10 Best New Car Engine For 2014

In a latest release by Forbes, “10 Best New Car Engine for 2014”, Audi S5 with its 3.0 L TFSI  Supercharged DOHC V-6 engine, has topped the list. Forbes is highly reliable source and has published this list on the basis of testing done by experts at WardsAuto. WardsAuto released this list on January 15 at a ceremony in North American International Auto Show in Detroit, USA. The cars were tested on road near the Detroit area in local conditions to get a realistic performance data of the cars. Complete top ten list is as follows:

Rank	Automaker	Engine Specifications
1	Audi S5	3.0 L, TFSI, Supercharged           DOHC, V-6
2.	BMW 535d	3.0 L, Turbodiesel, DOHC 16
3.	Ram 1500 Ecodiesel	3.0 L Turbodiesel DOHC  V-6
4.	Fiat 500e	83-kW Electric Motor
5.	Ford Fiesta	1.0 L Ecoboost DOHC I3
6	Chevrolet Cruze diesel	2.0 L Turbodiesel DOHC I4
7	Chevrolet Corvette Stingaray	6.2 L OHV V-8
8	Honda Accord	3.5 L SOHC V6
9	Porsche Cayman	2.7 L DOHC H6 Boxer
10	Volkswagen Jetta	1.8 L Turbocharged DOHC I4

Source:http://www.forbes.com/pictures/ehmk45lmdg/audi-s5-3-0l-tfsi-supercharged-dohc-v-6/

Source:http://www.forbes.com/pictures/ehmk45lmdg/audi-s5-3-0l-tfsi-supercharged-dohc-v-6

But this articles is not just about informing you about the best engines but also do a technical analysis to help people come out of the rumors and  the fascination caused due to aesthetic beauty of the cars. The engine was evaluated on the basis of multiple factors such as emissions, fuel economy, running smoothness, adherence to engine specification, load carrying ability etc to get a complete idea of a best car.

If you carefully parse the list, car at rank 7 appears as a power beast because of its eight cylinder 6.2 L engine, gulping loads of fuel. I bet people passionate about feeling the real thrust would love to take multiple rides of the Chevrolet Corvette. All other engines have cylinder volume in the range of 3- 1.8 L with the exception of Fiat 500e which is an 100 % electric car running on a heavy motor and 24 kWh Lithium ion battery (87 miles in one charging). It is hatchback car and is very popular these days as it topped the sales chart in year 2013 in USA. Another interesting fact that comes to the mind is the use of “DOHC” technology by almost all the best engines. What is this technology and why  all the automakers adopted it?

DOHC  is not a new  technology but is proven arrangement to increase the engine speeds and power. DOHC stand for “double overhead camshaft” meaning, two cams over the cylinder head of an engine. Advantage of using two cams is that engine designers could have four valves for each cylinder and therefore engine could breath more amount of air delivering high power. One cam operates the intake valves and another cam operate exhaust valves. In addition, automakers could bring turbocharging effect by carefully designing the intake runner giving the extra thrust during the operation. Techandtalk can post more about DOHC technology in case viewers are interested.

All the engine prefer  “V” engine arrangement over Inline engine arrangement to have more balance at high torque and speed conditions. Supercharging or turbocharging in the engine is done to boost the power of the engine by increasing the intake air pressure by utilising exhaust energy. Using turbocharging or supercharging in a car has become a convention now days.

In the ranking, Chevrolet  could manage to come up with two best engines whereas giants such as Ford & Porshce, known for technical excellence, could just manage to make it to the list of best engines. Ram 1500 Ecodiesel, is excellent in its category as the sales figure proves its worth. Although, it is expensive but in the truck segment, many say that it is a game changer. Chrysler group has announced to boost the production of Ram 1500 Ecodiesel to meet the demand in the 2015.

