VTE September 2020

VEHICLE TECHNOLOGY ENGINEER

ON-THE-FLY ALIGNMENTS

Australia’s Doftek develops real-time wheel alignment

Mass produced carbon fibre: Nissan breaks the mould

September 2020

$6m baby: Gordon Murray makes a more Super Car

Issue 25

Parking test: Ford joins Bosch in driverless parking

Representing mobility engineers since 1927

Motorhaus Garage: Body building

www.saea.com.au

VTE | Contents

Contents

September 2020 Special Features 15

Bosch – Driverless parking tests with Ford

16

Wheel Time – adjustments on-the-fly

20

Lightweight – High Powered – Murray Magic A $6m dollar mechanical marvel

24

Body Building – Motorhaus Garage

30

Nissan – Mass producing carbon fibre

Driverless parking tests with Ford

15

Wheel time – adjustments on the fly

16

Lightweight – High Powered – Murray Magic

20

Super Kit Car Motorhaus Garage

24

Mass producing carbon fibre

30

VTE News 8

Automotive News

10

Truck & Bus News

12

Defence & Aero News

13

General News

14

Overseas News

Society News 4

Notes from the Chair - Welcome from Adrian Feeney

5

SAE-A News

7

Formula SAE-A - 2020 Online

Technical Feature 26

Feasibility Study – the use of Magnetorheological Fluids to Provide Active Roll Stiffness and Damping

Active Wheel Alignment Doftek’s Paul Dowie, Geoff Rogers, Priscilla Rogers.

About the SAE-A SAE-A was founded in 1927 to address the need for further education for all facets surrounding Automotive Engineering, and now encompasses all mobility engineering industries in the Australasian region. The SAE-A is a non-profit organisation that works to serve the needs of its members and to promote the relevance of mobility related technologies to governments, industry and the community in general.

The editor, publisher, printer, the Society of Automotive Engineers – Australasia (SAE-A) and their employees, directors, servants, agents and associated or related entities (Publishing Entities) are not responsible for the accuracy or correctness of the text, pictures or other material comprising the contributions and advertisements contained in this publication or for the consequences of any use made of the products, services and other information referred to in this publication. The Publishing Entities expressly disclaim all liability of whatsoever nature for any consequences arising from the use or reliance on material contained in this publication whether caused to a reader of this publication or otherwise. The views expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect the views of the Publishing Entities. The responsibility for the accuracy or correctness of information and other material is that of the individual contributors and the Publishing Entities do not accept responsibility for the accuracy or correctness of information or other material supplied by others. To the extent permissible by law, the Publishing Entities exclude all liability pursuant to the Competition and Consumer Act 2010 (Cth) or other applicable laws arising from statute or common law.

Readers should make their own inquiries prior to the use of, or reliance on, any information or other material contained in this publication, and where necessary seek professional advice. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or part without the written permission of SAE-A is strictly prohibited.

www.saea.com.au

VTE | 3

Introduction | Secretary, CEO and Chairman Society of Automotive Engineers

VTE Published By: Society of Automotive Engineers - Australasia

Adrian Feeney

ABN: 95 004 248 604

Secretary, Chair and CEO Society of Automotive Engineers – Australasia

Address: PO Box 103, Werribee Vic 3030 Phone: 0403 267 166 Email: info@sae-a.com.au Web: www.saea.com.au

Board of Directors: Chairman CEO & Secretary Adrian Feeney Board:

Kin Cheong Greg Shoemark Kate Cousins

Michael Waghorne Peter Dale Noelle Parlier

Membership & Subscriptions Rose De Amicis Email: rose@sae-a.com.au Events Email: events@sae-a.com.au

Magazine Production: Editor Mandy Parry-Jones Trading Terms Media Email: mandypj@optusnet.com.au Mobile: 0409 806 986 Design Brigid Fraser Email: fraseram@optusnet.com.au Mobile: 0413 009 122 Advertising Jill Johnson Jill Johnson Media Email: jj@jilljohnsonmedia.com.au Mobile: 0409 217 624

VTE Industry Partner: Excellerate Australia

4 | September 2020

Dear member, Welcome to the September edition of VTE and with it comes a hope that everyone is doing well during these unprecedented times (haven’t heard that expression before?)

Despite the new challenges faced as a Society, I must say things are going very well for SAE. Since our previous issue much has been achieved.

Shane Richardson ran his very popular Crash Investigation Course on-line and it went very well.

So much so that it has given us the confidence to run more courses on-line, including: two working remotely courses to be delivered by Talk2Me in October, courses presented LEAP that are aimed at engineers in the simulation field (19, 21, 26 and 28 October), as well as Formula SAE, which will be fully on-line this year. Others are being developed and will be announced as soon as the details are finalised.

Regarding Formula SAE, we have fully developed the program and registrations are open. There will be no track events but all three static events will run allowing teams to have their 2021 vehicle programs critiqued by professional engineers, giving teams effectively two years to complete programs that normally have only one year from concept to assessment. Registrations will close on 28 September and to date most registrations have come from overseas teams.

I know Australian Universities have been hit hard financially and logistically this year, but I am hopeful our local teams will be able to compete and take advantage of the opportunities provided by this year’s event We fully expect to return to normal in 2021, but at least this way we can continue to contribute to students’ educational journey.

Internally, we have been very busy with board initiated projects, most importantly the “Police Car Project”, an initiative of SAE aimed at creating industry and government interest in building a low volume, Australian designed and built vehicle.

A number of press releases has been issued by us on this subject and picked up by some significant media outlets, particularly in the print media. The purpose of this initiative is to encourage Industry and Governments to pay heed to what we see as a once in a lifetime opportunity for our industry.

We all regret the loss of that part of our lives and by taking this position we sincerely hope the right people make the right decisions this time. Our proposal is to focus on a small to medium volume vehicle, all electric, partly autonomous and using modern processes and materials, we have the knowledge, we have the skills, all we need is the will. We will continue to press for this to be given the attention it deserves.

A special thanks to our Board member, Greg Shoemark, a corporate affairs expert of many years’ experience who has led this initiative and by doing so made SAE-A and serious media player.

We sought interest from our members to become involved and I was extremely pleased more than 140 members accepted our invitation and will now be a part of the project. From within that list we selected six who have formed the Project Steering Group.

Our first meeting was held this month at which the high-level plan was presented by our Program Director, Murray Longe. The next and most critical step is to develop a feasibility study with Government assistance. To be very clear, SAE is not capable of, nor do we plan to manufacture cars in Australia, but by creating this initiative, we hope the argument to do so will be so compelling and attractive to potential companies and more importantly governments that it can and will happen. I must also stress that every person involved in this project does so on a voluntary basis, such is the strength and loyalty of our members. Good Stuff!

Finally, I regret to have to announce that for personal reasons, our board member, Peter Dale has decided to step away from his role but hopes to return at a later date, depending on his circumstances. Peter has been a passionate supporter of SAE-I and FISITA and developed a strong relationship with both and hence has delivered some very exciting benefits to our members. We all wish Peter the best, thank him for his hard work and look forward to his possible return sooner rather than later.

Adrian Feeney

SAE | News

New online training courses for working remotely The SAE-A is in the final stages of establishing an online training course; a series of two workshops on working remotely – a very timely topic.

Motorsport has lost one of its great and world renowned Australians with the death of Ron Tauranac, aged 95.

They are independent modules, but they complement each other, so participants could do one or both.

The two sessions are Building Better Relationships in a Virtual World (12 October) and Leading a Remote Team (5 October).

Each session would be 90 minutes long.

Session 1 aims to build better connections with team members and stakeholders across virtual platforms using the functionalities of the virtual environment to advantage.

Session 2 is for leaders whose teams share a physical workspace but are now forced to work apart. The session will focus on strategies and tools to keep the team engaged and productive, assisting with

remote communication and creating clarity by setting expectations and boundaries.

These two sessions are about gaining new leadership skills that are now relevant and necessary for working effectively in this new style of workplace.

More information will be available shortly so keep a watch on the SAE-A website events area at http://www.saea.com.au/Events Facebook: Formula SAE-A Email: formulasae@sae-a.com.au www.saea.com.au/2020-Formula-SAE-A

SAE-A member new book on tyre noise and vibrations SAE-A is offering an excellent reference book on tyre noise, written by the SAE-A’s own Dr Xu Wang, a longtime member of SAE-A and Professor at RMIT University.

Automotive Tire Noise and Vibrations: Analysis, Measurement and Simulation presents the latest generation mechanisms of tyre/ road noise.

The book focuses not only on tyre/road noise issues from the tyre/road structures, materials and dynamics, but also from a whole vehicle system. The analyses covers finite element modelling, mathematical simulations and experimental tests, including works done to mitigate noise.

This book provides a summary of tyre noise and vibration research, with a focus on new simulation and measurement techniques.

List price for the book is $265 the SAE-A member price is $212. For more information contact info@sae-a.com.au

SAE-A New Members The SAE-A would like to welcome the following new members: Phil Gooch, Associate Member

Denny Kazoglou, Delegate Toyota

Matthew Macleod, Delegate Toyota

Paul Diamandis, Delegate Toyota

Aaron Colligan, Delegate Toyota

Hugh Miles, Delegate Toyota

Peter Prescott, Delegate Toyota

Amber Wright, Associate Member-T

Noelle Parlier, Delegate Paccar

Corporate Member, Paccar Australia

The SAE-A is where members enjoy many benefits and become a part of the advancement of the mobility and engineering profession across Australasia through the transfer of technical knowledge and skills, and an increased industry network. Individual and corporate memberships are available.

More information at http://www.saea.com.au/membership www.saea.com.au

Vale: Ron Tauranac 1925 – 2020

On behalf of the directors and members of the SAE-A our sincerest condolences go to Ron’s family and friends.

Ron’s early involvement with Formula SAE-A was as a guest chief design event judge from when the event was held at the Mitsubishi test facility at Tailem Bend in South Australia and continued for many years afterwards.

Ron was the designer of the Brabham cars which took Sir Jack Brabham and the late Denis Hulme to Formula One World Championships in the 1960s as well as a myriad of Brabhams for other formulae from Indycars to Formula 3 and everything in between. In all, Brabham built about 500 racing cars in total. And they won in every class too! Ron then sold Brabham to Bernie Ecclestone.

Later, Ron started Ralt, a race car production company that built cars for many formulae all over the world, and for many years they were the chassis you needed to win in F2, F3, F3000, and FAtlantic. About 1000 Ralts of various types were built, and many are still racing. Ron later sold the Ralt company to March.

Ron was incredibly experienced in the design, building and development of ‘production’ race cars, and so was considered a world authority on the subject.

Formula SAE-A was very lucky to have him as a special design judge at our competition for many years, after stepping down from design he became the patron of our FSAE-A event. He had plenty of tips and tricks to share with students of the competing Formula SAE-A teams.

Ron was well respected and everyone at Formula SAE-A found him to be an absolute pleasure to work with.

VTE | 5

Formula SAE | News

FSAE-A Sponsors Event Sponsors

Formula SAE-A 2020 Online

SAE-A’s most popular and coveted event, Formula SAE (FSAE) has had to face the reality of COVID-19 and cancel the event in its usual format.

But all is not lost, a more targeted event will be held online focusing on the static elements of the event. However, in these challenging times this is quite fitting as so many workplaces are revising work practices with more time spent in online interactions rather than face-to-face meetings.

