changing gears.

Manual Transmission vs. Automatic Transmission

Though advanced technology has given birth to the modern day automatic transmission, manual system scores more. Compiled here is a brief comparison of the advantages offered by both the transmission systems. Advantages of manual over automatic are as follows: One of the biggest advantages of a manual gearbox is to have a greater control over the gear selection. This is because in a manual system, a clutch is used to control speed instead of a torque convertor. Therefore, acceleration of the vehicle, especially during over-taking maneuvers, is at the drivers own discretion. Manual gearshifts are more fuel efficient as compared to their automatic counterpart. Torque convertor used to engage and disengage automatic gears may lose power and reduce acceleration as well as fuel economy. Compared to cars with automatic transmissions, cars with manual transmissions are cheaper to run and car maintenance is easy. The parts and equipments required to make an automatic system functional are expensive and highly technical as compared to a manual system. It is easier to build a strong manual transmission than an automatic one. This is because a manual system has one clutch to operate, whereas an automatic system has a number of clutch packs that function in harmony with each other. Advantages of automatic gearshifts over manual gearshifts are as follows: Automatic cars are easier to use, especially for the inexperienced car driver. Manual system requires better driving skills, whereas with an automatic, the clever system does it all on its own. This holds a greater advantage for new and inexperienced drivers and also helps during congested traffic situations where it becomes difficult to change gears every second. Automatic transmission requires less attention and concentration from the driver because the automatic gears start functioning as soon as the system feels the need of a gear change. For car with manual gear shifts, the driver has to be more alert while driving and better coordinated. An automatic transmission system has smoother and quicker shifts as compared to the manual system. Automatic cars have better ability to control traction when approaching steep hills or engine braking during descents. Manual gears are difficult to operate on steep climbs. In terms of customer choices and preferences, people prefer going for their manual counterparts because a manual gearbox is believed to be more efficient and fuel efficient.

Automatic Transmissions are a Boon for Comfort!

Automatic transmission is a concept that is new in India, even though it has been in use for over four decades in the US. Five years back, there were only one or two imported models in India that came with the option of an automatic transmission and very few people knew about this concept. However, now even the small car manufacturers are offering this option to its customers. Cars with automatic transmission are different from cars with manual transmission in terms of power, acceleration, fuel economy, and driving comfort.

An automatic transmission unit does not require a drivers intervention while driving. A cluster of sensors embedded within the system constantly monitor the throttle (acceleration/deceleration) input and then optimize (change) the engine response accordingly. The driver only uses the acceleration and brake pedals, and can comfortably enjoy the drive without having to change gears. The gear shift moves up automatically at the optimum shifting level when the driver presses the accelerator and the reverse action can be achieved when the brake pedal is pressed. These modern cars can be started only when the gear is in parking mode or the neutral mode as some call it. The car will not respond to ignition in any other gear mode. This is part of the safety features installed by the car manufacturer for a car with an auto transmission. If the car stops at traffic signals or in traffic jams, it is best to bring the car to neutral mode and then start the ignition before moving ahead the same is advised for cars with manual transmission to improve a cars performance. Those who are just getting themselves acquainted with the automatic transmission should keep the brakes pressed and gently release them while moving forward. It is possible that the car could rev up if the accelerator is pressed hard and the driver can loose control over the vehicle. Most cars available in India with an automatic transmission have been modified to suit Indian road conditions. This allows these cars to comfortably negotiate bad roads and hilly regions. There are only two major drawbacks in a car with an automatic transmission. First, it is made up of several components and a break down of even a single component can stall the car completely. Therefore the cost of maintenance of a car with an automatic transmission is marginally higher than cars with a manual transmission. Second, control of power and acceleration is completely dependant on the transmission and the driver cannot accelerate beyond a set safety speed. This means that a car with an automatic transmission is not conducive to racing conditions or to sharp overtaking tactics. However, an automatic transmission is a choice of most because of its smooth shifting capabilities that provide occupants with a jerk-free ride and the fuel economy of the car sees a definite improvement. It definitely eases the pressure of driving in congested cities, where acceleration does not play a big part, but traffic jams do. It is advisable to get a transmission with both manual and automatic switch options. This type of transmission will allow the driver to choose the type of transmission that he/she wants to use.

Well-to-Wheel Efficiency:

Reference: 1. mechanical engineering power 2003,

Gauging Efficiency, Well to Wheel 2. Well to Wheel Energy Use and Greenhouse Gas Emissions of Advanced

Fuel/Vehicle Systems Volumes 1, 2, and 3 2001, General Motors Corporation

This chart, and the ones that follow, show the efficiency of six kinds of power trainsconventional and hybrid spark ignition, conventional and hybrid diesel, fuel cell, and battery-electric and six fuelsnatural gas, Fisher-Tropsch diesel, an F-T dieselgas mix, methanol, and both steam-reformed and electrolized hydrogenin a dozen different combinations.

CHAPTER 8 : From book Cactus & Roses By Shantanu Kirloskar On a Bombay street, one day, my father saw a Parsi gentleman riding a bicycle. Fascinated by the novelty of this vehicle, he made inquiries and learned that a bicycle was priced at between 700 and 1000 Rupees depending on the make ( 1889 ). He learned to ride a bicycle and at the same time sent an enthusiastic letter to Ramuanna who was then living at Belgaum. Stimulated by this letter, Ramuanna made inquiries and presently sent back word that the rich men living in and around Belgaum were eager to buy bicycles. My father started buying bicycles in Bombay and sending them to Belgaum, where Ramuanna sold them, also teaching the purchasers to ride them at a fee of fifteen rupees.

I left Aundh and joined the New English School, Poona, in the Sixth Standard. Like my father I had little gift for languages, and Sanskrit I found a regular tongue-twister. Sensing my inability to progress in this language, I switched over to German ; I failed, however, to make much of what my teacher taught me, especially since he started by reciting German poems (poetry being an art that used to leave me cold). My favourite subjects were Arithmetic, Algebra, Geometry, Trigonometry and the Physical Sciences. In these I invariably did well sometimes scoring 90 per cent of the total marks. Yet the second language, whether Sanskrit or German, defeated all my efforts. The 'Demon of Second Language' played a dirty trick on me in my Matriculation Examination. Although I scored excellent marks in my favourite subjects, I failed in the Second Language, which meant failure in the whole examination. My parents persuaded me to appear again, but my second attempt, thanks to my old enemy German, resulted in another failure. I now found myself in a difficult position ; unable to pass the Matriculation Examination, despite my excellent showing in other subjects, thanks to my being defeated by the Second Language. While we were thinking how to get over my difficult and open the way for my higher education, Papa received a letter from our family friend, Mr. Nagudada Ogale, brother of the founder of Ogale Glass Works. Nagudada was an engineer who had secured a scholarship for higher studies in Sheffield, UK. After completing his studies there he had gone on a trip to the USA where he decided to study glass technology. Word had reached him in the USA of my difficulties and being eager to help me, he now sent us several catalogues of educational institutions in the USA. Out of these, he recommended Massachussets Institute of Technology as suitable for me. I liked the idea of studying Mechanical Engineering at the MIT, and Papa approved my choice. The Dean of the MIT told me that I would not be admitted unless I could produce a certificate of having passed the Matriculation Examination. I explained that I had failed in a subject which was not relevant to my study course in Mechanical Engineering and produced my mark-sheet to convince him that in all the relevant subjects I had secured high marks. The Dean assured me that he was personally convinced of my good showing in he required subjects, but he had no authority to make an exception to the Rules of Admission. I could secure admission, he suggested, by passing an Entrance Examination which the College Entrance Examination Board conducted in USA. I decided to appear for this examination, confident that the demon of Sanskrit or German language would not haunt me any more. I joined a short-term course at a Preparatory School, the Chauncy Hall School (afterwards to be attended by my brother Ravi, son Chanda, nephew Ajit and grandsons Atul, Sanjay and Vikram) which specialised in coaching for entrance to MIT. My American teacher was an affectionate and helpful person. He heard me with a smile and in his soft voice told me that I must have good knowledge of "at least two foreign languages" in order to qualify for the admission to the MIT. The demon of languages was till on my trail ! How could this hurdle be surmounted? I already know a bit of German and now took a course in that language at the Chauncy Hall School. I could haltingly converse in German but could not write it; I might scrape through provided I was not asked to pass a written test. My teacher told me that there was no written test in foreign languages, but putting me at ease regarding one language. But I still needed a second and somehow or other I must find it. Finally, I told my teacher that I know Marathi - my mother language - and Hindi, which I knew well enough to converse in, pointing out that in the USA both of these were as much ?foreign languages? as German was. My teacher, however, said he had never heard of either Marathi or Hindi and would not accept them. Now I insisted that the requirement for admission was knowing ?two foreign languages?, not ?two European languages?. This point was obliged, although reluctantly, to concede. Thus the two ? foreign languages? listed in my records at the MIT are German and Marathi.

