Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Automotive glass'

The purpose of this thesis work was to carry out initial studies on Scania’s possibility to have plastic rearview mirror glasses as that for example may reduce costs and problems for Scania’s customers and enable another design of the mirror assembly. It was performed by studying the legislative and Scania demands regarding rearview mirrors to write a test program, find and order plastic mirrors, and then perform the tests and evaluate the mirrors to see if they seem good enough for Scania’s trucks. A Scania technical regulation for rearview mirror glass was also written.   The tested mirrors were a Scania glass mirror as reference, a PC mirror from Sabic, a PC and a PMMA mirror from Specchidea, a mirror from SMR automotive, an ABS mirror from Ficocipa/Renault, an ABS mirror from Ford and a PC plastic from Bayer and they were tested for scratch resistance, temperature variations, impact resistance, corrosion and chemical resistance in that order. If a sample did not pass a certain test, it was not subjected to the next one.   Of all samples it was only the SMR mirror and the reference glass mirror that passed the first test (scratch resistance). The others became too scratched and were not tested further. The SMR and the glass mirror also withstood all the following tests very good, the SMR mirror was the best one of the tested mirrors. Probably the SMR mirror was the best one because many of the other mirrors did not seem to have been made for outdoor conditions and because it seemed to be the most modern mirror with a good abrasion resistant coating.   It was concluded that there is a future for plastic mirror glasses, that it would be interesting to do more tests on the mirrors, for example a UV test and a distortion test, and to test more mirrors as a new generation of plastic mirror glass seem to be underway. It would also be interesting to know how much cheaper and lighter the whole mirror assembly can become by changing to plastic mirror glass, which weighs 68% less than a glass mirror.

Fatigue testing of complete automotive wheels is carried out on rotary bendmachines. These commercial mac hin e s s imulnt e h ar d - c o rn e rin g c o n ditio n s an d mainly testthefatigue performance of the central section of an automotive wheel' . This paper develops a relationship for predicting the fatigue performance of the wheel,based onfatigue tests of hourglass specimens machinedfrom centre discs. This is more economical of material and, in principle, also allows the effect on fatigue performance of change inproduction parameters or starting alloy to be assess ed, by c o n sid e rin g a limit e d numb e r of w h e e I blanks take n from each stage of the production process. This is p ote ntially a v ery u s eful to ol in optimisin g mat e rial selection, wheel design and production parameters. The p arti c ular c e ntr e - dis c un d e r c o n s id e r atio n i s manufactured from a dual-phas e ste eI (DP S)2 . Good c o rr elatio n w as achie v e d b e tw e e n S - lr.' data fr o m th e automotiv e w he els qnd that from the ho urglas s (H G) specimens.

The aim of this research was to investigate the potential use of recycled glass fibre composite materials as a replacement for virgin reinforcing materials in new thermoset composites. Specifically the closed-loop mechanical recycling of composites used heavily in the automotive sector known as dough and sheet moulding composites, DMC and SMC respectively, are investigated. The recycling of glass reinforced thermoset polymer composite materials has been an area of investigation for many years and composites used in the automotive industry are of particular interest due to legislative and social pressures on the industry. The mechanical recycling process and then collection of useful fibrous grades of recycled materials, recyclate, by a novel air separation technique were investigated first. The properties of these recyclate fibres were characterised and compared directly with the properties of virgin glass fibres they were to be used to replace. Single fibre tensile tests were employed to compare the strengths of the fibres and single fibre pull-out tests were used to investigate the strength of the interface between the fibres and a polyester matrix. These tests showed the recyclate fibres to be weaker and have a poorer interface with the polyester matrix than the virgin glass fibres. Understanding the properties of the recyclate materials meant their reformulation into new composites could be carefully considered for the production of new high performance materials. Two grades of the collected recyclate materials were then reformulated in to new DMC and SMC composites, replacing percentages of the virgin glass fibre reinforcement. The mechanical properties of the resulting manufactured composites were characterised throughout for direct comparison against one another and an unmodified control material, using both three-point flexural tests and Charpy impact tests. Through the modification of existing manufacturing techniques and the development of novel production equipment it has been possible to successfully manufacture both DMC and SMC composites with the recyclate materials used to replace virgin glass fibres. Virgin glass fibres have successfully been replaced by recyclate materials without disrupting standard production techniques and with minimal reduction of the mechanical properties of the resulting composites. As the loadings of recyclate materials used were greatly increased both the flexural and impact strengths were significantly degraded and it was found that chemical modification of the composite could be used to improve these formulations. It has been shown that the recyclate materials should be considered and treated as a distinct reinforcing ingredient, separately from the remaining virgin glass fibres.