The SAE-A’s board and the FSAE-A committee has been working diligently on a program for the 2020 event so students do not miss out on what is a very important learning experience in their time at university, and for their future careers.

The online Static Events will enable many university teams and students to compete in 2020, in an affordable and safe environment; and have been developed to support student endeavours and better prepare them for 2021, when we are hopeful of returning to Winton racetrack and again hosting our annual dynamic event.

The Formula SAE-A 2020 Event will run over five days, Monday 14 to Friday 18 December.

Included will be the three normal Static Events; Design, Cost and Business Presentation, which will be held online over Monday – Wednesday.

The Thursday and Friday have been set aside to run on-site Technical Inspections and on-line Design critique via video conference for teams wishing to participate.

Teams entering this year’s competition will gain the advantage of interaction with the judges on a more intimate basis than possible at the usual competition, plus early review of initial designs or planned new concepts for their 2021 vehicles. Even teams not developing major changes for 2021 may still enter and gain valuable experience and professional feedback.

In all cases, the online competition will enable teams to present any major changed systems embodied in their 2021 vehicle. The 2020 online competition represents an opportunity to get a step up on 2021 by getting a thorough critique of their developing designs.

For the integrated 2020 On-Line FSAE-A www.saea.com.au

Static Events Competition, it is presumed that some teams will be working on a new, or significantly changed, vehicle for 2021, whereas others will have been focusing on organic improvements on their previous vehicle to improve its reliability, either way, this competition is ideal for all teams preparing for 2021.

The 2020 On-Line FSAE-A Static Events Competition will not contain a dynamic element to it but will consist of: • an online design event • an online cost event • an online busines plan event There is the option of an Australian face-toface physical technical inspection of vehicles which can be organised for each state (usual local Technical Inspectors) and a video conference Design Review. There are no points allocated to these two activities, it’s more a feedback session Unlike previous years with separate EV and IC categories, this year there will be one combined category for both classes with prizes for 1st, 2nd and 3rd in each event.

Event Supporters

CALL FOR VOLUNTEERS Despite the event being an online event in 2020, there is still the need for volunteers to assist with running the various elements.

However, since it is a totally online event there is no need for onsite attendence and volunteers can help from the comfort of their own homes. The ability to login to Zoom meetings is necessary.

If you would like to volunteer or need more information please contact Rose De Amicis at the SAE-A on either 0403 267 166 or email rose@sae-a.com.au

The 2020 Formula SAE-A Static Events Competition is open to teams from Australia and New Zealand universities, TAFE colleges and overseas teams.

The physical technical inspection and design critique is only available to Australian teams, although the FSAE Organising committee is currently investigating the feasibility of involving New Zealand teams, this will be subject to the availability of suitable judges in New Zealand.

All participating Australia and New Zealand team members must be members of SAEAustralasia.

To keep up-to-date with the event, timing, details, deadlines and key dates please monitor the SAE-A website www.sae-a.com.au Registrations for the event opened on 17 August 2020 and payment is due on 28 September 2020.

VTE | 7

News | Auto

VinFast buys Lang Lang proving ground Finally, VinFast has confirmed its purchase of Holden’s Lang Lang proving ground one of the oldest proving grounds in the world having opened to first test a Holden in 1958.

This is one of three proving grounds in Victoria with Ford at the You Yangs, and what was originally the International Harvester proving ground located not far from the You Yangs at Anglesea.

Lang Lang is 44km long, with 4.7km of newly upgraded circular test tracks and sits on an impressive 872 fenced hectares of land abutting Bass Highway at Lang Lang, Gippsland roughly 100 kilometres from central Melbourne.

During 2018 the facility received a comprehensive upgrade and so it is an up-to-date facility that can be put to use immediately.

Unfortunately, it was not specified on what date Vinfast will conclude the purchase of the facility nor whether the facility will retain its name or what will first be tested there.

The company only said that it would be operational to test new products soon after the purchase is completed.

In a statement VinFast said owning the facilities will help it to “accelerate the process

of autonomy in the automobile industry” and bring it closer to “the goal of launching new models with global competitiveness”.

“Currently, VinFast’s product research and development is making rapid progress.

Therefore, owning a modern testing centre like Lang Lang helps a lot for our activities.

Many employees in VinFast Australia are currently recruited from Holden and they are all very happy to continue working here,” said Kevin Yardley, Director of VinFast Institute of Automotive Technology – the Australian arm of VinFast.

“VinFast’s acquisition of the Lang Lang Testing Centre not only contributes to creating high-quality job opportunities for local human resources, but also enhances Victoria’s reputation as the world’s leading research, manufacturing and testing centre,” said Martin Pakula, Victorian Minister for Employment, Innovation and Trade.

VinFast has said that the company will continue to host Holden Car Club events at Lang Lang and open it to former Holden employees though it was not specified how or when this may happen.

GM establishes a new brand in Australia Less than a year after GM decimated the Holden brand in Australia and while the Senate enquiry continues into the company, it has chosen to launch a new brand in the Australian marketplace; GM Specialty Vehicles (GMSV).

GMSV will retail General Motors models in Australia and New Zealand which will be produced in RHD in the US such as the Corvette, or ‘remanufactured’ locally by the Walkinshaw Automotive Group.

Senate looking at GM’s behaviour as it leaves Australia while the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) is looking into the manner in which GM coerced dealers into signing agreements.

New GMSV showrooms are due to be rolled out early in 2021.

In the case of the senate, that may be heading to the Federal Court as the Senate was told that GM was not abiding by enterprise agreements with long standing engineers. Plus, as a slap in the face the company took on eight new engineers on the day it announced its departure.

ASIC has been asked to investigate the establishment of GMSV stating that it could fall under a “potential phoenixing situation”.

Phoenixing is when a company emerges from the ashes of another and according to the Australian Taxation Office it is illegal when it is created to continue the business of one that has been deliberately liquidated to avoid paying outstanding debts, taxes, creditors and employee entitlements.

The Australian Holden Dealer Council that represents 185 dealers is quite rightly affronted by the situation after GM ruthlessly dismantled the dealer network.

The Senate Inquiry is due to hand down findings into GM in November this year.

It doesn’t bode well for the company that it is being investigated from all sides with the 8 | September 2020

David Smith, assistant national secretary of the Australian Manufacturing Workers Union has told the Senate committee that “GM Holden Australia has acted dishonourably and not in accordance with either customary practice or legal process with regard to the redundancy provisions that are outlined in the current 2018 enterprise bargaining agreement”.

According to both the Australian Manufacturing Workers Union and the Professionals Australia organisation, many employees face losing substantial

amounts of money some up to $150,000 in superannuation payments, and some of these were to employees now facing retirement age.

Minister for Industry, Science and Technology Karen Andrews said over a million dollars in payments were stopped after GM Holden was deregistered from the Australian Government’s Automotive Transformation Scheme (ATS).

“I, like most Australians, was extremely disappointed at GM Holden’s decision to walk away from our country, their local workers and loyal dealers,” Minister Andrews said.

“Australian taxpayers have given this multinational company more than $2 billion in financial assistance over recent years, and it still decided without consultation to wind up the Holden brand in Australia.

“I think you’d be hard-pressed to find a single Australian who thinks GM Holden should receive financial support from the Federal Government in the same year they announced they’re leaving our shores.”

Auto | News

Auto Innovation Lab grants Seventeen Australian businesses will share in almost $2.8 million in funding under Round 2 of the Automotive Innovation Lab Access Grants program. The Government investment is expected to unlock a further $3.6 million in industry funding.

Innovative Mechatronics Group in Victoria has been given $103,000 for its project to develop Australia’s first national-scale hybrid battery aftermarket service for the reuse and recovery of retired batteries from hybrid-electric vehicles.

The Automotive Innovation Lab Access Grants program is a key element of the Government’s $100 million Advanced Manufacturing Fund.

AME Systems (VIC) Pty Ltd, Ararat, Victoria Development of a universal trailer electronic control unit $60,000 $126,000 Applied Electric Vehicles Pty Ltd Bayswater North, Victoria Modular Vehicle System - Pod Design and Prototyping $200,000 $400,000 Battleist Pty Ltd, Brunswick, Victoria Advanced vehicle dynamics device development $200,000 $403,000 Bortana Pty Ltd, Golden Square, Victoria Bortana EV Beta Phase $200,000 $576,336 Brown & Watson International Pty. Limited Knoxfield, Victoria Brake Controller with integrated Breakaway & Sway Control functionality $200,000 $470,600 Circuitlink Pty Ltd, Seven Hills, New South Wales Intrinsically Safe BrakeTesta $116,792 $233,584 Cohda Wireless Pty Ltd, Wayville, South Australia Cohda Wireless MK6 $176,000 $353,000 Directed Electronics OE Pty Ltd Melbourne Airport, Victoria Automated Telemetry Testing (ATT) for Advanced AVN systems $153,500 $307,000

Ford Motor Company has appointed Andrew Birkic as President and CEO, Ford Australia and New Zealand.

Mr Birkic, currently Chief Product Marketer – Ranger and Everest, will be based in Melbourne, reporting to Mark Ovenden, President, Ford International Markets Group.

Disc Brakes Australia Pty. Limited Silverwater, New South Wales World first “Cooldrive” rotors $111,550 $223,100 HRDS Technologies Pty Ltd, Goonellabah, New South Wales Performance Optimisation of Hydraulic Hybrid Vehicle Platform (REGENODRIVE) $200,000 $418,000 Innovative Mechatronics Group Pty Ltd, Hallam, Victoria Australia’s first national scale Hybrid Battery Aftermarket Service $103,000 $206,000 Lightforce Australia Pty. Limited, Hindmarsh, South Australia Next Generation Driving Light $200,000 $409,500 Lumen Australia Pty. Ltd. Hallam, Victoria Validation testing of electronic modules for vehicles $161,500 $323,000 Pedder’s Shock Absorber Service Pty. Ltd Bangholme, Victoria Load Ryder On Board Scales $200,000 $436,600 Redarc Technologies Pty Ltd, Lonsdale, South Australia Trailer Usage and Monitoring System (TUMS) $200,000 $942,854 RYCO Group Pty Limited, Altona North, Victoria RYCO Bluetooth Sensor Suite $96,827 $193,655 TRJ Pty Ltd as trustee for TRJ Trust, Hallam, Victoria Development of a specialty vehicle street rod in kit form $198,000 $405,000

Join the SAE-A Member Community group via the following link and follow the prompts www.facebook.com/groups/SAEAMemberCommunity This private group allows members to feel part of an engineering community, network with other professionals, get the latest updates on important industry trends, legislative rulings, and advances in technology, seek and post jobs, ask questions of experts and drive the Industry forward by sharing knowledge, plus much more.

You can also follow SAE on FB at www.facebook.com/SAEAustralasia www.saea.com.au

New President and CEO for Ford Australia

Prior to his role as Chief Product Marketer, Mr Birkic spent three years in Detroit as Global Advanced Consumer Experience Platforms Manager, and two and a half years in Shanghai as Director, Dealer Development and Consumer Experience for Ford Asia Pacific.

Working with dealers and Ford teams in each country to develop tools and strategies to better serve their customers was at the heart of both roles.

Before this, he held a variety of positions across marketing, sales and the Ford Customer Service Division at Ford Australia, where he began his career in 1994.

