RICERCA ITALIANA     

Research program

THE ENHANCEMENT OF MECHANICAL TRANSMISSIONS FOR THE REDUCTION OF THE ENERGY CONSUMPTION

University Co-ordinator

Politecnico di TORINO - MECCANICA - TORINO(TO)

Research Unit Leader

Mauro VELARDOCCHIA

Description

Research project is devoted to test through hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) innovative automotive transmissions to increase efficiency and performance evaluating their integration with vehicle stability control systems.
The activity is divided according two main aims. First one is devoted to integrate, in an existing and experimentally validated vehicle dynamics model, the mathematical models concerning innovative transmissions conceived by Bari and Palermo's Teams. Such integration will permit to evaluate the compatibility of energy saving aspects with vehicle performance. Successively the models will be reviewed to become usable for real-time computing purposes.
Such provision will permit to test, through an existing hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) test bench devoted to vehicle stability control researches, the benefits obtainable integrating innovative transmissions with systems like Electronic Stability Program (EPS).
Second Team's aim is to complete, according to a test bench HIL organization, an automotive transmissions test bench already existant at Team's Laboratory. The test bench was originally conceived to test gearbox robotized components. Such activity will be conceived and developed in a close cooperation with Firenze's Team, with which the co-operation is already strongly cured. Especially the complementarity between Firenze's HIL test bench devoted to gearbox robotized control strategy development and Torino's test bench finalised to integrate Firenze's researches in experimental tests devoted to consider the whole vehicle dynamics. Torino's activity is based on existing vehicle dynamics models experimentally validated with FIAT Auto through road tests and, from the point of view of gearbox robotized control strategy test, is oriented to set a load torque equivalent to that due to actual vehicle operatingconditions.
Torino' team will develop the test bench to characterize the efficiency of innovative transmission systems that will be studied by the other Teams. Such experimental activity requires to complete the instrumentations tools concerning torques measurements, electric motors and their drivers. Moreover, it will be necessary to develop an experimental methodology to simulate different operating conditions in which to test the innovative transmissions. Finally, a procedure to test the systems depending on different thermal operating conditions will be on purpose conceived.

The main results will be the following:
1. Vehicle dynamics functional models complete of innovative transmissions models;
2. vehicle dynamics models complete of innovative transmissions able to be implemented in real-time test benches through Hardware-in-the-loop (HIL);
3. experimental measurement of innovative transmissions efficiency through Hardware-in-the-loop test bench depending on vehicle dynamics and thermal operating conditions;
4. experimental tests about saving energy compatibily with vehicle stability control systems (like Electronic Stability Program);
5. test bench provided with HIL to investigate the integration of innovative transmissions in the overall vehicle dynamics, according to evaluate saving energy.
Torino' Team activities can be divided in five main phases:

1. Vehicle dynamics functional models complete of innovative transmissions models (three months – 5000Euro);
2. Vehicle dynamics models complete of innovative transmissions able to be implemented in real-time test benches through Hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) (three months – 5000Euro);
3. Co-operation among the others Teams (continuous co-operation during the whole project – 30000 Euro)
4. experimental tests about saving energy compatibily with vehicle stability control systems (like Electronic Stability Program) (six months – 10000Euro);
5. test bench provided with HIL to investigate the integration of innovative transmissions in the overall vehicle dynamics, according to evaluate saving energy (twelve months – 30000Euro).