This thesis describes the investigation and development of damage modelling techniques for woven long glass fibre reinforced polypropylene matrix composites. The objective of the work was to develop and validate predictive models for the intralaminar damage behaviour of these materials, with the aim of applying the results to an industrial demonstrator component. Two damage modelling methods were investigated. The first, based on ply-level failure criteria and implemented in an implicit finite element code, was developed and validated using a range of coupon tests for a balanced weave 60% weight fraction commingled glass/polypropylene composite. The second method utilised a model previously implemented in the commercial explicit finite element code, PAMCRASH. This model was calibrated and validated using the same coupon tests as the first model. The models were subsequently used to simulate an industrial demonstrator component, during a two-phase design and development programme. The demonstrator, an automotive side intrusion beam, was designed and predictively modelled using the two damage modelling techniques investigated. Finally, the composite component was compared to a steel side intrusion beam, using a quasi-static vehicle test to a current legislative standard. This test showed comparable performance in terms of strength and stiffness for the two beams. It was concluded that the implicit finite element damage modelling technique can account for the damage and failure modes observed in a woven glass fibre reinforced polypropylene composite, but is limited when considering high levels of material nonlinearity and damage development, due to the stability of the implicit finite element method. It was also concluded that the explicit finite element technique was more suited to the simulation of damage development in thermoplastic matrix composite components, although the research showed that the model investigated was limited when considering shear damaging behaviour in a woven fibre reinforced composite.

It was the objective of this project to provide a glass cleaner formulation for a wet wipe application with cleaning and anti-fogging properties. This glass cleaner formulation was developed for automotive glass i.e. interior of windscreens. This formulation relates to a glass cleaner with a composition comprising of: (a) a blend of amphoteric surfactants; (b) a solvent system with a combination of glycol ethers; and (c) an aqueous solvent system. This glass formulation must provide good cleaning properties while also providing good wetting and sheeting properties to assist with anti-fogging properties. The objectives were obtained using 2 specific approaches: The first was by using a blend of 2 amphoteric surfactants in an alkaline medium, allowing the glass surface to become more hydrophilic which will also assist with reduction of surface tension on the glass surface. The second was by using the glycol ethers that have good coupling properties and surface tension reducing properties. The formulation was evaluated using commercial standard test methods as per the industry. A predictive model was successfully obtained for each of the five criteria that were evaluated using the 25 formulations derived from the statistical design. There were variables and variable interactions that were antagonistic for some of the criteria which were found to be synergistic for others. To achieve satisfactory cleaning, the fogging rating had to be compromised.

L'allègement des véhicules est un enjeu majeur de l'industrie automobile pour participer, avec l'évolution des motorisations, à la maîtrise des consommations énergétiques et la réduction des émissions de gaz à effet de serre. Dans ce travail, nous nous intéressons à l'introduction des matériaux composites dans les pièces de structure et particulièrement dans le périmètre de la liaison au sol composé d'organes de sécurité active, sujets au phénomène de fatigue multi axiale à grand nombre de cycles.Les matériaux composites présentent une solution séduisante en raison de leurs propriétés mécaniques intéressantes combinées à une faible densité. Toutefois, la fatigue des matériaux composites reste un sujet complexe relativement peu abordé. C'est dans ce cadre que s'inscrit cette thèse qui vise à mettre en place une méthodologie de dimensionnement des composants automobiles de structure, à partir d'un composite tissé verre/époxy. Cette méthodologie s'attache à être facile d'utilisation et adaptable au calcul de structure pour être applicable en Bureau d'Études. La première étape de cette étude est la caractérisation de la tenue en service du matériau sous chargements monotones et cycliques et l'identification des cinétiques d'endommagement. Au vu des résultats expérimentaux obtenus et à partir des approches de dimensionnement existantes, un critère de fatigue multi axiale est proposé. Ensuite, une optimisation du protocole d'identification des paramètres est effectuée afin de réduire au minimum le volume des campagnes d'essais. Enfin, le critère mis en place pour évaluer la durée de vie en fatigue du matériau composite tissé est validé sur des éprouvettes trouées et sur le train avant à lame composite
The reduction of fuel consumption and greenhouse gas emissions is one of the most important challenges facing the automotive industry. An efficient strategy to meet these targets is by reducing the weight of vehicle. In this work, we are interested in introducing composite materials in automotive structural parts and especially in suspensions which are subjected in service to high-cycle fatigue loadings. Therefore, a good prediction of fatigue life is required. As continuous fibre-reinforced composites provide good mechanical properties combined with a low density, they have been increasingly used in many lightweight structures. However, the fatigue behaviour of composites has not been widely investigated. This work aims at developing an approach to predict the lifetime in service of structural automotive components, made with woven glass / epoxy composite. This approach has to be easy to use by design engineers at the scale of the structure. The first step is the characterization of the material. Then, the processes involved in degradation of the composite subjected to both monotonic and cyclic loadings were identified.Given the experimental results and the existing approaches, a multiaxial fatigue criterion is proposed. An optimization of the identification protocol is also performed to reduce the quantity of needed experimental data. Finally, the fatigue life prediction model criterion is validated by tests on notched coupons and on composite vehicle's suspension