In his new role, Mr Birkic will be responsible for Ford’s National Sales Company (NSC) in Australia and New Zealand, including marketing, sales and service, dealer relations, and customer satisfaction.

He succeeds Kay Hart, who was appointed to the global role of Enterprise Product Line Manager, Van and Bus. Ford Motor Company also announced that Jim Hackett, who has led the global company’s transformation since 2017, plans to retire. James Farley has been named the company’s new president and CEO and will join the board of directors, effective 1 October 2020.

VTE | 9

News | Truck & Bus

Truck & Bus Briefs UITP Australia New Zealand is to present the Zero Emissions Bus Forum in partnership with sponsors Transport for NSW, Arup and L.E.K. Consulting.

The Zero Emissions Bus (ZEB) Forum will be a flagship event where leaders and decision makers from public transport authorities, operators, suppliers and academics from around the world will come together to fast-track their understanding of how to implement zero emission bus fleets as part of integrated networks.

The event will be held virtually from 1 October to 19 November 2020, involving seven webinars and an interactive World Café session.

For more information visit: https://australia-newzealand.uitp.org/ Four Volvo Electric Buses will be delivered to the Public Transport Authority of Western Australia as part of the existing 900 Bus Supply Agreement between Volvo and Transperth signed in March 2019.

The Agreement includes provisions for the introduction of alternative powered vehicles into the public transport bus network when the technology becomes available.

The buses will be operated for the PTA by Swan Transit in Joondalup, Perth’s primary urban centre in the northern suburbs. They will join the existing Central Area Transit System (CAT) in Joondalup, which are zerofare routes.

Transport Women Australia Limited and Daimler Truck and Bus Australia Pacific are calling for applications for the ‘Driving the Difference’ scholarship program developed for women in the transport industry, as well as those wishing to join.

Following last year’s success in the initiative, Transport Women Australia Limited (TWAL) says it will again be offering scholarships to four women this year.

The scholarships enable women within the industry to undertake a course that will advance their careers or expand their knowledge to enhance their current position or give other women the chance to become part of the industry.

The program opened on 3 September and the closing date for applications is 31 October. Scholarship recipients will be announced on 16 November.

For more information contact Jacquelene Brotherton chair@transportwomen.com.au or 0417 422319.

10 | September 2020

Top tech for DAF and more staff for PACCAR Chief Engineer PACCAR Australia and board member of the SAE-A, Noelle Parlier presented the 2020 DAF Technician of the Year award to Andrew Paterson congratulating him on his win and performance on the day.

“Andrew is a very deserving winner of the DAF Technician of the Year. He performed all the set tasks at an incredibly high standard.

Thank you to Kenworth DAF Melbourne for hosting today and the training you’ve provided Andrew.”

The finalists were: • Tom Bryan – Brown and Hurley Kenworth DAF Toowoomba • Campbell Byrne – CMV Kenworth DAF Adelaide • Matthew Henderson – CMV Kenworth DAF Adelaide • Daniel Jennings – CJD Kenworth DAF Perth • Andrew Paterson – Kenworth DAF Melbourne The search for the 2020 DAF Technician of the Year began last October. All Service Technicians at DAF dealerships were invited to participate in the competition, aimed at recognising and rewarding the best.

Five practical assessments measured technical skills, product knowledge, engine expertise and professionalism.

The finals were held at Kenworth DAF Melbourne (KDM). An online component followed by a final practical test on a DAF was where Mr Paterson secured his win.

The finalists received more than $30,000 worth of prizes, including a study tour to the Netherlands for Mr Paterson as well as a selection of tools vital to the job.

“PACCAR did an amazing job! It was well organised and the tasks throughout the

day were both enjoyable and challenging at the same time. It was great to share this experience with technicians from other dealerships and also see the technical strength that’s available across Australia,” Mr Paterson said.

Since the beginning of August PACCAR has been recruiting additional staff for its headquarters at Bayswater, Victoria due to increased customer demand. Around 120 new people have been recruited for factory, engineering and administrative support.

“The current operating environment globally is uncertain, and especially in Victoria at the moment, but we are immensely proud we are able to employ more people and support economic growth within the local community,” said Andrew Hadjikakou, Managing Director, PACCAR Australia.

“The increase in staff is not only a great boost for the local economy, but it’s great for morale and we look forward to welcoming our new team members as they continue to join the business over the coming weeks.”

Ebusco goes for a fast charge Ebusco is introducing a new generation of CSS charging sockets for electric vehicles with its supplier Phoenix.

This socket is able to charge up to 500 Amps with HPC (High Performance Charging) technology. With this new technology, electric buses can be charged in a short time and very cost effectively.

This is great news for e-buses that need to drive > 350 km a day, or ones that need extra battery capacity for electrical heating/cooling at low/high outside temperatures.

Ebusco has always believed in and focussed on depot charging.

The company says it is just a matter of installing chargers in the depot(s) and all the buses can drive their daily routes as usual.

Most buses will only need to be charged during the night and the other buses can visit the depot at any time for a fast charge.

This new technology enables considerable savings in time and money in the electrification of bus fleets.

Truck & Bus | News

Volgren to review BioSafe system to disinfect buses Marcopolo, Volgren Australia’s parent company, has launched a range of global biosafety measures designed to limit the spread of coronavirus and improve the safety of passengers, drivers and the general public.

Australian bus body manufacturer Volgren is investigating how the products could be used in an Australian context.

Fuso to introduce all-electric light truck Fuso will introduce the world’s first all-electric light truck in Australia next February.

The near-silent eCanter, which produces zero exhaust pipe emissions, was first introduced in 2017 and is currently operating in the United States, Europe and Japan.

Marcopolo BioSafe is a suite of products designed to make passenger travel safe during the COVID-19 pandemic. The products include FIP (fog in place) OnBoard, a dry fog that disinfects the inside of buses, trains or trams without using chemicals that are toxic to humans; protection kits for drivers; and UVC light technology to disinfect restrooms.

CEO of Marcopolo, James Bellini, says the new concept promotes passenger biosafety while respecting the guidelines of health and government agencies.

CEO of Volgren, Thiago Deiro, says that embedding biosafety measures into public transport is an important step towards restoring passenger confidence and will preserve the safety of the travelling public.

“COVID-19 has created challenges for many sectors. Public transport and student transport have been especially impacted. We believe that the measures developed under Marcopolo BioSafe could play an important role in helping Australia’s bus industry recover economically by making commuters and school children comfortable returning to bus travel.

Mr Deiro says that the FIP OnBoard dry fog is a fast and reliable system that sanitises through nanoparticles, creating a nanofilm on 100 percent of surfaces. It only takes 15 minutes on average to cover and sanitise an entire passenger area for up to 72 hours. The application doesn’t wet or dampen seats or harm the buses electrical systems.

Vale: Christopher Mullet There would be few in the car industry and even fewer in the truck industry who did not know Chris Mullet.

It was developed from the ground-up using Daimler’s research and development might and has been extensively tested in harsh environments.

Fuso presented an eCanter at the 2019 Brisbane Truck Show and select Australian fleets subsequently trialed the groundbreaking machine.

Daimler Truck and Bus Australia Pacific President and CEO, Daniel Whitehead, said that Australian customers have been enthusiastic about the eCanter.

“The best light truck fleets in Australia have told us that safety and emissions reduction are absolutely critical for them,” Mr Whitehead said. “We introduced Advanced Emergency Braking to the light truck class in Australia with Canter last year and now we will be first with a fully integrated manufacturer-developed electric truck.”

I first met him while he was a motoring journalist and I was with Nissan, I later worked with him briefly at Mitsubishi and then knew him through the trucking industry and my time at IVECO. Chris had been an integral part of the industry since at least the 1970s. He lived for the transport industry and was an enthusiastic supporter, he was sometimes uncompromising and he was not afraid to cross swords with anyone if he had a point to discuss, but he was always gentle and good spirited.

His passion for the industry was displayed in the products he produced, he put his heart and soul into his work as founder and publisher of PowerTorque and Delivery magazines, as well as the other activities of the Motoring Matters Magazine Group which he headed.

His wife, Maree Mullet, has said in a statement that the intention is to continue publishing his magazines for the time being.

I am personally very sad at his passing and I offer my sincere condolences to Maree and the team at Motoring Matters. I will always remember Chris and his positive and enthusiast approach to life and work. He will be sorely missed. The Editor www.saea.com.au

Mr Whitehead says the fact the eCanter is an integrated Original Equipment Manufacturer product is greatly appreciated by key customers.

“It’s quite simple to take a truck, swap out an engine and replace it with third-party motor and batteries if you want an electric truck in a hurry, but the Australian market is more mature than that.”

He says thorough testing and development is imperative in the transport industry.

VTE | 11

News | Defence & Aero

RAAF contract with Boeing will bring more work South Australians will play a crucial role in maintaining and supporting the Royal Australian Air Force’s P-8A Poseidon aircraft at RAAF Base Edinburgh, after a new deal was signed with Boeing Defence Australia which is creating 40 new jobs.

Minister for Defence Industry Melissa Price said Boeing’s six-year contract would offer support services to deliver cutting-edge surveillance and response capabilities.

“The initial $300 million contract provides a highly experienced maintenance, engineering and logistics workforce to Defence,” Minister Price said.

“This will grow the workforce to over 160 from Boeing and their sub-contracted personnel from Airbus Australia Pacific, delivering vital services to the P-8A capability.”

Minister Price said Boeing and Airbus Australia Pacific’s continued industry partnership had provided support arrangements for the P-8A Poseidon since July 2016.

$11m in grants to SMEs in Defence The Morrison Government has awarded more than $11 million in grants to 20 Australian small businesses as part of a program that will enhance Australia’s sovereign defence industry.

Minister for Defence Industry Melissa Price said the latest funding support awarded through the Sovereign Industrial Capability Grants Program will also boost innovation and investment in Australian Defence Force capability.

“These grants make a vital contribution to growing Australia’s sovereign defence industrial base,” Minister Price said.

“The Morrison Government is committed to safeguarding the livelihoods of all Australians, including small businesses within the defence sector.”

The Sovereign Industrial Capability Grants Program helps drive innovation in small businesses and make them more competitive, especially in the face of COVID-19 challenges.

“This funding will allow for even greater cooperation and innovation activities across industry and with Defence.” Minister Price said.

“For example, WA-based Franmarine Underwater Services is contributing to our

Naval Shipbuilding Enterprise by establishing a new facility to better support underwater maintenance activities.

“Franmarine’s investment will improve the effectiveness and speed of maintenance activities, helping keep our critical naval vessels available for deployment,” Minister Price said.

This comes after the Federal Government allocated $1b to accelerate defence jobs which was announced in late August.

Scholarships to grow defence’s talent pool Eight women studying at three universities across Australia have been awarded Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) scholarships by Defence.

Minister for Defence Industry Melissa Price said Defence was working to take a leading role in shaping the national STEM agenda and build a strong record of inclusion.

• The Australian National University, Australian Capital Territory:

Minister Price said the awarding of the scholarships to the undergraduate students was another significant step forward for Defence, which is a major employer of people with STEM skills, in building a more diverse STEM workforce.