I passed the qualifying examination with good marks and was admitted to the MIT for the B.Sc. degree course in Mechanical Engineering in September 1922. At the MIT we studied Arithmetic, Chemistry and Physics in the first year, Structural Engineering and other related subjects in the second year. In the third year we expanded our knowledge of Theory. No facilities were provided for practical training within the MIT itself, but the Institute introduced us to engineering concerns and factories, which give us all facilities for working with them and obtaining first-hand practical experience; at the same time, they carefully watched our progress. My own chance to work on the shop floor of a large plat came about in an interesting manner. One day in 1923, during my first year at MIT, I received a letter from a Company named Niles, Bement & Pond, Inc. The write said he had noticed the name "Kirloskar" in the Students List of MIT and was curious to know whether I was in any way connected with an Indian firm called "Kirloskar Brothers", to whom his Company had supplied a large machine. If I was connected, he would be happy to meet me and show me around his Company?s factory. I replied at once, saying that I was indeed the eldest son of Kirloskar Brothers? Managing Director; and that, rather than merely visit that factory, I should be happy if I could get a chance that summer to work on the floor of one of the Company?s machinetool factories. A reply came giving me permission to work in the machine-tool manufacturing plant at Pratt & Whitney, in Hartford, Connecticut. I worked there for a full four months. While working in this plant, I was surprised and intrigued to meet workers engaged in a dull and repetitive job who were wholly content to keep at it from one end of the year to the other; they had no desire whatever to learn a new activity, however interesting. I have since found this situation prevailing even today; from which I have finally concluded that men of a certain intelligence level must be given a repetitive task instead of variety and that all this talk of "man?s slavery to repetitive and uninteresting jobs" is nonsense. This co-working and exchange between campus and factory, I later discovered, was followed in most of the developed countries. A college teacher would go and work in a factory, the factorymanager would teach at the college; our teachers at the MIT used to join private manufacturing enterprises. Such exchanges helped both sides : the teachers gained experience in the application of what they taught, while the production men brought back from their teaching fresh knowledge and ideas for their industry. Japan exemplifies a country which has benefited from such movements between the campus and the enterprises.

Sample Question paper: Automobile Engineering B Tech VI Semester Class Test I

Attempt all questions

Part A is to be completed in the examination Hall Part B is open book examination & is to be submitted after 10 days PART A.
1.

Time: 60minutes
How the power transmission takes place in a Bullock cart. Sketch the arrangement. Discuss the toppled horse cart shown in picture.

2. a) Why a gradual engagement clutch is used in an automobile? b) What are the utilities of cushion springs and torsion springs on a mechanical clutch plate? c) What is an Electro magnetic clutch? Where does its area of application lies? 3. Discuss the advantage of Rear Wheel drive vehicles as compared to front wheel drives. Why front wheel drive vehicles are more accident prone as compared to rear wheel drive vehicles comment? 4. Comment on the special features of the vehicle shown in figure and brain storm major challenges that needs to be tackled by technologists. Eliica (The Electric Lithium- Ion Car)

The Eliica (or the Electric Lithium-Ion Car) is a battery electric vehicle prototype, or concept car designed by a team at Keio University in Tokyo, led by Professor Hiroshi Shimizu. The 17 ft car runs on a lithium-ion battery and can accelerate from 0100 km/h (62 mph) in four seconds. The car has eight wheels enabling it to be closer to the ground for better traction. Each of the wheels has a 80 hp electric motor, giving a 640 hp eight wheel drive which can tackle all kinds of road surfaces. The four front wheels steer. The electric motors mean that the Eliica can deliver a smooth acceleration free from gear shifts of about 0.8 g. Each wheel contains a disc brake and employs a regenerative brake system to recover energy. The car's platform contains 4 tracks of 80 batteries, which make up one third of the vehicle's cost. They currently require about 10 hours of recharging from empty to full charge, and can be easily charged off a residential power grid.

PTO Part B: 1. Find out the fuel consumption in transport sector in your state on yearly basis using datas provided by oil marketing companies- planning commission ( approximate figure) Considering the enclosed hypothesis- Tire Inflation

to Beat Gas Crunch- gets inplemented some how in your state and if that saving can be provided for employment generation work on the amount of money that can be added to the states revenue. Obama's Call for Tire Inflation to Beat Gas Crunch: Reality Check
Americans burned 142 billion gal. of gas last year. Sen. Barack Obama( President Elect US) now suggests that we can trim that thirst by making sure we keep our tires properly inflated. Is he right? Let's do the math: A single tire that's underinflated by 10 psi costs about 3.3 percent of your fuel economy. So to keep the numbers round for the sake of our discussion, let's say four tires underinflated by that same amount would increase our fuel consumption by around 10 percent. How many cars have underinflated tires? A Department of Transportation study dating back to 2001 says that 60 to 80 percent of cars on the road are running tires underinflated by as much as 10 percent. Worse yet, they say that 20 to 50 percent of them are driving with tires down in pressure by as much as 20 percent. Want more? Well, 10 to 30 percent of these cars have tires with pressure as low as 30 percent of the recommended pressure. That's bad, folks. And it means we're costing ourselves much more than a few miles per gallon. It means we're wearing out a lot of tires prematurely. And more important, it means there are quite a few cars on the road that have less-than-optimal control on wet pavement, under heavy braking or during evasive maneuvers. So underinflated tires may be causing untold accidents. So, you say, that study is eight years old! Any tire that's low is smaller in diameter (at least on the bottom) than the others, and rotates more rapidly than its partners Here's the scenario: You stop to gas up and fill the tires on the way home from work one afternoon. Peachy. All four tires are inflated to the pressures listed on the placard pasted to the driver's door frame. Four months later, you load up the car for a holiday trip. That last time you filled up the tires after work, they were warm, assuming a 20-minute drive from your office to the service station. When they cooled off, the pressure dropped several psi thanks to nothing more than escaping heat. So let's say the outside air temperature has dropped 40 F in the intervening months. That would lower the pressure by another 5 psi. Even the best tubeless tires lose 2 to 5 percent of their air pressure per month from air migrating through the rubber. Your tires are now somewhere between 15 to 30 percent too low, costing you gas and endangering your family. The average consumer could improve gas mileage by 3.3 percent by simply keeping his tires inflated to the proper pressure. For the average driver in the U.S. and his 15-gal. fuel tank, that's a savings of about $2.00 on every fill-up. Figure in the increased tire life from those correct pressures, and this is beginning to add up to a handy sum.
Reference: Popular Mechanics- Published on: August 7, 2008

2. Find out the number of two wheelers sold by HERO HONDA in the month of Deepawali in India.. Work out the approximate cost of those vehicles and the profit as part of technology transfer to the technology providers HONDA through the sale amount. Name the country/ countries where sale of Two wheelers/ automobiles gets restricted through government controls and discuss the possible reasons behind. Think on the following possibility- the new version of two wheelers introduced by a new BRAND CHEENU costs one fourth less in price as compared to the most popular brand in India and gives 25 percent more mileage and the demand for the new product is so huge that a waiting time of Six months is being implemented in most of the showrooms of state of Bihar and UP. Feel yourself in the dream team of BRAND CHEENU designers and discuss the possible improvements/ changes in the systems / subsystems of a two wheeler to help achieve the dream target.
HSG18-02-2011

Address and interaction with the Engineers and Staff of Tata Motors, Pune
Automobile vision 2020: Internationally competitive Indian automobile system
There are many Everests in the life of man.It is not the mountain we conquer, but ourselves. Dear Friends, When I am with the TATA institution, I realize that you are born out of a vision. A great vision by a great soul in the early 20th century. Jamsetji Nusserwanji Tata laid the foundation for three important areas. The first was the sowing of seeds for TATA Iron and Steel Plant, second to create hydro-electric power station, third was establishment of an educational and research institute popularly known as TATA institute now Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore. Jamsetji Nusserwanji Tata, envisioned all these institutions in early 20th century (May 1904); the IISc-Bangalore opened its doors in 1911; The first ingot of steel rolled out from Tata Iron and Steel Plant in 1912; The hydro-electric power was switched on in Mumbai in 1915. Today, we see all these three institutions flourishing and what a contribution they have made to the national scene IISc has become a world class branded institution. Tata Steel has crossed the nine million tons per year steel output. The Tata Hydro Electric Station has given birth to many power plants in the country. Tatas vision has brought a revolution in steel industry, power generation and education. I admire this great visionary, a visionary revolutionist who evolved a new method of working towards Indias freedom through development of industry, power and scientific research. The light he lit in our country has lit many lamps and is still lighting. Let me congratulate everyone in the Tata institutions. During my visit to Europe and US cities, while traveling in their high ways, with cars of multiple nations whizzing past at 100-110 kms, dear friends, a dream always comes to me. I want to see the Indian designed car, Indian manufactured car running in multiple numbers in multiple nations. When will it happen? How to make it possible? Certainly, Tata has a great opportunity because of your visionary approach, core competence and innovative spirit. When I am with you all, I would like to discuss the dynamics of automobile enterprises and particularly Automobile vision 2020: internationally competitive Indian automobile system

TATAs contribution to Automobile sector

Tata Motors has made history in the past many times. Well known commercial truck making company has shown the world that it can make customer friendly passenger cars . In recent years, the indigenously designed Tata Indica has brought a brand image to India in the Automobile sector. Launch of Indica in 1998and launch of ACE in 2005 have been important milestones in the countrys prowess in automobile sector. Launch of innovative Nano in 2008 is an another important milestone in the world of Indian automotive industry. I would like to greet the TATA team for this singular contribution. Integrated Capacities My view is: the growth of automotive industry is powered by competitiveness. Competitiveness is powered by intensive knowledge in multiple fields. Intensive knowledge is powered by technology and innovation. I would like to suggest the TATA Team, to launch a world- wide marketing campaign for NANO and also plan to start multiple manufacturing centers in India and abroad, so that TATA can graduate from the present production of 2,18,000 (all types of passenger vehicles) to 1 Million NANO cars alone in a suitable product mix by the year 2015. In a globally competitive environment, you have to continuously trigger innovations which will capture the global market. You have to meet the multiple users needs in different countries with widely varying climatic conditions, achieving high gradient climbing capability, passenger comfort, safety needs, ease of maintenance and affordability. I would suggest TATA Motors to use their system design capacity, system integration capacity, system management capacity, manufacturing capacity and above all innovative marketing methodology in an integrated manner to produce a globally competitive passenger vehicle system. You need to evolve this combination in an integrated way, so that million car production can be made possible. For that, what you need to do, is, thinking differently and acting differently with innovative leadership.

