Research
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Automotive
Automotive research is an important component of the research portfolio in ME. In addition to the internationally renowned Automotive Research Center, the department is home to three General Motors-UM Collaborative Research Labs in Advanced Vehicle Manufacturing: Advanced Vehicle Manufacturing, Engine Systems Research, and Smart Materials and Structure, which provide for sustained funding in this area. Activities can be characterized in the following areas: advanced and hybrid powertrains, vehicle dynamics and control, high-performance structures and materials, vehicle system integration and optimization, and advanced vehicle manufacturing.
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Research Highlights
Barber's Research
Professor Jim Barber's research focuses mostly on those aspects of solid mechanics pertaining to the contact of deformable bodies and particularly to situations in which non-uniform temperatures result from frictional heat generation at the interface or from heat flow across it. In such cases, thermoelastic deformation of the contacting bodies modifies the contact pressure distribution and can lead to a rich variety of phenomena including localization and dynamic instabilities. These effects are of considerable technological importance, including, for example, non-uniform contact pressure, high local temperatures and vibrations in clutches and braking systems: a phenomenon known as frictionally-excited thermoelastic instability (TEI). The figure on the left shows a transmission clutch plate after a single engagement. The dark areas correspond to regions in which high local temperatures have been experienced. The complete disk in this case exhibits 12 equally spaced hot spots on each side and they are arranged antisymmetrically. In other words, the hot spots on the opposite side of the disk are located in the gaps between those shown in the figure. (James Barber)Peng's Research
Design of advanced hybrid vehicles: configuration, sizing and control
Active safety of ground vehicles through advanced sensing, estimation and control techniques (Huei Peng)Ma's Research
ARC Thrust Area 3 is focused on developing advanced simulation and optimization methods that increase survivability, reliability, and durability of ground vehicles while reducing weight. These methods are intended to support Army vehicles throughout their life cycle: from optimization methods used in the conceptual design stages of future combat systems, to analysis tools that are being used to assess and improve the durability and survivability of current vehicles.Crashworthy and blast-protective structure designs are two of the most challenging tasks in vehicle development programs. The greatest challenge facing both of the automotive industry and US military is providing safer vehicles with high fuel efficiency at minimum cost. Among other new methodologies, a Magic Cube (MQ) approach has been developed at ARC for crashworthy and blast-protective structures designs with a focus on how to systematically and optimally design a structural and material system for improved safety against vehicular crash and explosive assault. The goal is to design an optimum structure in terms of all of topology, shape, and size, for both structural and material layouts. (Zheng-Dong Ma)
Sick's Research
Development and application of high-speed multi-parameter imaging for reactive flow research, in particular for internal combustion engines. Researchers
Engines and Energy Conversion:
Internal combustion engines
Internal combustion engines, hybrids
Imaging diagnostics for reactive flows, in particular internal combustion engines
Combustion research
Combustion research
Batteries and energy storage
Mechanics and Dynamics:
Friction, brake systems
Vehicle dynamics
Fracture and fatigue
Adhesives and fracture
Integrated vehicle systems modeling
Vehicle dynamics, mechanics and dynamics of tires
Design and Manufacturing:
Topology optimizations, mechanics and modeling of structures
Design optimization
Manufacturing
Design optimization
Smart structures
Control:
Powertrain control, hybrid vehicle design
Vehicle control
Intelligent vehicle systems, hybrid vehicle design