- Rose Zhang, studying a Bachelor of Philosophy (Honours) – Science

- Lilli Reardon, studying a Bachelor of Health Science

- Olivia Flower, studying a Bachelor of Engineering (Research and Development) (Honours)

The scholarships were awarded to students who demonstrated academic excellence and who displayed positive attributes such as community leadership and extra-curricular engagement.

“Our Australian workforce is vital to the continued sustainment and upgrades which are critical to the Poseidon’s capabilities,” Minister Price said.

The delivery of the 12th P-8A Poseidon to a newly upgraded airfield and support infrastructure at RAAF Base Edinburgh was announced in December 2019.

This new contract provides the essential Australian industry capacity necessary to operate and maintain these advanced aircraft and their systems.

12 | September 2020

The recipients were: • University of Newcastle, New South Wales: - Sarah Creasey – Bachelor of Mechatronics Engineering (Honours) - Tess Horton – Bachelor of Mathematics/Bachelor of Science - Odessa Mullin – Bachelor of Biomedical Science • Edith Cowan University, Western Australia: - Margret Beniameen – Bachelor of Information Technology - Shannon Marie Calitz – Bachelor of Science

Defence’s commitment to building diversity in STEM aligns with its Workforce Strategic Vision, which encourages a systematic approach to increasing the depth and diversity of the talent pool.

Women currently represent about 16 percent of Australia’s STEM skilled workforce and while this figure is growing, there is more work to do.

In February 2020, Defence was awarded the Bronze Athena Swan Award as part of the Science Australia Gender Equity (SAGE) Accreditation.

This award recognises that an institution has demonstrated a good understanding of the current status of gender equity and is well positioned to address inequities.

General | News

Endeavour Award Winners Each year the Endeavour Awards are present by Manufacturers’ Monthly and supported by National Manufacturing Week however, COVID-19 has changed some of that for 2020 but nevertheless the awards were presented even if not in person.

ARENA funding to provide 150 smart chargers ARENA, the Australian Renewable Energy Agency announced $838,000 in funding to Origin Energy to undertake an electric vehicle smart charging trial across the National Electricity market.

Peter Canavan, senior policy officer at Australian Industry Group (Ai Group) said that COVID-19 had created great challenges for Australian manufacturers, but there would also be opportunities as the country looks to source more products locally.

“These awards celebrate excellence and innovation, and by doing that demonstrate that as a nation we do have the ability and the capacity to recover,” Mr Canavan said.

Mr Canavan said that the winners had “demonstrated a capacity to find gaps in the market, both domestic and international, and develop innovative products that fill those gaps”.

Scott Martin, group leader of applied physics at CSIRO said that COVID-19 had shown that local manufacturing capability has national significance beyond jobs and export revenue. He hoped that this would lead to a renewed emphasis being placed on local manufacturing in some critical areas.

Mr Martin said that every year there are impressive examples of inward and outward innovation – Inward innovation bringing new technology form around the world into Australian markets and manufacturing processes; and outward innovation developing Australian-grown technology for local and export markets.

And the winners are: • Technology Application Award: Carbon Fibre Robotic Preforming Cell – Special Patterns • Environmental Solution of the Year: Waterlink SmartMESH and NB-IoT Technology – Successful Endeavours • Outstanding Start-Up Award: Black Sky Aerospace

• Global Supply Chain Integration of the Year: REDARC BCDC In-vehicle Charger – REDARC • Safety Solution of the Year: Sentinel Vision AI System – PRM Engineering Services • Excellence in Manufacturing Skills Development: APR.Intern – Australian Postgraduate Research Intern • Australian Industrial Product of the Year: Carbon Fibre Robotic Preforming Cell – Special Patterns • Most Innovative Manufacturing Company Award: FRAGTrack – Orica Mining Services

Excellence in Growth • Excellence in Growth (small-medium class) – Supashock • Excellence in Growth (medium-large class) – Noja Power • Best Industrial IoT Application: FRAGTrack – Orica Mining Services

Manufacturer of the Year: REDARC Electronics

National Manufacturing Week no more After Reed Exhibitions reviewed its events portfolio the company announced that the National Manufacturing Week and Advanced Manufacturing Expo will be discontinued and no longer be a part of Reed Exhibitions’ list of events.

Reed had partnered with AMTIL in the co-location of National Manufacturing Week and Austech.

planned. The next Austech Exhibition will take place in 8-11 March 2022 at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre.

AMTIL is the owner and organiser of Austech, the Advanced Manufacturing and Machine Tool Exhibition and this show will go ahead as

The event was postponed to 2022 due to concerns relating to COVID-19, it was to run in May 2021.

www.saea.com.au

Origin will provide and install 150 smart chargers to incentivise new and existing EV owners to participate in the trial. The smart chargers will be installed across residential, commercial and industrial premises of EV owners and fleets, where they will be remotely monitored and controlled via software. The smart chargers will also be integrated into Origin’s existing platform for managing distributed energy.

The $2.9 million trial will look to evaluate the benefits of and barriers to controlled smart charging, including improving our understanding of EV driver behaviour, willingness to accept third party control and what incentives are needed to encourage future participation in charge management programs.

Smart chargers will allow control of EV charging in order to avoid negative impacts on the grid and maximise the use and value of renewable energy.

VTE | 13

News | Overseas

Lightweight winners Harley-Davidson, Toyota, Mubea and Marelli were recognized with the 2020 Altair Enlighten Award for their vehicle-lightweighting innovations.

Harley-Davidson’s LiveWire electric motorcycle won the Full Vehicle category of the 8th annual Altair Enlighten Awards, the vehicle and component lightweighting competition conducted by Altair and the Centre for Automotive Research.

dynamics performance without increasing weight.

Runner-up was Nissan for its new 2020 Sentra global platform. Increased application of ultra-high-strength steel (UHSS) helped to dramatically improve safety and vehicle-

ZF was runner-up with a first to market heavy duty electric park brake for large trucks that offers weight savings of 11kg.

Jaguar develops touchless touchscreens New contactless touchscreen technology developed by Jaguar Land Rover and the University of Cambridge will help keep drivers’ eyes on the road and reduce the spread of bacteria and viruses in a post COVID-19 world.

In the Module category Toyota won for its new one-piece resin seatback in the 2021 Sienna minivan replacing a 15-piece steel frame.

Mubea won in the Enabling Technology category with its glass fibre reinforced polymer tension leaf spring that offers weight savings of up to 75 percent over standard springs.

DuPont’s BETASEAL X2500 was runner up,

this is a structural adhesive that quickly joins thermoplastic inner and outer liftgate panels to enable a modular lightweight assembly.

Marelli won in the category of future in Lightweighting with its advanced sheet compression moulded suspension steering knuckle made of chopped carbon fibre. This category is for advanced technology that has not yet been employed.

The runner up in this category was Nissan with an aluminium/short carbon fibre reinforced thermal plastic bodyside panel using topology design and showing potential to cut weight by around 50 percent over conventional steel.

Security concerns for plug and charge vehicles In 2010, a joint working group of the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) started contemplating how the equipment used by two goliath industries, automotive and electric utilities, would “talk.”

The patented technology, known as ‛predictive touch’, uses artificial intelligence and sensors to predict a user’s intended target on the touchscreen – whether that’s satellite navigation, temperature controls or entertainment settings – without touching a button.

The pioneering system was developed with engineers at the University of Cambridge.

Lab-tests and on-road trials showed the predictive touch technology could reduce a driver’s touchscreen interaction effort and time by up to 50 percent, as well as limiting the spread of bacteria and viruses.

The technology uses artificial intelligence to determine the item the user intends to select on the screen early in the pointing task, speeding up the interaction. A gesture tracker uses vision-based or radio frequency-based sensors, which are increasingly common in consumer electronics, to combine contextual information such as user profile, interface design and environmental conditions with data available from other sensors, such as an eye-gaze tracker, to infer the user’s intent in real time.

14 | September 2020

The resulting standard was ISO 15118, entitled “Road Vehicles – Vehicle to Grid Communication Interface.”

It provides the protocols for secure communications that signal charging stations to send current to an electric vehicle (EV).

By 2014, the so-called “Dash 2” section of 15118 was released. ISO 15518-2 prescribed a method for automakers, charging-station manufacturers and charging network operators to offer the so-called Plug-andCharge feature.

The idea is for EV drivers to roll up to a charging station and strictly by plugging in have the vehicle automatically begin charging.

At the same time, financial transactions to pay for the electricity seamlessly and securely occur in the cloud – no credit cards or RFID membership cards required.

Tesla’s closed and proprietary Supercharger

network has offered this feature to its users since 2012. Several companies including Audi, Porsche and Ford are expected to introduce Plug-and-Charge to EV customers in the next year.

Some industry players complain that aspects of ISO 15118-2’s technologies established in 2014 need to be updated (for example, the standard’s interchange format is EXI, a binary XML, instead of JSON). But the stumbling block is not the technology employed for communications between the EV and charger.

The dispute is about how security certificates are exchanged between entities, including automakers, charge point operators (CPOs) and so-called mobility operators (MOs). There are disagreements about the appropriate role for each business, which is mostly outside the scope of ISO 15118.

Bosch | Feature

Driverless parking tests with Ford In 2015 Bosch and Daimler began development of a fully automated driverless parking system (AVP), then in mid 2017 Bosch began testing the automated system in conjunction with Daimler at the Mercedes-Benz Museum in Stuttgart, Germany where driverless cars parked themselves with a command from a smartphone.

It was a world first trial for automated valet parking in real conditions when in 2018 visitors to the museum were also able to experience it themselves – under supervision.

Now Ford has also slotted itself into a similar trial set up in Ford’s home state of Michigan at the Bedrock Assembly Garage where Ford Escape research vehicles will be used.

“We are continually searching for opportunities to expand our leading suite of Ford Co-Pilot360 driver-assist technologies that help people drive more confidently and we believe automated valet parking technology holds great promise,” said Ken Washington, chief technology officer at Ford Motor Company.

The connected Ford test vehicles operate in a highly automated fashion by vehicleto-infrastructure (V2I) communication with Bosch’s intelligent parking infrastructure.

The infrastructure sensors recognize and localize the vehicle to guide its parking manoeuvre, including the ability to help avoid pedestrians and other hazards. If the infrastructure senses something in the vehicle’s path, it can stop the vehicle immediately.

Upon arriving into the garage, a driver will leave the vehicle in a designated area and use a smartphone app to send the vehicle into

an automated parking manoeuvre. Drivers will also use the app to request the return of the vehicle to the designated pick-up area, expediting the parking experience and removing the responsibility of finding the vehicle upon return to the garage.

The demonstration project at Assembly Garage brings together one of the world’s largest automakers, Ford, the largest property developer in the City of Detroit, Bedrock, and the world’s largest automotive supplier, Bosch, to demonstrate how organizations are working together on new mobility initiatives.

The demonstration project will enable the three companies to gain valuable insights regarding user experience, vehicle design, parking structure design and application to expand the technology and its application.

The solution can be deployed via retrofitted solutions like the one in the Assembly Garage or with embedded infrastructure planned into construction of new garages that enables optimized design for maximum capacity.

In addition to simply parking, a vehicle could also drive itself to areas within the garage for specific services such as vehicle charging or a car wash.

Bosch has recently announced that it has joined its software and electronics divisions that employ 17,000 people at more than 40 locations in over 20 countries into the new Cross-Domain Computing Solutions division.