Suitable infrastructure for future automobiles

Whenever I meet young people they ask me thought provoking questions, that is: with Nano car coming on the road and becoming affordable for large number of people,. in that situation what will happen to the road traffic congestion? What will be the pollution level increase? What will be its effect on parking problem? When I hear these types of questions, I thought of sharing with you one experience: When I visited Dubai UAE in 2003, I met the Ruler of Dubai with his ministers. He said that Dubai is planning to increase the tourist arrival by five times. Once this decision was taken, I found, that the aviation minister was planning for a new airport and also addition of new types of aircraft needed for attracting the tourists. The surface transport minister was planning a number of additional road lanes required in the highways. The works ministry was planning for increase in the hotel accommodation for accommodating the tourists without disappointment. The health ministry had a road map for waste management and a plan for providing the additional clean water needed. This was the type of integrated response that I found in the whole government - a plan of action to fulfill the national objective from the vision of the Chief of the nation. We have to take the message coming out of this experience and plan for the multiple requirements simultaneously for promoting uninterrupted large volume car production and deployment. Your interdiciplinary team may have to study comprehensively various aspects like the loading on the already crowded high ways and city roads, parking facilities, complimentarity with public

transport system and financing in affordable way and give valuable inputs to various specialist agencies.

Recyclable automobile systems

Dear friends, I would like to share with you a new development in the automotive industry reported in the book titled Pulse by Robert Frenay, published in 2006. Carmakers have a history of reclamation and reuse, which theyre now expanding. A new sports car from BMW features a recyclable thermoplastic body that can be disconnected from its frame in twenty minutes. Audi has joined with Volkswagen and Preussag, the steel company, to set up a chain of auto-disassembly plants. With funding primarily from Ford, as well as from Xerox and GE Plastics, Carnegie Mellon University has developed ReStar a software that analyzes disassembly tasks, McDonough and Braungart are working with Ford on another development, which has a goal to design a production model in which every material can eventually be reused. This technique apart from reducing the embodied energy as in the case of construction industry will reduce the cost of the vehicle substantially and simultaneously reduce the pollution created by raw material manufacturing industry. I am sure this development will be of considerable interest to automotive researchers, designers and industry leaders.

Indian Automotive Industry

During the last two decades, Indian Automobile Industry has taken long strides. After 1983, the standard of automotive technology has got redefined and Indian consumers are able to get what their western counterparts are getting. I am also happy to note that many of Indian auto companies have started exporting their components to their original equipment manufacturers in the developed world. In this respect, globalization has done a lot of good in the Indian automobile industry. With the competitiveness arising out of globalization, our thinking has been refined resulting in enhancing our ability to face global competition through our core strength. In India the vehicle production is increasing at about 17%. While this is a welcome situation from the point of view of personnel and goods mobility, it has two major issues which have to be addressed: environmental pollution and safety. This has to be done innovatively while designing all our future cars.

Innovation is the capital

I was studying the Global Competitiveness Report for the year 2007-08. There I find in terms of Growth Competitive Index ranking US is ranked 1, Switzerland is ranked 2, Finland is ranked 6, Singapore is ranked 7, China 34 and UAE 37 and India is 48. Growth competitiveness is determined by the innovative ability of an organization. This innovation arises from institutional initiative and the R & D productivity of the firm, shaped by policies and nature of local institutions. National innovative capacity has to be the countrys important potential for producing competitive products. I would like to suggest to the TATA team assembled here, to concentrate on the following design criteria for competing in the national and international market: 1. Work towards highest fuel efficiency for a given class of engine and car sizing. 2. Work towards fossil fuel free automobile of the future: (a) solar power + fuel cell (b) electric (c) ethanol or bio-diesel (d) hydrogen 3. Continuously aim to decrease the overall weight of the automobile systems enabling higher payload capability through state of the art structural design. 4. Designing the power plant to accept 100% bio-fuel, ethanol and emulsified fuel. 5. Design to cost and quality 6. Design of safety systems for providing high-level passenger Safety. 7. Constantly increasing the electronics, communication and control in the automobile systems for realizing high reliability, self-healing and fail-safe system. 8. Robotic Car I realize that all the eight criteria are interconnected. Here I would like to emphasize that winner in the automobile industry will be the one who puts the automobile to run with 100% bio-fuel first in the market. It can be seen in Brazil the gas stations have provisions for various mixes of biofuel and ethanol including 100% biofuels. Automobile plying in Brazil roads have to get the design certification for using maximum biofuel and bio-diesel. Without that, they will not be permitted in run on Brazil roads. We should take note of the successful implementation of such programme in different parts of the world. Fully operated bio-fuel car is going to come to india. Which industry is going to be the pioneer, will you? If so then you will be the winner?

Automobile Research areas

Now, let me discuss some of the research areas where automobile scientists and engineers have to concentrate. a. Improvement in Combustion Efficiency: For getting better control and precision over combustion and emission, we have to work on direct injection of gasoline for better exhaust characteristics. Gasoline direct injection permits combustion of ultra-clean fuel air mixtures under diverse operating conditions and hence can deliver higher performance with lower fuel consumption and lower emission. b. Improvement in Diesel Engines: One of the important aspect of diesel engines is, the NOx (Nitrogen oxide) and particulate matter in the emission which has to be overcome by use of advanced combustion technologies which will reduce both. Indian Automotive Engineers have to work on this area and to offer the system for use in all types of diesel vehicles. c. Alternate Fuels: While it is important, to continuously improve the efficiency of internal combustion engines, scientists have to concentrate on development of alternate fuels and renewable energy sources. The future generation cars and trucks have to use bio-diesel, ethanol and hydrogen. Bio-fuels are renewable and can be produced in short notice as against fossil fuels which have been produced over millions of years. d. Emulsified Fuels: Emulsified fuels are found to give much better emission reduction towards reduced particulate and Oxides of Nitrogen emission reduction along with fuel saving that it is now implemented in most of the developed countries. In India, we are now successfully burning in a boiler in an industry emulsified diesel fuel with 25% water straight away saving 25% of the diesel fuel. The emulsified fuel costs 20% cheaper than the diesel fuel. If one such small boiler using emulsified fuel can save 40 litres of diesel in a day and equivalent amount of cash spent on the fuel, please think about the huge fuel savings and the cost benefits for over thousands of boilers and several external fired equipments running with oil in India. The savings for the country in oil import bill will be over 20% the present level. While combusting emulsified fuels for industrial firing needs no modifications it needs encouragement and educating the users. For automobile applications, TATA Need to work with Hydro drive emulsification technology and IIT Madras to experiment and introduce the emulsified fuels in the Diesel cars and diesel vehicles. Emulsified fuels will cut emissions and will bring down the operating costs including captive power generation costs. This singular research area alone has the potential to make TATA Motors to produce and market the most competitive commercial and passenger vehicle within the next two years. e. Hydrogen powered fuel cells: Hydrogen powered vehicles are almost zero emission vehicles. We have to progressively move into fuel cell vehicles within a few decades. f. Alternative Power Plants: Substantial research is required in battery technology to provide a reliable, low-weight, high density and cost effective battery to the large Indian rural population. Simultaneously, there is a need to work on hybrid electric vehicle for containing the growing environmental emission in big cities. Challenge for researchers will be in the development of drives, control electronics, transmission and low weight high capacity batteries. g. CNT Based Solar PV Cells: Our scientists have to take up this challenge and come up with the development of a CNT based PV cell with an efficiency of at least 50% within the next three years so that it can go into the commercial production within five years. In addition, they can also take up the development of organic solar cells, dye-sensitized solar cells and third generation solar cells. The automobile specialists should work with these energy experts to get the solar cells with 50% efficiency which can be effectively used in solar power driven vehicles.

Conclusion
Dear friends, I have seen three dreams which have taken shape as vision, mission and realization. Space programme of ISRO (Indian Space Research Organization), AGNI programme of DRDO (Defence Research and Development Organization) and PURA (Providing Urban Amenities in Rural Areas) becoming the National Mission. Of course, these three programmes succeeded in the midst of many challenges and problems. I have worked in all these three areas. I want to convey to you what I have learnt on leadership from these three programmes. 1. Leader must have a vision. 2. Leader must have a passion to transform the vision into action. 3. Leader must be able to travel into an unexplored path. 4. Leader must know how to manage a success and failure. 5. Leader must have courage to take decisions. 6. Leader should have Nobility in management. 7. Every action of the leader should be transparent. 8. Leader must work with integrity and succeed with integrity.

