www.autotechreview.com July 2013 | Volume 2 | Issue 7 Now, Also available on

It’s on 14 Interview Mahesh Dadlani, CEO, Auto Components Sbu, Continental Engines Ltd

18 technology foresight Future Prospects of Carbon-Fibre for Automotive Applications

60 new Vehicle Mercedes-Benz A-Class — Marking A Shift

CFRP & PLASTICS —

LIGHTER & CLEANER FUTURE Powered by Complete solutions in precision

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Regd. Office & Works Manufacturing Unit-II Plot No. 192 A, Sector-4, E-56, Industrial Area, Haridwar-249 401 IMT Manesar-122050 Gurgaon, Haryana, India Uttarakhand, India Tel.: +91-124-4763200 Fax: +91-124-4365189 Tel.: +91-1334-221301 Fax: +91-1334-220128 E-mail: [email protected] E-mail : [email protected] ISO 9001 Editorial

FUTURE OF PLASTICs

Dear Reader,

Amid the gloom surrounding falling vehicle sales in the country, came the launch of one of India’s most anticipated vehicles – the Ford EcoSport. How much of that anticipation trans- lates into effective sales is still to be seen, but by the looks of it, Ford’s latest bet seems set to boost SUV sales, even at the cost of many compact offerings.

This issue, though, we focus on plastics and carbon-fibre reinforced plastics. Plastics contin- ue to replace metals in modern automobiles in an effort to reduce weight and render vehi- cles more eco-friendly. In the moulding process, plastics even consume less energy com- pared to aluminium, for instance. And they are recyclable. One estimate suggests that the automotive sector consumes about 7 % of the total plastics used in the world, and the de- mand is ever increasing.

Researchers are working on polypropylene and metal hybrids, and there are examples of low temperature resistant polycarbonate-silicon blend for airbags. Yet another example is bio- plastics that is derived entirely out of natural materials. French major Faurecia plans to de- velop a full range of bioplastics for automotive interiors that promises to see mass accept- ance by 2020. The roadmap is clearly towards replacing petroleum-based plastics with ones derived from natural resources.

Let’s get back to the EcoSport. Engineers at Ford developed a solution to curb the whining produced by the turbocharger used in the EcoBoost engine. An injection-moulded plastic resonator did the job – not just in cutting out the sound, but also in terms of offering bet- ter packaging. Plastic Omnium, another French company, has been in the forefront of making plastic fuel tanks, with notable business in India. An Indian supplier of engineer- ing plastics, Injectoplast too has been innovating in the area of plastics.

There is little doubt about the role plastics would play in the automotive hardware sector. As demands for cleaner, safer, lighter and more energy efficient vehicles grow, engineers would continue to find newer solutions. Plastic, and its growing range of options, is consid- ered the material of the future. And it is not without reason. From engine compartment to interiors and exteriors, plastics look set for innumerable new alternatives in years to come.

Deepangshu Dev Sarmah Editor-in-Chief New Delhi, July 2013

@deepangshu autotechreview.com July 2013 Volume 2 | Issue 7 1 Cover Story CFRP & PLASTICS — LIGHTER & CLEANER FUTURE

26, 30, 34 | The push for lighter vehicles is putting huge pressure on companies to experiment with new ma- terials. Carbon-fibre has emerged as a promising material owing to its weight and strength properties. It’s us- age, however, remains limited due to high cost, making it suitable for some areas but not the entire vehicle. In this issue, Auto Tech Review takes a look at the production and usage technologies of carbon-fibre reinforced plastics (CFRP) and plastics in general.

guest commentary

12 Carbon Mapping An Essential Tool for Auto Industry Shankar M Ranganathan, Purchase Manager, Decorative Paints, India & South Asia, AkzoNobel

INTERVIEW

14 “Indigenous Development is our Next Goal” Mahesh Dadlani, CEO, Auto Components Sbu, Continental Engines Ltd

2 contents

NEWS Cover Story SHOPFLOOR

4 Interactions 26 ‘Peek’ Polymers for Efficient 56 Tata Motors — Chasing New Horizons 10 News Transmissions Carolin Butz, Jürgen Reinert tECHNOLOGY fORESIGHT New vehicle 30 Simulation in Cfrp Industrialisation 18 Future Prospects of Carbon-Fibre Joachim Bauer 60 Mercedes-Benz A-Class — for Automotive Applications Marking A Shift Suresh Babu Muttana, Arghya Sardar 34 Rapid-Curing Adhesives for Cfrps Rainer Kohlstrung, Manfred Rein DECODING TECHNOLOGY

technology 64 Sync: Ford’s Connectivity Platform

40 Aluminium Connecting Rods for Car Engines others Jambolka Brauner, Rolf Leiber, Ulrich Philipp, Benjamin Burger 01 Editorial 03 Imprint 46 Continental Gives Peek into our Automotive Future

50 Nissan India Betting on Cvt Across Segments

54 Motion ‘MEMS’ and Its Emerging Automotive Applications Vishal Goyal

follow us on @autotechreview1 Cover Figure © Volkswagen L1 Concept

Imprint

Editorial & Business Office: Editor-in-Chief: Deepangshu Dev Sarmah Publisher & Managing Director: Springer India Pvt Ltd [email protected] / @deepangshu Sanjiv Goswami 7th Floor | Vijaya Building | 17, Barakhamba Road Principal Correspondent: Arpit Mahendra For Editorial Contribution, write to the Editor-in-Chief at New Delhi – 110001 | India [email protected] / @arpitmahendra3 [email protected] + 91 11 4575 5888 (P) | +91 11 4575 5889 (F)

Senior Correspondent: Naveen Arul (Bangalore) For Advertisements, write to Deputy Manager – Ad Sales at Auto Tech Review (ATR) is a monthly magazine focussed on automotive technology, and appears 12 times a year. Views and opinions expressed in this magazine are not necessar- [email protected] / @naveenarul [email protected] ily those of Springer India Pvt Ltd. No part of this magazine can be reproduced in any form, including photocopies and information retrieval systems, without the prior written permis- sion of the publisher. Springer India Pvt Ltd Limited reserves the right to use the informa- Deputy Manager – Ad Sales: Sudeep Kumar For Subscription orders and reader registrations, tion published herein in any manner whatsoever. [email protected] please visit www.autotechreview.com Printed and Published by Sanjiv Goswami on behalf of Springer India Pvt Ltd. Printed at Gokul Offset, Okhla Industrial Estate, Phase – I, New Delhi and published at Springer India Design & Production: Bharat Bhushan Upadhyay Or, contact Deputy Manager – Ad Sales at Pvt Ltd, 7th Floor, Vijaya Building, 17, Barakhamba Road, New Delhi. [email protected] [email protected] ©2013, Auto Tech Review autotechreview July 2013 Volume 2 | Issue 7 3 INTERACTION apollo, TATA MOTORS

APOLLO TYRES | COOPER ACQUISITION FUELS GLOBAL AMBITIONS

By the end of the last month, Apollo Tyres Ltd’s share price fell nearly 40 % from the levels it was trading on June 12, 2013. The company’s decision to acquire US-based Cooper Tire & Rubber Company, which meant it had to raise fresh debt to fund its ` 14,500 cr ($ 2.5 bn) acquisition, was met with caution by investors. What was one of India’s biggest global acquisitions was met with tepid market response. Two days later, in an interaction with the media, the Apollo Tyres management tried to allay all apprehensions. Neeraj Kanwar, Vice Chairman and Managing Director, Apollo Tyres reiterated that the acquisition was a de-risking strategy for the company – a move that would give Apollo access to two of the largest automotive markets globally – the United States and China. Explaining the rationale, Kanwar said the company now acquires a low-cost footprint close to the most important global end-markets, in ad- dition to a set of complementary products and sale. Apollo meanwhile, will retain the Durban Apollo Tyres (Post Cooper Acquisition) brands. Moreover, the acquisition helps Apollo plant that manufactures truck & bus radial tyres Combined Sales (proforma) $ 6.6 bn reduce its dependence on one market (read India) and off-highway tyres used in the mining and EBITDA (proforma) $ 794 mn and become a diversified global tyre company. construction industries. Margin 12% The Cooper acquisition makes strategic sense No of Plants 14 COMBINATION BENEFITS for the Indian tyre behemoth from a market acces- Tyre Capacity 80 mn sibility perspective. Both companies have almost Global Position 7 But first, details of the deal: the terms of agree- no geographic overlap, leaving immense potential ment promise Cooper stockholders $ 35 per share for growth. The combined company will be unique- in cash for the acquisition that is expected to be ly positioned to address large, established service around $ 450 mn. completed within the second half of 2013. The markets, such as the United States and the Euro- Additionally, the proceeds of around $ 40-50 closure of the deal will see Cooper becoming a pean Union, as well as the fast-growing markets mn from the South African sale would also go privately held company. of India, China, Africa, and Latin America where towards reducing the debt. “The banks have fully The combined entity will result in Apollo Tyres there is significant potential for further growth, underwritten the amount. The interest coverage becoming the seventh largest tyre company in the Kanwar said. “Our combined portfolio of brands for both the entities is comfortable. There is world – the largest by revenues in India, and the and products will be amongst the most compre- hardly any risk,” said a confident Kanwar. fourth largest tyre company in North America. hensive in the industry.” Combined pro forma sales (2012) stand at ap- OUTLOOK proximately ` 35,000 cr ($ 6.6 bn), with an FINANCING STRUCTURE EBITDA of $ 794 mn. Its presence in four conti- Although the Cooper acquisition is considered to nents across 14 manufacturing plants takes the As per the financial plan disclosed by Kanwar, be a high-risk deal for Apollo Tyres, strategically, total production capacity to 80 mn. The combined Apollo India has a manageable debt load, which it this could be a master stroke from the 40-year- entity is expected to deliver additional value in the can meet from its cash flows. As much as 85 % of old company. Together, they’ll have 50 % of its range of ` 465 to 700 cr per annum at the EBIDTA the $ 2.5 bn debt is not guaranteed by Apollo manufacturing in low cost countries. Moreover, level, in three years from now. Tyres Ltd, and would have exposure to the compa- the 55:45 revenue prospect from high-margin It must also be noted that in May this year, ny’s overseas arms in the US and Europe. “We will western markets and high-growth emerging Apollo Tyres had announced a transaction with raise $ 1.9 bn through issue of bonds largely in markets, reflects a sound business strategy pre- Sumitomo Rubber Industries (SRI), by which SRI the US market, and another $ 200 mn will be pared for the future. would take over Apollo Tyres South Africa (ATSA), brought in via asset-based lending,” said Sunam including the Ladysmith passenger car tyre plant. Sarkar, Chief Financial Officer and Wholetime The 80 mn capacity is adjusted for this potential Director of the company. Its India business would Text: Deepangshu Dev Sarmah

4 www.autotechreview.com TATA MOTORS | TECHNOLOGY AS A GAME CHANGER

Marking a first in the Indian automotive land- top, which requires for an optimisation of bush scape, Tata Motors recently launched eight new settings for both the spring and damper. In the models across five platforms on the same day. At new suspension, engineers have separated the the same occasion, the company also unveiled a load paths of the spring itself from the damper. new corporate strategy HORIZONEXT, which has This means the compliances for both can be been explained in detail in our Shopfloor section better optimised, allowing for a reduction of up in this issue. All these vehicles are essentially to one-third in ride vibrations at the seat over a facelifts or upgrades. Of these eight vehicles, the conventional suspension. three most important ones include the new Indigo Tata claims an improvement in NVH models eCS, Sumo Gold and the Nano. Completing the across all its 2013 model range and Leverton line-up are CNG versions of the Indigo eCS, Indica told us that this has been achieved by creating and the Nano along with a Safari Explorer and a noise package spread across various areas of petrol Indica. the vehicle. The company created a package, On the sidelines of the event we spoke to which covers parts such as beadings, insula- Dr Timothy Leverton, Head – Advanced and tion and many others, all of which lower the in- Product Engineering, Tata Motors Ltd. He gave cabin sound levels. This also includes changes NEAT PACKAGING us an insight into the technical changes done to related to resonance within the exhaust system some of the vehicles in the 2013 line-up. at a detailed level, and not fundamental. Al- CNG models do offer high fuel efficiency from a though we weren’t given a figure for the im- cheaper fuel but mostly at the expense of boot TECHNOLOGY DETAILS provement in NVH, Leverton called the improve- space. With the Nano already being a small car, ment “quite noticeable”. using the boot space to store the CNG tank/cylin- The new Indigo eCS and Indica features revised ex- Talking about changes in fuel efficiency, he der would render it almost useless. Understanding teriors and interiors, but the main change comes in said that Tata Motors already has a strong posi- the same, engineers designed the CNG system for the form of an updated powertrain. The new CR4 tion in this area and has concentrated on im- the Nano in such as way that space usability isn’t engine is now equipped with F-Shift gearbox, which proving the drivability and in-cabin experience affected. The CNG cylinder instead of being is claimed to offer smoother and easier shifts. in the new models. The new Sumo Gold, however, mounted in the space behind the seats has been Another key update in the car is the Duo Float sus- features an improvement of about 4 % in fuel- integrated in the centre of the car. This set-up pension, which Leverton said, is a dual path strut efficiency along with an improvement in driva- provides consumers with all monetary benefits of suspension and will offer improved ride quality. bility. The improvement has been achieved by using CNG without giving up anything on space. He told us that in a conventional set-up all looking at areas such as gearing, frictional Such an arrangement is not a global first, but to the struts and springs react into one bush at the losses in the system and more. achieve it on one of the world’s smallest and tightly packaged cars is quite an achievement in our opinion. At the launch, we were told that the 2013 Nano features a new steering system among many other inclusions and is claimed to be the lightest to operate among manual steering equipped cars. Explaining the changes, Leverton said the team looked at all possible improvable elements in the steering system. These meant changes to the joints & rack design and reducing friction in order to reduce the operating effort. The tyres and sus- pension geometry were also looked into along with caster angles but the details of these weren’t dis- closed. In addition, the steering wheel itself has been enlarged slightly and as a combination of all these changes, the steering is claimed to be sig- nificantly lighter than the earlier model.

Text: Arpit Mahendra

autotechreview July 2013 Volume 2 | Issue 7 5 INTERACTION Polaris, TELIT

POLARIS INDIA | CREATING MASS FROM NICHE

As Indians take up newer lifestyles, adventure added that if numbers justify and there is the re- sports are gaining more popularity. One of the quired economy of scale, the company could look most accessible segments is power sports, where at local assembly. Polaris is a major player. Globally, the company Talking of the range of engines, Dubey told us posted revenues of $ 3.2 bn in 2012. India being a that the company presently offers 50 cc to 900 cc new market is relatively small, but growing. To get units. Of these, the 200 and 500 cc powered vehi- a clear picture of this niche industry and the cles are doing particularly well in India. The company, we caught up with Pankaj Dubey, Man- company also has the option of petrol, diesel and aging Director, Polaris India Pvt Ltd on the side- electric motor for its vehicles. The electric ver- lines of a drive experience of Polaris vehicles. sions use a lead-acid battery pack and can be The India story has been promising for Polaris, driven up to 70 km in off-road conditions. said Dubey and has grown at a good pace starting January 2011. And despite many challenges, the NEW BUSINESS AREAS journey has been satisfying. The company pres- ently has about 100 people working for it directly The nature of its vehicles has led to interest for and indirectly through 14 dealers across the serve as a strong foundation for the next level of Polaris India from government organisations, es- country. Being present in all key areas of the business growth. pecially in the national security area. There are country has played an instrumental role in the many areas alongside the borders of our country business growth and brand building, said Dubey. PRODUCT RANGE and within, which are impossible to be manned on The company presently has 16 experiential tracks foot. The company had given product demonstra- in India, which have played an important role in The company presently offers various product tion to some organisations earlier and as a result introducing the new concept of off-road adventure ranges – snowmobiles, ATVs, RZR and utility vehi- some of them have already bought Polaris vehi- vehicles to the market. From being confusedly cles. Of these the ATV segment in particular has cles. There are some more in the process of buying known as similarly-named software, creating a received good traction in the market, primarily these vehicles, adding to the future business. now well-known identity for vehicles has in partic- due to the popularity within the adventure and Dubey said the adventure and tourism sector ular been quite rewarding for Dubey. tourism segment. Among other products, the RZR too has made a significant business contribution The company doesn’t share month-wise sales 800 has performed very well. The utility vehicles, in the past two years. There are young entrepre- data but we were told that the company already depending on the model, can carry up to one neurs, who are buying these vehicles and offering has more than 500 customers in the country. tonne of weight in the form of people or goods. drive experiences, and making profit from it. Even Dubey believes that such numbers in two years Presently, the company imports all products from though this segment is an immediate major, of operations is a healthy indicator and will the US and will continue to do so, said Dubey. He Polaris expects sales from armed forces and secu- rity agencies to become a significant revenue source in the next couple of years. Given the kind of terrain India has, the coastal terrains are a challenging area for any vehicle. Some coastal agencies have done trials with other vehicles but they succumb to damages arising out of the saline water. Polaris vehicles, however, have undergone trials of thousands of kilometre without any reported problem, said Dubey. These segments, along with newer applications would drive growth in days to come. Going forward, Dubey expects the market for such vehicles to grow to about 5,000 units per annum by 2018, if growth continues even at the present pace. Given the expected business from the armed forces the number could be significantly higher too.

