Automotive Science and Engineering

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In this paper, finite element elastic contact analysis of a functionally graded (FG) hollow brake disk in contact with pad, subjected to rotation, contact pressure and frictional heat is presented. The material properties vary through the thickness according to a power-law characterised by a grading index, n. The material property is purely steel at the core part and gradually moves and approaches to the ceramic properties at the surfaces of the FGM disk. In this task, thermal analyses are performed on two ventilated disk brake one of them is constructed of functionally graded composite material and the other is a homogeny disk brake which is constructed of steel alloy. In this study three-dimensional finite element model and ABAQUS software is used. Through comparison of temperature and displacement fields the benefits of using functionally graded material is investigated. It is shown that temperature variation in FGM disk is much lower than steel disks, it may be concluded that FGMs disk restrain the growth of thermal perturbation and delay the contact separation..

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In this paper, a method based on binary-coded genetic algorithm is proposed to explore an optimization method, for obtaining an optimal elliptical tank. This optimization method enhances the rollover threshold of a tank vehicle, especially under partial filling conditions. Minimizing the overturning moment imposed on the vehicle due to c.g. height of the liquid load, lateral acceleration and cargo load shift are properly applied. In the process, the width and height of tanker are assumed as constant parameters. Additionally, considering the constant cross-sectional area, an optimum elliptical tanker of each filling condition is presented to provide more roll stability. Moreover, the magnitudes of lateral and vertical translation of the cargo within the proposed optimal cross section under a constant lateral acceleration field are compared with those of conventional elliptical tank to demonstrate the performance potentials of the optimal shapes. Comparing the vehicle rollover threshold of proposed optimal tank with that of currently used elliptical and circular tank reveals that the optimal tank is improved approximately 18% higher than conventional one.

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This paper presents a novel investigation into the free vibration of porous folded plates using the differential transformation method (DTM). The porosity is functionally graded (FG) along the thickness of the plate, resulting in material properties that vary with the z-coordinate. The motion equations for each plate segment are derived based on classical plate theory (CPT), with simply-supported boundary conditions applied at the front edges, allowing the transformation of partial differential equations into ordinary differential equations. The differential transformation method is then employed to discretize the motion equations in the x-direction. By applying boundary conditions at the remaining edges and ensuring continuity at the joints, the eigenvalue problem is formulated, leading to the calculation of natural frequencies and mode shapes of the folded plate. The mathematical model is validated through comparisons with finite element method (FEM) results and existing literature. Results indicate that Type C porosity distributions exhibit the highest stiffness and resonant frequency compared to other porosity types. While frequency behavior is consistent across mode numbers regardless of porosity distribution and plate length, the impact of the porosity parameter on the frequency of Type C plates is demonstrably less significant than on other porosity types.