In order to achieve what I have discussed so far and to realize the goals in a specified time frame and to build TATA Motors brand, what we need is creative leadership. Creative leadership means exercising the vision to change the traditional role from the commander to the coach, manager to mentor, from director to delegator and from one who demands respect to one who facilitates self-respect. For a nonlinear growth in the Automobile Sector and transforming India into a world leader in the production and marketing of energy efficient, highly mobile, pollution free, safe and cost effective automotive system before the year 2020, the industry needs large number of creative leaders. I am sure, TATA Motors has such leaders who will transform TATA Motors into a one million passenger car per annum producer with 50% going to export market. For that leaders of this organisation should have courage. Courage "Courage to think different, Courage to invent, Courage to travel into an unexplored path, Courage to discover the impossible, Courage to combat the problems and succeed, Are the unique qualities of the youth. As a youth of my nation, I will work and work with courage to achieve success in all the missions". May God bless you. Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam, 29.07.2008

Automobile Engineering, B. Tech. 6th Semester Additional Tutorial Sheet 1

Q 1. Figure 1.10 shows a representative engine power requirement curve for constant speed, level road operation of a 400-lb automobile. Figure 1.11 shows a wide-open-throttle horse power curve of its 350in3. V-8 engine. Figure 1.12 gives specific fuel consumption curves for the engine for the vehicle shown in figure 1.13. The extreme right-hand point of each curve represents wide-open-throttle operation. The rolling radius of the wheels varies a little with speed, but can be taken as 13 in. The transmission provides direct drive in gear. i) What axle ratio would result in the highest top speed, and what is that speed? ii) Estimate the gasoline mileage at a constant 55mph, using this axle ratio. iii) Describe briefly the nature of a theoretically ideal automatic transmission. How would it change the 55-mph fuel consumption and the vehicle performance (i.e., acceleration and hill climbing ability)? Q2. A truck weighs 3300 lb. What is the magnitude of the net force (lb) required to accelerate it at a constant rate of 5ft/s2? The acceleration of gravity is g = 32.2 ft/s2. (Fig 2.1) Q3. The input shaft to a gearbox rotates at 2000 rpm and transmits a power of 40 kW. The output shaft power is 36 kW at a rotation al speed of 1000 rpm. All operating data are constant with time. Determine (a) the electric power required by the motor and the power development by the output shaft, each in kilowatts; (b) the net power input to the motor, in kilowatts; (c) the amount of energy transferred to the motor by electrical work and the amount of energy transferred out of the motor by the shaft in kW . h and Btu, during 2 h of operation. Q5. Search online at http://www.pddnet.com and http://www.powertransmission.com , and copy speed torque curves and give typical applications for various types of fractional and subfractional motors (e.g., split phase, capacitor-start, induction, shaded pole, synchronous, universal, shunt, split-series field, compound, etc.). Q6. How great a reduction on the figure 1.10 road load horsepower requirement would be necessary to enable a car with an ideal transmission to get 30 miles per gallon (mpg) at 70 mph? (Assume that the engine would have minimum brake-specific fuel consumption of 0.45 lb/hp . h, as shown in the figure 1.12.) Q7. How steep a grade can be climbed by the automobile in Tutorial Problem 1(with a 2.64 axle ratio) while maintaining a constant 55 mph: (Refer Fig. 7.1) i. With transmission in direct drive? ii. With a transmission reduction ratio of 1.6? Q8. The 3000-lb (loaded weight) car shown in Figure 2.1 is going 60 mph and at this speed the aerodynamic drag is 16 hp. The center of gravity (CG) and the ground reaction forces on the front and rear wheels. (Refer Fig 8). Q9. The car in Figure 8, travelling 60 mph, is suddenly given full throttle. A curve similar to Figure 1.11 shows the corresponding engine power to be 96 hp. Estimate the ground reaction forces on the front and rear wheels, and the acceleration of the vehicle. (Refer Fig 9). Q10. Figure 10 shows an exploded drawing of the engine, transmission, and propeller shaft of the car in Figure 8 and Figure 9. The engine delivers torque T to the transmission, and the transmission speed ratio (win/wout) is R. Determine the loads, exclusive of gravity, acting on these three members. Q11. The drawing (Figure 11) represents a bicycle with an 800-N rider applying full weight to one pedal. Treat this as two dimensional problem, with all components in the plane of the paper. Draw as free bodies in equilibrium i. The pedal, crank, and pedal sprocket assembly. ii. The rear wheel and sprocket assembly. iii. The front wheel. iv. The entire bicycle and rider assembly. Q12. The wheels of a standard adult bicycle have a rolling radius of approximately 13.5 in. and a radius to the center of the caliper disk brake pads of 12.5 in. The combined weight of bike plus rider is 225 lb, equally distributed between the two wheels. If the coefficient of the friction between the tires and road surface is twice that between the brake pads and the metal wheel rim, what clamping force must be exerted at the caliper in order to slide the wheels? [Ans.: 121.5 lb] Q13. The automobile in Problem 9 accelerates to 80 mph and then makes a panic stop. If the brakes are applied to take full advantage of a friction coefficient of 0.8 between tires and pavement, what is the average horsepower absorbed by the brakes during deceleration from 80 to 70 mph? [Ans.: 515 hp] Q14. Determine the forces acting on the elements of the bicycle brake lever assembly shown in Figure 14 during braking. Given: The geometry of each element is known. The average humans hand can develop a grip force of about 267 N (60 lb) in the lever position shown. Assumptions: The accelerations are negligible. All forces are coplanar and two dimensional. A Class 1 load model is appropriate and a static analysis is acceptable.

Resume: On March 2nd 2010, The United Nations General Assembly proclaimed the period from 2011 to 2020 as the Decade of Action for Road Safety to spur national and global efforts to halt or reverse the increasing trend in road traffic deaths and injuries around the world.

Improving road safety throughout the world is possible

In general, even though today's roads still claim far too many victims (1.3 million killed and 50 million injured every year), there remains reason for hope. Road safety has in fact come a long way in the past few decades in Western Europe and Japan, well before the generalization of high-tech progress (Intelligent Transport System -ITS, intelligent vehicles). In spite of increased traffic, the number of victims has been cut in half. Improving road safety is entirely possible, even if it requires

sustained investment by all players, including and perhaps most importantly road users themselves.

The Moscow conference: an historical agreement

On November 19 and 20, 2009 all stakeholders ministries, specialized agencies, international bodies, associations and others met in Moscow for the first Global Ministerial Conference on Road Safety, organized by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Russian Ministry of Transports. They drafted a common declaration asking the United Nations General Assembly of March 2010 to declare a decade of action (20112020) for road safety and made commitments to simple and proven solutions. Millions of lives could be saved. On March 2, 2010, The UN General Assembly effectively proclaimed 20112020 the "decade of action for road safety", endorsing the conclusions of the Moscow conference and reminding us of the necessity of responding to the needs of all road users. The goal is clear: stabilize and then reduce the forecast number of deaths from road accidents.

Commitments for the next ten years

The framework for road safety action was set down at the Moscow conference on road safety. It is based on the experience acquired by several years of pilot programs and must be a reference for all countries. It involves the following commitments: - Create or reinforce national or regional public bodies in charge of road safety, similar to what was done in the 1960s in most industrialized countries: the Interministerial Road Safety Commission in France (public equivalent of the "Prvention Routire" association), the SNRA (Swedish National Road Administration), the NHTSA (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration) in the United States or the JARI (Japan Automobile Research Institute). Automobile clubs and federations also have a role to play. The experience of these countries has shown that health and education authorities in particular must be participants: road safety is not in the domain restricted to transportation authorities and the police - Launch national programs with far-reaching and fixed objectives defining the roles and responsibilities of all players: agencies and government but also industry, NGOs, insurance companies, etc. - Devote extra efforts to the protection of vulnerable users: pedestrians, cyclists whether or not motorized, mass transit users, as well as children, the elderly or the handicapped - Organize data collection in countries where it doesn't yet exist in order to assess the problem, its causes, actions of institutions and organizations and the results of various actions. These data must be able to be compared between countries, presupposing among other things, the establishment of common definitions - Harmonize traffic regulations and safety standards of vehicles and infrastructures (in particular road signs). Update road legislation and ensure their application in developing nations. This will require huge investments, sometimes radical changes in the "culture" of police forces or the justice system, and undoubtedly international aid

- Encourage organizations, companies and institutions to adopt better management and utilization practices of professional vehicles and ensure adequate driver training - Reinforce the efficiency of emergency rescue services, train physicians to handle traffic accident trauma victims and equip hospitals as necessary. In this respect, the creation of a single emergency number throughout the world, as eCall is being set up in the European Union, will augment the rapidity of response after an accident for a reasonable investment. - Implement international cooperation at all scales and all levels to favor technology transfers, and exchanges of data and know-how. Downloads documents

Moscow Declaration (271.70 kB) UN Resolution for A Decade of Action (March 2010) (127.37 kB)

Designing to improve mobility

The Design contest has been an integral part of Challenge Bibendum over the past decade. It celebrates the critical importance of both vehicle designers and engineers to the integration of technological innovations. With efficiency high on the agenda the time has come to design for a specific use: urban runabouts, neighbourhood delivery vehicles, open road cars New powertrains, new energies and lightweight composite materials are opening up opportunities for designers to achieve sustainable advantages and improve mobility through design.

The evaluation criteria

A jury of international automobile experts from journalists, and engineers to designers will have the task of judging the vehicles. The vehicles will be evaluated for the following criteria:

The pertinence of the new technologies. The way they are integrated in the vehicle. The emotional appeal, exterior and interior design. The perception of friendliness of the whole concept from a social responsibility point of view.