Text: Arpit Mahendra

6 www.autotechreview.com TELIT COMMUNICATIONS | DEMAND FOR CONNECTIVITY TO DRIVE GROWTH

As vehicle applications and technology continue without any costs. The system also offers the to grow at a fast pace, communications is becom- ability for over-the-air maintenance and man- ing an increasingly viewed domain. Within the agement of firmware and application software broad domain of communications, cellular ma- on the module. Silicon chips for the final product chine-to-machine (M2M) communications is a are sourced from Intel and Qualcomm presently. fast growing vertical. Ashish Gulati, Country Manager, India Operations, Telit Communica- INDIAN BUSINESS tions SpA gave us a thorough rundown on this domain. In India Telit’s business is divided into four divi- sions – energy, telematics, handheld and teleme- THE TECHNOLOGY try. The division covering the automotive industry is telematics as it provides solutions for applica- The M2M concept is based on devices and sensors tions such as fleet management. Revenue from communicating with each other and relaying in- the automotive telematics customers in India formation over conventional wireless communica- presently accounts for about 20 % of the total do- tions network. Using embedded SIM-based com- mestic revenue. munication technology enables creation of a wide Presently, the company derives majority of its variety of applications, Gulati said. revenues from the aftermarket but is in talks with through global R&D facilities and there are no The product aimed at automotive applica- OEMs too for offering their products. This busi- short term plans to establish these capabilities in tions is the LE920, which can connect to LTE and ness though will take some time to develop, said India. The immediate plan for the company is to HSPA+ cellular modes. Full backward compati- Gulati. One of the key areas to witness growth in work with system integration companies. This will bility with existing EDGE and GSM/GPRS net- terms of M2M communications in the country is allow for better market penetration and a system works through integrated quad band radios infotainment systems. As the consumers demand level approach. The company is already in talks enables the module to offer connectivity across a more features and better connectivity, products with some undisclosed Tier I automotive suppliers wider area. This quality makes it suitable for au- offered by Telit will find increased traction. for integration of its products, said Gulati. tomotive applications such as vehicle tracking. One of the recent adopters of the technology A key challenge in India is the relative lack of LE920 can be optionally equipped with an is the Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC), which the right service providers. In the recent years, embedded GPS/GLONASS receiver and antenna uses tracking devices in some of its new buses. however, there has been a significant improve- diversity circuitry. Its interface is claimed to These devices have been imported from one of ment in this area and Gulati expects it to improve offer ease of integration of peripherals and actu- Telit’s clients and reflect the increasing adoption significantly in the next few years. ators. It also supports addition of certain fea- of M2M. tures aimed at providing extended functionality The company’s products are developed Text : Arpit Mahendra

autotechreview July 2013 Volume 2 | Issue 7 7 INTERACTION TG KIRLOSKAR, AES

TG KIRLOSKAR | TECHNOLOGY TO HELP OVERCOME CHALLENGES

gaining in popularity and acceptance. Private Limited is the Indian unit of Japan’s Transformation to such solutions isn’t going to automotive parts manufacturer Toyoda Gosei (TG). happen overnight. There is a process that needs to The company presently caters only to the be followed, Jain said, and added that it is unlikely automotive sector, with no plans of diversifying its to see commercial application in a short time. product line into any other sector at this point of Jain believes technology would continue to be time. The Tier I supplier is into the manufacturing the main catalyst in driving the company further. of plastics and PU-based products for the The company does have plans to introduce newer automotive sector, including bumpers and grille technologies into its manufacturing processes, as exterior products and consoles and instrument specific to the Indian context. Although no amount clusters for interior applications. of R&D work happens in India, certain A number of other parts, which use a development activities on new processes and combination of plastic and polyurethane (PU) are products are undertaken. The Bangalore plant is also manufactured, an example being the solely dedicated to manufacturing. steering wheel. Other categories of plastics used for production are polypropylene (PP), CHALLENGES WITHIN THE SECTOR acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) and polycarbonate/acrylonitrile butadiene styrene TG Kirloskar Automotive Private Limited, the Ban- The ineffective implementation of free trade area (PC/ABS). ABS and PC/ABS are hard, paintable, galore-based manufacturer of safety system prod- (FTA) agreements by the government is one of platable and are highly resistant to heat – ucts, Interior and exterior parts, is planning to di- the major concern areas, said Jain. Moreover, a qualities and properties that explain why they versify into the production of new components in large part of raw materials are still being im- are preferred. They are mainly used in the the area of plastics. A viable area of interest is ported, which doesn’t augur well for the sector. production of grills for vehicles. vehicle body panels in plastic. Speaking to Auto “The monopolistic control some companies have TG Kirloskar currently supplies its products Tech Review, Amit Jain, Deputy Managing Direc- over the import of raw materials, paired with to two OEMs, one being Toyota Kirloskar Motor, tor, TG Kirloskar Automotive said research and poor foreign exchange rates, acts as a very big while the other was not named. Having limited development work on the replacement feasibility challenge. Therefore, localisation of processes, access to the Indian market, in terms of of certain metal parts with plastics is being un- including raw materials and components, is the customers, performance of the OEMs directly dertaken at the company’s headquarters in Japan. answer to help improve the performance of this reflects on the performance of TG Kirloskar. The Weight reduction is a major area of focus for sector in the long-run,” said Jain. Growing com- slowdown in car sales across the market this most automotive manufacturers, owing to the petition can be curbed only with the introduction year has meant slowing business for the efficiency benefits it offers. The use of plastics, of new technology that will create fresh markets company as well, Jain said. polymers and even high-end solutions like carbon- and improve competitiveness. fibre reinforced plastics (CFRP) is increasingly Established in 1998, TG Kirloskar Automotive text: Naveen Arul

Toyota Kirloskar Motor is one of the two vehicle manufacturers TG Kirloskar supplies its products to

8 www.autotechreview.com AES CONCLUDES 7TH EDITION IN CHENNAI

Organised by Focussed Events, the Automotive the ArmMax CMM machine from Accurate. The Prism Surface Coating, Kistler, PTC and Henkel. Engineering Show recently underwent its suc- machine is claimed to offer a smaller physical Themed seminars covered subjects such as cessful seventh edition in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. footprint and fatigue free operation. It features a smart sensing & real time communication proto- The theme for the show was technologies for the carbon fibre arm to avoid the drooping effect cols and sustaining good performance with car plant, which aimed at helping component usually associated with such machines. Since grass root innovation. makers to deploy the right technology. Inaugu- the machine doesn’t need compressed air, the There was also an interactive session rated by VK Shanmugam, Vice President, Opera- operating costs are lower than other such ma- wherein global technology providers and plant tions, TVS Motor Company, the show also served chines. The measuring machine is integrated professionals discussed multiple solutions and as a good connecting point for the related with easy-to-use and customisable software. methods to further improve the efficiency of systems and process providers. In total, the Another notable solution was the Automated manufacturing. OEMs and component makers show attracted 120 participants and more than Guide Vehicle (AGV) from Hi-Tech Robotic also submitted case studies, the selection of 3,500 industry visitors from OEMs, and tier one Systemz for engine assembly applications. which was headed by Anup Wadhwa, Director, to tier three suppliers. Auto Tech Review was one Known as Intellicart, the system can be used for Automation Industry Association (AIA). Winners of the media partners of this event. quicker and more precise assembly operations. in this area included Ford India, Ashok Leyland, The system is powered by battery and requires Tata Motors, Fenner India, Greaves Cotton, TECHNOLOGY SOLUTIONS minimal human intervention. With an assembly Bosch, Mahindra & Mahindra, Brakes India, line cycle time of 282 s, the system can lift loads Visteon Automotive systems, and many more. The show covered a wide range of manufacturing up to 1,200 kg. The AGV uses a magnetic induc- solutions for the industry spanning across a variety tion guide technology, wherein magnetic layers CONCLUSION of areas. Some of the key areas covered were IT so- are installed in the floor of the plant. lutions, automation systems, assembly line The overall response for the show was encouraging systems, productivity enhancers, laser welding, SPREADING INFORMATION and given the number of innovative solutions show- material handling systems, painting equipment, ro- cased, the purpose too seemed to have been solved. botics and quality inspection system. The show also played host to a number of semi- The next and eighth edition of the show will be held Among the solutions, an interesting one was nars held by companies such as Indo MIM, Faro, in Pune on a date yet to be announced.

autotechreview July 2013 Volume 2 | Issue 7 9 News MISCELLANEOUS

VOLVO FUELWATCH | IMPORTANCE OF DRIVING PRACTICES illustrated

Volvo Trucks India showed the importance of best consideration, while adjudging the winner, but While driver development, correct mainte- driving practices in attaining higher fuel efficien- variables like idling time during loading and un- nance practices and optimised specifications are cy, with results that were obtained from the fourth loading of materials were not included. factors that affect fuel efficiency, almost 50 % of season of its FuelWatch competition that was held This year’s competition saw 16 drivers each the transport cost in mining operations is ac- on June 11-12, 2013 at the WCL coal mine in driving approximately 19 km on difficult terrain. counted for by fuel, Birla added. Chandrapur, Maharashtra. Volvo uses the ‘Dynafleet’ trip manager software, A driving training centre, located at Volvo Through the results, Volvo concluded that up installed in the trucks, to collect, monitor and India’s factory in near Bangalore, has so far to 24 % of higher fuel efficiency could be analyse data. This ensures no human interven- trained over 35,000 drivers since its inception in achieved just by driving appropriately. The trucks tion, and a credible source of data. 1998. Drivers go through a detailed course that used for this competition were the company’s FM The winner of the Indian edition of the compe- helps the drivers understand the latest truck 400 and FMX 440 tippers, models mostly preferred tition will move on to the Asian round that is to be technology, its proper use, safe driving practices in the mining sector. Qualitative parameters such held in Australia in October this year. The global and ways of achieving better fuel efficiency. as safety and driving attitude were also taken into finals of FuelWatch 2013 will be held in Sweden Onsite training for drivers at a customer’s location sometime in the beginning of 2014. are also beginning to take place, the company said. The training programmes offer a five day CREATING BETTER DRIVERS basic driver training course, which includes prac- tical and theory programs. The primary purpose of this competition was to The company also showcased its latest offer- educate drivers, as well as create awareness ing in the Indian market for the mining sector, the among customers and shareholders alike, to bring FMX 440 8x4. Its predecessor, the FM 400, has out the best driving practices in order to enable since been phased out from off-road applications. efficiency, and maximisation of profitability, said The truck sports a 12.8 l, in-line 6-cylinder AK Birla, Executive Vice President, Sales, Market- engine, with a power output of 440 hp and 2,200 ing and Aftermarket, VE Commercial Vehicles Ltd. Nm of torque.

audi-adi | new collaboration DürrEcoclean | pune Technology Centre inaugurated German carmaker Audi has selected Analog Devices Inc (ADI) to provide pio- neering technologies to support their goal of manufacturing the most innova- tive and appealing vehicles on the market. The two companies would collabo- Adding further to its rate strategically within its Progressive Semiconductor Program (PSCP), an technical capabilities initiative to engage selected semiconductor suppliers with Audi in making in India, DürrEcoclean, future cars reliable and functional. a parts cleaning solu- The objective of the collaboration is to break new grounds by bringing tion provider opened its tailored, innovative and cost effective solutions to Audi customers. ADI’s new technology centre technologies enable optimised system partitioning, from sensing to signal in Pune. The technology conditioning, via digitisation and signal processing in powertrain, safety, centre offers customers and infotainment systems. with the facility of carrying out cleaning trials using a variety of parts The continued washers from DürrEcoclean. Spread over an area of 6,000 sq ft, the facility complexity of semi- features machines for aqueous and hydrocarbons industrial part cleaning. conductor-enabled With a local presence, DürrEcoclean’s customers will no longer have to applications contin- spend money and time for sending sample parts to Germany. Equipped with ues to increase. The the required technology for cleaning trials and Millipore tests, the new centre Audi-ADI combine will allow customers to check, evaluate and select the right process in a more aims at engineering efficient and cost-effective manner, a release issued by the company stated. greener and safer Speaking at the inauguration, Mangesh Agarwal, Managing Director, Dür- cars that comply with rEcoclean said, “The industrial parts cleaning market in India is continuously global regulations developing with customers demanding locally manufactured machines. Dür- and legislation. rEcoclean meets these needs with its Universal 81W made in India.”

10 www.autotechreview.com LANXESS | singapore Plant Opens New Solution | Dassault Launches “Target Zero Effect” Built at an investment of € 400 mn, LANXESS recently opened its new butyl rubber plant on Jurong Island in Singapore. The plant is the most modern of its kind in Asia and will produce premium halobutyl rubber, along with regular butyl Dassault Systèmes recently launched a new industry solution “Target Zero rubber. The company also produces butyl rubber in its facilities in Sarnia, Defect”, which is claimed to provide an integrated and open collaborative en- Canada, and Zwijndrecht, Belgium. The butyl rubber facility in Singapore went vironment tailored to enable zero defects across the entire product develop- into operation in the Q1CY13. Commercial production is scheduled to start ment process. A key feature of the solution is its systems engineering capa- Q3CY13, and is tipped to achieve full capacity in 2015. bilities that enable virtual design, “This is the largest investment in the company’s history, and underlines the simulation and validation of importance of Asia as a location for our synthetic rubber business,” said Axel C complex vehicle Heitmann, LANXESS’ Chairman of the Board of Management during the opening systems and com- ceremony. “We have clearly built this plant with the future of mobility in mind ponents. Using because we think and act long-term.” the system The butyl rubber market is expected to grow on average by 5 % in the can potentially coming years, with mo- lower the risks bility being the main for OEMs and driving force. Around 75 suppliers and % of sales at LANXESS’ avoid costly affairs butyl rubber business such as recalls. unit is accounted for by In another development, the company’s 3D EXPERIENCE CATIA was select- the tyre industry, and ed by Pininfarina to design a new concept car. The CATIA application allows over 50 % of sales is designers and engineers to develop an aesthetically sound and aerodynamic generated in Asia. design in a short span of time.

New Architecture | Renault-Nissan Common Module Family

Marking another synergy-driven initiative, the Re- ised components and vehicles per platform. It also in significant cost reductions that allow us to roll nault-Nissan alliance recently announced a new covers all expenditure areas through synergies, out our innovation policy in terms of environment, engineering architecture, Common Module Family shared volumes and shared risks, while reducing safety and new technologies for all our customers.” (CMF). The architecture will include vehicles from investment costs for product development. CMF is Given the architecture’s focus on small cars, it multiple segments and will cover areas (big expected to provide an average reduction in the could play an instrumental role in the alliance’s modules) such as engine bay, cockpit, front & rear range of 30 to 40 % for entry cost per model and growth in emerging markets such as India, where underbody and electrical/ electronic architecture. 20 to 30 % reduction in component cost for the al- consumers are very price-sensitive. Offering a Since the architecture can involve multiple areas liance. This will be possible due to the greater larger number of models with lower buying cost on different types of platforms, it shouldn’t be con- economies of scale arising out of shared parts for and more features could stimulate growth in such sidered as a platform in itself. The CMF instead is both companies. areas. Tsuyoshi Yamaguchi, Alliance Director added more of a cross-sector concept. A key technical requirement for the CMF is that that the CMF will allow the alliance to benefit from CMF will be introduced in more than 10 coun- the big modules must comply with the guidelines of volume efficiencies and enable introduction of new tries through 2020 in order to maximise its bene- the Alliance Integrated Manufacturing System technologies at a faster pace than present. fits. Its first use will be in the compact and large (AIMS) process, which is a standardised, car segments, including 11 Renault models and flexible process that allows for a par- three Nissan models. The first application of CMF is ticular product to be manufactured expected to cover about 1.6 mn vehicles. First vehi- at multiple locations or multiple cles from Nissan to use it will be the Rogue, Qahqai products to be manufactured at a and X-Trail in late 2013, while for Renault the single location. debut will be done through Espace, Scenic and Speaking of the CMF, Jean- Laguna in late 2014. Michel Billig, Engineering, Quality & Using the CMF will allow the companies to in- IT Director, Renault, said, “With CMF, crease the modules common to several platforms, the investments in vehicle architecture thereby resulting in a larger number of standard- and non-visible parts are mutualised, resulting

autotechreview July 2013 Volume 2 | Issue 7 11 Guest commentary

SHANKAR M RANGANATHAN, Purchase Manager, Decorative Paints, India & South Asia, AkzoNobel

CARBON MAPPING AN ESSENTIAL TOOL FOR AUTO INDUSTRY

Paints and coatings are used extensively in every industry to is over, they need to evaporate leaving behind solids firmly give both, aesthetic and special functional values to various stuck to the surface. Vapours of these solvents are called Vola- substrates. The automotive industry has its own requirements tile Organic Components (VOC). A lot of research is ongoing, for coatings, including the need for colour accuracy, lifelong world over, so as to reduce the VOC content in products. exterior exposure with resistance to weather and dust, etc. The auto industry, typically, has a wide ecosystem around its mother manufacturing units to make components and parts. Most of these units in India are small to medium in ENSURING SUSTAINABILITY scale and size, with ordinary to semi-sophisticated paint appli- cation lines. The paint cost is usually around 1 to 2 % of the Sustainability is always top priority in most of the premium total cost of the automotive finished good and hence is a ‘C’ and responsible coating companies since the industry deals category consideration for the automotive purchaser. Since with raw materials, which are largely derived from fossil fuels. colour, finish and aesthetics is the series of important choices Almost as much as 60 to 70 % of the ingredients required in that a customer of the auto industry makes, paint purchase manufacturing coatings are linked to a petroleum-based would have, probably ‘A’ category importance for the manu- source. Even the colours used, barring a few, have their origin facturer. in the petrochemical chain. Most paints leave behind a certain degree of residue either Most conventional coatings are in liquid form and contain in the collection line or in the booth, apart from the VOC gen- approximately 30 to 40 % of petrochemical solvents, which erated. While VOC gets evaporated through the oven/ heating are also called diluents/ thinners. The main purpose of these chambers, residues become hazardous wastes, which are in- solvents is to make coatings thin enough to apply on the sub- cinerated. Sustainability theory is centred on how well we strate through dipping or through sprays. Once the application manage our resources to minimise the waste. It is same as

12 www.autotechreview.com The product life cycle Energy use

Scope 2

ExtractionRaw materials ProductionUse End of life

Scope 3 upstream Scope 1 Scope 3 downstream

Cardle-to-gate (scope 1, 2 & 3 up) &= eco footprint carbon footprint Life Cycle: Cradle-to-grave (all scopes) other footprints

1

what the lean theory teaches us – to eliminate the bad costs, FINDING ALTERNATIVES unnecessary frills and downtime. The coatings industry is readying itself to find alternate forms of inputs, which are less carbon consuming; allow for replacement CONTROLLING THE BY-PRODUCT of petrochemical-based solvents with waterborne solvents; heavy metal-free pigments, and lessening of carcinogenic contents, etc. Quality of the main product can easily be measured through the It’s a challenging process to make some key ingredients less ener- control and minimisation of the by-product. Since the by-product gy-consuming and useful bio-outputs, 1. is generally small in amount, it is easier to exercise process effi- Most of the sourcing fraternity has graduated to the next lev- ciency through measurement of this by-product. Sustainability el of excellence in partnering with technical and marketing col- experts are working on ways to eliminate/ minimise or find alter- leagues to bring a competitive edge to their products through an nate uses for these by-products. This in turn improves the effi- ‘eco-premium’ look to their products. Typically, in a non-heavy ciency of the main product automatically. industry, 50 to 60 % of a company’s carbon footprint is acquired through its raw material/ inputs. Companies have started map- A + B ping end-to-end carbon footprint and take voluntary targets to Product + By-product minimise that, year-on-year. Inputs The Dow Jones Sustainability Index now ranks companies on the way they do their ‘Sustainable Asset Management’. More The coatings industry serving the automotive sector is currently and more companies are joining this competitive benchmarking estimated at over ` 3,000 cr with over 100 mn l of various sys- on sustainability to bring year-on-year improvement in their tems being used. The consumption and wastage decrease as you sustainability-led performance. It is time to give extra weightage move to newer generation, higher-order products. Companies are in vendor rating to companies, which have leadership in these formally tagging their products under ‘eco-efficiency’ label based fields. This is certainly the next level of recognition over EMS on this important measure. At a rough estimate of 2 % wastage, and OHSAS. the industry generates over 2 mn l or over ` 60 cr worth of wast- The auto industry has to start the process of carbon mapping age into the system. and making it mandatory for its vendors to claim the footprint. There are several research works available in exploring con- This would further add drive to all its vendors to look at more version of this hydrocarbon rich waste into bio-degradable dis- sustainable sources and processes. The auto industry set the pose through the microbial route. Industries are taking interest in global benchmark on quality, instituting Deming Awards and ex- finding ways via the effective use of these researches to make cellence through lean manufacturing. It is time to recognise and their disposal sustainable. There are known efforts to convert hy- set the world benchmark on sustainability expanding, more than drocarbons into manure. Euro (Bharat) IV and V compliance on emissions. Some users have moved away from conventional liquid coat- ings to greener and safer powder coatings. The eco-friendly pow- der coatings offer no VOC, less capex footprint, no sludge, higher utilisation ration and no water usage in application booth and hence no need for ETP. There have been many success stories even in India, where exterior parts are being coated with less Read this article on waste-generating powder coatings. www.autotechreview.com autotechreview July 2013 Volume 2 | Issue 7 13 interview continental ENGINEs

“Indigenous Development Is Our Next goal”

Continental Engines is presently working on an all-round approach towards diversification. The company is planning a significant increment in its technical and production capabilities. The new engine & vehicle business too is undergoing a rapid development as it prepares for a mass-market launch. Auto Tech Review recently interacted with Mahesh Dadlani, Chief Executive Officer, Auto Components SBU, Continental Engines Ltd, to get an insight into new developments.

Mahesh Dadlani has an experience of more than 29 years in He played an instrumental role in the company’s transition the automotive industry. He has worked extensively in the from an iron-based foundry to an aluminium foundry at pre- area of aluminium die cast foundry process and machining of sent. In addition, he’s played an important role in the compa- aluminium components. He has handled multiple responsibili- ny’s adoption of new production methods. Dadlani is a mem- ties for Continental Engines across functions such as opera- ber of the Institute Of Cost And Work Accountants and is also tions, sales and marketing through his career, which started a Whole Time Director at Continental Engines. with Continental Engines.