The move toward ever more sophisticated electronics and ever more software is quickly picking up pace. The result is a considerable increase in the complexity of automotive engineering. The goal will be to reduce this complexity through cross-domain software and electronics solutions.

In addition, it will aim to get new vehicle functions on the road significantly faster. To achieve this, Bosch has assigned software, electrical, and electronics engineers from the areas of driver assistance, automated driving, car multimedia, powertrain, and body electronics to the new unit.

www.saea.com.au

VTE | 15

Feature | DOFKET

Wheel time – adjustments on the fly An Australian engineering couple have developed a world first active wheel alignment system

Differing road surfaces, conditions and even speeds dictate differing wheel alignment settings but until now it has been impossible to change these on-the-fly, but two Australian engineers have changed all that with an exciting electronically adjustable active wheel alignment system (AWAS) that adjusts camber, toe and caster.

Geoff Rogers and wife Priscilla are the brains behind this new system which has attracted the financial support of the Australian government’s Advanced Growth Centre (AMGC).

Their company is called Doftek and is based in Victoria and started developing the system about three years ago.

“We are a high-tech R&D company where our sole focus is to innovate,” Priscilla Rogers said. “We are motoring enthusiasts, we’re also mechanical engineers.

“The genesis for our innovation, it started with a single frustration. Our cars are so sophisticated, but we have electronic control for almost everything – think engine tune, think suspension tune, dynamic aero – except perhaps the most important setting, wheel alignment.”

This world first system allows the alignment of each wheel to be optimised in real time by adjusting camber, toe and caster to suit road conditions or driving conditions and it is claimed that it will improve a vehicle’s handling by at least 15 percent while reducing rolling resistance by 10 percent and tyre wear by 10 percent. .

Version one of Doftek’s AWAS allows for onthe-fly adjustment of wheel alignment via a three-mode selector switch, offering Normal, Sport and Sport+ modes with the corresponding 0-degree, -1.5-degree and -3-degree camber to suit different driving conditions.

With support from AMGC, Doftek is now working on the second version of its system, which will offer next-generation dynamic (semi-active) and adaptive (real-time) capabilities. This system will also achieve an improvement of up-to 29% in handling performance observed during initial testing with differential camber settings.

The Advanced Manufacturing Growth Centre (AMGC) is assisting Doftek to develop and market this revolutionary new system to companies here and overseas.

16 | September 2020

DOFKET | Feature

Australian manufacturing isn’t the same as production Managing Director of AMGC, Dr Jens Goennemann said that integrating into the global supply chains means getting into a market of not 25 million people but up to 7.5 billion potential customers and this is where Australian manufacturing has to be.

He said we often think of manufacturing as production, but in a high wage country it is not the most competitive place to be. We have to concentrate on R&D work, pre-production work and design; this is where the higher value jobs are.

Today more than half the jobs in manufacturing in Australia sit outside production. Currently there are 1.3 million people working in manufacturing and the number is increasing.

Since automotive assembly has stopped in Australia, Dr Goennemann said that the common belief is that we have less people working in the automotive sector but in fact we have more now than we did three years ago.

“What makes manufacturing advanced is not what you make but how you make it,” he said. “those who possess advanced knowledge, advanced processes or advanced business models are the ones who are successful.

“There’s an enormous opportunity for SMEs, SMEs are the companies who create the most jobs.”

According to Dr Goennemann there are 45,000 SMEs in manufacturing and only five percent of them are making the export value.

Dr Goennemann said Doftek is evidence of the impact Australia’s automotive component sector can have on a global scale.

“Doftek is proof that Australia has a strong and innovative automotive component sector exporting hundreds and thousands of components yearly for inclusion into global supply chains,” Dr Goennemann said.

“Doftek has designed, engineered, tested and, with our assistance, will now commercialise an innovative automotive solution with global relevance and impact. In the fullness of time, Doftek expects to support 40 highly-skilled Australian manufacturing jobs.”

Who can use the Doftek system Currently the system is at prototype stage and Doftek is actively seeking global partnerships with car companies to bring it to market. It is expected that luxury car makers may be the first to install this system into their cars and possibly also electric vehicle manufacturers as it will extend battery range.

It came as a surprise that the expected early adopters of this system in the auto industry, the luxury and sports brands, were less interested in the handling improvements that it could bring and instead more interested in the gains to be made to emissions and lower NVH levels.

As the system is very versatile it can be adapted for use on trucks. For trucks and their trailers www.saea.com.au

VTE | 17

Feature | DOFKET

adjusting the wheel alignment can improve the turning circle, extend tyre life, reduce emissions and help prevent wheels from binding up.

Looking further ahead, its use on autonomous vehicles where there is no steering rack gives it long term viability even when these vehicles move to independent wheel steering.

Geoff Rogers also said that it is able to be integrated into what has now become a big talking point among automotive engineers – redundant emergency braking as this system can also be used to help scrub off speed.

The first gen system adjusts all wheels to the same angle, but Geoff says that developments are underway for system that can independently adjust the angle of each wheel enabling even more precise adjustment.

Advanced rear wheel steering systems can also incorporate the Doftek system with substantial gains.

Adjustments can be done stationary, but when moving adjustments are made in real time; on-the-fly.

Another entire market that opens up for this system is the aftermarket as it can be retrofitted to many cars so long as those vehicles either have an existing ECU system in place or can install an aftermarket ECU. This means older cars owned by enthusiasts and race cars can integrate the system into existing vehicles.

Geoff said that the reason the auto companies had not been able to develop a system was more about their starting point rather than the technology, knowledge or application. The point of difference was that the others had tried to design a system from a clean sheet of paper design but Doftek took the approach of designing a system that integrated with existing suspension systems.

How does the system work Doftek has used an Audi TTRS and a Mercedes-AMG GT S to test the system, the Mercedes has the most recent iteration and in it where you can adjust the camber of each wheel so that one side can be -2.8 degrees and the other -0.2 degrees to maximise grip under cornering.

It’s quite a feather in the cap of these two Australians as they said car manufacturers had been working on similar systems since around 2005 but they had found them expensive, heavy and difficult to incorporate into existing suspension systems.

“This is the only one that adapts and controls the wheel in real time,” Geoff said. “It’s fully compatible with existing suspension systems, including MacPherson struts, double wishbone, multi-link and with rear-wheel steer systems. It fits into existing vehicles and there are no other changes to the vehicle and wheel alignments can be carried out as normal.

“Today our systems are closed loop, but not closed loop at the wheels so you still have to get regular wheel alignments but an active area of our R&D portfolio is actually looking at wheel position tracking so that you can close the loop on the actual wheel position and then you would never need to get a wheel alignment again.”

18 | September 2020

An electromechanical camber device replaces the original suspension mount, another device controls toe changes and is fitted to the tie rod end and the whole lot is controlled by an ECU that connects to the car’s main ECU. Therefore most common suspension systems can incorporate this AWAS device including MacPherson strut, double wishbone and multi-link units.

The others had tried to reinvent the wheel, while Doftek simply improved it, a lot.

“So, our system is lightweight, compact and cost effective,” he said.

“Most of our system’s focus is on camber and toe control, these are parameters that have been of most importance to our OEM customers and partners, but caster is also possible.”

As an example, on the Audi’s MacPherson strut system there is an electromechanical camber device to replace the strut top and an electromechanical toe device to replace the tie rod. That’s how Doftek has mechanised those wheel settings in an electronic way.

There are no other structural changes to the vehicle, everything else remains intact as original.

An electronic control unit takes care of all the algorithms and sensor input data and works out what the wheel alignment setting should be whether that’s via user input or via an on-the-fly adaptive calculation. That ECU mounts underneath the dashboard and can either be a body control unit controlled by the master ECU of the car – so a simple add on. Or it can also be integrated into a manufacturer’s ECU.

DOFKET | Feature

There is no increase in unsprung mass, there is a small increase in sprung mass which is 1kg per corner.

“A one-kilogram weight penalty is a very good trade-off for the gains you get,” Geoff said.

Two fundamental versions are possible.

The first is the mode select version. Around 80 percent of the driving that’s usually done is on a normal suburban road in traffic conditions and so in that situation the setting can be in the normal mode to save emissions, fuel, tyres and reduce noise (NVH).

This would be a fairly neutral wheel alignment setting such as 0 degrees camber or neg .5 degrees camber, which is generally less than manufacturers currently run. They are usually around .8 negative camber and 1.2 negative camber.

When you find a clear winding road and you want to put the foot down, you can change to a more aggressive wheel alignment setting such as neg 1.5 degrees or negative 2 degrees of camber, and then there’s the more aggressive Sport+ mode.

All these modes are infinitely programmable so a manufacturer can decide on the camber settings but also the number of modes it wants to employ. There is no limit to how much camber can be programmed into the system.

The second version that is being developed is currently fitted to the Mercedes AMG that has a double wishbone front end. That car is set up to run adaptive on-the-fly control, there is mode selection but in this case the algorithms that pull sensor data from systems in the car calculate what the alignment setting should be automatically. This is all about optimising wheel position at all times.

Reducing rolling resistance is the main idea of onhighway settings. Negative camber is reduced on the vehicle front axle from negative 2.8 degrees to negative .8 degrees to see a significant increase in the coast down distance, which is 40 km/h to 15km/h. There are reductions in rolling resistance of about 10 percent. A tyre manufacturer would consider a 10 percent gain to be a next generation tyre.

“For us by just a flick of a button, to achieve something like that is pretty significant and opens a whole new window into tyre development and rolling resistance development,” said Geoff.

With cornering the primary motivation is lateral grip.

Instead of reducing the amount of negative camber you want to increase it. What happens when you go from almost neutral camber to neg 2.8 degrees on both front wheels is around a 15 percent increase in lateral grip.

“What we’re really excited about with the adaptive system that’s coming forward … we’ve actually done circle tests where we’ve put significant negative camber on the outer wheel, and on the inner wheel we’ll put a more positive camber setting,” Geoff said. “We actually see handling improvements of 29 percent in early testing.

“That’s increasing the contact patch for not only the outer wheel as the body rolls onto it but also changing the inner wheel so you can optimise the contact patch, making that wheel do more work.”

The circle test is a circle 25 metres diameter at a controlled speed of 40 km/h. www.saea.com.au

By changing the camber, the tyre temperature also decreased it resulted in a reduction in tyre temperatures of around 10 percent.

This is game changing technology not just an incremental improvement.

Where to next “The plan is to engage with a Tier One partner to supply to the OEMS. Given our location here in Australia there is strategic advantage to doing so. And we really see our value in the R&D space, coming up with innovations,” Priscilla said. “We’d like to leverage Tier One capability.”

At this stage costs are commercially sensitive.

However, Geoff said that the costs are not prohibitive and are on par with other automotive systems which should make those Tier One suppliers happy.

Initially Doftek expects the system to be used on high end vehicles and then later trickle down to everyday cars, the same way many other systems have in the past like drive-by-wire, ABS, and start/stop technologies.

VTE | 19

Feature | Gordon Murray Automotive

Lightweight High Powered Murray Magic Gordon Murray set his sights on developing another super SuperCar

Just three years ago Gordon Murray announced a new vehicle manufacturing company – Gordon Murray Automotive to take innovative car designs into limited-run production. Then last year the company revealed details for its new T.50 saying it would be the purest, lightest and most driver-focused supercar ever built.