Lithium market could bloom as tide goes out on oil Resume: Lithium is not much to look at. It's a soft and light, silver-white metal known for its use in mood stabilising drugs. But the 25th most abundant element on earth could, one day, help cure the world of its addiction to oil - as a key ingredient in batteries. HONG KONG, June 23, 2010 (AFP) - Lithium is not much to look at. It's a soft and light, silver-white metal known for its use in mood stabilising drugs. But the 25th most abundant element on earth could, one day, help cure the world of its addiction to oil -as a key ingredient in batteries. US geologists last week released the results of a survey showing around a trillion dollars worth of minerals in Afghanistan, which could make the war-ravaged state "the Saudi Arabia of lithium", according to a Pentagon memo. But mining and technology firms have long been looking at lithium through eyes lit with dollar signs. Lithium-based batteries are used in everything from mobile phones and laptops, to iPods and iPads, as well as military and medical hardware. They have even made their way into the human body, powering pacemakers. But the main reason companies are betting on lithium is the projected explosion in the number of electric and hybrid electric vehicles. Nissan, Honda and Toyota are among car-makers now gambling that electric vehicles, with their zero tailpipe emissions, will catch on and start to drive traditional gasguzzlers off the road. All will need batteries. Lots of batteries. Lithium-ion rechargeable batteries, and potentially new batteries such as lithium-air, are seen as the best option by many manufacturers over other battery types as they are lightweight and efficient, and can hold more power. Subbu Bettadapura, Malaysia-based associate director of energy research company Frost and Sullivan, says the battery market is set to grow massively. The lithium-ion battery market for electric and hybrid vehicles is, he says, conservatively-estimated to be set to grow from 2,400 units in 2008 to 1.53 million units by 2015. "The tide is definitely going out on oil, in the long run," he told AFP. "The world's dependence on oil will decline and will be replaced by other fuels, such as lithium-ion batteries." The US, the world's second biggest polluter after China, clearly agrees. President Barack Obama has said he wants a million hybrid electric cars on America's roads by 2015. And, at a groundbreaking ceremony for a new lithium-ion battery plant on Monday, Vice President Joe Biden said such factories could reduce US dependence on foreign oil and prevent disasters like the Deepwater Horizon oil leak in the Gulf of Mexico. "This is the beginning of a revolution in the production of energy in the country," said Biden at the ceremony for Dow Kokam's plant in Midland, Michigan, which will make

batteries for 60,000 electric vehicles a year. Japanese, Chinese and South Korean manufacturers dominate the lithium-ion battery market, and Asia-Pacific lithium mining projects are coming thick and fast. Australian mining firm Orocobre signed a deal in January with the raw materials arm of motor giant Toyota for a lithium project in Argentina. This month, a South Korean consortium launched a lithium exploration joint-project with a Canadian mining firm, also in Argentina. There are several other deals either signed or in the pipeline. Galaxy Resources, an Australian mining and chemicals company, will soon commission the world's second largest spodumene - a source of raw lithium - mine in Western Australia, to be processed at its plant in China. Oil may have had its day, says Anand Seth, Galaxy's marketing chief, but it will be around for a long time yet. "Is it the end of oil? I wish!," he told AFP. "But it is not so simple and probably not in our lifetime. "The lithium batteries for electric vehicles are very much in the nascent stage and the infrastructure to charge these batteries needs to be developed and installed. "The next five years will be critical in establishing such infrastructure for recharging the batteries and the technology and standardisation of batteries is also very important."

The electric car becomes a reality Resume: Lithium and lithium-ion batteries are ideal power sources for vehicle applications due to their unique features in terms of energy density. The concern on global warming, the continuous increase of the oil cost, the need for efficient, sustainable transport, the call for the introduction in the road of a large fleet of zero emission or of controlled-emission vehicles. The full electric car (EV) operates with an electric engine, while the hybrid car (HEV) and the plug-in hybrid car (PHEV) share electric and combustion engines. All these vehicles require a battery for powering the electric engine. Lithium and lithium-ion batteries are ideal power sources for vehicle applications due to their unique features in terms of energy density. What is a lithium-ion battery ?

In its most common configuration a lithium-ion battery is formed by a graphite anode and a transition metal lithium oxide LiMO, e.g. lithium cobalt oxide, cathode separated by an electrolyte consisting of a solution of a lithium salt in a liquid mixture of organic carbonates. Lithium ions shuttle from the cathode to the anode across the electrolyte solution with a simultaneous release and acceptance of electrons that power the external load. Lithiumion batteries are the power sources of choice for popular portable electronics, such as mobile phones, note books, Mp3 and are currently produced at a rate of several billion units per year.

Can the present lithium-ion battery technology be extended to EV and HEV markets? Although established commercial products, lithium-ion batteries still need further improvements to meet the requirements of emerging markets, such as those directed to the progress of sustainable road transport. The present lithium-ion battery technology does not yet allow their penetration on those markets. Enhancement in energy density and, especially, in safety level, as well as decrease in cost, are needed. These are not easy tasks and large investments are worldwide devoted to make them real. Reasons for improving energy density The energy density is the amount of watt-hour that the battery may produce by unit weight or unit volume. Obviously, for the use in a passenger car, the battery should be as light and as small as possible. Presently, lithium-ion batteries can offer values of about 150 Wh/kg and 300 Wh/liter, that are still not adequate for assuring long driving range with a single charge. Therefore, success in the EVs and HEVs markets requires new types of batteries with energy density levels four or five times higher than the present ones. Why lithium/sulphur? Large improvements in energy density may be only obtained by the development of new lithium battery technologies. Among these, the lithium/sulphur battery has a key role. This battery, in fact, provides in theory a significantly higher theoretical energy density than that offered by common lithium-ion batteries, namely 2,500 Wh/kg versus 500 Wh/kg. This implies that with the same weight, the lithium/sulphur battery can assure a driving range three times longer that that provided by the common lithium battery systems Major players are positioning themselves for the development of the lithium/sulphur battery A number of academic and industrial laboratories have research activities on the lithium/sulphur battery. However the practical development of this battery has so far been prevented by a series of issues involving, among others:

sulfide dissolution at the cathode, that limits the cycle life; reactivity of the lithium metal anode, that induces safety hazards and poor electronic conductivity of the active cathode material, that reduces the low rate capability.

Recent success opens the route for the practical exploitation of the Li/S battery Recently a new type of lithium sulfur battery has ben reported by an Italian research team at the University of Rome Sapienza. The battery exploits a totally new chemistry involving a safe tin-carbon nanocomposite (to replace the reactive and unrealable common lithium metal anode), a plastic-like gel-polymer membrane (to replace the unstable and flammable common organic electrolyte solution) and a carbon/lithium sulfide composite (to replace common sulfur cathode). This battery is intrinsically safe, offers long cycle life and provides values of energy density three to four times higher than that offered by common lithium-ion batteries. It is expected that this new, high-energy battery may soon finds its way to large-scale, industrial production. For further information on the lithium/sulphur battery : Ahn, H-J , Kim, K-W and Ahn, J-H, Lithium Sulfur Cells, Encyclopedia of Power Sources, Elsevier, 2009, 155-161 J. Hassoun & B.Scrosati, Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. (2010) 49, 2371 http://www.wiley-vch.de/vch/journals/2002/press/201010press.html

Training engineers in preparation for future electric vehicles 06-14-2010 by EDF Resume: The development of the technologies involved in the automobiles of tomorrow, and the strong growth expected in the short term of the electric and rechargeable hybrid vehicle market mean training today to ensure a corps of qualified professionals and specialists. Public authorities in France are expecting to have 2 million electric and rechargeable hybrid vehicles on roads by 2020. To achieve this ambitious objective, and face up to the specific challenges related to electric vehicles (fine-tuning of onboard energy and vehicle design ; management of energy demand on the grid ; developing Lithium-ion batteries ; recharging infrastructure issues), qualified engineers and technicians must be at the ready. In France, two Masters programs will open their doors to graduates of engineering schools in the fall of 2010. The objective ? To promote and attract young graduates to vocations specifically associated with electric vehicles. The first is the Master of Electric Vehicle Engineering. It is accredited by four schools of engineering of the PariTech campus : Arts et Mtiers (ENSAM), the cole Suprieure de Techniques Avances (ENSTA), and the cole des Mines and the cole

des Ponts who have already been furnishing young graduates to the automobile industry for some time. Students will chose from two options : a Masters in energy management of electric vehicles, or a Masters in design and conception of new vehicles. Major car manufacturers and energy companies, such as Renault, and EDF, are involved in these study programs, both recognized by the French Commission de la Confrence des Grandes Ecoles. The areas of study are also receiving support from various professional automobile associations (the Socit des Ingnieurs de lAutomobile, the Association Rgionale de lIndustrie Automobile). As to the second, the Master of Sustainable Transport and Vehicles was created by the ENS Cachan, Centrale Paris, the SUPELEC and the IFP School. It is accredited by the French Ministry of Research and Higher Education. Students will receive specialized instruction in the area of automotive electrification and propulsion. In Germany on May 3rd, Angela Merkel launched the National Platform for Electricmobility. The government estimates that 25,000 engineers will be needed to appropriately manage the shift toward electric vehicles. To remedy the situation, one of the seven platform work groups is dedicated to addressing the training needs of budding engineers. And finally, in August of 2009, Barack Obama enacted the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, a package of measures totaling nearly 40 million dollars for the development of training and awareness programs pertaining to electric vehicles in high schools, colleges, and universities throughout America

The numbers dont tell the full story 20-year-old Nor Salina Adb Wahad had just gotten a new job in Kuala Lumpur and was planning to take her family to dinner with her first pay check. The celebrations were cut short on New Years day when the car driven by her 23-year-old friend, Nur Aina Rashid, crashed into an electrical pole. Both these young Malaysian women, full of hope and professional potential, died on the spot. This is just one of the names that make up the everyday man-made humanitarian disaster known as the global road safety crisis. Multiply this human tragedy by 1.3 million and you get the number of people killed one the roads every year 3000 every single day. Almost 50 times that many are injured. These numbers dont tell the full story. They are too abstract to fully grasp, and so we try to make sense of the scale with comparisons. As Russian president Dmitry Medvedev told government ministers assembled for the First Ministerial Conference on Road Safety in Moscow, Nov. 2009, its as if each year the equivalent of a midsized city quietly drops off the planet. Nine out of ten of road crash deaths occur in low- and middle-income countries Most of the damage is done in countries and communities that can least afford the costs and losses. Nine out of ten of road crash deaths occur in low- and middle-income countries and half of these victims are vulnerable road users such as pedestrians, children or young adults.