14 www.autotechreview.com ATR _ The market scenario hasn’t been bilities. We are in touch with a few com- and planned growth in the next few years? encouraging in the recent past. How has panies and might have something to We’re a strong player in the segment we Continental Engines performed? announce in about a year or so. This part- operate in and plan to increase our focus Mahesh Dadlani _ Continental Engines ner would ideally be one of the foundry on building our R&D capabilities. With has been constantly working on diversify- leaders, which can provide us access to new capabilities, we could grow at least ing its business since the past five years the next level of technology. three folds in the next five years or so. In or so. First, we have geographically diver- Also, the products we do presently are terms of business verticals, we have three sified our customer base. Five years back, made to design, the print for which is – auto components, engine & vehicle divi- we were more export-oriented with most supplied by the customer. However, I feel sion and engine remanufacturing. business coming from Iran. From about that going forward companies, which can The third business is a company we 95 % sales from exports, we’ve bought it develop a part themselves within speci- acquired in Holland five years back by down to about 65 % presently. Within fied boundary conditions, stand to do bet- the name of Vege, which has plants in exports, about 50 % sales are from the ter. Such capability is still not present in Holland and Tunisia. The auto compo- US, 30 % is from Europe while Iran now India, creating a gap that needs to be nent business revenue last year was accounts for about 15 %. In these five filled. In such a scenario, the OEM pro- about ` 250 cr and we plan to close at years, we’ve also grown our domestic vides only the boundary conditions, also around ` 300 cr this year. The business business, which now accounts for 35 % known as black box and then it’s up to us in Holland is also in the same range. of the business. Such diversification has to develop the print for the product. Con- The engine & vehicle unit is presently minimised the effect of market fluctua- tinental Engines aims to plug this gap the smallest but will be the major tions on us. In addition, we’re not soon and this is exactly where a technol- growth driver in coming years. I foresee dependant on any single customer for a ogy partner will play an important role. this unit touching about ` 500 cr in the large chunk of business. In line with our next five years. strategy, not more than 15 % of business In how much time do you think you’ll is contributed by any single customer. reach such a stage? Help us understand the engine & vehicle This depends on the opportunities, unit better. What has been the diversification on the which make the journey easier and Right now we’re manufacturing three- product side? shorter. The Indian OEMs aren’t working wheelers and apart from selling these to Earlier, we were making only cylinder aggressively on this front, creating a sort end customers, we’re open to supplying heads, but now we’ve expanded our port- of challenge. Considering this and many them to another company. We launched folio. We’ve also ventured into new prod- other factors, I think in about five years the vehicles last year only in few cities uct segments, expanding beyond our ear- from now, we should have this capabil- and right now are collecting feedback lier focus on the passenger car segment a ity. The idea for us is to move from being from the market and using that to few years back. Right now, we’re present just a supplier to the role of a developer upgrade the product. The engines in dis- in tractors, two-wheelers, stationary appli- and partner for our customers. cussion will be used in applications cations and commercial vehicles. The beyond three-wheelers too, such as gener- heavy vehicle segment in particular has In what range are the present revenues ators. The engine technology has been grown quickly and is contributing a sig- nificant amount of revenue presently. In terms of absolute products, we were earlier supplying the bare cylinder heads, but now we’re assembling the same. We’ve also started doing some critical castings such as exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) housing and transmission housing for heavy vehicles. Beyond this, we’ve identified a few more product areas, which will be launched as and when we find business for them.

Please tell us about the technology capa- bilities of the company. In simple terms, we’re a foundry & machine shop and all the technology for products has been developed internally by us. However, the products we make are of high criticality in our customers’ products. Moreover, we’re actively looking for a technology partner to enhance our capa- Indian OEMs are not pushing actively for development of design capabilites by suppliers autotechreview July 2013 Volume 2 | Issue 7 15 interview continental ENGINEs

ment skills as they’re now required to develop better products in lesser time, and at a reasonable cost. Environmental and efficiency norms will constantly require companies to innovate as the lim- its become more challenging in wake of a greener future. For component suppliers, the scenario would be even more chal- lenging as present technologies could soon prove insufficient to deliver the tech- nical requirements at a manageable cost.

Do you have plans for alternative propul- sion technologies? The shift towards these technologies is bound to take place in the next decade or so, given the environmental focus. We have no immediate plans for venturing in these areas. From a vehicle unit perspec- tive, the cost to enter the EV space is very high and demands a new generation of technology. In the present state, we aren’t Engines for the vehicle division are being upgraded to meet future emission norms equipped for the same and plan to focus on growing our existing business. sourced from VM Motori of Italy and right Please tell us about your production abili- now we’re in the process of upgrading it. ties and the planned growth therein. Are you open to the quadricycle segment? These are single- and twin-cylinder The auto components business presently Definitely, since we’re already into a seg- engines, making them ideal for three- operates three facilities in two locations in ment, which is similar to the quadricy- wheeler and related applications. These Bhiwadi, Rajasthan. We’re now looking at cles, we’re well-equipped to enter the new oil-cooled engines offer a good balance setting up a new plant within this year to segment. between power and efficiency. When support our expansion. The engine & compared with a key competitor, our vehicle business has a plant in Roorkee, Any plans of introducing the Vege busi- engine offers higher power, better load Uttarakhand and a R&D facility in Gur- ness in India? capacity and higher fuel-efficiency. We’re gaon. In line with our business plan, we’ll In Europe, there’s a viable business for working on making our engines compli- invest close to ` 125 cr over the next three engine remanufacturing, whereas in India ant with future emission regulations years across functions. engine overhauling is more popular. In a coming up next year. The CNG engines re-fitment model, people give their old are presently being validated and will be Can you explain the role of the R&D set- engine and buy a new one. Vege buys launched in the near future. up in Gurgaon and also tell us where the such old engines and replaces the worn new plant is coming up? parts and reworks the other ones and Where does India stack up in the global Their responsibility is to improve the then sells this engine to the dealer with a scheme of things? quality and technology of the products warranty similar to that offered by the The kind of diversification and develop- from that division. Their immediate OEM. The company has now added re- ment capabilities we’ve added in the last focus is on making the engines compli- manufacturing abilities for turbo, fuel five years reflects our strong commitment ant with upcoming emission norms. The pump and transmissions too. for the market. Presently, India accounts new plant’s location is yet to be finalised In India, we’ve looked at introducing for about 35 % of our business but in the but there is a strong possibility of it being this model and the project was conceptu- next five years this number could grow to set-up in the southern part of the country. alised almost three years back. The prob- about 50 %, given our focus on the mar- That is an area, where we aren’t present lem is that in India there’s a legal require- ket. We’re working with many OEMs in and can provide us access to many ment for vehicle and engine to be wedded India including Fiat, Harley-Davidson, customers. on the registration certificate. Hence, an Greaves, Eicher, Bajaj, Piaggio and the engine in India is not a freely sellable Ashok Leyland-Nissan JV. For Piaggio’s What key trends do you foresee in the commodity. In the years to come though, Vespa, we’re the sole supplier of assem- powertrain business? this could be a good business in India. bled cylinder heads, and for Harley-David- Product development cycles have short- son we’re supplying the fully assembled ened significantly in the past few years cylinder head and block. We supply only and continue to shorten. This requires a Interview: Arpit Mahendra the cylinder head to Bajaj Auto. lot of improvement in product develop- Photo: Bharat Bhushan Upadhyay

16 www.autotechreview.com

Technology foresight CARBON-FIBRE

FUTURE PROSPECTS OF CARBON-FIBRE FOR AUTOMOTIVE APPLICATIONS

18 www.autotechreview.com autHors INTRODUCTION for vehicle applications, 1. Carbon-fibre composites weigh about Sustainable mobility has become a prior- one-fifth as much as steel, but can be ity in the wake of environmental concerns comparable or better in terms of stiffness viz. emissions and depletion of fossil and strength, depending on fibre grade fuels. The growing demand for more fuel- and orientation. These composites do not

SURESH BABU MUTTANA efficient vehicles to reduce energy con- rust or corrode like steel or aluminium. is Scientist C at TIFAC, Department sumption and air pollution is a challenge They offer reduction in vehicle weight by of Science & Technology, for the automotive industry. The industry as much as 50-60 %, significantly increas- Government of India has to accommodate regulatory norms as ing vehicle fuel economy. Primarily well as customer demands in its vehicle epoxy-based, continuous-fibre CFRP has design, including better crash safety, new limited commercial use in niche, high-per- sub-systems (for comfort) and high per- formance sports cars and special editions. formance powertrains, all of which lead to Unfortunately, high production costs increase in vehicle mass. have limited the widespread use of car- Heavy vehicles consume more fuel and bon-fibres. The current cost of carbon- Arghya Sardar is Scientist E & Head, Transportation produce more emissions. While there are fibres is approximately $ 15/pound. For Division at TIFAC, Department of several ways to improve fuel efficiency – carbon-fibres to be used widely, the costs Science & Technology, Government improving engine and transmission effi- need to be lowered to $ 5/pound or less. of India ciency, reducing aerodynamic drag, and In order to reach this cost, alternate pre- rolling resistance – the most effective cursors need to be explored and heat means is by reducing the overall weight of treatments involved in stabilising and the vehicle. carbonising the fibres need to be opti- Vehicle mass can be reduced to some mised. While high prices for carbon-fibre extent through optimised vehicle design, and time-consuming, labour-intensive which is a highly iterative process, traditional manufacturing processes have wherein design is optimised either by so far prevented broader use, new devel- eliminating part and/ or function redun- opments may be changing the picture. dancy across the vehicle systems and also part consolidation. However, significant mass reduction can be achieved when CARBON-FIBRE high density steel in vehicle components can be replaced with lower density mate- The raw material used to make carbon- rial such as Advanced High Strength fibre is called the precursor. About 90 % Steels (AHSS), aluminium, magnesium or of the carbon-fibres produced are made composites. There are various critical from polyacrylonitrile (PAN), and the challenges that need to be addressed to remaining 10 % are made from rayon or successfully use the lightweight materials petroleum pitch. All of these materials are organic polymers, characterised by long strings of molecules bound together by Criticality of Challenge carbon atoms. The exact composition of Carbon-fibre Low-cost fibre High-volume Recycling Joining Predictive composites Mfg. Modelling each precursor varies from one company to another and is generally considered a Aluminium Feedstock Cost Manufacturing Improved Alloys Recycling trade secret. Generally, precursor formulation Magnesium Feedstock Cost Improved Alloys Corrosion Manufacturing Recycling Protection begins with an acrylonitrile monomer, which is combined in a reactor with plas- Advances High- Manufactur Wt. Red. Alloy strength Steel ability Concepts Development ticised acrylic comonomers and a catalyst,

Titanium Low-cost Ext- Low-cost Pro- Forming & Ma- Low-cost PM Alloy such as itaconic acid, sulphur dioxide raction duction chining Development acid, sulphuric acid or methylacrylic acid. Metal-matrix Feedstock Cost Compositing Power Handling Compaction Machining & Continuous stirring blends the ingredi- Composites Methods Forming ents, ensures consistency and purity and Glazings Low-cost Noise, Tº Noise reduction UV and IR blo- initiates the formation of free radicals Lightweight Struc. models techniques ckers within the acrylonitrile’s molecular struc- Materials. simulations ture. This change leads to polymerisation, Emerging Material Cost Manufactura- Design Performance

Material Options Impact Materials and bility Concepts Models the chemical process that creates long- Manufacturing chain polymers that can be formed into 1 Challenges to be addressed for successful use of lightweight materials in vehicles[2] acrylic fibres. autotechreview July 2013 Volume 2 | Issue 7 19 Technology foresight CARBON-FIBRE

Precursor Carbon Fibre RESEARCH EFFORTS automaker to sell an all carbon car, its AND COLLABORATIONS electric i3, this year. 4 shows some of the Precursor Acrylonitril automotive applications realised till date. Oxidisation 1 Research efforts at The subsequent sections in this article Comono- Solvent (250~350ºC in the air) mer Catalyst Oak Ridge National Lab- would analyse material options, process- oratory (ORNL) ing technology and key constraints for Carbonisation (1000~1500ºC in inert carbon gas) The US Department of growth of the industry. Energy’s Oak Ridge Polymerisation Surface treatment Graphitisation National Laboratory Sizing treatment Solution spinning (ORNL) has been COMMERCIALLY AVAILABLE Spinning Surface Treatment researching methods to CARBON-FIBRES Sizing Treatment produce lower-cost car- Rinsing Carbon Fibre Graphite Fibre bon-fibres for more than a A. Carbon-fibre from PAN Post-treatment decade, and has a Carbon- PAN is a petroleum-based polymer that Precursor fibre Technology Facility was first developed by the textile industry. that will both demonstrate Carbon-fibres produced from PAN have 2 Production process schematic technology scalability and the highest tensile strength. The precursor produce large quantities fibres are produced by wet spinning, as that industrial partners PAN decomposes before melting. The pol- High • >750 KSI cost is not limiting; can use for testing and ymer in solution forms a liquid crystal Performance • 35 MSI Performance Driven development. ORNL has that can be ejected through a spinneret Moderate • 500 – 750 KSI cost and performance; also signed contracts with into a coagulation bath and stretched to Grade • 25 – 35 MSI Balance the manufacturers of the obtain a highly oriented fibre. After spin- High Volume • 250 – 500 KSI cost sensitive; facility’s two semi-produc- ning, the fibre is stabilised and oxidised in Grade • < 25 MSI Performance Enabling tion lines – one to produce order to avoid chain scission and relaxa- Non- Chemical & physical properties of carbon precursor fibres and the tion during carbonisation. structural Usually low cost and chosen for uniqueness other to produce carbon- The stabilisation is done at moder- 3 Cost/ performance categories of carbon-fibre fibres. These semi-produc- ately high temperatures (200-280° C) in tion scale lines are a criti- oxygen atmosphere, whereby cyclisation The manufacturing of carbon-fibres cal intermediate between laboratory scale and incorporation of hydroxyl groups of can be divided into several steps, and not and full commercial production scale. The the polymer chain occurs. It is not until a material can withstand all the sub- lines will be able to handle the three pre- known in which order cyclisation and sequent treatments. It suits carbon-fibre cursor technologies ORNL has been oxidation occurs in the stabilisation pro- production, viz. spinning of a fibre, stabi- developing as alternatives to existing pol- cess. By slowly heating the fibre up to lisation and carbonisation. The process yacrylonitrile (PAN) precursor fibres – 1000-1500° C, oxygen, hydrogen and for making carbon-fibres is part chemical lower-cost PAN, polyolefins, and lignin. nitrogen containing molecules are and part mechanical, 2. The precursor is The research is targeted towards develop- released from the structure resulting in a drawn into long strands or fibres and then ing low cost carbon-fibre technology to carbon yield of 55 %. At 1300° C, only heated to a very high temperature without the automotive industry. 0.3 % of the nitrogen remains [1]. allowing it to come into contact with oxy- 2. Industry Collaborations Polyacrylonitirile (PAN) precursor used gen. Without oxygen, the fibre cannot Under EU legislation, manufacturers’ fleet in traditional carbon-fibre manufacturing burn. Instead, the high temperature average CO2 emissions must fall from cur- process requires a lengthy and energy causes the atoms in the fibre to vibrate rent levels in the UK of over 130 g/km to intensive oxidative stabilisation step so violently until most of the non-carbon 95 g/km by 2020. Mass-market brands that the fibres can endure the high tem- atoms are expelled. This process is called can produce more smaller-engine vehicles peratures of the subsequent carbonisation carbonisation and leaves a fibre com- to lower the average, but luxury carmak- step without decomposing. At the conclu- posed of long, tightly inter-locked chains ers can’t – causing many to rush into sion of the carbonisation step, approxi- of carbon atoms with only a few non-car- partnership with makers of carbon-fibre mately one half of the original PAN pre- bon atoms remaining. composites. Hence, several partners have cursor mass is lost as volatile effluent. Carbon-fibres can be divided into four teamed up recently for collaborations – This effluent contains toxic species requir- broad cost/ performance categories, 3. General Motors and Teijin Limited; Ford/ ing abatement before reintroduction into Most high volume industries would Dow/AKSA; BMW and SGL Automotive the environment. require the last two categories. Carbon- Carbon-fibres, a SGL Group; Daimler and Following the carbonisation step, car- fibre can be used throughout the body carbon-fibre producer Toray Industries; bon-fibres undergo a surface treatment and chassis of a vehicle. Automotive Audi and Voith GmbH; Magna/Zoltek; and sizing step, which improves their applications need 250-500 KSI, 25 MSI Jaguar Land Rover and US-based Cytec ability to bond with composite matrix fibre, and the key drivers are tensile mod- and Ford and US-based Dow. material. It is important that a carbon- ulus and tensile strength. BMW claims it will be the first major fibre manufacturing cost model be devel-

20 www.autotechreview.com Ford, Aston Martin Vanquish Carbon fibre composite transmission tunnel, braided A-pillar, identical properties in all directions, but front end crash structure (400-800 units/year) a pitch can be polymerised slightly fur- Ford GT Carbon fibre composite rear deck lid and seat (4500 units total) ther to orient the molecules in a layered Ford Mustang GT 500 KR Carbon fibre hood (<5000 units/yr) form. This happens because of the exist- 2006 Z06 Corvette Carbon fibre fenders, wheel house, and floor pan ence of a liquid crystal state, which is also called a mesophase. Applied stress BMW M3 CSL Carbon Fibre Roof to the viscous mesophase to align the 2006 Dodge Viper Carbon fibre LH/RH fender/sill supports, LH/RH door inner molecules, and then heating the material reinforcements, windshield surround to convert it to a highly-oriented carbon- 2005 Mercedes Benz SLR McLaren Carbon fibre intensive vehicle fibre, results in highly-oriented graphitis- 4 Random automotive applications of carbon-fibre able carbon-fibres. The physical proper- ties of these graphitised mesophase pitch oped in order to evaluate the cost-effec- manufacture of a number of carbons and fibres were astounding. tiveness of alternative manufacturing graphites. Pitch is a by-product from Most mesophase pitch-based fibres did pathways being considered by the indus- destructive distillation of crude oil asphalt not achieve the high tensile strengths of try today. The precursor cost is the main or coal, has carbon content higher than some PAN and rayon fibres, except in the reason of the high carbon-fibre price, as it that of PAN and exceeds 60 %. laboratory. Pitch is a fairly inexpensive represents more than 50 % of the total Additionally, it is inexpensive and raw material. However, depending on the carbon-fibre cost, 5. readily available. However, the pitch- form and properties of the desired prod- Any material containing carbon can be based carbon-fibre cost is comparable to uct, the cost of the final product — mat, “carbonised” by heating it to around that of PAN-based fibres, because of a strands or cloth — can vary widely. 1,000° C, producing a substance that is rather complex transformation process. Pitch-based fibres are unique in their roughly 99 % carbon. Upon further heat- Mesophase pitch-based carbon-fibres on ability to achieve ultra-high Young’s mod- ing, typically to about 2,500° C, such a the other hand, have properties that can ulus and thermal conductivity and, there- material can be converted to 100 % car- compete with PAN-based carbon-fibres. fore, have found an assured place in criti- bon, while transforming the internal The primary pitch material, containing cal military and space applications. But structure from a poorly ordered to a more high amounts of asphaltenes, is processed their high cost has kept production to a ordered form. But not all carbon materials prior to the conventional melt-spinning, minimum; only a few Japanese compa- heat-treated to these high temperatures thermo-stabilisation and carbonisation. nies in addition to Cytec are currently are truly graphitic. Only certain carbons During this process, the isotropic pitch is making commercial mesophase fibres. A start with an adequately ordered structure transformed into a liquid crystal phase lower modulus, non-graphitised meso- to form nearly perfect graphite crystals, (mesophase), consisting of large polyaro- phase-pitch-based fibre, which is much and only these graphitic substances can matic molecules. The mesophase pitch is lower in cost, is used extensively for air- approach the excellent properties of pure melt spun through a spinneret with a high craft brakes. graphite — high thermal and electric con- draw ratio, resulting in a fibre diameter of ductivities combined with high stiffness 10-15 μm. The fibre, still being thermo- (Young’s modulus). PAN and rayon are plastic, needs to be stabilised at approxi- CONSTRAINTS AND BARRIERS both non-graphitising materials, so car- mately 300° C in oxygen atmosphere or in FOR COMMERCIAL USE OF bon-fibres from these precursors will an oxidising liquid. As for PAN, the car- CARBON-FIBRE never be truly graphitic, even after heat bonisation is performed above 1,000° C. treatment to high temperatures. A following heat treatment from 1,200- Carbon-fibres have been used in high per- Polyacrylonitrile (PAN)-based fibres 3,000° C establishes the final microstruc- formance applications from airplanes to still dominate the world market. In addi- ture, modulus and strength [1]. automobiles and from satellites to sport- tion to high modulus fibres, PAN fibres Most pitches are isotropic, having ing goods. All commercial carbon-fibres exhibits extremely high tensile strength. Hence, PAN fibres are widely used for A B sporting goods such as golf clubs, tennis Total costs Manufacturing costs rackets, fishing rods and skis; it is also Marketing distribution, Other Pecursor dealer discount Manufacturing cost extensively used for military and commer- 22% and support 9% cial aircraft. Labor 10% B. Carbon-fibre from Pitch Corporate Heating organic substances like petro- overhead and benefits 7% 54% 12% leum-based and coal-based materials 51% inevitably leads to the formation of a R&D 6% Depreciation engineering pitch — a tar-like mixture of hundreds of 6% 18% branched compounds with different Profit 5% Utilities molecular weights. Pitch is an important Warranty high carbon organic precursor used in the 5 Carbon fibre cost breakdown autotechreview July 2013 Volume 2 | Issue 7 21 Technology foresight CARBON-FIBRE