Now coming back to the king of the road, Audi S5, that used an extremely efficient engine using TFSI technology. Wait!  Do you know what TFSI is?  TFSI stands for Turbo fuel stratified engine that uses direct fuel injection system to inject fuel directly within the cylinder at the right time. Stratification implies proper fuel air mixing leading to high combustion efficiency and therefore this engine generates high power with relatively less fuel and exhaust emissions. No wonder, Audi has put lot of research effort to develop such an fuel efficient optimised engine. Engine could reach a benchmark of 60 mph in just 4.9 seconds and to achieve this has a 333 Hp engine at 5500-6500 rpm. Unbelievable isn’t it !  It should feel like driving  a racing car on the road. Kindly comment  to give your valuable feedback.

Hydrogen as Fuel: Innovative breakthrough for producing Hydrogen using Nanomaterial Graphene

                                        Fig: Graphene ( source: wikipedia)

Researchers at Argonne National Laboratory have recently developed a mini hydrogen generator that utilises light and two-dimensional graphene platform to increase the production of hydrogen. In this research, they found an unknown property of graphene in which two dimensional chain of carbon atoms can transfer electrons into another substance apart from giving and receiving electrons. This is unlike from the conventional process in which heat energy is used to generate steam to transfer hydrogen atom from oxygen. Natural gas which is a fossil fuel is burned in bulk amount to produce steam. Hence, in the new method fossil fuel is not burned, increasing possibility of using hydrogen as transportation fuel in the future. In this newly developed mini generator, both the bR protein and the graphene platform absorb visible light. Electrons from this reaction are transmitted to the titanium dioxide on which these two materials are anchored, making the titanium dioxide sensitive to visible light. Simultaneously, light from the green end of the solar spectrum triggers the bR protein to begin pumping protons along its membrane. These protons make their way to the platinum nanoparticles which sit on top of the titanium dioxide. Hydrogen is produced by the interaction of the protons and electrons as they converge on the platinum [1].This innovation reflects that nanotechnology used with biology can offer solutions that can resolve difficult issue of burning fossil fuels for extracting and utilising the energy. The solution is developed from the need of harnessing power of hydrogen energy in a way that it’s production does not use fossil fuel and complete process of producing and utilising hydrogen in an environmental friendly way.

1. Source: Nano sized hydrogen generator uses light and two-dimensional grapheme

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/09/140919165440.htm?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+sciencedaily%2Fmatter_energy%2Fenergy_technology+%28Energy+Technology+News+--+ScienceDaily%29

Whats so special in New Maruti Swift Car?

Whats so special in New Maruti  Swift Car?

Dream of a car? We all want one, efficient, smooth running, with great pick up and of course good looks to flaunt. There are plenty of versions available in the market today ,  especially in India but which to choose and  how to select the best . There is no definitive answer but yes Auto tech has decided to analyse critically the new car launches in India based on factors that take in to consideration the overall picture of the car and not just one feature such as mileage, after sale services, engine performance,  maintenance cost etc. We aim to decide based on the rationale behind each and every aspect of the car instead of merely highlighting the features.

In this context, the first new car Autotech will analyse is the New Maruti Swift launched in 2014.

                                                                                                 Source: Cartoq.com       

                                                                                          Source: Cartoq.com

Exterior Verdict: The above pictures clearly indicates change in the interior and exterior of the car as compared to the older swift.Our verdict for exterior is since the new car is equipped with New L-shaped LEDs upfront ,silver detailing on the lower front bumper and tail Light LEDs , it is far better than the old swift.This feature makes it   more modern  & demanding in the present market as compared to its competitors.

Verdict about Interiors: The interiors are much better than the old one giving it more classy look. Air conditioners are horizontal and bigger hence better climate control than the older one.Seats have not much changed in looks. Special Interior features are:

•  Cruise control: Special data screen displaying various parameters in digital format.
•  Keyless entry : Cool feature,  more advanced
•  A button start:  This means that costumers need to worry about the keys.
• Integrated music system with Bluetooth:  We can transfer music from Iphone, Android etc.

Looking at all the features, we feel that  these new introductions gives swift more classy look but please don’t compare with interiors of high end cars.

Engine Performance: Petrol version used K series engine. Diesel engine is same as old swift.