These tragedies play a major role in continuing poverty. In many cases, deaths occur in communities already struggling for basic survival. Road crashes rob communities of human potential and breadwinners, deprive business of skilled labour, cast families into health-related debt, consume hospital resources and hinder local economies. Without concerted effort, the crisis will only get worse. Around the world, people in low- and middle-income countries are increasingly buying motorized vehicles to get themselves or their products from place to place. But we as individuals can make a difference. Around the world, multi-sector partnerships, projects and programmes have proven that concerted, cooperative efforts that target key risk factors can reduce unnecessary death and injury. Together, we can work to prevent the tragic stories that dominate the headlines and rob us of our loved ones, our colleagues and our true potential. The role of kinetic energy The fundamental hazard to be managed in road safety is the kinetic energy of movement. Every moving object gains energy related to its mass and its velocity. An ordinary car travelling at 50 kph has more than 20 times the kinetic energy of a fired bullet, and a passenger in the car has about twice the energy of a bullet. The problem is, people may not be aware of the power of that kinetic energy and, often, the defenses protecting people from that energy break down. Vehicles or roads might be faulty, or drivers may decide not to wear a helmet or seatbelt. Though there is no silver bullet, silver coated bullets are available by using well known global good practice road safety interventions on the basic risks to stop people: from coming into contact with the kinetic energy of a moving vehicle. Wear a helmet. Use a seat-belt. Never drink and drive. Dont speed. Make sure every child gets to and from school safely. The Power of Partnership The way to manage these key risks is through partnership - using the synergy created when people of many fields and backgrounds work together on complex problems. Together, we make a very strong force, says Mr. Ngyun Trong Thai, the Deputy Chief of Secretariat of Vietnams National Transport Safety Committee. No one can do it alone. Mr. Thai speaks from experience. His country has seen significant reductions in roadcrash death and injury due to long-term government, business and civil society partnership efforts to increase helmet use among the countrys motorcycle riders. In Brazil, meanwhile, an innovative system has shown that close cooperation between health, transport and education ministries and many city partners can reduce death and injury on a sustained basis. "Before we joined with GRSP in 2006, we had no road safety data systemization, no serious crash injury data from hospitals and no systems aimed at an advanced road safety culture," said Eduardo Cury, the mayor of So Jos dos Campos, a city of 600,000 south of Rio de Janeiro. By working with GRSPs Proactive Partnership Strategy, city began working closely together to collect reliable data, better understand the problem, design targeted solutions and measure the results. Three years after joining with GRSP, in 2009, the city won the prestigious Prince Michael of Kent International Road Safety Award in honor of its holistic and

comprehensive approach that has reduced the number of people killed and seriously injured in road crashes by 62 percent during the last 3 years. What are the key risk factors? There are many causes of road crashes and many means of prevention. But evidence gathered over several decades of research shows that a significant number of lives can be saved relatively quickly with little extra cost by managing a few human behaviors: 1. Using a seat-belt 2. Wearing a helmet 3. Managing speed 4. Preventing drink and drive While some transportation fixes take millions of dollars and many years to correct, these main risk factors can be addressed with tools and techniques already available. Based on best-available evidence on good road safety practices, a series of road safety good practice manuals on each of the main risk factors above have been developed. GRSP has contributed to the development of these manuals and now GRSP and its partners around the world use them as a key tool for forming multi-sector partnership efforts aimed at reducing road crashes and injury related to the main risk factors. While every road safety partnership or project is different, the manuals offer a practical, step-by-step guide to analyzing and understanding the local road safety situation, connecting with key stakeholders, creating partnerships, developing targeted action plans, implementing projects and assessing the results all the key ingredients to building successful and sustainable road-safety interventions. Gearing up for the "Decade of Action" Now GRSP is working with partners around the world to scale-up existing partnership projects and begin new multi-sector initiatives as part of the Decade of Action for Road Safety, a global call for concerted action recently backed by the 64th General Assembly of the United Nations. When the 64th General Assembly of the United Nations passed a resolution in March 2010 proclaiming 2011-2020 the Decade of Action for Road Safety, it called the global road safety crisis a major public health problem with a broad range of social and economic consequences. The resolution calls fro a Decade of Action on road safety, and targets a 50% reduction in casualties by 2020. It also recognizes the crucial role that multi-sector partnerships play in implementing the Decade of Action on the ground. The solution to the global road safety crisis can only be implemented through multi-sector collaboration and partnerships among all concerned in both public and private sectors, with the involvement of civil society, the resolution reads. > Gears in motion For those who have been active in road safety the decision is a major milestone, and it gives road safety practitioners around the world a new platform on which to engage government support and leverage private contribution. Addressing the General Assembly before the UN vote, Matthias Schmale, IFRC Undersecretary General for Development and GRSP executive committee member, reminded the Assembly of the urgent need for action.

We must act without delay, first to prevent todays deadly trend from worsening, and then to reverse it, Schmale said. Our vision is a world free of road crash death and injury. The choice to move towards this vision is ours, collectively and individually.

Road Safety: The World Health Organization defines five priorities Five priorities to improve road safety Before conducting detailed analyses and implementing more complex methods, all players in road safety agree on the immediate effectiveness of five "simple" measures that must be adopted as an absolute priority, according to the World report on prevention of trauma from road accidents, of the World Health Organization. These five priorities are: - Control of speed, since its incidence on the severity of accidents in particular has not yet really been taken into consideration. For every 5% increase in traffic speed, the risk of fatal accidents increases by 20%. It is thus indispensable to enact and enforce speed limits, especially in cities (50 km/h (30 mph) or less depending on the neighbourhood). - The fight against drunken driving. The WHO recommends a maximum authorized blood alcohol level of 0.05 g/l to be applied worldwide. - Obligatory use of helmets by cycle drivers and passenger which comply with international standards (40% reduction of fatalities and 70% decrease of severe trauma). - Obligatory use of seat belts by all passengers, including on buses. - The use of restraint devices for children (75% reduction of mortality of babies and young children!). Implementing legislation According to the WHO, only 15% of the world's nations had correct legislation concerning these five priorities. Revising or creating legislation is obviously meaningful only if public authorities also give themselves the means of having it understood, accepted and respected by users. Download document

World report on prevention of trauma from road accidents -WHO (5.54 MB)

The evolving idea of sustainable development A growing awareness of the impact of mans activities on planet earth and our dwindling resources gave birth to the ecological movement in the 1970s. The concept of sustainable development was formally defined in the 1987 Brundtland Report as development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. For mobility to be economically sustainable it must provide users and businesses with affordable and attractive transport options. To be socially sustainable transport must promote access for all, and contribute to creating healthy and vibrant communities. Finally an environmentally sustainable mobility should leave no burdens for future generations. Our planet at a historic juncture Robust findings and facts demonstrate that our world is changing apace. The global population is growing and becoming increasingly urban. The demand for mobility, private vehicles and energy is burgeoning. Emissions of greenhouse gases, including CO, are on the rise. Evidence for global warming through natural climate variations is unequivocal and through human activities is very likely (IPCC). Rightly or wrongly climate change is supplanting trade and human rights as the biggest issue on the global agenda. Globalization has ensured that the repercussions of each successive crisis oil, food and financial have rippled worldwide. Current growth and development are not sustainable. Our global footprint shows we are no longer living within the means of our planet. Mankind must adapt to a future of uncertainties with thoughtful and rational responses. And is todays mobility sustainable? Today the transport sector, with its core business to supply mobility, is energy hungry and strongly dependent on fossil fuels. As a result it is a high emitter of greenhouse gases. The total number of vehicles in the global fleet is growing rapidly. Urban mobility on most continents suffers from congestion, local pollution, poor and inadequate infrastructure, lack of coordinated planning and increased road safety risks for road users. In view of all these challenges facing the transport industry todays mobility is clearly not sustainable. The industry has a key contribution to make to mitigate its negative impacts and take full advantage of all the potential solutions.

Automobile Engineering practical: Team work on following problems: SET A 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Study of physical and chemical properties of fuel. Study of use of alternate fuels for S.I engine. Study of use of alternate fuels for C.I engine Study of battery operated vehicles. Layout preparation for Hybrid vehicles.

SET B 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. Estimation of power requirement for vehicle propulsion. On road fuel consumption measurement. Brake efficiency measurement. Noise measurement in passenger compartment. Vibration measurement in passenger compartment Study of chassis dynamometer for vehicle performance testing.

SET C 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. Study the ergonomics of human beings, drivers seat position, size and construction. Study of passenger seat position,-requirement and construction. Study and prepare layout of seating arrangement of a typical passenger bus. Study the construction of typical truck body. Study the requirement of luxury coach. Study the aerodynamic forces and pitching, rolling, yawing moments in a truck Analysis the vehicle body weight and the weight distribution.

SET D 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. Dismantling & assembling of a two wheeler engine. Study of motor cycle & scooter carburetors & petrol injection system. Dismantling & assembling of a two wheeler gear box. Study of 1) kick starter mechanism 2) moped cranking mechanism 3) button start mechanism. Study of three wheeler drive line & chassis. Rear and front brake overhauling & adjustment. Study of handle bar controls & adjustments. Dismantling & assembling of the suspension system.