Precursors Stabilisation Carbonisation/ Surface Spooling & costs. The industry has been working on Graphitisation treatment/ Sizing Packaging development of non-PAN-based carbon- • High PE based Advanced Oxidative Microwave Assisted Interfacial optimisation fibre to reduce material costs and help it Polyolefins Stabilisation Plasma move more substantially into the automo- • Polyolefin blends tive market. Industry has been exploring • PAN-VA Textile alternative precursors to reduce carbon- fibre raw material costs. • PAN-MA Textile Current precursor options: Many poly- • High content mers have been evaluated as the low cost Lignin precursor materials, such as rayon (or • Lignin Blends regenerated cellulose), lignin (Hardwood 6 Cost reduction technologies[2] or Softwood), polyolefin, textile precur- sors and PAN-MA precursors. However, produced today are based on rayon, PAN material is needed for smaller struc- more research is required to optimise pro- or pitch. Rayon-based fibres were the first tures = manufacturing costs cessing conditions for the required in commercial production in 1959, and dominate. mechanical properties and carbon yield. they led the way to the earliest applica- :: Meeting requirement of mass produc- Lignin and polyolefin will be an attractive tions, which were primarily military. PAN- tion of vehicles precursor candidate compared to PAN based fibres have replaced rayon-based :: Surface treatment & sizing technolo- fibres if we can solve the problems associ- fibres in most applications, because they gies are guarded by industry. ated with those, 7. are superior in several respects, notably in :: The lack of resin targeted sizing tensile strength. Fibres from PAN fuelled systems. the explosive growth of the carbon-fibre :: Property translation is immature for CARBON-FIBRE FROM RAYON industry since 1970, and they are now carbon-fibre in automotive resins used in a wide array of applications. :: Product forms Among cellulosic fibres, rayon has been The problem is that carbon-fibre com- used commercially and investigated posites cost at least 20 times as much as extensively. Rayon is produced from inex- steel, and the automobile industry is COST REDUCTION TECHNOLOGIES pensive cellulose wood pulp by solution waiting to see these prices drops down. spinning. The production of carbon-fibres Further, the production of carbon-fibres A variety of cost reduction technologies is from rayon has reduced due to its low car- is too expensive and slow. The raw mate- listed in 6. bon yield (20-30 %), high processing cost, rial is typically pitch, or polyacrylonitrile and limited physical properties. Research (PAN) precursor. It is converted to car- has focused on modifying the degradation bon-fibres using thermal pyrolysis, a LOW COST PRECURSORS mechanism to increase the carbon yield. slow, energy-consuming process that is Rayon has a chemical formula of combined with stressing to achieve the A suitable precursor for production of (C6H10O5)n and the theoretical carbon right properties. The precursor, the structural carbon-fibres must fulfil certain yield is 44.4 %. However, due to the energy needed to heat it to make fibres, requirements, namely: (a) they should be releasing of CO, CO2 and other carbon and the large ovens and other capital able to develop a preferred orientation in containing gases in the process, the actual equipment required in the process con- the fibre direction to ensure a high stiff- yield is only 10-30 %. tribute to the high cost. As a result, car- ness and strength; (b) they should pre- bon-fibre composites can’t compete eco- serve a fibrous shape during heat treat- nomically with steel in the auto industry. ments; (c) they should provide a high car- CARBON-FIBRE FROM LIGNIN Some obstacles /barriers for growth of bon yield in the final product. carbon usage in transportation include: Converting PAN into carbon-fibre has Lignin is derived from wood, and costs :: Cost of the fibres challenged producers for more than 30 significantly less than PAN, which is :: Fibre availability years. Carmichael adds that most of a car- largely independent of oil prices. Lignin is :: Design methods: Predictive Modelling bon-fibre producer’s investment is spent the second most abundant macromole- of carbon-fibres is quite complex and on precursor, and the quality of the fin- cule, after cellulose, in nature. It has a difficult, especially while designing for ished fibre is directly dependent on that of complex structure containing both aro- crash critical applications. Test stand- the precursor. The conventional PAN- matic and aliphatic entities. Wood con- ards are not uniform. based fibres are expensive. Of the carbon- sists of 20-35 % of lignin, and lignin is an :: Processing Technologies: Many com- fibres produced today, over 90 % origi- important factor making wood an extraor- posite processing methods are opti- nates from the oil-based synthetic poly- dinary material. When extracted in liquid mised for performance, not production mer polyacrylonitrile, which is expensive form via kraft wood pulping, lignin rate efficiency. to produce. Petroleum-based PAN costs requires purification before it is suitable :: Larger structures are more cost sensi- fluctuate with crude oil prices, which for melt spinning into fibre, but the purifi- tive to the raw material cost. Less results in varying carbon-fibre production cation step might be reduced or elimi-

22 www.autotechreview.com Wood Biomass Nat. Gas Naphtha Coal precursors and efficient processing tech- nologies, the cost target for carbon-fibre can meet the requirement of Industry. Polyolefin After 2015, carbon-fibre applications in the automotive industry are projected to grow 10-15 % a year. As they do, many of the applications once considered impossi- ble will become reality. Carbon-fibres are used sparingly in automotive applications, Lignin Conversion CF Fabric P-Preg Comp. OEM but someday entire body panels may be made from them. Mass-production of car- 7 Present precursor options bon-fibre could become one of the great- est growth segments in the automotive nated when using lignin from ethanol pro- than traditional PAN carbon-fibre precur- industry in the second half of this decade. duction processes [1]. sors. The carbon-fibre made from PE has India endowed with good natural Currently, lignin usage is limited to shown a high carbon yield of 75 % and resources, and R&D efforts can be kraft pulping of wood for high-volume, an appropriate strength of 2.5 GPa. How- diverted to develop low lignin, rayon and lower-cost carbon-fibre production. Lignin ever, not enough work has been done on polyolefin-based carbon-fibres. is a bio-product of bio-fuel Industries. The the process optimisation. key questions are: how to produce struc- tural carbon-fibres from lignin? How can References: we induce ordered structure in lignin dur- WAY FORWARD [1] Ylva Nordström, Development of softwood kraft lignin based carbon-fibres, 2012, Luleå University ing pyrolysis as Lignin tends to yield dis- of Technology ordered carbon? The future of carbon-fibre is very bright, [2] C. David warren, Lightweighting of Composites PAN based carbon-fibres show better with vast potential in many industrial and low cost carbon-fibre, Oak Ridge National graphics structure than the lignin-derived applications. Some key sectors include the Laboratory, March, 2013 carbon. Kraft pulping is the main pulping following: process used today for paper production, :: Alternate Energy – wind turbines, CNG yielding by-products such as lignin, hemi- storage and transportation, fuel cells; cellulose and extractives. This process :: Fuel-Efficient Automobiles – currently efficiently removes lignin from the wood used in small production, high perfor- fibres by dissolution into what is called mance automobiles, but moving the black liquor, together with hemicellu- toward large production series cars; lose, extractives, hydroxyl acids and inor- :: Construction and Infrastructure – light- ganic compounds. After evaporation, the weight pre-cast concrete, earth quake organic materials are used for energy protection; recovery through combustion. Up to 47 % :: Oil Exploration – deep sea drilling plat- of the black liquor consists of lignin. An forms, buoyancy, umbilical, choke, kill efficient process for this type of extrac- lines and drill pipes tion, LignoBoost has been developed by The key question to be pondered is what Innventia and Chalmers University of would be the price of carbon-fibre to be a Technology, and is currently being com- high volume material option? Primary mercialised by Metso. competition to carbon-fibre is not from Kraft lignin has properties that make it steel as it was in the past, but from alu- suitable as a precursor for carbon-fibre minium and magnesium. The cost of production. A carbon content of 61-64 % making carbon-fibres has been reduced makes it theoretically possible to produce drastically in the last 20 years, and large amounts of carbon-fibre from kraft researchers are bringing that cost down Read this article on lignin. Also, lignin is a readily available every day. With development of low cost www.autotechreview.com renewable material as compared to con- ventional fossil raw materials such as PAN and petroleum pitch [1]. Technology Information, Forecasting and Assessment Council (TIFAC) is an auto­ nomous organisation set up in 1988 under the Department of Science & Technology to look ahead in technologies, assess the technology trajectories, and support technology CARBON-FIBRE FROM POLYOLEFIN innovation by network actions in select technology areas of national importance.

PE based polyolefin-based precursors Send in your feedback to [email protected] have significantly higher carbon content autotechreview July 2013 Volume 2 | Issue 7 23

Cover story PLASTICS & CFRP ‘PEEK’ POLYMERS FOR EFFICIENT TRANSMISSIONS

Manufacturers of transmissions are faced day-by-day with the challenge of having to develop more efficient transmission components to achieve ever higher torques and greater facility in gear shifting. Consequently, the polymer manufacturer Victrex has developed innovative high-performance polymers to significantly increase wear resistance and to optimise efficiency by reducing friction losses. Based on these advantages, PEEK poly- mers are used, for instance, for sealing rings, thrust washers and the friction linings of gearshift forks.

26 www.autotechreview.com Authors SIZE REDUCTION converter area can easily reach 150 °C and higher. These factors place high The development and production of auto- demands on the materials used for the motive transmissions is following the gen- adjacent components. eral industry trend towards reduction in Consequently, thrust washers made of the size of components, while aiming to high-performance polymers are being increase performance. State-of-the-art used with ever-increasing frequency in DIPL.-KFF. (UNI) CAROLIN BUTZ is responsible for European Marketing automatic transmissions, such as auto- automatic transmissions, to achieve an in the Area of Integrated Marketing matic six- to eight-speed torque-converter “integrated” safety factor. High-tempera- Communications at Victrex Europa automatic transmissions, must be able to ture plastics can typically be exposed to GmbH in Hofheim/Taunus (Germany). apply large torques and cope with higher continuous operating temperatures of up engine speeds. to 260 °C. The polymer polyetheretherke- This requires considerable optimisation tone (PEEK) is a thermoplastic and has a that extends right down to the smallest melting temperature of 343 °C [1]. PEEK transmission components, including polymer from Victrex is not significantly thrust washers. A thrust washer serves as changed by the temperatures prevailing a support bearing, in order to adjust axial inside transmissions, even after more than DIPL.-ING. (FH) JÜRGEN REINERT is Senior Market Development loads on a shaft that is usually rotating 5,000 h. This is particularly important for Manager for Germany, Switzerland against a fixed body. Typical axial forces the compression strength and stability of and Benelux, and is responsible for in passenger cars are in the order of 3000 a component. This means Victrex poly- the automotive activities at Victrex N at speeds of up to 6,500 rpm and mers provide all necessary properties for Europa GmbH in Hofheim/Taunus (Germany). higher. The resulting PV values (specific modern transmission applications. pressure × velocity), based on oil lubrica- tion, can reach up to 100 MPa m/s, depending on the diameter selected. As a AVOIDING FRICTION result of the highly compact, tight con- struction of such transmissions, the oil Friction between components generates supply is only ensured by defined chan- heat and causes abrasion, with both nels. The design of the supply lines limits effects resulting in a loss of energy. Con- the oil feed. sequently, the aim is always to minimise such losses. The problem can be resolved by selecting materials that have a low THERMAL PROPERTIES coefficient of friction. While adding Vic- trex polymers, it is managed to create the A complicated system of conduits and premium wear grades WG101 and WG102 hollow shafts in state-of-the-art auto- with remarkable tribological properties. 1 matic transmissions assures an effective shows the behaviour of the coefficient of supply of oil in all driving situations. The friction in relation to the PV value for WG oil-sump temperatures within the torque polymer, PEEK and other plastics, while

0.15 1.2

1.0

0.10 /Nm] 3 0.8 mm -6 0.6 WG101 WG101

WG102 WG102

Coefficient of friction µ 0.05 0.4 PEEK/PBI PEEK/PBI

PAI Tribo-grade Wearing rate [10 PAI Tribo-grade 0.2 PI Tribo-grade PI Tribo-grade

0 1234 56 78 0 1234 56 78

pv factor [MPa m/s] pv factor [MPa m/s] 1 Behaviour of the coefficient of friction in relation to the PV value for 2 Diagram of the wear rate in relation to the PV value for WG polymer, PEEK and WG polymer, PEEK and other plastics (according to ASTM D7302) other plastics autotechreview July 2013 Volume 2 | Issue 7 27 Cover story PLASTICS & CFRP

250 contributes to high energy efficiency and a long service life. 200 Components made of polyaryletherke- tones (PAEK) can be produced at a much more cost-effective rate than the same 150 parts made of metal or other high perfor- WG101 mance plastics such as polyimide (Pl) and 100 emperature [°C] WG102 polyamide-imide (PAI). Such products can T PEEK/PBI be produced within very close tolerances by standard injection moulding processes 50 PAI Tribo-grade and do not require any thermal post-treat- PI Tribo-grade ment or mechanical finishing. The parts produced in this manner are off-tool parts. 0 1234 56 78 3 shows the temperature in the mating pv factor [MPa m/s] surface in relation to the PV value. The

3 PV value as a dimension for wear ­resistance relative to the temperature of the WG polymer, PEEK and temperature of the premium wear grades other plastics WG is the lowest.

2 shows a diagram of the wear rate in STIFFNESS AND WEIGHT APPLICATION: COMPOSITE relation to the PV value for these BEARINGS polymers. It makes sense to manufacture compo- Plastics such as fluoropolymers (e.g. nents out of polymers instead of metals, As a result of the previously mentioned PTFE) are, however, too soft for use in especially if the aim is to reduce weight at properties, PEEK can be used in a multi- state-of-the-art transmissions because comparable application strength and rigid- tude of applications. The product portfolio they cannot withstand the high load pres- ity. For instance, among the technical at Victrex ranges from composite bearings sure-creep requirements – especially plastics, the carbon-fibre reinforced PEEK to moving parts, lead-throughs and even under high temperature. 90HMF40, from Victrex, offers the highest gear wheels. But these are the very requirements specific strength, and thus significant Composite bearings have been specifi- that are decisive for the efficiency of the potential for weight reduction, where cally designed to operate with marginal system. The key factor for realising relia- lightweight design is the goal. The substi- lubrication. They generally consist of ble products is the combination of wear tution of metal components with the poly- three composite layers – a steel support- resistance, pressure-creep resistance and a mer achieves a weight reduction in the ing strip and a sintered bronze matrix, low coefficient of friction. The plastic Vic- order of 80 %, while retaining a focus on impregnated and superimposed with a trex PEEK fulfils these criteria. high strength. polymer bearing material, such as PEEK, that contains fillers like carbon fibres, graphite and other fillers that optimise RESISTANCE TO AGGRESSIVE REINFORCED, SIMPLE AND resistance to wear. The steel support, the TRANSMISSION FLUIDS COST-EFFECTIVE first layer, provides strength. The interme- diate bronze layer ensures a strong State-of-the-art lubricants for automatic Thermal stability and stiffness can be mechanical bond with the cover and func- transmissions contain numerous chemical improved by combining high-performance tions as an emergency service layer. The components that conform to OEM specifi- polymers with special reinforcing materi- third layer consists of PEEK, which cations; however, they can be very aggres- als, such as carbon fibres. The resulting ensures tribological suitability. sive towards the materials used. This has material is known within the industry as culminated in new challenges, with CFRP (carbon-fibre reinforced polymer). regard to the chemical resistance of the Additives such as PTFE and graphite then employed materials. improve the frictional properties. Victrex Most transmission fluids consist of has developed wear-resistant materials combinations of a multitude of petro- with less mass, on account of a lower leum-based chemical additives and dyes. density, compared to solutions with metal The latest studies have confirmed that based bearings. Furthermore, the cost of PEEK does not show any significant transmission components can be reduced change in performance and is not influ- by the thermoplastic manufacturing pro- enced in any significant manner during cess. Materials such as the WG wear- tests with new transmission oils, after grade polymer from Victrex offer excellent 1,000 h at 150 °C, so there is nothing to resistance to wear, as well as very low prevent its adoption. and stable coefficients of friction. All this 4 Thrust washer made of solid plastic

28 www.autotechreview.com This composition guarantees high dimensional stability and more effective thermal conduction, to reduce the temper- ature at the bearing surface.