•  Petrol engine Power: 85 BHP
•  Diesel engine Power : 74 BHP

Diesel engine generates lower power than petrol version. And If   we compare it to the old swift the power of the new engines is  slightly lesser than the old swift. This has been to do ensure high fuel economy since power is approximately inversely proportional to fuel consumption. But you don’t miss the smooth ride on straight and curvy roads which is similar to the feel of old swift.

• Petrol engine Torque: 114 N-m
• Diesel engine Torque: 190 N-m

Higher torque for diesel engine implies that greater rate of torque for diesel engine than petrol engine.Diesel engine will carry more load per min than petrol.But the spec s are same as old engine so expect same feel as compared to torque conditions.

All the new cars have manual transmission that means that you will be using gears to change the speed in five different modes (lower to higher speed)

Fuel economy: Our verdict is the new swift will have higher fuel mileage than the old ones due to lower weight of the car.Expect 4-5 % more mileage than the older ones.

Special Features: Features than differentiates the new model from the old model and makes it special buy are:

•   LEDs daytime running
• Cruise Control,                                       
• 16” alloy wheels                                       
•  Keyless entry with start/stop button,
• Classy dual tone dashboard,           
• New and attractive leather wrapped steering wheel,                                   
• Auto up/down feature at driver-side power window,                                   
• Renovated front grill
•   Renovated front bumpers.

Popularity:  High... Maruti Suzuki has strong brand name in India although it was loosing grounds but this time it seems with new maruti swift in the market they seem to  steal the show and play there trumph card. Swift is popular for its smooth ride, reliability and mileage.Cheap and excellent maintanence services helps  swift sustain in the market.

Second Hand Market Verdict:  High sellable due to its strong brand name and popularity among the public.

Maintenance and Servicing:  Easy to do it. Local mechanic also is capable of completely maintain the car.

Emission Norms:   Bharat IV  (latest norms)

Aerodynamics Feature: Average: Petrol cars are more stable than the diesel engines

Service Parts Availability: Easy to get, Maruti Genuine Parts

Mechanic Compatibility:  High

Color Options:    Different colors available. Metallic Blue color: New Feature with higher models Vdi,Vxi

Parking Compatibility: Easy to park due to small size

Our verdict: Looking at all the factors above and also feedback from different sources we strongly feel that if your budget is between 5-6 lakhs, this is a must buy. Go For It!!

Still have doubts, Auto tech will help in all the way in choosing the car of your dreams. Send us a email  or post your query on the blog or facebook page and our experts will guide you through the process of selecting the car. The service is free!!

                                                                                                                         

Design of Vehicle Brakes

"Easy Steps to Design Vehicle BRAKES"

Here is again Auto Tech team, presenting article on "Design Of Brakes for automobile application" based on the demand of our users.  We hope that the following article will suffice the requirements of our users. In case of feedback ,please feel free to contact us.

Representative Pictures of brake

 It goes without saying that brakes are one of the most important control components of vehicle. They are required to stop the vehicle within the smallest possible distance and this is done by converting the kinetic energy of the vehicle into the heat energy which is dissipated into the atmosphere.

Design Calculations 

The calculation is followed in following steps:

  1.      Vehicle Dynamics Calculation.   
  2.      Brake requirement calculation. 
  3.      Hardware Calculation.
  4.      Cable operated losses.

1.         Vehicle Dynamics Calculations :

There are two types of calculations involved viz. Static & Dynamic. While calculating brake it is assumed that you have calculated the Basic dimensioning & Weight distribution calculations of the vehicle.

Now, Static Axle Load distribution :

                                  
         _{Mr\ M       =}    φ                                 

                                  

              

Where,

                

 M_r = Static rear Axle Load (kg); 
 M  = Total vehicle Mass (kg)'                                                                                        

 φ   =  Static axle load distribution

Now, calculate Relative Centre of Gravity Height:

H / W_b   =        X    

H         =  Vertical Distance from C of G to ground on the level (m)                                                              

W_b       =     Wheel base (m)                                                                                          

 X          =     relative COG height 

In actual practice when a vehicle is tried to stop, the weight transfers from Rear to Front wheel. Thus, it needs to be considered while designing a brake. Therefore Dynamic Front Axle load is calculated.