BE-6th, Mechanical & Production Engineering Automobile engineering Practical schedule for the automobile lab. For the first two turns 1. Comparison between TATA truck chassis & Shaktiman truck chassis available in the lab. 2. Recognize various component with their purpose in the power flow line in an i. Engine, Clutch, Gear Box & rear axle as live axle type of transmission. ii. Engine, Clutch, Gear Box & Front axle as live axle type of transmission. iii. Engine, Clutch, Gear Box & both rear & front as live axle type of transmission. 3. Study what type of transmission system is there in: i. ii. iii. iv. Your bicycle, In a rickshaw trolley, Bajaj three wheeler, Vikram temp,

Automobile practical schedule Schedule for 2nd turn 1) Study the construction detail of a single plate clutch. Also study in which type of vehicles these clutches are used. Name few. 2) Study the construction detail of a multiplate wet clutch. Also find the vehicles where these clutches are a necessity, name few. How they differ from single plate clutch. 3) Study the single plate clutch used in Luna moped. On what principle it works, mention. 4) Study the clutch actuating mechanism used in various automobiles. 5) Study the clutch plate of a single plate clutch and comment on: (a) Friction lining material. (b) Torsional spring and cushion springs. Also enquire from the market the approximate cost of the clutch overhauling of various vehicles.

Tutorial Problems for Automobile Engineering

1. Study the service manual & owners manual of the following cars. (a) Maruti 800 (b) Maruti Zen (c) Maruti 1000 (d) Maruti Zypsy (e) Ambassdor diesel (f) Any other vehicle of your choice. For the above (any one) give the technical specification of major components in the transmission system, the type of suspension used. Type for braking system, wheel size and any other special item which you feel will be better for marketing that particular vehicle. Support you write-up with the charts & pamphlets procured from the dealers if possible also mention the approx cost, Km/lit of fuel on average road condition, insurance premium for the vehicle. 2. The following city transport vehicles are in common use: (a) Ganesh tempo (b) Vikram diesel tempo (c) Bajaj three wheeler (d) Greaves Garura three wheeler Out of above list, select one and discuss 1. Transmission system detail i.e. types of clutch, gear box, propeller shaft. 2. Type of suspension system 3. Wheel size and brake arrangement 4. Safety aspect. 5. Cost insurance premium, km/lit of fuel and running cost per km. 3. There are various two wheelers available in the market namely: (a) Hero Honda (b) Kawasaki Bajaj (c) LUNA Select any one and detail the vehicle and give reason for selecting that particular brand. 4. In the market various brands of bicycles are available varying in cost from 1500 to 5000. You have been asked to write technical comparison of various models for a given market segment. Visit a nearby cycle dealer- find out the models, feel the problem and then comment, give write up. 5. Most of the state road transport corporations are in the red although they employ various managers with varying specialization and qualification. While a layman who owned bus few years back progress to purchase many more within next few years of operation. Visit the workshop of your towns State Road Transport Corporation see their facility, meet the mangers there, discuss, their problems and experience. Then visit the facility of any private vehicle owners and get his feelings. Also try to make friendship with drivers of private bus and raise your queries to him. Write your experiences with detail. 6. The tractors in village are most of the time used for carrying family members as well and specially when the trolley is not attached the scene really look very disturbing forcing one sometimes to think, cant there be a provision for seating few persons other than the driver on the tractor. Try to solve the problem. 7. The road rollers are used for road compaction. What type of transmission system, Braking system and wheel geometry is used in them. Also study different type of road construction equipment by visiting a site where road construction activity is on. 8. A private bus operator dreams of starting a night bus service with the facility of sleeper berth on the bus of the type available in trains. How such a dream can be materialized and if difficult why? 9. Visit the shops of an auto part dealer. Ask on the various important brand names in the field of automobile components manufactures get their catalogue on specification of: (a) Bearings , b) Tyres and tubes c) Bulbs d) Batteries. e) Friction linings.

10.. How the power transmission takes place in a Horse cart. Sketch the arrangement. How the horse cart of Karachi Pakistan as shown in the news reports was different as compared to the horse cart being used in Allahabad

Problem: Visit Lucknow on a Volvo bus and feel the difference between Volvo and ordinary bus. For going to Lucknow from Allahabad -select a Volvo Bus as the mode of transport. During the return Journey- in place of Volvo bus ride on ordinary bus. Feel the difference in ride comfort on a Volvo bus as compared to ordinary bus. Make a report on Automotive Suspension Systems with the help of the website mentioned below. Submit the report by September 13 - 2010.
H S Goyal 23-08-2010

Visit the Following web site: http://www.eng.mu.edu/~craigk/mechatronics_notes/Automotive_Suspension_Systems. pdf Read about- Automotive Suspension Systems (From Slides 1-14 and 40 to 72) Cover following topics: State of Art: Driving Safety Driving Comfort Passive , adaptive, semi active & active suspension systems Job of Car Suspension Road Isolation Road Holding Cornering Car Suspension Parts: Frame, Suspension Systems , steering systems, Tires and wheels. Springs: Coil, Leaf, torsion bar, Air springs, Sprung & Un sprung Mass Dampers. Read the enclosed articles:

Brief History of Transmission Systems in Cars

A car receives power from the engine under its hood, but it is the transmission that helps utilize engine power efficiently. The gearbox in a car brings variety to driving and a very responsive transmission can make a big difference in ride quality for the occupants. Most cars today come installed with good transmissions.

Car transmissions were not always like this. The ones we see today are the result of an incremental evolution and development over the past century. The earliest transmissions were all of manual type. Later on a fusion of computing technology with well evolved manual transmissions led to the creation of automatic transmission systems in cars. Manual transmissions still continue to be just as popular as they used to be for the sole reason that they give the driver a sense of thrill through the ability to shift gears up or down at any desired moment. The transmission in a car is an intertwined system of gears, shafts and other parts that form a bridge to transfer power from the engine to the wheels. The setup helps the car maintain its cruising speeds and slow down or rev up depending on the condition of the road. It does all this without affecting the engines performance at any time. The first manual transmission was introduced by a company called Warner Gear (now BorgWarner) in 1927. It was a four speed gearbox with an H-shaped pattern. It helped the car achieve high speeds with ease and at no discomfort to the occupants. In 1930, an improved technology was introduced. Car manufacturers were now encouraged to try out different technologies in gearboxes. One such noticeable improvement was in the Buick Series 40 from Chrysler Corporation in 1939 where springs were employed to exert high pressure on the clutch plates while the driver was required only to apply light pressure on the clutch pedal to start or stop the car. However, the system soon saw several technical problems and became redundant. After weighing other options, Chrysler settled for a fluid drive system in which the clutch pedal was operated in two vaned plates. Power was transmitted through shearing action in low viscosity mineral oil. Through this new concept drivers could stop the car without using the clutch, while leaving the gear in high mode. However, this system too did not find many takers and was eventually dropped. The next new system to be developed used a sliding spur gearbox with three or four forward gears and a reverse gear integrated into it. This was the beginning of the modern gear box. The shifter slid a spur gear into the desired position to employ engine power. In the early stages, the shifter moved with great stiffness and required skill to prevent the clutch teeth from clashing against each other. Later on, the clutch plates were synchronized with the shifter so that the parts moved in unison. The only hurdle left for the driver was that the shifter needed to move simultaneously with the accelerator pedal, clutch pedal and the gearshift model. Transmission design remained nearly the same for several years to come until the first automatic transmission was developed. The automatic transmission was introduced first in some luxury cars before it was adapted to small cars. Though automatic transmissions became popular due to ease of use, many people today still prefer manual transmissions on their cars.

Car Transmission Mystery Explained!

Car transmission system in a car helps to transmit mechanical power from the car engine to give kinetic energy to the wheels. It is an interconnected system of gears, shafts, and other electrical gadgets that form a bridge to transfer power and energy from the engine to the wheels. The complete set up of the system helps to maintain the cruising speed of the car without any disturbance to the cars performance. The oldest variant of the transmission system in India is the manual transmission that has undergone various modifications and alterations to form the present day automatic transmission.

Types of Car Transmissions

The two common types of transmissions are manual transmission and automatic transmission. In India, manual transmission is known as the Sequential Manual Transmission. This kind of transmission system is controlled by a driver operated clutch that helps to change gears during acceleration or deceleration. The first manual transmission was introduced in 1909 by a company known as Warner Gear, now called BorgWarner. The first gearbox was available with an H-shaped pattern comprising of fur shift gears. Later on, various innovations and advancements took place, which gradually transformed the pattern and number of gears in the manual system. In modern day cars, manual transmission systems are found with five forward gears and one reverse gear. These gears help the driver to drive with ease and comfort even at high changing speeds. The first automatic transmission was introduced by the Sturtevant brothers of Boston in 1904. The modern form of transmission provided two forward speeds that work on the action of centrifugal weights. When the speed of the car engine increases, the weight would swing out transmission to engage the gears and when the weight flew apart, the gears would disengage. In India, this modern system of transmission was launched by Kinetic Motors through its most successful running Kinetic Honda bike. In this type of transmission, gears are automatically shifted in the gearbox, relieving the driver from changing gears.

Manual Transmission vs. Automatic Transmission

Though advanced technology has given birth to the modern day automatic transmission, manual system scores more. Compiled here is a brief comparison of the advantages offered by both the transmission systems. Advantages of manual over automatic are as follows: One of the biggest advantages of a manual gearbox is to have a greater control over the gear selection. This is because in a manual system, a clutch is used to control speed instead of a torque convertor. Therefore, acceleration of the vehicle, especially during over-taking maneuvers, is at the drivers own discretion. Manual gearshifts are more fuel efficient as compared to their automatic counterpart. Torque convertor used to engage and disengage automatic gears may lose power and reduce acceleration as well as fuel economy. Compared to cars with automatic transmissions, cars with manual transmissions are cheaper to run and car maintenance is easy. The parts and equipments required to make an automatic system functional are expensive and highly technical as compared to a manual system. It is easier to build a strong manual transmission than an automatic one. This is because a manual system has one clutch to operate, whereas an automatic system has a number of clutch packs that function in harmony with each other. Advantages of automatic gearshifts over manual gearshifts are as follows: Automatic cars are easier to use, especially for the inexperienced car driver. Manual system requires better driving skills, whereas with an automatic, the clever system does it all on its own. This holds a greater advantage for new and inexperienced drivers and also helps during congested traffic situations where it becomes difficult to change gears every second. Automatic transmission requires less attention and concentration from the driver because the automatic gears start functioning as soon as the system feels the need of a gear change. For car with manual gear shifts, the driver has to be more alert while driving and better coordinated. An automatic transmission system has smoother and quicker shifts as compared to the manual system. Automatic cars have better ability to control traction when approaching steep hills or engine braking during descents. Manual gears are difficult to operate on steep climbs. In terms of customer choices and preferences, people prefer going for their manual counterparts because a manual gearbox is believed to be more efficient and fuel efficient.