APPLICATION: THRUST WASHERS

Axial thrust washers, 4, are important components in automatic transmissions. They are often subject to wear and are made of solid plastic. Since they are used to separate the different transmission stages, they are invariably exposed to high axial forces and extreme tribological stress. The compact design of the trans- mission casing and the high loads result in higher oil temperatures. 5 Rectangular sealing ring made of PEEK 6 Gerotor pump As a result of their balanced properties profile and thanks to the possibility of producing parts by injection moulding, have for many years been replaced by nents can be downsized, to reduce their without having to resort to extensive fin- new temperature- and oil-resistant high- mass, to a greater extent than is possible ishing processes, PEEK polymers enable performance thermoplastic materials, with metals, thus increasing energy effi- designers to develop ever more economi- such as PEEK. These plastics feature ciency and, furthermore, reducing cost, cal and efficient applications. These new excellent friction and wear properties that when compared with mechanically pro- areas of application now include their role can be further optimised by incorporating duced metal gear wheels. as the preferred material for transmission additives. A positive side effect is a sim- thrust washers. plified installation procedure for a rectan- gular sealing ring, 5, as a result of their CONCLUSION higher elasticity and reduced stiffness, APPLICATION: LEAD-THROUGHS compared to components made of metal. Transmission components made of PEEK high-performance plastics by Victrex fulfil Special lead-throughs with rectangular or even exceed customer requirements sealing rings are used for rotating shafts APPLICATION: GEAR WHEELS and enable cost-efficient production since in infinitely variable automatic transmis- no secondary processes are required. sions with six to eight speeds, as well as Gear wheels that drive auxiliary units Moreover, the functions of several metal in Double-Clutch Transmissions (DCT) such as Gerotor pumps must fulfil numer- parts can be integrated in a single injec- and Continuously Variable Transmissions ous requirements and utilise the advan- tion-moulded component. To summarise, (CVT). They are rated as having zero tages of polymers because various loads suppliers and producers in the automotive leakage and therefore ensure the oil pres- always arise in different combinations, 6. industry are able to meet the most dis- sure that is necessary for the rotating con- The correct performance of a gear wheel cerning demands of their customers, trol and actuating elements. in such a pump is dependent on dynamic while at the same time fulfilling all the Friction losses may arise within the flexural fatigue strength, and resistance to legal terms and conditions of production. sealing system, significantly impairing oils, greases and aging, as well as dimen- These include reduced weight, a higher efficiency. The continuous reduction of sional stability. In particular, gear wheels power density and longer service life, and, the displacement of combustion engines profit from having a defined thermal ultimately, significantly improved energy (that means, their downsizing) results in expansion and the fact that their dimen- efficiency, which then contributes to a ever higher rotational speeds and even sions remain stable within the humid reduction in CO2 emissions. increased oil pressure within the transmis- environment of the lubricants. Up to now, sion. The rise in temperature caused by no swelling has been detected. Reference friction in the contact area between the The service life of gear wheels made [1] Oberbach, K.: Saechtling – Kunststoff- Taschenbuch. 28. Aufl., p. 523, München: Hans- seal and the shaft may result in decompo- from new grades of PEEK polymer devel- er, 2011 sition of the oil, which can negatively oped for this specific application area is, impact sealing. As a consequence, optimi- according to rig testing, decades longer sation of the interfacing between shaft than that of gear wheels made from other and seal is of primary importance. engineering polymers (with lubrication For optimised cost effectiveness and to and at 120° C). This means that PEEK Read this article on ensure design freedom, gray cast rings gear wheels and their adjoining compo- www.autotechreview.com autotechreview July 2013 Volume 2 | Issue 7 29 Cover story PLASTICS & CFRP SIMULATION in cfrp INDUSTRIALISATION

The expected quantities and enormous pricing pressures involved are forcing producers of carbon components to manufacture CFRP (carbon fibre reinforced plastic) on an industrial scale, for which there is currently a shortage of solid experience and process models. Tools supplied by Dassault Systèmes for the digital factory can therefore help to handle the complex and delicate production processes for CFRP components.

author MOTIVATION Producers are working at developing methods that fulfil the technical condi- At present, in the automotive industry, tions but which, particularly, are also high-performance composites are found notably more cost-effective than the pro- only in body components of sports cars in cesses and methods employed, for exam- relatively small quantities, or in drive ple, in the airline industry, in medical components such as drive shafts for technology and in the leisure and outdoor JOACHIM BAUER is Director of Sales Delmia Central motor sports. But more recently, highly sectors. CFRP exhibits high durability and Europe at Dassault Systèmes in durable structural components are also stability and displays very good noise, Stuttgart (Germany). being prepared for mass production. vibration and harshness (NVH) character-

30 www.autotechreview.com istics. In addition, the material offers a tion of aircraft. Producers started with the the new innovative CFRP process chain is high level of flexibility in the forming pro- tail units, then the wing structures were being mastered. cess and allows, for example, the combi- made from CFRP, and in the latest aircraft In the car industry, due to high output nation of multiple, welded sheet metal models, the Airbus 350 and Boeing 787, and entirely different cost structures, the parts into a larger, integrated and signifi- even the fuselage structure is made from use of automated production processes cantly lighter component. CFRP. A similar development is to be and automated handling of intermediate expected in the automotive industry, products and parts are required to a much where there are first signs of success that greater extent than in the airline industry. CFRP IN HYBRID AND ELECTRIC CARS

Unlike metallic materials, CFRP is charac- terised by high levels of stiffness and strength and is therefore well suited to render the passenger compartment crash- proof. By contrast, CFRP is unable to absorb deformation energy. In crash-rele- vant front section and underbody struc- tures of motor vehicles, aluminium and highly malleable steel are therefore still used. The first vehicle to be built accord- ing to these principles is the ‘i-Series’ from BMW, which is scheduled to come onto the market this year. Composites play an important part in the future introduction of electric vehicles because they usually help to compensate for the high battery weight. CFRP/FRP can also partly compensate for weight gain as a result of hybrid drive technology and additional safety or comfort features. However, initiatives in lightweight design only pay off if costs can be brought under ❶ A detailed ­description of the ply layup is basis for a detailed planning control, in other words if carbon fibre pro- duction can be industrialised.

PLANNING METHODS FOR INDUSTRIAL CFRP PRODUCTION

New methods of planning are therefore required for the industrial use of CFRP parts. Important parameters such as high quantities, surface finish, tolerances and logistics strategy, all of which have a high impact on the relevant unit costs, have to be given greater consideration than was previously the case in the evaluation of manufacturing concepts. There are no standards in place that would allow a wide range of planners to design CFRP production facilities at a high level. Com- parability, speed, transparency and qual- ity are the key drivers. In view of the growing use of CFRP, a clear parallel to the airline industry can be drawn. The proportion of carbon fibre ❷ Offline programming of tape laying machines is one out of many application areas for the automated materials has increased with each genera- ­production of composite parts autotechreview July 2013 Volume 2 | Issue 7 31 Cover story PLASTICS & CFRP

resents such a digital planning tool. This tool set for the digital factory also offers special solutions for CFRP, such as lay-up simulation, laser projection, tape laying or NC simulation, 1 and 2. These are embedded in a comprehen- sive, database driven and fully inte- grated process chain that covers all steps from the product’s requirements and its development through to manu- facturing and quality control.

ROBOT AND MACHINE SIMULATION

The complex CFRP processing operations, including post-processing and assembly of components, can be backed by virtual means such as robot simulation and offline programming, which optimise pro- duction quality as well as saving time and money. Following successful simulation, the machine- readable programming code, which contains the optimum parameters ❸ The user can gain in Delmia Operations ­Intelligence a fast overview on the most important parameters in clear diagrams for the real CFRP production, is generated offline and installed on the machine. This allows the often complex movements of the robots and special machines – includ- ing, for instance, water jet cutters or laser cutters – to be well supported virtually. This helps to avoid machine downtime and faulty production starts. Dassault Sys- tèmes therefore works with machine man- ufacturers and software partners to pro- vide a machine- specific simulation using Delmia standard software.

INTEGRATION OF CFRP CONSTRUCTION AND MANUFACTURING

Designers are able to model the layer structure of composite components with the aid of their CAD system. This enables them, for example, to improve the strength and stiffness of the component by simulation. But one particular feature of composites is that the strength of a ❹ Catia allows to model complex composite parts in detail component depends to a large extent on the manufacturing process and the fibre and resin content applied in each case. This includes pre-forming, for example. be done by robots. In order to plan in This is why it is relevant to be able to The woven fibres are made into a mould, an efficient and cost-effective way, car analyse whether a certain procedure thus creating the pre-forms. In a second producers need software tools with meets pre-defined production parameters step, special presses are used for the high which they can virtually define, plan, as early as the development stage, 3. pressure injection of the resin. create, monitor and control all produc- The engineer adopts the component When the parts leave the press, post tion processes. data from his 3D CAD system and gener- processing is usually required. This can Delmia from Dassault Systèmes rep- ates a process plan that also allows the

32 www.autotechreview.com costs of material and cutting of the differ- ent fibre layers and the machining time to be determined. A so-called ply book serves as a basis for information and includes the detailed layer structure – the material data and machine data. Thus, the engineer can check whether the com- ponent can be realised not only in techni- cal terms but also at the calculated price. An added advantage of CFRP compo- nents is that complex geometries can be used very easily. To that end, a 3D CAD system such as Catia offers the possibility for pre-production staff to carry out a drape simulation, which can be used to check how fibre mats can be draped over complex geometries and to see what prob- lems occur and how these can be con- trolled, 4. A process plan or work ❺ Delmia Operations Intelligence ­proposes automatically created rules and provides many possibilities for the instructions can then be generated analysis of underlying data directly from the CAD model.

machine parameters such as pressure, fied even from a small number of units. COMPREHENSIVE PRODUCT AND temperature, setting time and press open- Counter-measures can then be taken dur- PROCESS PLANNING ing and closing times are added. Particu- ing production to reduce reworking and larly while still working on the basis of avoid waste in order to achieve high vol- In product and process planning, the inte- limited firsthand experience, this enables umes faster, once production has been grated solution Simulayt supports the the planner to start off his digital produc- ramped up. engineers by offering a CFRP producibility tion planning by relying on the data pro- Hence, best practices derived from pre- simulation that is useful in understanding vided by the producers of the machine vious production data become manufac- and making precise predictions regarding and material, to build a first simulation turing rules. Production staff receives material behaviour, as well as in assessing model and to draw important insights into clear recommendations in real time. Over- feasibility and in optimising production the process and its timing, which will all, this results in higher economic effi- processes. Such studies are complemented make the investment and unit costs more ciencies because the actual significance of by component and production process transparent even in the early stages. each individual factor on the quality of analyses with Simulia. the component – for example, the temper- This tool helps to ensure not only com- ature in the press – can be determined, in ponent strength but also the process of QUALITY ASSURANCE AND SUPPORT order to adjust quality management in the setting and cooling after a component has FOR THE ONGOING PRODUCTION production process accordingly. been removed from the press. Therefore, PROCESS With a continuous CFRP process problems such as incomplete or unstable chain and effective planning methods for setting, rebound and residual stress can With composite parts, however, problems industrial CFRP production and quality be examined and the most economical with quality tend to occur frequently even control, the important step towards a solution can be found, depending on the if all parameters were within the permissi- comprehensive use of composites in the emphasis placed by different process ble range. This is normally due to an mass production of cars can be handled requirements such as time, cost or quan- unfavourable combination of different fac- safely and economically. tity. While the composites solutions devel- tors. The starting point of the Delmia oped by Dassault Systèmes are used by all Operations Intelligence application is the major companies in the airline industry, production process itself. The tool facili- the current challenge in the automotive tates the identification of which combina- industry is to implement these methods tions of parameters are critical in order to sector by sector, together with customers. derive patterns and rules for the expected Analyses can be carried out even if the component quality, 5. experience and databases relating to the The software generates specific pat- new CFRP production processes are still terns from measurements of initial com- limited. First, the individual work stages, ponents in order to detect hidden causes from fibre roll to finished component, are for previously unexplained inclusions Read this article on defined within the software. Then, and delamination. Rules can be identi- www.autotechreview.com autotechreview July 2013 Volume 2 | Issue 7 33 Cover story PLASTICS & CFRP RAPID-CURING ADHESIVES FOR cfrps

The trend in the development of vehicles with hybrid or electric drives confronts the automotive industry with new challenges. Electric vehicles require lighter materials than conventional automobiles. To enable these mate- rials, such as glass or carbon fibre reinforced plastics, to be integrated in the vehicle structure, automobile man- ufacturers require high-performance adhesives that cure rapidly while at the same time offering easy application and processability. Henkel develops adhesives to meet these requirements.

34 www.autotechreview.com Authors REQUIREMENTS FOR ELECTRO AND HYBRID-DRIVEN VEHICLES

Destined to become more widespread in future vehicle generations, hybrid or elec- tric drives, together with their requisite energy storage units, weigh more than DR.-ING. RAINER KOHLSTRUNG is Specialist for Acoustics & Structural conventional internal combustion Applications/Structural Bonding at engines. Therefore, all other components Henkel in Heidelberg (Germany). of the vehicle need to be made even lighter to keep overall weight at an accept- able level, thus maximising the travel range. Lightweight construction concepts based on a material mix comprising vari- ous substrates provide a solution here. For design and structural elements, fibre rein- DR. MANFRED REIN forced composites are particularly suita- is Specialist for Assembly Adhesives/ Polyurethane Adhesives at Henkel in ble. They offer strength values equivalent Heidelberg (Germany). to those of steel, while having a fraction of its weight.

ADVANTAGES OF ADHESIVES IN JOINING DISPARATE MATERIALS

Good bonding is crucial to the durability of composites comprised of different component substrates. Adhesives offer the advantage of being able to join mate- rials over their interfacial area, thus allowing the properties of the elements to be optimally utilised in the same way as it is already successfully practiced with exclusively steel structures. Moreo- ver, adhesives allow fibre-reinforced materials to be joined without damaging the fibres or the resin matrix, unlike in case of mechanical joining techniques. Damage to the fibres in particular means a reduction in the isotropic material properties and leads to the occurrence of weak points in the overall assembly.

FLEXIBILITY, STRENGTH AND ADHESION PROPERTIES

Adhesives can perform structural, stiffen- ing, insulating, acoustic-damping or seal- ing functions, or offer a combination of such properties. When it comes to join- ing different materials such as plastics with steel or the light metals aluminium and magnesium, the different degrees of expansion and contraction that take place between the mating parts in response to temperature change are of particular significance. The properties of autotechreview July 2013 Volume 2 | Issue 7 35 Cover story PLASTICS & CFRP

the integral capsules containing the cur- ing agent. Cross-linking commences immediately and completes in a matter of seconds, resulting in a thorough cur- ing process irrespective of the level of ambient moisture present. Below this temperature threshold, the adhesives offer an almost unlimited shelf life. 1 shows the schematic representation of the curing reaction. Based on this technology, a range of Terolan products was developed offering various mechanical bonding properties, 2, from very soft and flexible sealants ❶ Schematic representation­ of the WarmCure curing reaction with very high elongation values of up to 400 % to structural adhesives with tear strengths of up to 12 MPa and an ulti- the adhesive therefore need to be aligned strates. Additionally, there are often differ- mate elongation value of 120 %. Terolan not only to surfaces, applications and ing thermal expansion values of the vari- 1510 is particularly suited to the bonding loading patterns involved, but also to the ous substrates. These become an even of crash-relevant composite components physical properties of the materials them- greater problem with high oven-cure or such as B pillars, side members, central selves in order to guarantee a stable stoving temperatures and larger compo- tunnels, and also of structural reinforce- joint. Sufficient elasticity combined with nents. Adhesives that require tempera- ments in fitted components such as the high strength and optimum adhesion tures below 100 °C to fully cure can alle- hood and tailgate. Such applications properties are the key to achieving suc- viate the situation. As no in-plant mixing involve using the adhesive to perma- cessful structural bonds. Stress relief of components is necessary, single-com- nently join composite materials not only between the mating materials, achieved ponent adhesives are cheaper as well as together but also to painted steel and through adhesive elasticities in excess of easier and safer to use in terms of the aluminium structures. 100 %, is a particularly important factor application technology required. This also The product family shows a rapid cur- in this regard. The electrical insulation of eliminates a source of error. ing of the adhesive once the reaction carbon fibre reinforced plastics from met- temperature has been reached. This can als is another relevant aspect due to the be documented, for example, by means need of eliminating galvanic elements FAST AND SECURE BONDING of a series of DSC (Differential Scanning from the structure, thus permanently pre- Calorimetry) measurements to reveal the cluding corrosion. The WarmCure technology used in the energy balance of the cross-linking reac- Terolan product range provides a solu- tion. In case of these one-pack adhesives, tion here. This is a family of single-com- energy is always released. An extremely TWO-PACK VERSUS ponent isocyanate-based adhesives and fast-curing product is shown in the test SINGLE-COMPONENT ADHESIVES sealants that quickly and effectively cure record, 3. Here, the onset temperature at temperatures below 100 °C. The key is lies at 80 °C, rising to a maximum of 87 Up to now, two-component polyurethane a special kind of reversible deactivation °C. The narrow peak gives evidence of adhesives that cure at room temperature of the curing agent. With activation the high reaction rate. were primarily used for the bonding of occurring at temperatures above 80 °C, Due to their limited heat resistance/ composite components. More user- good storage stability of the products at thermal shape stability, composite mate- friendly single-component products either temperatures up to 40 °C is ensured. rials currently available cannot be used cure too slowly or require temperatures The adhesives and sealants are cured in processes characterised by tempera- far beyond the damage limit for the sub- by raising the temperature to deactivate tures that can rise to up to 210 °C. With the new technology, however, low-tem- perature processes and processes with, for example, warming stations, can be Product Reaction Tensile Elongation Characteristic incorporated within innovative vehicle temperature strength at break production lines. Tensile shear tests Terolan 1102 85 °C 4 MPa 250 % Standard prove the fact that “bond on command” Terolan 1104 100 °C 3 MPa 400 % Low-viscous, high elasticity is now also achievable. 4 shows a Terolan 1106 90 °C 5 MPa 150 % Capable of bonding many plastics series of characteristic tensile shear strength values following extremely Terolan 1510 85 °C 12 MPa 120 % High-strength, fast curing short oven-cure cycles. The tests were ❷ Products available on the basis of WarmCure technology based on two substrate combinations:

36 www.autotechreview.com CRP-CRP (carbon reinforced plastics) and CIP-CIP (cathodic immersion painted steel sheet). The left bar shows the reference value achievable following complete curing in a circulating air oven. In case of the CRP-CRP bond, over 60 % of the maximum achievable tensile shear strength was achieved after just 45 s of curing time, rising to 70 % after 60 s. The system subsequently undergoes final curing at room tempera- ture and, after five days, reaches the strength of the fully cured reference sys- tem. With CIP steel sheet, the behaviour observed is comparable, albeit the strength values remain at a lower level due to the lower stiffness of the steel. A further relevant property of polyu- rethane systems is their glass transition temperature (Tg), the exceedance of which leads to massive changes in material properties. For the designer, it ❸ DSC test of a WarmCure adhesive is therefore important that this tempera- ture lies outside the envisaged working range of the component and that the mechanical properties are rendered as constant as possible. The products pre- sented here react accordingly. Their Tg lies between -40 °C and -60 °C, which means that the products are in the elas- tic state above these temperatures. In the working range up to 90 °C, no fur- ther phase transition occurs. This property can be investigated using dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA). 5 shows the moduli of a fast curing adhesive (storage modulus and loss modulus, G’ and G’’) and also their quotient (tan δ). The consistency of read- ings across a wide temperature range is clearly to be seen. On principle, it is possible to manu- facture adhesives from pliable to high- strength using this technology. Therefore, effectively tailored solutions can be found to all applications from sealing to structural bonding. Components with rel- atively large dimensional tolerances can also be bonded together to achieve high joint strength values. Depending on the adhesive film thickness, achievable ten- sile shear values range from approxi- mately 15 MPa at 0.2 mm to not less than 5 MPa even at thicknesses of 7 mm. Due to the adhesion properties – depending on the plastics used or the quality of the matrix resins employed for the fibre composites, and the internal ❹ Tensile shear strength values as a function of the curing conditions autotechreview July 2013 Volume 2 | Issue 7 37 Cover story PLASTICS & CFRP

assembly storage unnecessary – charac- teristics that are essential today for the use of composite materials in automo- bile production. The variability of these adhesives qualifies them as a multi-use product family suited to the adhesive bonding and sealing of components made from composite materials. DualCure adhesives are particularly suitable for fast fixing and tacking pro- cesses; that means for operations in which temperature-sensitive components need to be initially bonded to a strength which allows them to be handled. The adhesive film then fully cures in the course of the ongoing production process without further measures being required. Particularly when it comes to using plastics and composite materials in elec- tric vehicles, it is highly likely that it ❺ DMA analysis of a WarmCure adhesive will be adhesives technology that pro- vides the necessary solutions and inno- vations – because it not only facilitates and external release agents employed – under normal ambient conditions until design and process flexibility in con- bonds can be produced with complete the product has reached its final junction with a non-invasive joining process reliability without any need to strength. Full cure is achieved at a rate technique, it also brings to the fore the pre-treat the materials. Mechanical grind- of up to 4 to 5 mm per 24 hours. material-specific benefits of plastics and ing, plasma or flame pre-treatment, prim- If the thermal curing phase is omitted composite substrates. ing and laser surface preparation can be or only partially utilised, for example rendered completely superfluous, pro- because component tacking is only desira- vided that compliance with appropriate ble at certain points, the product will still boundary conditions is guaranteed. moisture-cure completely to its final strength. The available curing properties of the adhesive can be utilised in accord- TECHNOLOGY WITH ance with process and cycle time require- MOISTURE-CURING COMPONENT ments to achieve a good result with respect to process cost and prevailing A further possibility of meeting the technical/operational requirements. requirements for fast bonding of compos- Highly flexible adhesives with elongations ite components with one another or with of up to 400 % and tensile strengths of up coated or painted metal components to 7 MPa can be manufactured. offers the so-called DualCure technology. It is a single-component, moisture-curing polyurethane adhesive and sealant fam- SUMMARY AND OUTLOOK ily from the Terostat product range, which contains a second, temperature- The technologies presented here offer sensitive curing agent. This enables com- users of composite materials a broad ponents to be initially tacked together by range of advantages since they require the adhesive through application of a no special plant or equipment and are brief thermal shock above 80 °C. easy to use. As the products manufac- A portion of the adhesive reacts in tured on the basis of WarmCure technol- less than a minute, developing an initial ogy do not react with atmospheric strength of up to 1 MPa. The compo- humidity, they offer very long exposure nents are thus securely bonded and suf- times/ pot lives without skinning. Low ficiently stable for handling or transpor- reaction temperatures make them suita- tation. As a second curing phase, the ble for heat-sensitive substrates. The moisture-curing component of these pol- rapid curing process reduces production Read this article on yurethane adhesives reacts over time cycle times and renders intermediate www.autotechreview.com

38 www.autotechreview.com

TECHNOLOGY CONNECTING RODS ALUMINIUM CONNECTING RODS FOR CAR ENGINES

Within the framework of a research project funded by the Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology (BM- Wi), Leiber Group GmbH & Co KG and the University of Stuttgart, Institute for Internal Combustion Engines and Automotive Engineering (IVK) have developed an aluminium connecting rod for a 1.8 l four-cylinder engine. The material-compliant component design made it possible to approximately halve the mass of the new aluminium connecting rod compared to the previous steel version. In a four-cylinder engine, this amounts to a total weight saving of about 1 kg.

