Clay Wesley Maranville

Using smart materials to solve new challenges in the automotive industry

Ford has an extensive history of developing and utilizing smart and innovative materials in its vehicles. In this paper, we present new challenges the automotive industry is facing and explore how intelligent uses of smart materials can help provide solutions. We explore which vehicle attributes may provide most advantageous for the use smart materials, and discuss how smart material have had technical challenges that limit their use. We also look at how smart materials such as gecko inspired adhesion is providing opportunities during the vehicle assembly process by improving manufacturing quality, environmental sustainability, and worker safety. An emerging area for deployment of smart materials may involve autonomous vehicles and mobility solutions, where customer expectations are migrating toward a seamless and adaptive experience leading to new expectations for an enhanced journey. Another area where smart materials are influencing change is interior and exterior design including smart textiles, photochromatic dyes, and thermochromatic materials. The key to advancing smart materials in automotive industry is to capitalize on the smaller niche applications where there will be an advantage over traditional methods. Ford has an extensive history of developing and utilizing smart and innovative materials. Magnetorheological fluids, thermoelectric materials, piezoelectric actuators, and shape memory alloys are all in production. In this paper we present new challenges the automotive industry is facing and explore how intelligent uses of smart materials can help provide solutions. We explore which vehicle attributes may provide most advantageous for the use smart materials, and discuss how smart materials have had technical challenges that limit their use. An emerging area for deployment of smart materials may involve autonomous vehicles and mobility solutions, where customer expectations may require a seamless and adaptive experience for users having various expectations.

Thermophysical Characterization of Automotive Fluids

*† ‡ Thermophysical properties of automotive fluids have become increasingly important in designing advanced automotive systems and components. By controlling the t hermophysical properties of automotive fluids, the thermal management of automotive systems can be better controlled . We have studied in detail the temperature dependence of t hermal conductivity, spec ific heat capacity, dens ity, and kinematic viscosity for a range of oils and coolants used in automotive systems . Engineering properties, such as Prandlt and Nuss elt numbers, were calculated from the measured thermophysical properties and are compared for the fluids studied . Finally, we discuss the importance of vapor pressure and surface tension measurements as means for assessing fluid behavior effects in systems and for fluid formulation development . Our study indicate s that the combined effects for each of these measured factors and their temperature dependence, are crucial in quantifying the overall heat transfer and thermal management of automotive systems . Nomenclature h = heat transfer coefficient u = velocity ∝ = dynamic viscosity Cp = specific hea t capacity at constant pressure m = mass flow rate