A cold-air ram induction intake sits immediately above the driver’s head, while crafted carbon fibre panels in the roof act as a loudspeaker, amplifying engine sound within the cabin. The system is actuated by throttle angle and not revs, meaning the T.50 is quiet and refined on part throttle, growing louder as the throttle opens.

Now the UK based company has unveiled the T.50 showing a finished exterior and interior and providing more technical specifications than most car companies.

The T.50’s kerb weight of 986kg makes it the lightest supercar of the modern era, lower than the average supercar weight by almost a third.

Ian Gordon Murray, aka Professor Murray CBE was the designer of the McLaren F1 supercar so is no stranger to supercars or super designs having designed 50 road and race cars over his 50-year career – both reasons to name the car the T.50.

The Fan

His new T.50 is a pure purity design, free from wings, skirts and vents instead it incorporates the most advanced aerodynamics ever seen on a road car.

The purity of the silhouette is only broken when the pair of dihedral doors rise up and forwards, coming to rest high above the passenger cabin.

British suppliers are responsible for every major component from the record-breaking V12 engine and lightweight transmission, to the world-first aerodynamic package and the feather-light titanium throttle pedal, and every element is 100 percent bespoke. Murray pushed each supplier to deliver ingenuity and new levels of lightness.

The Noise Cosworth’s bespoke GMA unit hits the mark as the world’s highest revving, fastest responding, most power dense, and lightest road going V12. The T.50’s raucous 12,100rpm redline will deliver wow-factor.

20 | September 2020

Aerodynamically speaking a fan and its associated ducting system improve on conventional ground-effect systems by actively managing both underbody and overbody airflow. This boundary layer control ensures the most effective interaction of airflow on top of, and below the car, balancing drag and downforce at all speeds.

This same system was first used on the road on Murray’s F1 supercar. Few realise that two fans had been employed to pull air from under the car as these, far smaller fans were hidden. Not on the T.50.

The underbody airflow system not only enhances performance, but also allows purity of design for the car’s upper surfaces. Air flows over the top of the car undisturbed by unsightly vents, ducts, or flaps. The fan interacts with a pair of active spoilers at the rear, which can contribute to downforce or reducing drag, as required.

The fan is driven by a lightweight 48-volt motor, spinning at up to 7,000rpm. The unit’s design and underbody ducting does away with the need for a ‘skirt’.

The fan aero system has six modes – two are automatic (Auto and Braking), the

Gordon Murray Automotive | Feature

remaining four (High Downforce, Streamline, V-Max Boost and Test Mode) are driver selectable: ‘Auto Mode’ is the car’s default setting.

In this mode, the T.50 operates like an ordinary supercar with passive ground-effect downforce.

‘Braking Mode’ automatically deploys the rear spoilers to their maximum (+45 degree) angle when high levels of deceleration are required.

The fan also operates simultaneously at high speed while the diffuser valves open. This function can double downforce, enhancing stability and grip, and shortening the 150mphto-0mph braking distance by a full 10 metres.

If sudden deceleration is required, and when aerodynamics could influence stopping distance, Braking Mode overrides all other modes.

‘High Downforce Mode’ is driver selectable, in this mode, the rear spoilers deploy at +10 degrees, diffuser valves open, and the fan spools up to increase downforce by 50%.

‘Streamline Mode’ cuts drag by 12.5% and boosts straight-line speed while also reducing fuel consumption and downforce. In this mode, the rear spoilers deploy to -10 degrees reducing base suction and drag. The diffuser valves close partially, stalling the diffuser and reducing downforce, which saves wheel travel to make the car more comfortable and efficient. It also sets the fan to operate at high speed, drawing air from the top deck to minimise drag while extending the trailing wake of the car, creating a ‘virtual longtail’ and producing 15kg of thrust.

‘V-Max Boost’ is the most extreme T.50 mode.

It uses the characteristics of Streamline Mode, then uses the car’s 48-volt integrated starter-generator to drive the fan freeing up power to the driveshaft. Combined with the www.saea.com.au

VTE | 21

Feature | Gordon Murray Automotive

ram-air induction, this boosts power to 700PS for short bursts of acceleration.

‘Test Mode’ operates when stationary it is driver selected to test the system.

The Monocoque At the core of the T.50 is a lightweight carbon fibre monocoque constructed by Formaplex and features cutting-edge part-bonded carbon fibre and an aluminium honeycomb core. This provides exceptional structural rigidity.

The intrinsic strength of carbon fibre ensures exceptional occupant safety in the event of a crash. The carbon fibre panels feature precisely engineered deformable areas and

the car also uses an F1-style ‘passenger safety cell’. The rigidity and torsional strength negate the need for additional bracing or reinforcement – another area of weightsaving.

The exterior body panels are also constructed from cutting-edge carbon fibre.

The T.50’s body in total tips the scales at less than 150kg.

The Cosworth GMA V12 engine and manual Xtrac gearbox are also semi-structural, being mounted to the chassis. The powertrain is attached using an inclined axis shear mounting system (IASA). The engine sits on anti-vibration mounts to prevent unwanted noise and vibration. This saves 25kg of chassis weight at the rear of T.50, compared with a traditional engine mounting system.

Completing the lightweight structure is an ultra-lightweight windscreen, which is 28% thinner than a standard glass windscreen.

The Engine The T.50’s V12 engine will be the highestrevving and most responsive naturallyaspirated engine ever fitted to a production road car, it revs freely to 12,100rpm.

Measured in revolutions gained per second, the T.50 will pick-up revs at 28,400 revs per second enabling it to hit the redline from idle in just 0.3 of a second.

Fed by a roof-mounted cold-air ram induction inlet, the T.50 powerplant delivers 71% of its peak torque from 2,500rpm, with its maximum (467Nm) achieved at 9,000rpm.

The Cosworth GMA unit produces the highest 22 | September 2020

Gordon Murray Automotive | Feature

weight-saving move as they can be far smaller and narrower than a typical supercar tyre due to the sprightly weight of the T.50.

Another of consideration for the vehicle’s dynamics was minimising un-sprung mass.

The wheels, hubs, and suspension arms are all ultra-lightweight. The wheels are forged from a lightweight blend of aluminium alloy (front 7.8kg, rear 9.1kg), as are the suspension uprights and wishbones. For ultimate weight saving, the car’s hubs and bearing carriers mimic those of an F1 car, with a single locking nut, dramatically reducing the amount of material needed.

The T.50 is braked using the latest-generation Brembo six-piston air-cooled aluminium alloy Monobloc callipers on the front and fourpiston air-cooled aluminium alloy Monobloc callipers on the rear. Optimum stopping power, and further weight saving is ensured by pairing them with Brembo carbon ceramic brake discs (front 370mm x 34mm/rear 340mm x 34mm). power density of any naturally aspirated road car engine – 166PS-per-litre.

To achieve the weight target, the block is made from a high-strength aluminium alloy and the connecting rods, valves and clutch housing are titanium.

The engine was designed to have very compact external dimensions and the lowest possible centre of gravity. So, reducing the F1’s 125mm crank height was the goal; the T.50’s crank sits just 85mm from the bottom of the engine.

The low centre of gravity means less pitch during cornering and braking, less squat and dive, plus better transient handling.

The Transmission The car’s six-speed H-pattern manual transmission is a tribute to Xtrac’s skill. The gearchange motion and weighting was honed meticulously and the outcome is a narrow cross gate and a short throw. It delivers slick, crisp gearchanges.

Being totally bespoke, it was possible to optimise every component of the gearbox for weight. Remarkably, the Xtrac team created a super-strong but extremely light aluminium housing that was cast at just 2.4mm thickness resulting in a gearbox that not only met strict packaging requirements within the car, but also weighed in at just 80.5kg.

The Body In designing the T.50, Murray applied one of his core supercar philosophies, reversing the traditional focus on power-to-weight, www.saea.com.au

to instead consider the vehicle’s ‘weight-topower’ ratio. In the T.50, every 100PS has to propel just 150kg of car, whereas for the typical supercar (1,436kg with 693PS) the weight it has to shift is 40 percent higher, at 207kg. It is this weight-to-power calculation that drives the development of the T.50, with every component designed and engineered to achieve the lowest possible weight.

To match the T.50’s 672PS/tonne, the typical 1,436kg supercar would need almost 300PS more power.

Avoiding the weight-gain spiral caused by chasing top speeds and highest power output figures, Murray benchmarked the lowest possible weight for every component, right down to individual nuts and bolts.

Inside, three racing-inspired seats are also constructed using carbon fibre, with the centrally positioned driver’s seat and the passenger seats that flank it having a combined weight of just 13kg.

The low total weight of the car means that the T.50 can use forged aluminium alloy doublewishbone rising rate suspension front and rear, with no additional interference required from heavy electric or hydraulic suspension components.

The steering system is a simple rack-andpinion setup unassisted at speed and low speed power assistance (LSPA) for parking.

The suspension and steering works in partnership with the Michelin Pilot Sport 4 S tyres (235 / 35 R 19 at the front and 295 / 30 R 20 at the rear). The tyres are another

From the outside looking in, the T.50 appears to be a single seater racing car. With intentional focus on the driver. As the dihedral doors lift, they present a wide opening that grants easy access to the cabin. The design of the carbon fibre monocoque moves the need for torsion beams from the centre of the passenger compartment to the outside of the chassis, meaning the floor is free from obstruction.

In keeping with much of the rest of the car, each pedal is an engineering work of art.

Milled from solid aluminium for strength and lightness and laser-etched with the T.50 name, the clutch and brake pedals both feature a web-like pattern to save weight and provide an anti-slip surface. The accelerator pedal is crafted from solid titanium to deliver the lightest, strongest pedal.

To the right of the driver, a titanium gearstick sits on an arm that extends alongside the driver’s seat. The underside of the arm ‘floats’ above the cabin floor to reveal the expertlycrafted titanium gearchange mechanism.

Once seated in the central driving position, the three-spoke carbon fibre steering wheel is pleasingly narrow-rimmed to afford a firm grip and transmit abundant feedback.

Every control is analogue, every display designed for clarity, every switch is satisfyingly tactile.

Just 100 customers will be able to park a T.50 in their garage and at an estimated A$6m price tag there may be very few to be seen on Australian roads though it is understood orders are already in from other parts of the world.

VTE | 23

Feature | Motorhaus Garage

Body Building

Motorhaus Garage’s aim is to provide customers with a more personalised car and a sense of achievement while keeping costs down but with head turning exotic looks.

MHG’s Rob Clunes is a car enthusiast with a long background in building Hot Rods but also working within the automotive industry.

What struck him was that there were a number of very good cars out there but for one reason or another they did not have the necessary appeal. Mechanically they were fine but somehow their looks missed the mark.

Anyone who has worked for a major car manufacturer will also know that designers are trying to do the impossible and that is to appeal to a wide range of people from a wide range of countries.

Take Ford’s current crop of four-wheel drives, it doesn’t take a genius to work out they were designed for the US market – they are big, bulky and brazen. And while they may build up a following here there are countries where those looks just won’t work.

However, the option if you don’t like the look of the car, is to dress it up. There are many kits around with spoilers, skirts, air dams and wheel arch flares but underneath it all you can still see the same basic body.

MHG wanted to get away from that, and also 24 | September 2020

far away from anything that looked like a kit car. Their idea was to make a whole new body for a car that would set the car apart and not bear any resemblance to its more prosaic underpinnings.