Automatic Transmissions are a Boon for Comfort!

Automatic transmission is a concept that is new in India, even though it has been in use for over four decades in the US. Five years back, there were only one or two imported models in India that came with the option of an automatic transmission and very few people knew about this concept. However, now even the small car manufacturers are offering this option to its customers. Cars with automatic transmission are different from cars with manual transmission in terms of power, acceleration, fuel economy, and driving comfort.

An automatic transmission unit does not require a drivers intervention while driving. A cluster of sensors embedded within the system constantly monitor the throttle (acceleration/deceleration) input and then optimize (change) the engine response accordingly. The driver only uses the acceleration and brake pedals, and can comfortably enjoy the drive without having to change gears. The gear shift moves up automatically at the optimum shifting level when the driver presses the accelerator and the reverse action can be achieved when the brake pedal is pressed. These modern cars can be started only when the gear is in parking mode or the neutral mode as some call it. The car will not respond to ignition in any other gear mode. This is part of the safety features installed by the car manufacturer for a car with an auto transmission. If the car stops at traffic signals or in traffic jams, it is best to bring the car to neutral mode and then start the ignition before moving ahead the same is advised for cars with manual transmission to improve a cars performance. Those who are just getting themselves acquainted with the automatic transmission should keep the brakes pressed and gently release them while moving forward. It is possible that the car could rev up if the accelerator is pressed hard and the driver can loose control over the vehicle. Most cars available in India with an automatic transmission have been modified to suit Indian road conditions. This allows these cars to comfortably negotiate bad roads and hilly regions. There are only two major drawbacks in a car with an automatic transmission. First, it is made up of several components and a break down of even a single component can stall the car completely. Therefore the cost of maintenance of a car with an automatic transmission is marginally higher than cars with a manual transmission. Second, control of power and acceleration is completely dependant on the transmission and the driver cannot accelerate beyond a set safety speed. This means that a car with an automatic transmission is not conducive to racing conditions or to sharp overtaking tactics. However, an automatic transmission is a choice of most because of its smooth shifting capabilities that provide occupants with a jerk-free ride and the fuel economy of the car sees a definite improvement. It definitely eases the pressure of driving in congested cities, where acceleration does not play a big part, but traffic jams do. It is advisable to get a transmission with both manual and automatic switch options. This type of transmission will allow the driver to choose the type of transmission that he/she wants to use.

Students: Find the following journals on the internet. Go through the Journals subject list and topics covered. Get an article of your interest and read. Hsg

1. International Journal of Automotive Technology

2. The Journal of Automobile Engineering 3. International Journal of Vehicle Design Search following articles as an example:
Steering pull and drift considering road wheel alignment tolerance during high-speed driving Author: Y.G. Cho Address: Hyundai Motor Company, 772-1 Jangduk-Dong, Hwaseong-Si, Gyeonggi-Do, 445706, Korea Journal: International Journal of Vehicle Design 2010 - Vol. 54, No.1 pp. 73 - 91 Abstract: This paper describes an analytical vehicle model and a full-vehicle model that consider the effect of suspension geometry on steering pull and drift. Steering pull occurs when a driver applies steering wheel torque to keep a straight-line course, and steering drift means the tendency to deviate from the intended path with a free steering wheel. In designing a chassis system, it is crucial to establish a suspension insensitive to steering pull and drift regardless of manufacturing tolerances. Simulation results show that larger caster trail at the front wheel leads a lesssensitive vehicle towards steering pull and drift, since caster trail reduces the equilibrium slip angle difference between pull and drift by considerably changing the aligning moment diagram. These wheel alignment sensitivities are validated by experimental measurement of drift distance.

Latest advances in joining technologies for automotive body manufacturing He Tang DOI: 10.1504/IJVD.2010.034867 Optimizing the shape of a bumper beam section considering pedestrian protection.

The ExperiCycle: A Platform for Bicycle Design Research

Author: Stevens, Edward M. Source: Ergonomics in Design: The Quarterly of Human Factors Applications, Volume 14, Number 2, Spring 2006 , pp. 26-29(4)

Abstract: Engineering students at Saint Martin's University were presented with a design problem: Design and build an instrument that can be used by future students to investigate the design of bicycles from a biomechanical and ergonomic stand-point. Following a modified engineering design process, the students produced a design that can adjust to extreme riding postures ranging from standard to recumbent seating while accommodating the 5th percentile female's through the 95th percentile male's anthropometry. Attached to a state-of-the-art ergotrainer, the research platform can record a variety of human and mechanical performance variables while controlling the rider's required exertion levels during riding trials.

Expectations of safety: realising ergonomics and safety in product design

Norris, Beverley (1998) Expectations of safety: realising ergonomics and safety in product design. PhD thesis, University of Nottingham. PDF 102Mb

Preview

Abstract
This research considers the role of ergonomics in consumer safety. The aim was to encourage and improve the input of ergonomics, and thus safety, into the design process. The research has resulted in a series of publications targeted specifically at designers and producers of consumer goods, with the aim of encouraging their adoption of ergonomics principles, data and methods. These publications have been produced and distributed to industry by the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Consumer Safety Unit: CHILDATA: The Handbook of Child Measurement and Capabilties - Data for Design Safety Designing Safety into Products: Making ergonomics evaluation a part of the design process (presented as an appendix to this thesis). The background to the research is a review of the influences on consumer safety, and the exploration of a role for ergonomics. European consumer legislation states that to be

safe a product must meet the expectations of the user, hence the title of this thesis. This user-centred premise indicates the importance of product design and ergonomics in consumer safety, within the context of the other influences on safety such as safeguarding, mitigation of accidents and education. Theoretically this places ergonomics as a central influence on safety. A review of the existing contributors to safety, such as governance, standards and education was undertaken and again design was found to be central. With the potential contribution of ergonomics to safety demonstrated, evidence of a formal relationship between ergonomics and the design process was sought from the literature. Despite many years of calls for improvements in the input of ergonomics to design, little evidence was found in the ergonomics literature of support or guidance for designers of consumer products on either of these aspects. Two main routes to improving this input of ergonomics to design were identified: the use of ergonomics data and guidelines, and the use of ergonomics evaluation methods. This research focuses on these two routes to product design safety with the hypothesis that these inputs could be improved, eventually allowing better design safety to be realised. The aims of the research were therefore to investigate and improve these inputs. The first stage of the research considered the use of ergonomics data and guidelines in design. The limitations of ergonomics data and the barriers to effective knowledge transfer were identified. Work was undertaken to address these problems, in the first instance specifically for designers of children's products. This resulted in the production of "Childata, a handbook of ergonomics data on children, and its production and content are described. Four thousand copies of this handbook have been published and distributed free of charge to industry by the DTI. The success of Childata has resulted in sibling publications on adults (now published) and the elderly (in preparation). The next stage of the research was to consider the use of ergonomics evaluation methods by designers. A review of the literature on ergonomics methods and on guidance for their use found that there was a dearth of practical advice for designers. Also, that most guidance on evaluation methods concentrates on usability with very little reference specifically to safety. The feasibility of producing guidance for designers to encourage their use of evaluation was therefore considered. A series of four product safety evaluations were undertaken, presented here as case studies, and these form the major experimental part of the research. The aim of the case studies was to investigate the most useful and common methods for evaluating product safety and to generalise these into guidance for designers ,as well as producing formal reports and recommendations for improvements in the safety of the individual products. The products investigated were swimming pool covers, carbonated drinks bottles, all terrain bicycles and stepladders. The case studies showed however that a diversity of methods were needed to carry out the evaluations, many of which were novel methods or which drew on a mixture of ergonomics, technical and market research expertise T he only commonality found was in the sequence of stages that each evaluation followed, namely the identification of the products' users and hazards, the setting of performance criteria and selection of measurement variables, and the subsequent choice of methods. T he initial concept behind the fundamental research to producing prescriptive advice on methods was therefore rejected. Instead a framework for a generic evaluation process was developed, based on the findings from the case studies and with reference to the literature. This framework formed the basis of a guidance document for designers: Designing Safety Into Products'. This was also published and distributed to industry by the DTI. The publication establishes and encourages a generic evaluation process, but also concentrates on embedding ergonomics principles into the design process by exploring the relationship between evaluation and safety and stressing the need to move past the use of ergonomics data, as well as providing methodological guidance.

The research reported in this thesis has shown that the problems with the transfer of knowledge and methods from the ergonomics discipline are long standing. The reasons for this are discussed and recommendations are made to improve the link between design and ergonomics, including furthering this pragmatic approach to empowering designers by the production of similar design tools. The research programme has been a pragmatic approach to improving ergonomics and safety in design: improving the accessibility of ergonomics data for designers and promoting ergonomics evaluation methods during the product development process. The publications that have resulted from the research represent pragmatic steps which it is hoped may make some contribution to the realisation of safety.