40 www.autotechreview.com AUTHORS ULTRA HIGH-STRENGTH AND in wrought alloys. AluHigh and AluXtrem LIGHTWEIGHT MATERIALS FOR are based on the alloy EN AW-6082, CAR CONSTRUCTION which is a favoured material for chassis components. The two materials have sig- Lightweight construction is one of the nificantly better strength and expansion key strategies of the automotive indus- properties. The material AluHigh has a 25 try. The 1990s saw a breakthrough in % higher strength (Rm and Rp0.2) and at DR.-ING. JAMBOLKA BRAUNER is Head of Development Materials at the use of aluminium in automotive the same time a 40 % higher fracture the Leiber Group GmbH & Co. KG in engineering with the launch of the Audi strain. For AluXtrem (EN AW-6182), the Emmingen (Germany). Space Frame. Systematic lightweight improvements are even 35 % (strength) design has since established itself at and 50 % (fracture strain), 1. almost all vehicle manufacturers. Mate- These materials are becoming increas- rial developers are making enormous ingly interesting for developers. The high strides in this regard, opening up new fatigue strength (R=-1), 2, of 170 MPa at horizons for automotive functions and room temperature and 90 MPa at 20 °C automotive manufacturing technology play a decisive role. DR.-ING. ROLF LEIBER with innovative lightweight solutions. At the moment, a modified Cu-free is Managing Director and Head of Development and Sales at the Leiber Properties such as high static and material based on EN AW-6082 with ulti- Group GmbH & Co. KG in Emmingen dynamic strength, low density, a high mate tensile strengths of more than 470 (Germany). degree of thermal conductivity, good MPa (6082 F47) and a fracture strain of > machinability and corrosion resistance 10 % can be demonstrated on wrought speak in favour of the use of aluminium. components, ①. And the potential of opti- Newly developed, ultra-strong aluminium misation is far from exhausted. alloys, for example, have strengths of Conventional, ultra high-strength alu- more than 700 MPa. This opens up new minium alloys, such as the well-known areas of application. Future cars, particu- alloy EN AW-7075, possess maximum uti- DR.-ING. ULRICH PHILIPP larly hybrid and electric cars, will be lisable strengths of around 550 MPa. is Head of the Engine Acoustics and Mechanics Division at the Research increasingly dependent on lightweight Derivatives and more modern variants of Institute of Automotive Engineering construction in order to compensate for these alloys, for example EN AW-7055, and Vehicle Engines Stuttgart (FKFS) the additional weight caused by the elabo- can display strengths of up to 650 and (Germany). rate drive technology and batteries. 700 MPa on the wrought aluminium con- necting rod. Only very few aluminium alloys PROGRESS THROUGH INNOVATIVE manufactured in conventional smelting WROUGHT ALLOYS processes display higher strength val- ues. Despite their low weight, these Two trimmed materials show the potential modified aluminium alloys can with- DIPL.-ING. BENJAMIN BURGER is Research Assistant at the Institute for Internal Combustion Engines and Automotive Engineering (IVK), Chair in Automotive Powertrains, Engine Acoustics and Mechanics Division, at the University of Stuttgart (Germany).

❶ Mechanical data for current aluminium wrought alloys and ­aluminium wrought ­connecting rod autotechreview July 2013 Volume 2 | Issue 7 41 TECHNOLOGY CONNECTING RODS

ple terms, because of the combination of rotary and oscillating motion, the con- necting rod mass can be divided into two parts, the distribution of which is depend- ent of the centre of gravity. A shifting of the centre of gravity towards the connect- ing rod small-end increases the oscillating percentage of mass and thus also the resulting mass forces. A centre of gravity located in the centre of the crank pin would be ideal for mass compensation, as rotary mass forces are relatively simple to compensate for by means of counter- weights on the crankshaft. On a connecting rod made of steel, a centre of gravity close to the centre of the ❷ Fatigue strength of AluXtrem material crank pin can be achieved more easily, as the cross-section – above all in the highly loaded area of the connecting rod shaft – stand increasingly higher loadings, as For cracking purposes, aluminium can be made smaller due to the material. the development of an aluminium con- requires an optimisation of the various ③ shows the evolution stages in the necting rod demonstrates. process parameters. It is important to design of the aluminium connecting rod. combine brittle fracture behaviour involv- Development was based on a geometry ing separation without plastic deforma- that utilises the maximum possible instal- LIGHTWEIGHT CONSTRUCTION IN tion and a ductile material behaviour. The lation space, ③ (left). Iterative geometry THE CRANK DRIVE bearing shells, bushes and screws for the development in combination with FEM aluminium connecting rod were taken calculations created an optimised ribbing As part of a ZIM Project (Zentrales Inno- from a functionally identical series-pro- in the connecting rod with regard to vationsprogramm Mittelstand [Central duction steel connecting rod. homogenous stress characteristics, ③ Innovation Programme for Medium-Sized As the density of aluminium is only a (centre). This type of geometry is not Companies]) supported by the Federal third that of steel, substitution offers great ideal for the manufacturing and forging Ministry of Economics and Technology, potential for significantly reducing the process, however. This was why a final Leiber Group GmbH & Co KG and the mass of the connecting rod. However, sig- stage saw ribbing in the connecting rod University of Stuttgart, Institute for Inter- nificantly greater cross-sections are being dispensed with. Therefore, an FEM- nal Combustion Engines and Automotive required to transmit the same load due to aided geometry was developed that con- Engineering (IVK) have developed an alu- the two-thirds lower Young’s modulus. stituted an ideal compromise between the minium connecting rod for a 1.8 l four- The maximum available space for the forging process and homogenous stress cylinder engine, 3, and subjected it to installation of the connecting rod is there- characteristics, ③ (right). Overall, a acoustic and vibration tests on a special fore one of the limiting factors. weight saving potential of around 50 % engine test stand. A major influence on the component compared to standard connecting rods The idea behind the project was to design is the distribution of mass. In sim- made of steel was achieved. advance lightweight construction in areas in which it had previously been unable to compete with steel. While the major con- necting rod manufacturers achieve high weight reductions by optimising the geometry of the component in its weight and function [1,2,3], the so-called Alumin- ium Connecting Rod Project focuses on the ability to optimise the material and a component configuration that takes the specific material into account. A material and process definition has managed to specifically select the most important component features such as strength, machinability and cracking abil- ity in such a way that a pre-series alumin- ium connecting rod could be produced. ❸ Evolution stages of the aluminium connecting rod

42 www.autotechreview.com ❹ FEM calculation of the aluminium connecting rod

A cylinder pressure profile recorded on anechoic engine test bench at the Institute urements on five engine sides at 1 m dis- a test engine was taken as engine input for Internal Combustion Engines and tance and combustion chamber pressure factors for the connecting rod calculation. Automotive Engineering (IVK) at the Uni- indicating in cylinder 4 supplemented The factors of engine speed-dependent versity of Stuttgart, 5. the range of measurements. mass forces, temperature, heat expansion, :: steel connecting rod with a Lanchester Full load and overrun run-up from 800 screw connection and press fit of the balancer shaft (base state) (variant 1) to 4,000 rpm for each of the four variants bearing shells or bushing in the small-end :: steel connecting rod without a were measured. To protect the aluminium connecting rod eye were also taken into Lanchester balancer shaft (variant 2) connecting rods, the engine speed was account in the stress calculations, ❹. :: aluminium connecting rod without a initially limited to 4,000 rpm. After com- Due to its crank kinematics, in a four- Lanchester balancer shaft (variant 3) pletion of the series of measurements, a cylinder in-line engine, which is wide- :: aluminium connecting rod with a saw tooth speed profile was run over sev- spread in the car market, rotary and oscil- matched Lanchester balancer shaft eral hours on variant 4. This involved the lating mass forces of the first order are (variant 4). engine being accelerated from approxi- counter balanced related to the entire The test bench is fitted with acoustically mately 1,000 to 4,000 rpm. Following this, engine. On the other hand, the oscillating absorbing wedges on all six room sides. the engine speed limit was raised to 6,000 mass forces of the second and higher This configuration absorbs 99 % of all rpm and full load and overrun run-up for orders of all cylinders sum up. In order to the noise generated by the engine and variant 4 were measured again. The sub- verify not only the strength of the vibra- virtually no reflections occur. Tri-axial sequent visual inspection and measuring tion and acoustic behaviour of an engine acceleration sensors were fitted to the of the connecting rods revealed no signs with an aluminium connecting rod, four fifth crankshaft main bearing, on the of damage or tolerance deviations. different build states of a mechanically engine mount left/ right and on the gear- The acoustic and vibration analyses supercharged four-cylinder internal com- box mount to record vibration and struc- confirm the expectations derived from bustion engine were investigated on a ture-borne noise. Sound pressure meas- the construction. Although the mass of autotechreview July 2013 Volume 2 | Issue 7 43 TECHNOLOGY CONNECTING RODS

the aluminium connecting rod is about 50 % lower and the oscillating portion is reduced by 38 % compared to the steel connecting rod, this only translates into a reduction of the entire oscillating masses (connecting rod part, piston, bolts and rings) of 8 %. The free mass forces of the second order fall by the same ratio. The aluminium connecting rod therefore not only offers huge weight benefits but also slight acoustic and vibrational advan- tages compared to the steel connecting rod, 6. The crankshaft and the balancer shafts can likewise be adapted to the lower oscillating or rotary masses of the lighter connecting rod. Overall, this ❺ Test set-up approach can save 2 kg of moving mass in the crank mechanism.

CONCLUSION

The advantages of a material can be opti- mally utilised if the “the right material in the right quantity is employed in a form suited to the material in the right place”. The new ultra high-strength wrought alu- minium alloys as well as innovative tech- nologies and processes allow huge weight saving potentials to be exploited. Clever component configuration or matching of the fibre direction to the direction of load- ing in the component have additional optimisation potential. The ZIM research project has demon- strated that the use of aluminium wrought alloys inside the engine shows decisive weight advantages of approximately 2 kg of moving mass compared to the steel variants. Thus, lightweight construction with aluminium is ready to meet the increasing demands in automotive con- struction in the long term.

REFERENCES [1] Lipp, K.; Kaufmann, H.: Schmiede- und Sinter- schmiedewerkstoffe für Pkw-Pleuel. In: MTZ 72 (2011), No. 5, pp. 416 – 421 [2] Lapp, M.; Hall, C.: Verringerung bewegter Mas- sen durch Leichtbaupleuel. In: Lightweight design, (2011), No. 4, pp. 30 – 36 [3] Lapp, M.: Saving weight saves fuel. In: Auto- motivedesign.eu.com, (2011), No. 6, pp. 32 – 33

❻ Airborne noise measurement: full load ­acceleration from 800 to 4,000 rpm (top, BP stands for band pass Read this article on filter) and ­structure-borne noise measurement: overrun run-up from 800 to 4,000 rpm (bottom) (source IVK) www.autotechreview.com

44 www.autotechreview.com A simple idea inspired this product.

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Answers for industry.

Siemens_ATR_Apr'13.indd 1 01-07-2013 12:05:27 TECHNOLOGY Continental TechShow 2013 CONTINENTAL GIVES PEEK INTO OUR AUTOMOTIVE FUTURE

Continental believes fully- automated vehicles could be on our roads by 2025

INTRODUCTION automated vehicles that are connected to that it informs you about a diversion or a the environment and talk to each other, traffic pile-up well ahead on your driving Thirty five km northeast of Hanover, Ger- emits negligible carbon dioxide, and are route? Continental AG, among the leading many, lies the most modern testing facil- ultra-safe. Auto Tech Review brings you automotive suppliers globally, is banking ity of Continental AG. Contidrom, as the this report from ground zero. big on five strategic areas of technology proving ground is called, was the venue that promises to change how people drive for the company’s biennial technology vehicles in the future. demonstration event, TechShow 2013. A FUTURE THAT IS DIFFERENT Automotive driving, for instance, is And if demonstrations at the show are one of the central themes of Continental’s anything to go by, we are headed for a Ever wondered what would it be like to technology strategy. Over the following future that could well ensure a clean, be driven to office by your vehicle, all by few sections, we take a deep dive into green and accident-free world, thanks to itself? A vehicle that is so well-connected what lies in store in the areas of electrifi-

46 www.autotechreview.com Helmut Matschi, Member of the Executive José A Avila, Member of the Executive Board, Dr Ralf Cramer, Member of the Executive Board, Board, Interior Division, Continental Powertrain Division, Continental Chassis & Safety Division, Continental cation, networking, ultra-high-perfor- ently because you would be alerted right mising its combustion process. A case in mance tyres and engineering green value, in time.” Even then, if the driver fails to point is the 12 V stop-start system. Mov- apart from automated driving. respond to a demand to take control, the ing up the ladder (higher voltages) would vehicle will brake and stop by itself. obviously mean even better efficiency. i) Automated Driving For the time being though, these tech- The market penetration of such solutions Automated driving is one of the central nologies would still be restricted to has, nonetheless, remained below par. themes of international automotive sup- matured markets. India is still one of the There exists a gap, admitted Avila, plier Continental’s long-term technology toughest markets for automated driving between the relatively low-cost 12 V stop- strategy. Presently, automated driving is technologies, said Dr Ralf Cramer Member start systems and the expensive hybrid in its infancy, with technologies offering of the Executive Board, Chassis & Safety solutions with high voltages typically of only assistance to drivers. While a transi- Division, Continental. “India is a price between 200 V and 400 V. tion to partially automated driving is on sensitive market, and these technologies On demonstration at the TechShow its way, fully automated vehicles could are still a long way away,” he said. was Continental’s 48 V Eco Drive vehicle see the light of day by 2025, officials as a new entry level hybridisation option, believe. In 2013 alone, Continental is ii) Electrification which further enhances fuel consumption investing over € 100 mn in R&D on auto- From the powertrain perspective, Conti- and reduces C02 to a level previously pos- mated driving. nental continues to emphasise on sible only by more expensive mild hybrids

A host of factors should by then be in improving fuel economy and CO2 reduc- at around 120 V. The optimised system in place, including the most critical ones of tion, through consistent improvements the vehicle features a belt-driven 48 V a valid legal framework and affordable on both diesel and petrol engines. José A technological solutions. Driver assistance Avila, Member of the Executive Board, systems, the foundation on which the Powertrain Division, Continental believes concept of automated driving is based, internal combustion engines will remain are still evolving but have found consid- the mainstay till 2025-2030, but electrifi- erable acceptance in matured markets. cation is gaining strong grounds. By By 2016, it is hoped that partially auto- 2020, the company expects fully electric mated systems would assist drivers in vehicles to have 2-3 % penetration in the stop & go traffic, at speeds of not more European Union. than 30 km/h. In another four years, Electrifying the powertrain can make speeds could go beyond 30 km/h and the engine more efficient as against opti- drivers may have the liberty to even A host of new powertrain parts were on display access the internet. Till about this time, the drivers would still need to be in con- trol of the vehicle at all times. Come 2025 and this could change. Limited to freeways, fully automated vehi- cles could support speeds of up to 130 km/h, but the driver would need to inter- vene should he wish to exit the freeway. Helmut Matschi, Member of the Executive Board, Interior Division, Continental said, “You wouldn’t need to monitor consist- A new electric vacuum pump and ECU was shown The instrument cluster of the future could be in 3D autotechreview July 2013 Volume 2 | Issue 7 47 TECHNOLOGY Continental TechShow 2013

starter generator that replaces a conven- tional generator, a belt tensioner with belts, a 48 V lithium-ion battery from SK Continental E-motion, and a DC/DC con- verter that provides the link to the 12 V electrical system. “We’re now creating a range of tech- nology modules that allows OEMs to hybridise existing vehicles in grades from 12 V to 400 V, with a transparent cost- benefit ratio,” Avila added. Replying to a question from this publi- Car keys of the future could fit into your wallets eTIS (Electronic Tyre Information System) cation, Avila admitted hybridisation will reach a much larger level than full electric energy and combustion energy would inside the vehicle to direct the driver’s in years to come. However, he said it is depend on information management. attention directly to the hazardous hard to predict beyond 2025 because Today, a networked vehicle increases situation. demands and solutions will depend on safety & comfort, and is reducing power Matschi said Continental sees a lot of the sources and availability of energy, and consumption. Drive control units commu- potential in enhancing an instrument clus- even government policies. Markets like nicate with safety functions and body ter with a tiny colour TFT (Thin-Film Shanghai and Beijing are already incentiv- electronics via data buses. A rain sensor, Transistor) display in India. “We can inte- ising full electric vehicles. “The technol- for example, not only activates the wipers, grate multimedia functionality like naviga- ogy is available. It could well be that the but ensures that the electronic brake sys- tion or mirroring some information from electric powertrain takes over when the IC tem adjusts to the wet conditions. mobile phones onto this instrument clus- engine cuts off when you drive downtown The smartphones we use today are ter. This is a value product, and should and the IC engine kicks in as you exit increasingly going to become an integral suit Indian needs.” downtown,” he said adding beyond 2025, part of the vehicle functioning. Music it will depend on “our willingness to work streaming, phone communication and iv) UHP Tyres on solutions to counter global warming”. navigation are some of the commonly An exciting part of TechShow was the thought solutions, but they could also experience of driving on the Contidrom iii) Connectivity become the vehicle key or be used for track to test the new range of ultra high- A lot of future developments would personalising seat positions. performance tyres – ContiSportContact 5 revolve around the concept of a con- While a lot of focus surrounds around P for high-end sports cars; ContiSportCon- nected car. Last year, the total sum of the development of human-machine inter- tact 5 for high-powered sedans and tautly- electronics products that Continental faces (HMI), most of it is aligned towards tuned cars and the ContiForceContact, delivered to its customers globally stood safety. Curved touch screens, touch pads specially designed for race driver training at 328 mn units, including 29 mn body with character recognition and haptic and perfection training. controllers and 21 mn access control feedback or 3D screens are being devel- Also on display was a new class of units. “This shows our involvement in oped to reduce driver distraction. The tyres for EVs – Conti.eWinterContact that information management,” claims ‘Driver focus concept vehicle’ is an inter- improves the rolling resistance. The 15 % Matschi with pride. esting concept. An infrared camera in the bigger outer diameter of the tyres, A fully connected vehicle, for instance, cockpit records the driver’s state of atten- marked at 195/55 R20 as against the ear- would play a key role in the goal of auto- tion, and the driver assistance systems lier 205/55 R16 ensures better wet grip mated driving. In fact, CO2 reduction, detect a potentially hazardous situation. and noise. This range of tyres have been navigation, information, music or even The information is then transmitted to an rated the best rolling resistance class in the trigger to switch between electric HMI that uses a 360° LED light strip EU label.