The company has been working on the idea for 12-18 months but like many have been thwarted by COVID-19. But it has moved forward not only with planning but building the first of the bodies.

“What we’ve found is that 18 to 35-year-old males are buying these Rocket Bunny and Pandora body kits for around $20,000 to $30,000 and they’re just tec screwed onto the body,” Mr Clunes said. “They don’t look good and they don’t enhance the car at all.

“I wanted to build a kit car, but I didn’t want to build a replica. There was nothing really out there that had a really nice look.”

Looking at the demographic of the average 18 to 35-year-old shows that while some may not have a mortgage strangling them, they are still building up their bank balance.

“Anyone can afford one we’re trying to keep it under that magic $30,000 mark for the kit,” Mr Clunes said.

Motorhaus Garage | Feature

“What we’ve done is looked for cars that were essentially good cars but didn’t sell because the body styles didn’t appeal, like the Mazda RX8.

“Secondhand prices for them are also good with a price point under $10,000 and with the kit at $25,000 to $30,000 you have what looks like a supercar.”

And with the RX8 powerplant it won’t be a slouch on the road.

Essentially what MHG has designed is a kit where you take the original body off the chassis and put the MHG body straight on.

“It’s about making that as simple as possible, so you don’t need an engineering degree to do it,” said Mr Clunes.

The new body is mostly fibreglass with some carbon fibre but limited to keep costs down.

Currently an overseas company is producing the fibreglass moulds because they have the necessary 3D router and facilities, and according to Mr Clunes to do that in Australia is roughly a $7m investment.

“The work is being done in Lebanon, it’s a central point for fibreglass in the world,” he said. “Moving forward then we can flop our own moulds over here.

“I estimate that we will employ 30 – 60 people in Brisbane then some others in other states.”

The company is focussing on building the initial kits to fit the Nissan 37Z, the Infiniti G35 and G27, the Nissan Patrol with a wagon or ute body that fits on the chassis, a kit for the BMW Z3, Mitsubishi Triton, Porsche Boxster and Mitsubishi Lancers – quite a diverse range.

By this time next year MHG expects to start selling the kits and long term has more innovations in the pipeline such as offering swap over engines, and a long way further in the future perhaps building an electric supercar for motorsport use. But that’s a long way away.

“We are talking with an engine workshop to produce our own engines so that there will be three levels of each cylinder type (4, straight 6, V6 and V8). We’re looking at an exchange system for engines,” Mr Clunes said.

According the MHG the body kits are designed to be fitted by anyone with a good knowledge of cars but not necessarily an engineer or tradesperson. But if that sets your pulse racing in a bad way MHG can install the kit.

One of the things that often happens during any car rebuild or build is that enthusiasm can wane, and distraction sets in, then before you know it the project is gathering dust.

MHG wants to make sure that doesn’t happen.

“We want to make sure that if you buy a kit from us, we will send you a link every fortnight to see where you’re up to so we can help you progress,” Mr Clunes said.

If a customer is having trouble with any area of the fitment MHG has incorporated in the kit price three full days of help where an experienced tradesman will come to assist with the build – anywhere in the country and for no additional cost. Those three days can be three individual days or three consecutive days.

Videos will be produced to take the buyer through each step of the process and everything that’s needed will be in the kit.

The company is looking for investors to enable it to move forward more quickly. www.saea.com.au

VTE | 25

Feature | Technical

Michelle, Lennon University of New South Wales, Canberra

Feasibility Study on the use of Magnetorheological Fluids to Provide Active Roll Stiffness and Damping ABSTRACT The development of new technologies, in particular smart materials, creates opportunities for active control methods.

Magnetorheological fluids are a class of smart materials commonly used in active vibration control due to their favorable energy dissipation properties.

Magnetorheological fluids’ physical properties, such as yield stress and viscosity, vary with the strength of the applied of magnetic field.

Rheometer testing of MRF-132DG a Magnetorheological Fluid

INTRODUCTION Magnetorheological fluids (MR fluids) have been extensively used in fluid damping applications across a range of industries.

Their popularity derives from their magneticfield-dependent properties and rapid response times. MR fluids comprise of micron sized polarizable particles suspended in a carrier fluid. Most variations of commercially available fluids consist of iron particles in a hydrocarbon oil carrier fluid. The anisotropic magnetic forces acting between the particle pairs in the fluid result in chains and other more complex structures forming along the magnetic field lines [1]. These structures cause a physical change from a free-flowing liquid to a semisolid, directly impacting the viscosity and shear rate among other properties. This variable nature makes the MR fluid popular for energy dissipation applications within control systems such as shock absorbers [2], valves [3], brakes [4], clutches [5-6] and engine mounts [7,8].

Here MR fluids are examined for their damping properties within suspension systems for race cars. One potential application for MR fluids is in active suspension assemblies to achieve variable roll stiffness and damping. This concept uses a fluid interface between two sleeves in the main bar of an anti roll bar (ARB).

By holding the inner sleeve stationary, when the ARB is twisted the resulting fluid flow can act as a damper, and through utilizing a MR fluid as the interface the damping and stiffness can be varied. The focus of this study is the feasibility of incorporating such a concept to a formula style race vehicle.

26 | September 2020

Research into MR fluid behavior has identified two constitutive models that have been found to accurately represent MR fluids [9, 10].

The primary models are viscoelastic, where shear thinning or thickening aren’t observed or Herschel Bulkey where it is observed. The Herschel Bulkey equation given in Equation 1 is the most commonly applied for those MR fluids. In this model the shear stress đ?œ? and viscosity đ?œ‡ in are calculated from the đ?œ?đ?‘œ yield shear stress, and two characterization parameters K and n.

đ?œ? = Ď„đ?‘œ + đ??žđ?›žĚ‡ đ?‘› đ?œ‡ = Ď„đ?›žđ?‘œ + đ??žđ?›žĚ‡ đ?‘›âˆ’1 (1) Magnetic saturation and temperature have been found to have significant impacts on the magnetorheological effect, however this is only noticed at applied fields around 300 kA/m and temperatures over 100 degrees Celsius [1, 11, 12]. There are two key equations created by Carlson and Ginder that describe the variation of shear stress with applied magnetic field. Ginder’s model in Equation 2 focuses on the microscopic level using the permittivity of free space Îźđ?‘œ, Magnetic Saturation Field Strength Mđ?‘ , and volume fraction ∅ [1]. Carlson’s model in Equation 3 focusses on the macroscopic level, using the volume fraction ∅, oil constant ‘C’ and applied magnetic field in A/m [9].

Ď„ = CĂ—271700Ă—âˆ…1.5239Ă— tanh(6.33đ??ť) (2) đ?œ? = √6 Ă— s Ă— Âľđ?‘œĂ—đ?‘€đ?‘ 1/2 Ă—đ??ť 2/3 (3)

These fluids can be found in a variety of commercial applications such as engine mounts, vehicle shock absorbers and earthquake isolators. Within the expanding field of active suspension systems magnetorheological fluids are being extensively applied in shock absorbers seen in race vehicles.

Where the ability to optimize suspension for a range of race conditions is limited, the magnetorheological fluid can be used to extend the operational envelope of the suspension system.

This paper conducts a feasibility study and characterization of the fluid MRF-132DG from the LORD™ Corporation for use in active roll stiffness and damping in an anti roll bar.

A model for low magnetic field strengths is developed for the range of magnetic field strengths possible to incorporate in a race vehicle. This is then used to determine the feasibility of active roll damping and roll stiffness.

METHODOLOGY To obtain the required fluid properties, rotational rheometry was undertaken using a 4 degree 40mm diameter cone plate setup on a Kinexus Pro + rheometer. As the Kinexus Pro + doesn’t have an inbuilt electromagnet, a solenoid coil was designed to fit within the restrictions of the rheometer geometry. The coil was located around the sample with the field lines running perpendicular to the lower plate as shown in Figure 1. An OPS18500 variable DC power supply provided constant current. The standardized programs for the Kinexus Pro + were used to obtain measurements.

Technical | Feature

with the summary of fluid properties. It can be observed that at low applied field strengths the relationship between the yield stress and shear rate is linear. To simplify the model a linear fit was created.

The Resulting model proposed for MR fluid viscosity at low applied magnetic fields is given in Equation 4.

Ρ(đ??ť, đ?›žĚ‡) =

Ď„đ?‘œ (đ??ť)

�

+ 2.567đ?›žĚ‡ (0.541−1)

Ď„đ?‘œ (đ??ť) = 2.473H - 0.888 (4)

Viscoelastic Behavior

The viscoelastic properties of the fluid were identified by conducting a G’ and G� crossover test. In this test the G’ is the storage modulus and represents the elastic behavior of the fluid, G� is the loss modulus representing the viscous behavior are considered over a range of frequencies to identify the dominant behavior of the fluid. This identifies the fluids transition from fluid to pseudo plastic behavior.

From Figure 5 the viscous G� behavior was dominant at 0 mT, however a crossover was observed at 6 mT. At field strengths above this the elastic effects were found to be dominant. This behavior assists in determining the damping behavior of the fluid.

Variable Roll Stiffness

FIGURE 1: Diagram of experimental setup with the Kinexus Pro + rheometer.

RESULTS The results of the rheometry showed within the uncertainty in measurements, the trends that aligned with the summary data provided by the LORD™ Corporation and observations by Gonclaves and Varela-JimÊnez et al [9,10]. The carrier fluid was found to be shear thinning and this behavior was observed at all magnetic field strengths. The results are shown in Figure 3. Additional testing was conducted to determine the viscoelastic nature of the fluid.

The acceptance criteria for the feasibility analysis were determined using the methods described in chapters 16-18 from Race Car Vehicle Dynamics[14] and from the Optimum G technical papers [15]. The performance criteria was determined from the UNSW Academy Racing Vehicle 2016 suspension design and the slalom and skid pan performance requirements. The required upper and lower bounds of stiffness and roll damping coefficients are given in Table 2. To provide the required torque the fluid would have to produce a 40.7 N/m stiffness increase. This stiffness was used to calculate the torque required by the fluid for 1 inch of suspension travel. The torque was required to be at least 0.207 Nm, however the maximum torque measured for the MR fluid within the feasible magnetic field range was

Fluid Model The coefficients for the power law and Herschel Bulkey models were determined through a two-step process. Initially a regression fit was calculated to identify the model coefficients. These coefficients were set up in a spreadsheet and the Microsoft Excel™ GRG nonlinear solver was used to minimize the difference between the measured values and the predicted values. The optimized Herschel Bulkey coefficients K and n were then calculated for all field strengths and averaged.

TABLE 1: R2 and Mean Squared Error (MSE) for each field strength in optimized/averaged model

This provided three models; optimized power law, optimized Herschel Bukey and the averaged Herschel Bulkey. Figure 2 displays these three models for both shear stress and viscosity compared with the experimental data. It was clear that while the power law model did represent the fluid, the two Herschel Bulkey variations produced the smallest error. The optimal Herschel Bulkey parameters were found to fit the data significantly better than the averaged Herschel Bulkey coefficient fit. The models for each field strength are shown in Figure 3 clearly show the individually optimized models are the better fit. The averaged models do provide a close representation of the measured data.