À mesure que les habitacles des nouveaux véhicules deviennent de plus en plus silencieux, la qualité du son et le confort acoustique intérieurs se sont imposés comme des arguments de premier ordre pour les constructeurs automobiles afin de se démarquer de leurs concurrents. Actuellement, la recherche sur la perception sonore repose sur une approche expérimentale basée sur la réécoute, par des jurys, de signaux enregistrés sur des proto375 types. Pour éviter ces coûteux dispositifs, une approche numérique est ici envisagée. Les résultats d’un modèle basé sur la méthode SEA (Statistical Energy Analysis), développé par Saint-Gobain Research Compiègne, servirait à générer les signaux des expériences subjectives. Celui-ci permet d’ores et déjà de prédire l’impact de changement de vitrage sur le niveau sonore intérieur d’un véhicule exposé aux bruits environnementaux. En revanche, son emploi pour évaluer le confort automobile apporté par ces mêmes changements soulève plusieurs interrogations auxquelles nous répondons dans cette thèse : — Comment générer des signaux audios à partir des niveaux de pressions acoustiques prédits? — Les signaux obtenus permettent-ils de réaliser des études du confort acoustique dans l’habitacle avec la même efficacité que des enregistrements mesurés sur véhicule? Tout d’abord, un procédé de génération des signaux à partir des données obtenues grâce au modèle numérique a été proposé puis validé par une expérience perceptive. Ensuite, deux autres évaluations subjectives par un jury ont mis en lumière une évolution du désagrément ressenti similaire, pour plusieurs configurations de vitrages quelle que soit l’origine des sons (simulés ou mesurés). Elles ont cependant souligné une divergence dans les évaluations lors de l’introduction de verre trempé dans les configurations véhicule. Les joints de vitrage, absents du modèle, étaient alors suspectés d’être à l’origine de cette variation. Par la suite, l’examen expérimental du comportement vibro-acoustique des verres montés dans les joints a permis d’observer un apport de dissipation des joints. Celui- ci se traduisait alors par une augmentation de l’isolation acoustique du vitrage. Cette isolation caractérisant les vitrages dans le modèle, sa sensibilité aux apports de dissipation des joints de vitrage devait être intégrée dans notre approche numérique. Enfin, après avoir analysé les mécanismes de dissipation intervenant pour le vitrage et les joints, un modèle numérique basé sur la méthode éléments finis a été mis en place. Il prédit l’isolation acoustique du vitrage à intégrer dans le modèle numérique SEA pour tenir compte de l’effet des joints aux limites de l’échantillon de verre. Étant donné que la calibration du modèle à des moyennes et hautes fréquences est le fruit d’un processus empiriques de recherche de paramètres, il demeure essentiel de considérer une révision par de futurs travaux du modèle et de la méthode de recherche
As the cabins of new vehicles become increasingly silent, the sound quality and the acoustic comfort have become key arguments for car manufacturers to destinguish themselves from their competitors. Research on sound perception currently relies on an experimental approach involving juries listening to signals recorded on prototypes. To avoid the costs associated with these elaborate setups, a digital approach is proposed in the present work. The results of a model based on the SEA method (Statistical Energy Analysis), developed by Saint-Gobain Research Compiègne, would be used to generate the signals for subjective experiences. It is already used to predict the impact of glazing changes on the interior noise level of a vehicle exposed to environmental noise. However, its use to assess the automotive acoustic comfort brought about by these changes raises several questions, which we address in this thesis : — How should we generate audio signals from the predicted sound pressure level? — Can we use the obtained signals to evaluate acoustic comfort inside the car cabin with the same effectiveness as with recordings measured in the vehicle? Firstly, a signal generation process based on data obtained from the numerical model was proposed and then validated through a perceptual experiment. Next, two other subjective assessments by a panel of judges revealed a similar trend in the annoyance experienced, for several glazing configurations, regardless of the origin of the sounds (simulated or measured). They did, however, highlight a discrepancy in the assessments when tempered glazing was introduced into the vehicle configurations. The window seals, which were not included in the model, were suspected of being the cause of this variation. Subsequently, the experimental examination of the vibro-acoustic behavior of a flat glass installed in the window seals allowed us to observe a dissipation contribution from the seals. This resulted in an increase of the acoustic insulation of the glazing. As this insulation characterizes the glazing in the model, its sensitivity to the dissipation contribution of the seals had to be incorporated into our numerical approach. Finally, after analyzing the dissipation mechanisms for both the glazing and the seals, a numerical model based on the finite element method was implemented. It predicts the acoustic insulation of the glazing as it should be integrated into the SEA numerical model in order to take account of the effect of the joints at the boundaries of the glass sample. Given that the calibration of the model at mid-high frequencies is the result of an empirical parameter search process, it is essential to consider revising the model and search method in future work