[(1-φ) + (X.a)].M = M_fdyn  

Where,

            a    =   decelration (g units)                                                                                          

           M   =   total vehicle mass (kg)                                                                                        

           M_fdyn   =   dynamic front axle load distribution

“a” i.e. deceleration is given in g units and is taken as 0.3g for Normal Automotive Brakes with Handle operated lever.   

The front axle load cannot be greater than the total vehicle mass. The rear axle load is the difference between the vehicle mass and the front axle load and cannot be negative.

2.         Requirements from Brake :

Now we need to calculate the loads which brakes should apply to complete the desired task.

Braking Force required can be simply calculated using Newton’s 2^nd Law of Motion.

                                         B_F  =  M.a.g

 Where,

            

   B_F                 =   Total Braking force (N)                                                                          

   M              =   Total vehicle Mass (kg)                                                                        

   a          =   deceleration (g units)                                                                               

   g          =   acceleration due to gravity (m/sec²)

                        

 Wheel Lock :

The braking force can only be generated if the wheel does not lock because the friction of a sliding wheel is much lower than a rotating one. The maximum braking force possible on any particular axle before wheel lock is given by:

F_A         =      M_Wdyn . g . µ_r

Where,

  F_A                 =  Total possible braking force on the axle(N);

  M_Wdyn              =  dynamic axle Mass (kg)  ;

  g          =  acceleration due to gravity (m/sec²)                                                   

               µ_r         =  Coeff. of friction between Road and tyre

Now we need to calculate the Brake torque:

Having decided which wheels will need braking to generate sufficient braking force the torque requirements of each wheel need to be determined. For some legislation the distribution between front and rear brakes is laid down. This may be achieved by varying the brake size or more likely using a valve to reduce the actuation pressure.

 T =  BF_w R/r

                      

 T                   =  Brake Torque (N-m)                                                                     

 BF_W     =  Braking force for the wheel (N)                                                      

  R          =  Static laden radius of tyre (m)                                                    

  r          =  Speed ratio between the wheel & the brake

3.         Hardware Design :

Disc Effective Radius:The effective radius (torque radius) of a brake disc is the centre of the brake pads by area. 

For dry discs it is assumed to be:

                       r_e     =   (D+d)/4

Where,

r_e                  =  Effective Radius (m)                                            

D         =  disc usable outside dia. (m)                                            

d          =  disc usable inside dia. (m)       

                           

For full circle brakes it is:

                      r_e  =  1/3 * [ (D³  -  d^3)/(D²  -  d² )]

Where,

r_e                  =  Effective Radius (m)                                            

D         =  disc usable outside dia. (m)                                            

d          =  disc usable inside dia. (m)

Clamp Load:

C =   T/ (r_e  * µ_{f  *} n)

Where,

C                    =  Brake Clamp load (N)                                             

T          =  Brake Torque (N-m)                                           

r_e         =  effective radius (m)

µ_f         = Coeff. of friction of lining material on the disc material

n          = no. of friction faces

The clamping load is assumed to act on all friction surfaces equally. For dry disc brakes it doesn’t matter whether the brake is of the sliding type or opposed piston. Newton’s Third Law state every force has an equal and opposite reaction and a reaction force from a sliding calliper is the same as an opposed piston one.

Stopping Distance:

 S =   V²  /  2*g*a _avg

Where,

S                    =  Stopping distance (m)                                            

V          =  test speed (m/s)                                      

a_avg      =  avg deceleration for the whole stop (g units)

g          =  acceleration due to gravity (m/s²)

4.         Cable operated Losses :

Cable losses are not inconsiderable and vary depending on the number and angle of bends. A typical cable supplier uses the following calculation to calculate cable efficiency:

η  =   1000 / (B_a  + 1000)

                                                    B_e  = Total angle of bends (degree)

After this mechnical calculations, thermal caluclations of brake is done and then component is designed in CAD softwares like proE, Solidworks, and then Structural, Thermal & CFD failures are analyzed in ANSYS.