The Herschel Bulkey model in Equation 2 has been previously identified in the work of Ginder, Gonclaves and others as the most suitable model as the K and n parameters are unaffected by the magnetic field, and the yield shear stress term is a function of the applied magnetic field [1]. The models identified in Equations 2 and Equation 3 by Carlson and Ginder were considered for the yield shear stress relation [1,9]. As the magnetic saturation point was not measured, the Carlson Equation was used to model the yield shear stress. Figure 4 displays the data provided by the LORD Corporation www.saea.com.au

FIGURE 2: Comparison of power law, averaged Herschel Bulkey and optimized Herschel Bulkey Models at 0mT flux.

VTE | 27

Feature | Technical

two orders of magnitude too small. The greatest torque measured was 1.373x10-3 Nm at 22 mT magnetic flux. From this it was concluded that within the current size and power restrictions the variable stiffness is not feasible for a formula-style race vehicle.

Variable Roll Damping The compromise of driver comfort, overshoot, fast response time and mechanical grip is restricted when one damping ratio is chosen.

Currently many FSAE teams do not include roll damping, opting to compromise the ride and roll damping coefficients with the suspension design. This reduces the stability of the vehicle in roll, and does not allow complete control of the suspension system. The damping coefficient was determined by two means. Initially the damping factor, �, is calculated from the ratio of viscous to elastic moduli (G�/G’) in Equation 5.

tan � = FIGURE 3: Comparison of the averaged and optimized Herschel Bulkey models at four different field strengths.

G�

G’

(5)

This indicated the damping factor varied from 1.03 to 1.38. Then using the apparent viscosity Equation 6 was used to calculate the damping coefficient [13]. This equation used đ??´ as the surface area, đ?œ‚ as the apparent viscosity and đ?‘™, the gap between the oscillating surfaces. The critical damping coefficient for the vehicle was calculated from the wheel rate, đ??žđ?‘Š , and sprung mass, đ?‘šđ?‘ đ?‘š , using Equation 7 [16]. The calculated damping ratio varied from 0.2075 without a magnetic field and 1.7587 at 22 mT, as expected with the viscosity at 22mT being 1300% of the 0mT viscosity.

đ??ľ =

nA l

(6)

đ??śđ??śđ?‘…= 2√đ??žW Ă— đ?‘šsm (7) These values show that it is feasible to provide variable roll damping through the use of a magnetorheological fluid. For application in the vehicle, a model relating current or voltage and viscosity will need to be created. This is easily adapted from the Herschel Bulkey viscosity model with relation to the magnetic field strength.

APPLICATION

FIGURE 4: Yield stress vs magnetic field strength courtesy of the LORD™ Corporation.[13]

The feasibility of incorporating a magnetorheological fluid into a vehicle extends to many more practical implications beyond the fluids ability to provide the required properties. The three key identified areas were the solenoid coil, cooling and control methodology.

Solenoid Coil The primary restricting factor for the application of magnetorheological fluids in vehicles is the ability to produce the required magnetic field, without also requiring large amounts of power draw or exceeding the vehicles mass and space limitations. The restrictions for the UNSW FSAE team are given in Table 2. The tradeoff between the coil wire diameter and the mass of the coil is given in Figure 5. This identifies that a solid core copper wire at 0.64 mm or 0.81 mm diameter provided the best compromises between viscosity enhancement, space, mass and power requirements while having a current capacity close to 6A. The coil mass can be reduced through evenly spaced Helmholtz coils along the ARB. These calculations also considered the maximum coil diameter and a varying number of coil layers, however do not take into consideration decreases in the maximum current due to heat power loss varying the resistivity of copper. The anticipated current draw required is expected to fluctuate depending on corner or bump frequency and conditions. Due to this the power draw was determined to be within the 6A continuous power draw limitation.

Cooling FIGURE 5: G’ and G� crossover analysis results.

28 | September 2020

The maximum current ratings are used for a wire in free space, not in a coil. This varies the maximum current rating for the wire due to the change in convective and radiative cooling and the increase in conductive cooling. As the high current draw is not anticipated for

Technical | Feature

REFERENCES 1. Ginder, John M. 1998. “Behavior of Magnetorheological Fluids”. MRS Bulletin 23 (08): 26-29. Cambridge University Press (CUP). doi:10.1557/ s0883769400030785.

2. Yang, G. et al. 2002. “Large-scale MR fluid dampers: modeling and dynamic performance considerations”. Engineering Structures 24 (3): 309-323. Elsevier BV.doi:10.1016/s0141-0296(01)00097-9.

3. Wang, J & Meng, G. 2001. “MagnetorheologicalFuid devices and their applicationsin mechanicalengineerin”. J. Mechanical Strength 23: 50-56.

TABLE 2: Required stiffness and damping requirements along with key vehicle parameters in min/max where applicable

4. Huang, J et al. 2002. “Analysis and design of a cylindrical magnetorheological fluid brake”. Journal of Materials Processing Technology 129 (1-3): 559-562. Elsevier BV. doi:10.1016/s0924-0136(02)00634-9.

5. Papadopoulos, Chris A. 1998. “Brakes and clutches using ER fluids”.

Mechatronics 8 (7): 719-726. Elsevier BV. doi:10.1016/s09574158(98)00026-9.

6. Choi, S et al. 1997. “Position controlof a moving table using ER clutch and ER brake Proc. 6th Int. Conf. on Electro-Rheological Fluids, Magneto-RheologicalSuspensionsand Their Applications”. Singapore: World Scientifc: 661-9.

7. Kim, G. & Singh, R. 1995. “A study of passive and adaptive hydraulic engine mount systems with emphasis on non-linear characteristics”.

Journal of Sound and Vibration 179 (3): 427-453. Elsevier BV. doi:10.1006/jsvi.1995.0028.

8. Ahn, Y; Ahmadian, M & Morishita, S. 1999. “On the design and developmentof a magneto-rheologicalmount”. Veh. Syst. Dyn.: 32199– 216.

9. Gonclaves, F. D.; Ahmadian, M. & Carlson, J. D. 2005. “Behavior of MR Fluids AT High Velocities And High Shear Rates”. International Journal of Modern Physics B 19 (07n09): 1395-1401. World Scientific Pub Co Pte Lt. doi:10.1142/s0217979205030359.

FIGURE 6: Maximum magnetic field produced at different wire diameters Vs mass of the coil. more than a few seconds at a time it is not expected that temperature rises will significantly change the coil resistance. Where heating does occur there is scope for cooling systems through ducting or radiators.

Control Methodology The primary method recommended for the control of the magnetorheological fluid is a PID style controller. The input for the system can be effected through a series of potentiometers aligned with each of the four shock absorbers on the vehicle. Through comparing the potentiometer readings the desired damping ratio can be determined and resulting voltage applied over the coil.

CONCLUSIONS The feasibility study has determined Herschel Bulkey model parameters correlating the viscosity and shear stress to the magnetic field strength at a range of shear rates for a MR fluid. This model requires a yield shear stress term related to field strength to determine the viscosity or shear stress at a shear rate. The achievable range of magnetic field strengths in a vehicular application restricts the change in fluid properties.

This study has found that within these restrictions the fluid in not able to produce the desired stiffness increase for use in a practical vehicle, however it was identified that the damping increase was achievable.

The damping ratio was found to vary from 0.2075 without a magnetic field and 1.7587 at magnetic field of 12 mT. While the fluid is capable of providing the property change using an achievable field strength in a vehicle, a few practical issues such as power loss through the coil may provide practical limitations to the application of the concept compared to the results of the simplified analysis presented in this paper. www.saea.com.au

10. Varela-Jiménez, M I et al. 2015. “Constitutive model for shear yield stress of magnetorheological fluid based on the concept of state transition”. Smart Materials and Structures 24 (4): 045039. IOP Publishing. doi:10.1088/0964-1726/24/4/045039.

11. Choi, Y T et al. 2005. “Constitutive models of electrorheological and magnetorheological fluids using viscometers”. Smart Materials and Structures 14 (5): 1025-1036. IOP Publishing. doi:10.1088/09641726/14/5/041.

12. Chen, Song et al. 2015. “Analysis of Influence of Temperature on Magnetorheological Fluid and Transmission Performance”. Advances in Materials Science and Engineering 2015: 1-7. Hindawi Limited. doi:10.1155/2015/583076.

13. LORD. MRF-132DG Magneto-Rheological Fluid. 1st ed. Cary, NC: LORD, 2017. Web. 15 Mar. 2017.

14. Milliken, William F. ; Milliken. 1997. Race Car Vehicle Dynamics Book and Problems, Answers and Solutions Set. Etats-Unis: SAE International.

15. Vemuri, S. 2000. “Behavioral Modeling of Viscous Damping in MEMS”.

Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Carnegie Mellon University.

16. Giaraffa, M. 2010. Tech Tip: Springs & Dampers, Part Three. Ebook.

Optimum G Tech Tips. www.optimumg.com/technical/technical-papers/

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to acknowledge the contributions and guidance of my academic supervisor Dr Sean O’Byrne. I would also like to acknowledge the guidance of Dr Jong-Leng Liow in the use of the rheometer.

VTE | 29

Feature | Nissan

Mass producing carbon fibre Nissan develops a method for stamping carbon fibre

Carbon fibre, or if you’re American carbon fiber, has been around for more than 150 years and was first created by Sir Joseph Swan in 1860 for use in an incandescent light bulb, then Thomas Edison used carbon fibre filaments in his light bulbs though these were made of cotton or bamboo and not today’s petroleum based materials.

Then in 1958 the Union Carbide Parma Technical Centre in the US produced the first petroleum-based product – by accident but that’s another story. Since then the material has been developed and underwent quite a few changes, the most recent in the 1970s when our current version was advanced and now it is flavour of month especially in automotive and aerospace design and construction, albeit a costly one.

However, now this material used in airplanes, rockets and sports cars may find its way into more mass-market cars thanks to a new production process developed by Nissan.

The new process speeds up the development of car parts made from carbon fibre reinforced plastics, or CFRP.

30 | September 2020

Nissan aims to use the new process to massproduce CFRP parts and introduce them in more cars. The innovation can cut the leadtime to develop such components by as much as half, and the cycle time for moulding by about 80 percent compared with conventional methods.

While the benefits of carbon fibre have long been known, it’s expensive compared with other materials such as steel. Along with the difficulty in shaping CFRP parts, this has hampered the mass production of automotive components made from the material.

Nissan says it has found a new approach to the existing production method known as compression resin transfer moulding.

Traditionally carbon fibre has been constructed by layering it into moulds one layer at a time and then using vacuum pressure to set the resin.

Nissan’s engineers developed techniques to accurately simulate the permeability of the resin in carbon fibre, while visualizing resin flow behaviour in a die using an indie temperature sensor and a transparent

die. The result of the successful simulation was a high-quality component with shorter development time.

Now Nissan says it has developed a way to machine press or stamp the material.

The trick is to create forms with shallow grooves through which resin can be distributed throughout the piece, and the company says it can then press out parts more quickly and, in a manner that would suit production use.

Lovely as that is, does Nissan really intend to use carbon fibre parts more readily in its production car process? Carbon fibre remains expensive not only in terms of raw material costs but also tooling required to manufacture it in bulk.

According to Nissan it is considering using this method to produce carbon fibre B pillars perhaps progressing onto use in other simple shapes.

If the method works well in production it may find its way into other car companies that may be more matched to its use.