v) Engineering Green Value The most common buzzword in the global automotive industry is about going ‘green’. Every OEM faces the challenge of building products that consume less fuel or energy, emit less carbon dioxide and even use eco-friendly manufacturing tech- niques to build powerful and comfortable vehicles. Continental has been investing heavily in building green capabilities through innovative engineering and tech- The new range of ContiSportContact tyres offer incredible grip on wet road conditions nology, and using lighter, environmen-

48 www.autotechreview.com AIBA: IMPROVING PRECISION rink using conventional methods. The Automated Indoor Braking Ana- Inside the hall, an lyzer (AIBA), located at Contidrom, is a unmanned test vehicle revs up 300 x 30 m air-conditioned hall that to speeds of up to 120 km/h allows the company to test tyres, in an and then braked to test passen- environment that nullifies any impact ger car, van, and 4x4 summer whatsoever on test results owing to and winter tyres. The tech- weather conditions. In all, AIBA leads to nique used is somewhat simi- an improvement in precision testing of lar to a rollercoaster. The test tyres by 70 %, claims Continental. vehicles are attached to a The facility is capable of conducting transport caddy on the rail tests all year round on interchangeable alongside the 100 m road sur- Test vehicles can reach speeds of up to 120 km/h road surfaces – wet and dry – that are face. At the end of the surface hydraulically powered with constant on either side, lie two turntables. The air temperature is adjustable friction coefficients under specified Conventional dry-road braking tests between 5° to 12° C. temperatures. The AIBA has been are conducted at a speed of 100 km/h, Officials claim AIBA has helped designed to include three specific sec- while wet-road braking tests are done check the deviations on previous tyre tions – wedding, where the vehicle is at 80 km/h. Brakes are applied with tests. Jürgen Ehlich, Head of Expert connected to the rail system; surface pinpoint accuracy, thanks to automated Field Objective Vehicle Dynamics Out- change, which allows surfaces to be controls. The track used for summer door, Continental said, “Over repeated exchanged and accelerator, which tyres is set at an ambient temperature tests, AIBA helps to reduce deviation allows transfer to the vehicle turntable of between 10° to 25° C, while the ice from over 2 % to under 1 %, and the and launch of the vehicle by sledge. rink allows testers to set the track tem- accuracy of measurements is more than Testing is also undertaken on an ice perature to between -10° and -1° C. twice as good.”

tally-friendly materials. The use of lighter materials, like pol- finding favour over aluminium. A comprehensive package of compo- yamide for ultra heavy-duty motor nents, modules, and systems based on mounts and structural components, are the engineering green value concept was increasingly being used. Compared to Outlook at display at TechShow 2013. The com- conventional aluminium engine mounts, pany has been building its green creden- polyamide components shave 50 % off The capabilities Continental demonstrated tials based on three central aspects of the weight. A similar amount of weight during the TechShow 2013 are clearly tar- conserving resources, protecting the cli- could also be reduced by using TPO geted at advanced markets like Europe, mate, and increasing efficiency. The (olefin-based thermoplastic elastomers) North America, Japan or even China. In products thereof improve the vehicle’s for instrument panels or interior foils the chassis and safety division for life cycle assessment and enhance driv- for door trims. instance, 28 % percent of its global busi- ing comfort. A holistic approach is New innovations are also being made ness is accounted for by Asia. Even as a taken to further integrate and optimise in the areas of seat material, where group, Asia is expected to contribute 30 electrical and mechanical functions, renewable raw materials are being % of sales, while the Americas would including batteries, power electronics experimented with. Aluminium is chip in 25 %. Europe (and the rest of the and the electric motor. replacing steel, and gradually plastic is world) would contribute the remaining 45 %. The Indian market might still be too young for these technologies, but there is little doubt about Continental’s focus on one of the most promising automotive markets in the world today.

Interview: Deepangshu Dev Sarmah Photo: Continental

Read this article on The eHorizon (electronic horizon) concept allows drivers to use navigation data to control other vehicle systems www.autotechreview.com autotechreview July 2013 Volume 2 | Issue 7 49 TECHNOLOGY cvt NISSAN INDIA BETTING ON CVT across Segments

Nissan Micra hatchback has been in the Indian market for a while, but hasn’t managed to grab a major share of the B segment sales. The company recently unveiled the soon-to-be-launched new Micra, which tries to make an improvement in multiple key areas. An important inclusion is the constantly variable transmission (CVT) transmission – a segment first. We drove the new Micra CVT around the city of Madurai and bring to you a de- tailed insight into the technology.

50 www.autotechreview.com CVT BACKGROUND

Nissan was an early mover in the area of CVTs and started offering the technology in the market way back in 1992. In the next decade, the company made signifi- cant progress towards improving the effi- ciency of this technology. As a result, in 2002, Nissan became the world’s first company to develop CVTs for high- torque engines by pairing it with engines as large as 3.5 l. The technology has found good accept- ance among consumers too, as it offers higher fuel efficiency than conventional automatic transmissions. Another advan-

tage, which might appeal to some con- Chikuya Takada, Head of Product Planning, Nissan sumers, is that CVTs do not transmit any Motor India Private Limited shift shock as experienced in manual or automatic units, when shifting gears. The the most compact unit made by Nissan. third generation of CVT from Nissan has Over the years, Nissan has developed an now been readied to be paired with expertise in CVT development and has Micra’s 1.2 l petrol engine as the company been using the technology in its cars glob- prepares for an aggressive growth target ally. What’s important here is that the in the coming years. technology is now being launched in the The Micra, being the only small car small car segment, which is a challenging offering from Nissan, will play a key role segment to be in the Indian market. in the company’s plans to sell one lakh At the media drive of the vehicle vehicles in India this year. Being a sub- we got a chance to talk at length with stantial facelift, the new Micra feature Chikuya Takada, Head of Product sharper exteriors, NVH reduction, updated Planning, Nissan Motor India Private interiors, USB, Bluetooth and Aux-in ports Limited, who gave us an insight into the in addition to the CVT. development of the new generation of The new transmission, however, will CVT transmission. be available only with the petrol engine. One of the multiple changes is the Needless to say, the theoretical potential inclusion of sub-planetary gears, which for the technology is immense as our provide a wider transmission ratio. Inclu- cities become increasingly crowded. sion of sub-planetary gear in a CVT is a CVT not only offers ease of operation global first for Nissan and allows it to but also a considerable increase in fuel deliver a gear ratio of 7.3, the highest economy, one of the key aspects for any transmission ratio presently across the vehicle today. world. The advantage of this wider ratio is that the engine can operate in a better optimised rpm range in various condi- CVT – THE TECHNOLOGY WITHIN tions, leading to higher fuel efficiency. The steel belts in the transmission too are Unlike manual transmissions, CVTs do made to last about 100,000 km or more not feature fixed gear ratios and can and only needs an oil change at the same instead automatically select the best distance mark. suited transmission ratio without any The unit is also equipped with an steps, making it a seamless or step-less adaptive shift control system, which can transmission. A CVT primarily consists of automatically adjust the optimal operating two pulleys, the width of which is range depending on road conditions and adjusted to change the arc radius of the driver inputs. The system can make steel belt running between them, leading adjustments for more than 1,000 patterns, to a change in transmission gear ratio. resulting in the best possible efficiency at The CVT in the new Micra comes as a any given time or speed. Claimed fuel effi- segment first in the country and is also ciency for the Micra with this CVT is autotechreview July 2013 Volume 2 | Issue 7 51 TECHNOLOGY cvt

19.34 km/l, which is significantly higher than its sibling equipped with a five-speed ARE YOU READY manual transmission. With efficiency being of paramount importance, engineers used multiple methods to lower friction and weight of FOR THE NEXT BIG the unit. At the same time, they also had to ensure smaller dimensions so that the unit could be used in small cars such as the Micra. In order to achieve this, the pulleys used in the CVT were made 13 % CHALLENGE IN lighter than the earlier version and smaller in size too, resulting in a direct reduction of fuel consumption. Takada said he’s particularly proud of LED tail lamps are a segment first offering Reference image of a Nissan XTRONIC CVT this technology as it is compact, lighter and more efficient than any other trans- BATTERIES? mission in its segment. An interesting to the temples of Madurai and then out WRAP-UP change in the layout is that some compo- to the highway, which meant driving nents, which were earlier immersed in through narrow roads and heavy traffic. The facelift Micra is a significant improve- oil are now operating without oil. The The new Micra’s CVT was at its best in ment over its predecessor, beyond the Find your answers at reason behind this change is that move- this territory and negotiating the stop & inclusion of the CVT. The car is now bet- ment through the oil also creates some go traffic was a lot easier. This same ter equipped to attract young consumers. India’s First and Exclusive Battery Conclave friction but movement through air cre- transmission is found in the Sunny Another segment first inclusion in the ates far lesser friction, allowing for a sedan and works better with the larger new Micra is the LED tail lamp, which reduction in overall friction reduction motor but didn’t throw up any issues in retains the external unit design but the Mark your within the unit. Moreover, the oil pump the Micra either. LED cluster within offers a more sophisti- India being used to provide hydraulic power The technologies explained earlier cated look now. Another major change is calendar today, for for shifting too has undergone a size work in great harmony to ensure that the new seat trims and the piano black November 15, 2013 reduction and features a greater lock-up there is less lag during start-offs, making centre console (in CVT variant), unlike area for enhancing fuel efficiency. city driving easier. Unlike most CVT the all over grey interior of the earlier car. at New Delhi Lock-up in an automatic transmis- units, the rubber band effect or the lag is The layout looks premium and adds a sion’s torque converter allows for direct less pronounced in the Nissan unit. The premium feel to the cabin. and quick transfer of engine power and cure lies in a tiny button on the side of Nissan made it clear that they want to improved fuel economy. In a CVT, the the shift lever, which engages sports focus on the premium compact segment, Conclave 2013 benefit of lock-up is only during start- mode. This improves throttle response as as that offers great potential. With the up. The XTRONIC CVT has precise con- the hurriedness of the unit to lower new Micra they’ve struck almost every trol over ratio changes to extend the engine revs reduces considerably. This right chord to make it appealing against lock-up operating area to low-speed also helps overcome the lack of low-end tough competition. From a technology In association with range, improving the fuel efficiency fur- power of the engine to an extent. Mid- perspective, the complete packaging is ther. The flat torque converter too is 10 range power delivery though is good and praiseworthy but being India, the key to % smaller in size now to enable pairing we would suggest sticking to sports the new model’s success lies in the pric- with compact engines. mode whenever on highways. ing. Nissan is yet to reveal the prices for “Creating a Battery Ecosystem: Current Challenges & The overall technology as explained Out on the highway, moderate acceler- the facelift Micra and if they get that right, to us by Takada was impressive, espe- ation works fine but hard throttle inputs the small car could play a big role in Nis- Preparedness for the Future” cially due to the fact that Nissan has highlight the lag, requiring overtaking san India’s targeted goal of one lakh unit developed the CVT technology at a fast manoeuvres to be planned properly. The sales in 2013.  Batteries for conventional IC-engine run vehicles rate and in a manner that it can pres- ride quality too is claimed to have been ently be deployed in a variety of engines improved to suit Indian roads and we  Batteries for future mobility – electric and hybrids with different sizes. This is one of the found it acceptable, although a bit on the Text: Arpit Mahendra key reasons why the company is the firm side. The overall driving experience Photo: Bharat Bhushan Upadhyay  Preparedness of the Indian industry – OEMs, suppliers, battery makers, research organisations, academia, etc. first to offer the technology in the B seg- was positive and the Micra showed a sig- ment in India. nificant progress in the right direction. As  Challenges for the engineering firms – Finding a strategic area of expertise a city car, the new Micra with CVT is quite appealing, but it misses out on offer-  Action points for future deliberation THE ON-ROAD EFFECT ing ample involvement for the driver. However, it does very well in the comfort Read this article on During our drive we were to first head and efficiency parameters. www.autotechreview.com For more details, please write to: [email protected] or speak to Mr Sudeep Kumar @ +91-99900-92661 52 www.autotechreview.com

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Battery conclave_2013.indd 2 28-03-2013 17:46:01 TECHNOLOGY SENSORS MOTION ‘MEMS’ AND ITS EMERGING AUTOMOTIVE APPLICATIONS

The automotive sector is one the most sought after application segments around the world, and innovations in this segment are the key differentiators and influencers in the buying pattern. MEMS (Micro Electro-Mechanical Systems) is one of the fastest growing semiconductor integrated circuits (IC) in the automotive industry, out of which, the largest share is of accelerometer, gyroscopes and pressure sensors. This article talks about some of the applications where MEMS can be used in new emerging automotive applications to make them smarter.

other Silicon ICs, which primarily exploit the electrical properties of silicon. The heart of MEMS does not have gate-drain-source but actually miniature mechanical structure made up entirely of silicon. Inside a MEMS structure, there are actual moving mass, springs, cavities, and dampers, etc. MEMS have combined the electrical and mechanical properties of silicon. A MEMS accelerometer, 1, can detect linear acceleration along three axes – X, Y and Z. Even a magnetometer can detect earth’s magnetic field along three axes – X, Y and Z. The gyroscope, which can measure angular speed along three orthogonal axes, has enabled 360° angu- lar-rate detection for high-precision 3D gesture and motion recognition in mobile phones, game controllers, personal navi- gation systems and other portable devices. Besides, combination of accelerometers, magnetometers and gyroscopes has ena- bled the creation of inertial measurement units, devices that track and deliver com- plete information on the type, rate, and direction of motion of humans, vehicles and other objects. AUTHORS MEMS – A QUICK INTRODUCTION

Micro Electro-Mechanical Systems MEMS EMERGING APPLICATIONS (MEMS) has become widely popular sen- FOR AUTOMOTIVE sors for measuring motion, acceleration, inclination and vibration. MEMS can :: Dead Reckoning and Map matching detect motions such as acceleration, grav- Dead Reckoning is an important feature in VISHAL GOYAL is Technical Marketing Manager ity, angular motion, magnetic field and vehicle tracking and telematics. Presently, at STMicroelectronics in pressure, etc. From a technology stand- the GPS signal is used to track the loca- Bangalore (India) point, MEMS is radically different from tion of a vehicle but in regions, where

54 www.autotechreview.com GPS signals cannot be received, MEMS can be used to maintain accurate informa- tion on the vehicle trajectory. Such regions include indoors, tunnels, under- ground, and urban canyons. Motion MEMS can monitor car motion, distance travelled, direction and altitude. Precise gyroscope readings can also improve map-matching along with GPS signals. The accurate positioning can be used to pin point user’s position on a digi- 1 Automotive grade MEMS accelerometer 2 3-Axis Gyro Sensor tal map or road network. This information can then be used for traffic flow analysis and driving directions. :: Car Security Systems detect car acceleration and can ask central While a single-axis yaw gyroscope is MEMS accelerometers can be used to console to increase car volume. Voice still at the core of today’s in-dash naviga- enhance the security level in cars, by guided car controls and calling functional- tion systems, the advent of the three-axis detecting thefts, intrusions or attempts to ity have also been made possible by gyroscope provides system designers with tow them away. One of the most notori- highly accurate and low SNR (signal-to- the possibility of optimising the number ous ways of stealing a car is by towing noise ratio) MEMS microphone, 2. or with additional flexibility in building away. As MEMS accelerometers can detect up the system and mounting the final component of gravity on each of its axis, board by exploiting the signals coming they can be used to detect the tilt, which MEMS FOR AUTOMOTIVE IN INDIA from all three axes. the car will experience. A threshold angle For instance, for space constraints, sev- can be set, and if the car if lifted beyond India is fast emerging as a global hub for eral car manufacturers used to assemble the set angle, an alarm can be generated. automotive manufacturing. And consid- the navigation board with a pre-deter- This alarm can then alert user by siren, ering the size of the market, and the high mined angle of about 20 mechanical car horn or can be connected to GSM incidences of car thefts across the coun- degrees versus the vertical plane. To over- module for emergency SMS. MEMS accel- try, the applications mentioned in this come the loss of sensitivity of a single- erometers can also detect unusually high article make good sense. Besides, India is axis yaw gyroscope mounted in such a vibrations in a standing car, and hence the world’s biggest market for two- position, sensor manufacturers had to effectively detect intrusion or theft. wheelers, and MEMS could be used for compensate this angle within the package roll-over sensing, auto side-indicators itself. That solution, apart from posing :: Black box cut-off, side-stand detection, and anti- some technical issues at the package A black box similar to the ones installed theft, among others. level, does not offer the carmaker the flex- in aircrafts is now also entering into the ibility to change the mounting position of car segment. MEMS sensors can provide the board in the dashboard. critical inputs for accident detection, loca- SUMMARY A three-axis gyroscope instead, cou- tion accuracy and harsh acceleration, pled with a three-axis low-g accelerome- braking and sharp turns. As MEMS accel- MEMS is increasingly being adopted by ter, provides the maximum degree of flexi- erometer can detect the intensity of the automotive Industry in many new bility. The accelerometer can calculate the impact on all three axes – X, Y and Z, it applications beyond what is discussed in incline angle at which the board is can give important inputs to accident this article. Readers are encouraged to mounted in the dashboard, while the 3D detection agencies or police. The accelera- explore more on usage of MEMS in their gyroscope can provide with precision all tion data recorded by the accelerometer in products to make them smarter. rates necessary to implement the dead the black box can be used to monitor the reckoning algorithms. The availability of driving pattern of the car. This data is use- (The article has been co-authored by Marco the pitch rate could also be used to ful for car owners as well as insurance Ferraresi, Automotive and Custom Industrial extrapolate supplemental information agencies to evaluate the proper handling Business Development Manager, Motion MEMS about car elevation. of the car by the driver. Another function Division at STMicroelectronics Ltd in Italy) Besides, with compassing and GPS of the black box is to detect the vehicle capabilities in mobiles, consumers will navigation and dead reckoning records. also be able to identify and retrieve infor- mation on nearby points of interest, such :: Infotainment as restaurants or shops, by simply point- Car infotainment system is no longer a ing their mobile devices in the direction of passive music system. It has become a lot the object concerned. The Nokia City more smart and interactive. One such Lens application on Lumia devices is an application is the sound level as a func- Read this article on interesting example. tion of car speed. Accelerometers can www.autotechreview.com autotechreview July 2013 Volume 2 | Issue 7 55 SHOPFLOOR tata motors TATA MOTORS – CHASING NEW HORIZONS

Tata Motors recently announced HORIZONEXT, a new business strategy for its passenger vehicle division. Of the four pillars of this strategy, an important one is focus on advanced manufacturing practices. We were invited by Tata Motors to visit their plant and have a look at the advancements in production technologies as the company readies itself for the next phase of growth.