碩士
國立中興大學
高階經理人碩士在職專班
102
Business strategy is a long term plan of action designed to achieve a particular goal or objectives. In order to achieve these objectives under certain environmental conditions of the market, all the actions, policies, programs and competitive methods are included. Automotive glass can be divided into laminated glass for front windshield, and tempered glass for side windows and rear windshield. The annual car sales in 2014 are 378,000 in Taiwan and up to 21.984 million in mainland China, representing growth of 13.9 % over last year. Booming automobile industry will bring greater development of automotive glass industry. Differentiated product development, research and development investment, independent design development, reduction of production costs and market development are necessary to ensure a competitive advantage. This is a qualitative study. We collected the information about the company business strategy, competitive strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats and the status of automotive glass industry, as well as reviewed the relevant literature journals, doctoral theses, newspapers, and internet-related information. Hope to provide some help for industry and academia.

Leaf springs are a part of the suspension system attached between the axle and the chassis of the vehicle to support weight and provide shock absorbing capacity of the vehicle. For more than half a century the leaf springs are being made of steel which increases the weight of the vehicle and is prone to rusting and failure. The current study explores the feasibility of composite leaf spring to reduce weight by designing, manufacturing and testing the leaf spring for the required load cases. An off the shelf leaf spring of Ford F-150 is chosen for making of composite hybrid spring prototype. The composite hybrid prototype was made by replacing all the leaves with glass fiber unidirectional laminate except the first leaf. Fatigue tests are then done on steel and composite hybrid leaf spring to observe the failure locations and mechanism if any. High frequency fatigue tests were then done on composite beams with varying aspect ratio in a displacement-controlled mode to observe fatigue location and mechanism of just glass fiber composite laminate. It was observed that specimens with low aspect ratio failed from crack propagation initiated from stress concentrations at the loading tip in 3-point cyclic flexure test and shear forces played a dominant role in propagation of crack. Specimens with high aspect ratio under the same loading did not fail in cyclic loading and preserved the same stiffness as before the cyclic loading. The preliminary fatigue results for high aspect ratio composite beams predict a promising future for multi-leaf composite springs.

碩士
國立高雄應用科技大學
高階經營管理研究所碩士在職專班
99
This study was to examine the factories influencing organization repurchase intention of automotive glass repair firm in Taiwan. 222 questionnaires were sent out to the distributors of automotive glass repair firm in Taiwan. 180 questionnaires were retrieved effectively. Furthermore, researcher analyzed reliability and validity, ANOVA and regression analysis were also indicated by SPSS. The results showed that: 1. The main factories influencing organization repurchase intention are relationalism, relationship dependence, and. corporate image. 2. After testing nine items of three hypotheses, two items were deleted. The examination in correlation of the rest revealed positive significant. This research is contributed in both practice and theory. One provides the executive managers of automotive glass repair firms to get more information about the factories influencing organization repurchase intention. The second is to supply the academic research in the future.