Browse Topic: Assembling
Since 2019, sex equity in traffic crashes has been a highly debated topic in vehicle safety, especially following the 2019 study by Forman et al. (1) claiming that female occupants face a 73 percent greater risk of serious injury in frontal crashes compared to male occupants. This was soon followed by a Consumer Reports Article by Keith Barry (2), which attempted to identify underlying factors contributing to the higher risk. These have been embraced by several parties since 2019. Firstly, it was alleged that vehicle design practice over the last four decades considered safety for the male population only and ignored that of the female as evidenced by the exclusive use of the mid-sized male Anthropomorphic Test Devices (ATDs) in Regulatory and Safety Ratings tests and not with an average sized female ATD. The absence of such an ATD for testing of vehicles “set the course for four decades’ worth of car safety design, with deadly consequences” (2). Secondly, although there is a recognition of the fact that Regulatory testing with a Small Female ATD, the Hybrid III-05F, was introduced in the FMVSS208 in 2003, this ATD was only a scaled version of the average male ATD of the 1970’s implying that this ATD is incapable of driving the design of restraint systems for females due to “They’re put together differently. Their material properties—their structure—is different” (2). Thirdly, according to a quote “These same trends have been observed in many, many studies in the past.” We assume that the trends refer to the apparent disparity in safety of females when compared to those of males. This document aims to outline historical activities, associated research and the development of countermeasures addressing crashworthiness concerns related to vehicle safety for females, as well as factors affecting both males and females, such as age-related impacts. This paper deals mainly with the frontal crash modes, mentions side impacts briefly as it affected designs of inflatable restraints for side impact to protect the smaller portion of the population from inflation induced injuries but the history behind the use of female ATDs by IIHS and NHTSA in full scale testing is not covered. Where ever possible, the time periods of reported activities related to female safety have been divided to pre-1997 corresponding to a change in US frontal crash regulation to address serious-to-fatal injuries to females and children, between 1997 to 2003 corresponding to the proposal by Canada for its frontal impact standard, and between 2003 and 2006 when the Advanced Restraint Regulation in the US FMVSS 208 was promulgated. This was followed by activities between 2007 and 2019, and post 2019 period.
This paper presents the implementation of a fully automated Health and Usage Monitoring System (HUMS) data chain designed to accelerate installed engine performance diagnostics during the pre-delivery phase of new-generation helicopters. Ensuring that engine performance remains consistent with original engine manufacturer (OEM) baseline data is a critical step in the final assembly process, yet traditionally time-consuming. The developed system automates data offloading and integrates three distinct streams: OEM engine performance characteristics, in-flight Engine Power Checks (EPC), and high-frequency continuous recordings. The core innovation lies in a multi-source data fusion methodology combined with a physics-based model to differentiate between genuine installation discrepancies and sensor anomalies through temperature deviation analysis. Results from the production environment demonstrate that this automated approach significantly reduces troubleshooting lead times and ensures on-time aircraft delivery. By shifting advanced monitoring from in-service operations to manufacturing, this system establishes a new digital benchmark for quality control in helicopter production.
How Cummins used modeling and other advanced design software to create its most efficient engines yet. As AI and other deep-learning tools begin to help shape the transportation industry, they also bring improvements to existing technology. Modeling and simulation software has rapidly become a crucial tool for improving the design process of new diesel engines. More than two decades after the first X15 engines rolled off the assembly line, Cummins has applied today's modeling tools to help create the HELM version of the X15. The HELM architecture (which stands for Higher Efficiency, Lower emissions and Multiple fuels) is the company's basis for a global platform capable of meeting all manners of emissions regulations while still serving customers across a wide variety of use cases.
The scope of this SAE Aerospace Recommended Practice (ARP) is to establish the procedure for creating titles of aerospace tubing and clamp installation documents generated by SAE Subcommittee G-3E.
The segment manipulator machine, a large custom-built apparatus, is used for assembling and disassembling heavy tooling, specifically carbon fiber forms. This complex yet slow-moving machine had been in service for nineteen years, with many control components becoming obsolete and difficult to replace. The customer engaged Electroimpact to upgrade the machine using the latest state-of-the-art controls, aiming to extend the system's operational life by at least another two decades. The program from the previous control system could not be reused, necessitating a complete overhaul.
Since the early 1980s, the automotive industry has used hydraulically actuated (servo-hydraulic) test systems to simulate operating speeds and road conditions for testing OEM components and fully assembled vehicles. They have helped unlock vast improvements in the quality, safety, and reliability of the cars and trucks coming off the world’s assembly lines.
Spot welds are integral to automotive body construction, influencing vehicle performance and durability. Spot welding ensures structural integrity by creating strong bonds between metal sheets, crucial for maintaining vehicle safety and performance. It is highly compatible with automation, allowing for streamlined production processes and increased efficiency in automotive assembly lines. The number and distribution of spot welds directly impact the vehicle's ability to withstand various loads and stresses, including impacts, vibrations, and torsion. Manufacturers adhere to strict quality control standards to ensure the integrity of spot welds in automotive production. Monitoring spot weld count and weld quality during manufacturing processes through advanced inspection techniques such as Image processing by YOLOv8 helps identify the number of spots and quality that could compromise safety. Automating quality control processes is paramount, and machine vision offers a promising solution. Leveraging the YOLOv8 model, this research proposes an efficient technique for automatic detection and counting of spot welds on automotive sheets. Through analysis of a comprehensive dataset of annotated images, our approach demonstrates superior accuracy and efficiency in tracking and quantifying spot welds. Quantitative evaluation validates the effectiveness of this vision-based inspection method, highlighting its potential for enhancing car body welding quality control processes.
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