56 www.autotechreview.com INTRODUCTION fabrics, foam and material ageing. The cold chamber conversely tries to check Tata Motors’ new strategy HORI- the effect of cold on oil & coolant, wip- ZONEXT was announced alongside the ers, door seals and rubber parts among company’s 2013 model line-up introduc- many others. tion. Eight products across five product The next facility was the anechoic segments have been given minor design chamber, also known as the NVH labo- changes and some considerable techni- ratory. Completed in 1996, this lab is cal upgrades. Tata Motors recognises the first of its kind in Asia and features the areas of improvements and aims to four inner shell walls and the roof lined improve its operational efficiencies up with 18,800 acoustic wedges. These before it starts launching new genera- glass wool wedges covered with jute tion vehicles. along with a rubber block under the In order to ensure higher success of floor help eliminate the reflection of these vehicles, the company is making sound. This enables simulation of open efforts to improve its product and pro- roads where there wouldn’t be any duction technologies. However, these sound echo or reflection. The facility is new vehicles aren’t going to be equipped with a chassis dynamometer, launched anytime soon. Improvement which can create various driving cycle in production methods and technologies conditions to check their effect on the will play a key role in the realisation of engine sound. We were told that all targets for HORIZONEXT, as consumers model year 2013 vehicles have under- become more demanding across multi- gone testing in this facility and feature ple areas of a vehicle. an improvement in NVH efficiency. During our visit to Tata Motors’ plant Details of the improvement, however, in Pimpri, Pune, we were able to go weren’t disclosed. through the Engineering Research Centre A notable and new inclusion to this (ERC) and the manufacturing facility in set-up is the acoustic camera, which is order to get a complete picture of the capable of detecting vehicle exterior process from development to production. sounds such as door closing and in- cabin sounds. The microphones in this equipment monitor the sound waves ERC – IDEATING ADVANCED and based on the difference between TECHNOLOGIES these signals, the software calculates the data required for analysis. Our visit of the facility spread across 800 The next set-up in ERC was the crash acre began with the Full Vehicle Envi- ronment Test Facility (FVETF), which is used for carrying out various types of vehicle testing under diverse environmental condi- tions. Built in 2009, the facility houses testing equipment from Amer- ican and German ven- dors. These machines are capable of sim- ulating tempera- ture in a range of -40o C to +55o C along with condi- tions such as humid- ity, solar, wind and road simulation. The hot chambers are used to test the effect of heat on AC, engine cooling systems, electronics, body paint, plastics, Press shop robot with a body panel autotechreview July 2013 Volume 2 | Issue 7 57 SHOPFLOOR tata motors

hence can handle eight different models at the same time. Peak present capacity is rated at 1,900 bodies per day from three shifts. Cycle time for these bodies ranges between 54 to 90 s, depending on the model. All weld lines are equipped with an in-line measurement system, which monitors the quality of every vehicle body to pass through the line. Two Coordinate Measuring Machines (CMM) wrap up the process with a final body- in-white inspection. Next up on our visit was the trim & chassis and final fitment line, which is broadly categorised into three parts – The assembly line's production capacity is 1,000 vehicles per day from two shifts trim line, underbody line and mechani- cal line. This line has a production capacity of 1,000 vehicles per day from test facility, which is the first full vehi- increase its focus on introduction of new two shifts. Takt time for the line is rated cle crash test facility In India. This facil- technologies across various domains. at 67 s with further possibilities of ity is accredited by TUV, Germany for reducing it if required. The trim line is conducting tests conforming to Euro- responsible for installing plastic parts, pean standards. The test facility can PLANT – GEARING FOR FUTURE HVAC, floor carpets and other such conduct frontal, side and rear crash CHALLENGES related parts. tests in a speed range of 15 km/h to 64 Next up was the wheel assembly, km/h. In addition, it is the only test The facilities we visited included the press where line operators were using multi- facility capable of conducting all types shop, weld shop and final assembly line. spindle nut runners. These nut runners of pedestrian and cabin components test The press shop has automatic coil wash- are interconnected with the conveyor at speeds up to 40 km/h. ing, blanking and stacking line sourced belt in such a way that if at any point a Other key facilities in the ERC from Heilbronn and features a line speed nut runner doesn’t deliver the desired include engine development & testing, of 34 stampings per minute. Headers result, the belt would halt and sound an buzz squeak and rattle (BSR) noise test- press capacity is rated between 1,200 and alarm to signal a defect. Like most car- ing and a steering robot, which operates 2,000 tonne, allowing for pressing a wide makers, almost all of the work requiring the steering to test the vehicle’s han- variety of designs. In order to increase precision is automated, including appli- dling characteristics. Completing the list efficiency, the die supporting press is sup- cations such as deployment of wind- is the suspension parameter measuring ported with automatic die change facility, shield sealant. machine (SPMM), which is used to tune which is claimed to eliminate non-value Another India-first at the plant is the the suspension performance and is the added time. implementation of automated guided only machine of its kind in Asia. The weld shop was expectedly a vehicles (AGV), which enable a more The 2013 models feature technical playground of huge robots with sparks accurate marriage between the mono- improvements in areas such as suspen- flying all round. The facility was devel- coque body shell, and the powertrain and sion, connectivity, powertrain and design. oped with the help of line experts such suspension. Since all the vehicles manu- All of them were engineered at the ERC as Kuka, HLS and Nothelfer. Keeping in factured at the plant feature a monocoque and going forward, the centre will play a mind the market demands, this weld body, the powertrain and suspension larger role as the company plans to shop is designed to be flexible and needs to be installed from underneath the

Automated guided vehicle (AGV) technology allows for higher accuracy, while fitting the powertrain onto the vehicle body and minimises human intervention too

58 www.autotechreview.com Painted doors are installed during final stages to prevent any manufacturing damage A vehicle being tested for effect of cold on various systems and components

body. In order to achieve higher precision goes through the headlamp focus area nologies at its plant and this speaks well during this installation, the vehicles run and wheel alignment area, both of of the foresight of the company in order automatically on a magnetic strip installed which are completely automated and to develop vehicles of global standards. in the floor. This allows for a precise inte- require no human intervention. Despite all this initiatives though, the gration point, where operators are only Once out of the final assembly, every company hasn’t yet been able to get the required to tighten the installation. The car is required to go through a test run desired result from the market. There is elevation of the vehicle and powertrain on the plant’s test track, which has a no single reason to it, but the strength lies for installation and the stoppage timings 1.5 km long straight stretch. The paint in the fact that the company has identified are automatically managed through this shop too is claimed to match global these areas and has shown an inclination technology. standards, a claim proven by the fact to work on them proactively. Another notable set-up within the that some Mercedes-Benz models have Tata Motors seems to have in place all final assembly line is the shower test been painted in the same facility for the basics required for manufacturing facility, which can create water shower years, although the German company improved vehicles. Karl Slym, Managing at pressures up to 2.5 bar, thereby repli- has now established its own paint shop Director, Tata Motors said the same and cating the conditions experienced dur- at its facility in Chakan, Pune. shared that the company is now making ing heavy rainfall. This facility ensures every effort to harness the true potential the vehicles do not have any manufac- of this infrastructure. turing flaw, which might result in leak- OUTLOOK Completing the four pillars of the new age of water into the cabin or unwanted strategy apart from manufacturing are areas. During the final stages, a vehicle Tata Motors has a lot of India-first tech- increased product focus, improved cus- tomer buying experience and improved service quality. The infrastructure is in place and going by the new corporate announcement, the plan to sort out past challenges is also in place. We now need to wait and monitor the company’s pro- gress over the next few months, since only time will tell how effective HORI- ZONEXT will turn out to be in bringing about a change.

Text: Arpit Mahendra Photo: Bharat Bhushan Upadhyay

Read this article on Cars nearing final production go through an automated system for head lamp focussing www.autotechreview.com autotechreview July 2013 Volume 2 | Issue 7 59 NEW VEHICLE MERCEDES A-CLASS MERCEDES-BENZ A-CLASS — MARKING A SHIFT

Mercedes-Benz India Limited (MBIL) has a flurry of new model introductions lined up this year as it plays to an aggressive growth strategy. The recently launched A-Class is an important link in the planned chain of events as it makes the affordability of the three-pointed-star more accessible. Kicking off a new segment, the A-Class is presently the smallest Mercedes, yet densely packed with technology. We drove the A 180 extensively through varying conditions to find out if it can do any wonders for the brand in India.

60 www.autotechreview.com INTRODUCTION ciency at high speeds. tor or a dual clutch transmission. Such Right from the first look, the A-Class flexibility could play an instrumental The A-Class represents a changing face successfully manages to convey a new role among many other factors to make of Mercedes-Benz that is increasingly design philosophy, which reflects from the MFA platform successful in markets targeting the youth. The overall design, the success it’s presently enjoying such as India. packaging and positioning of the vehicle across geographies. We experienced the With 200 Nm of torque spread over too is in line with the demands of young same during our test and came across 1,250 to 4,000 rpm, there’s minimal lag buyers across geographies. It is also the many young car enthusiasts, who appre- off the line. Acceleration is decent in the second model based on the company’s ciated the new design of the A-Class. low revs but is at its best between about Modular Front Architecture (MFA) plat- 2,500 to 5,000 rpm, after which the form, which will play a key role in busi- engine feels a bit strained. Refinement ness expansion in emerging countries. POWERTRAIN – BALANCED levels, however, are of top class and at One of the key highlights of the EQUATION no point does one find the car out of the A-Class is the balance it strikes among brand’s comfort characteristics. efficiency, technology inclusion, visual In India, MBIL presently offers two Although lack of turbo lag has almost appeal and driving pleasure. The focus engine options for the A-Class, the 180 become a cliché now in the premium on efficiency is reflected in the entire CDI (diesel) with 109 hp on offer and the segment, the implementation of the lifecycle of the vehicle, which is rated at 180 CGI (petrol) with 122 hp. Our test turbo in this engine deserves a special about 160,000 km. The A180 BlueEFFI- car, a 180 Sport, was equipped with the mention. The turbocharger pushes air

CIENCY emits 5.7 tonne less CO2 than 180 CGI, a 1.6 l turbocharged, direct into the combustion chambers at pres- its predecessor. This is an improvement injected engine, based on the fully alu- sures up to 1.9 bar, with turbine speeds of 16 % and reflects the company’s minium M 270 engine platform. The M rated at a maximum of 230,000 rpm. A 360º approach to lower emissions. 270 is a versatile unit and features chain new manifold turbocharger module has driven dual overhead camshafts operat- been integrated into the front part of the ing four valves. The scalable nature of engine, thereby resulting in better cool- DESIGN – REFLECTION OF the engine means it can be used in larger ing. Individual exhaust ducting from the A NEW THOUGHT vehicles too in a progressive manner. cylinders and a high exhaust temperature Highlighting its flexibility is the fact of up to 1,050º C improve the usage of The A-Class clearly stands out among that this engine can be installed trans- exhaust gas energy. Further, a partial the larger Mercedes cars and is visually versally or longitudinally and be com- overlap in the opening times of the the most striking car in the company’s bined with front, rear or 4MATIC all intake and exhaust valves causes some present mass market portfolio. The wheel drive system. Even more, it can cold air to replace the hot gases in the model is also the torchbearer of a new be paired with a manual, torque conver- exhaust manifold. This process, also design language, which seems to be going down well with Indian consum- ers. With more than 400 bookings in less than two weeks of its launch, the A-Class is already the most popular model in the company’s tenure in India. The low-slung road hugging design gives a dynamic touch to the car in the first look. The radiator grille has been given a striking treatment, which along with the sharp headlamps lends a con- cept car look to the vehicle. The body lines flowing through to the rear section help the car exude a distinctive road presence. A low roofline with a rela- tively small glass area further accentu- ates the concept car look. Even the day time running LEDs are designed to pro- ject an aggressive look, which the A-Class carries through very well. The sleek design also has functional advantages in the form of efficient aero- dynamics, owing to which the A-Class features a low drag coefficient of 0.27. This also translates into better fuel effi- The 1.6 l turbocharged fuel injected engine offers smooth running across a wide range autotechreview July 2013 Volume 2 | Issue 7 61 NEW VEHICLE MERCEDES A-CLASS

The grille treatment lends a striking and futuristic look to the front The rear design gels seamlessly with the front and side profile

known as scavenging, is claimed to bet- DYNAMICS – FOCUS ON DRIVER the suspension tackles very well and ter optimise the charging process in com- keeps the cabin insulated from shocks. parison with the conventional method. The A-Class comes across as a pleasant The electromechanical steering unit is The 7G-DCT dual clutch transmission surprise after a few minutes of spirited pretty direct and offers decent feedback as isn’t something entirely new and does a driving, as the focus on driver rather than speeds build up. This further adds up to good job of balancing efficiency and the rear occupant shows up. Given the the overall driver focused appeal of the responsiveness. Downshifts aren’t partic- exterior dimensions, one would expect the vehicle. For a front-wheel drive car, the ularly quick from this unit, even when in A-Class to be nimble and agile and it A-Class is quite a revelation, when it sports mode. The inclination towards doesn’t disappoint at all. A key reason for comes to handling. efficiency is easy to notice while driving this is the reduced centre of gravity and as it’s always trying to upshift at any seating position than the earlier model. given moment. During our test, we got a Body roll isn’t too pronounced and the car INTERIORS & SAFETY – SETTING A best fuel-efficiency of 9.2 km/l (on-board is able to maintain composure over a BENCHMARK computer figures) in the city and 12.8 series of quick turns with ease. km/l on the highway. Overall, the The car is equipped with a four-link The A-Class offers one of the best cabin A-Class with this powertrain manages to rear axle, in which the exerted forces are design and quality in its price segment offer a drive experience, which would absorbed by three control arms and one in the country right now. Materials used find favour among young buyers. The car trailing arm on each wheel. The benefit of in the cabin are of high quality and the checks all boxes in terms of refinement, this arrangement is that longitudinal and approach towards the cabin design technology advancement and efficiency. lateral movements are independent of deserves a special mention. The AMG It does miss out a bit on the driving fac- each other, leading to better handling and styled seats not only lend a sporty char- tor but makes that up through brilliant ride quality. The benefit of this solution is acter to the cabin but also offer good dynamics explained below. clearly visible on uneven surfaces, which support all around. Being completely

LED DRLs give a raised eyebrow effect to the lights Tail lamp design adds to the wide look of the car Wheel design and colour add to the car's look

62 www.autotechreview.com Material quality is impressive all round

Cabin layout and design is of top order and offers good ergonomics The door sill plates look best in dark

black, the cabin is in line with that of ades shows up in the A-Class in the OUTLOOK sports cars and the dark shade also form of 11 driver assistance systems accentuates the chrome parts’ appeal. apart from the usual passive safety sys- If initial numbers are anything to go by, Legroom at the rear is good but thigh tems in place. Key safety features the A-Class has had a great start in support and head room fall a little short, include active parking assist, attention India. However, long-term sales are but that’s more of a trade-off for the low- assist, ESP, acceleration skid control, quite different from initial stages. A key slung exterior design. A 14.7 cm colour hill start assist and seven airbags. advantage for the A-Class is that it has screen offers the display for the COMAND Looking at the A-Class as a package created a segment, which never existed Online multimedia systems and also adds there’s hardly anything more one could in the country. It will also benefit from to the dashboard’s visual appeal. The sys- expect for. It comes loaded with safety the fact that the company’s two main tem now offers seamless connectivity & convenience technologies, and is yet competitors are yet to launch models in with the iPhone through a purpose built to be matched in its price segment. It the same segment. This advantage, cable in the elbow compartment. offers a fresh approach to comfort and however, won’t last long as BMW is Safety has always been a strength for connectivity and that should help it win going to launch the 1 Series shortly. Mercedes-Benz and the expertise of dec- some followers. Helping its case further is that the A-Class is a striking and youthful vehi- cle to look at, which will be seen by many as a dynamic statement. MBIL’s decision to load it to the gills in terms of features and technology is another posi- tive as consumers in this segment are more sensitive towards value than initial buying cost. Completing the package is a competitive pricing of ` 22.73 lakh for the 180 Sport and ` 21.93 for the 180 CDI Style.

text: Arpit Mahendra Photo: Bharat Bhushan Upadhyay

Read this article on Side profile is reminiscent of high performance hatchbacks. Wide C-pillars though can obstruct rear view www.autotechreview.com autotechreview July 2013 Volume 2 | Issue 7 63 DECODING TECHNOLOGY

SYNC: FORD’S CONNECTIVITY PLATFORM

More than seven years back, Ford Motor Automatic phone book download: Company and Microsoft joined hands to SYNC automatically downloads the collaborate on developing an advanced names and numbers programmed in software platform that enables drivers to your compatible phone to save you time concentrate on the road, while voice and trouble. To ensure privacy, the commands take over the job of manag- stored contact information is accessible ing the music being played, or even capable of identifying varying types of only when the phone is connected. attending to phone calls. accents and vocabulary. The voice tech- Voice-control your phone: SYNC allows SYNC, as the platform is called, is an nology has been developed by Ford in you to answer a call at the push of a but- in-car connectivity system that allows association with its voice technology part- ton, and make a call through voice customers the convenience and flexibil- ner, Nuance Communications. In India, commands. ity to bring digital media players and SYNC will be available in UK English. Voice-activated music: SYNC lets you Bluetooth-enabled mobile phones to Nuance’s natural text-to-speech technol- browse the music collection on the digi- operate via voice commands. ogy is also behind “Serena”, the female tal media player, mobile phone or USB The release of SYNC was announced voice of SYNC’s UK English version. drive by genre, album, artist and song at the Detroit International Auto Show title using voice commands, such as in January 2007, and was subsequently “Play genre Rock”. introduced in retail markets the same KEY FEATURES Audible text messaging: SYNC can read year. The first Ford product to feature out incoming texts and even translate

SYNC in India is the just-launched Uninterrupted connections: SYNC® lets commonly used abbreviations and EcoSport. Since its market introduction, you continue your conversation, as it SYNC poweredemoticons, by Microso­ is suchan advanced as LOLvoice control and and :-). connectivity You can Ford SYNC system for enhanced integration and control of mobile phones and music Ford has reportedly sold over 5 mn cars transfers your call to the system the players. respond with up to 15 preset outgoing and trucks with SYNC, and the com- momentTechnology you start the car. messages. pany expects to sell an additional 9 mn by 2015. SYNC Provides a Number of Functions:

Handsfree Audible SMS Connect mobile phones via Bluetooth phone calls text messages WHAT LIES INSIDE?

At the heart of SYNC is Windows

Emergency Embedded Automotive, a powerful and Assistance feature in the reliable software platform from the event of an accident Microsoft stable. The platform, which can be updated at any given time, allows the vehicle maker to deliver a compre- Easy-to-use voice commands allow Say “Play Say “Call Reply to texts hensive control and connectivity pack- artist Coldplay” contact name” to with predefined for key functions with a single request to switch songs dial your friends responses with ease Groups All Contacts + age to the consumer. The platform sup- g e n r e a r t i s t A Sounds Good! a l b u m B s o n g C p l a y l i s t J D E Jacob B F G Q W E R T Y H ports integration of new capabilities to I Jane S J K Jessica L L M A S D F G H N Joe J O take advantage of latest innovations in P consumer technology. Ask SYNC what song is SYNC ensures a high level of privacy playing to the stored data on a consumer’s mobile device. Unlike embedded connec- Stereo tivity systems, SYNC allows access to Bluetooth streaming of music Easy to user’s stored contact information only Connect media players via USB, update so­ware and 3.5mm audio jack when the phone is connected. Owners of the EcoSport, for instance, could pair up Connect to 12 different mobile devices wirelessly flash drives & other storage devices Create using Bluetooth. The centrally located playlists of 5 ways to similar music display screen projects all the relevant browse music: g e n r e a r t i s t data, like one sees on their phones. a l b u m s o n g The system recognises up to 150 p l a y l i s t unique voice commands. In addition, it is

64 SYNC enables drivers to keep their hands on the wheel and their eyes on the road www.autotechreview.com www.autotechreview.com July 2013 | Volume 2 | Issue 7 NOW, ALSO AVAILABLE ON

It’s on 14 INTERVIEW Mahesh Dadlani, CEO, Auto Components SBU, Continental Engines Ltd

18 TECHNOLOGY FORESIGHT Future Prospects of Carbon-Fibre for Automotive Applications

60 NEW VEHICLE Mercedes-Benz A-Class — Marking A Shift

CFRP & PLASTICS —

LIGHTER & CLEANER FUTURE POWERED BY EACH

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