Powertrain dynamics and control of a two speed dual clutch transmission for electric vehicles

© 2016 Elsevier Ltd The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate the application of torque based powertrain control for multi-speed power shifting capable electric vehicles. To do so simulation and experimental studies of the shift transient behaviour of dual clutch transmission equipped electric vehicle powertrains is undertaken. To that end a series of power-on and power-off shift control strategies are then developed for both up and down gear shifts, taking note of the friction load requirements to maintain positive driving load for power-on shifting. A mathematical model of an electric vehicle powertrain is developed including a DC equivalent circuit model for the electric machine and multi-body dynamic model of the powertrain system is then developed and integrated with a hydraulic clutch control system model. Integral control of the powertrain is then performed through simulations on the develop powertrain system model for each of the four shift cases. These simulation results are then replicated on a full scale powertrain test rig. To evaluate the performance of results shift duration and vehicle jerk are used as metrics to demonstrate that the presented strategies are effective for shift control in electric vehicles. Qualitative comparison of both theoretical and experimental results demonstrates reasonable agreement between simulated and experimental outcomes

Future Transportation

Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions associated with transportation activities account for approximately 20 percent of all carbon dioxide (co2) emissions globally, making the transportation sector a major contributor to the current global warming. This book focuses on the latest advances in technologies aiming at the sustainable future transportation of people and goods. A reduction in burning fossil fuel and technological transitions are the main approaches toward sustainable future transportation. Particular attention is given to automobile technological transitions, bike sharing systems, supply chain digitalization, and transport performance monitoring and optimization, among others

Development and experimental validation of a low-frequency dynamic model for a Hybrid Electric Vehicle

This paper describes the development and experimental validation of a high-fidelity Hybrid Electric Vehicle (HEV) simulator that enables testing and calibration of energy management and driveline control strategies. The model is capable of predicting longitudinal vehicle responses that affect energy consumption and drivability in the low-to-mid frequency region (up to 10 Hz). The simulator focuses primarily on the drivetrain dynamics, while the dynamics of the actuators are represented by simplified models. The vehicle simulator is validated by a number of experiments that include electric only, engine only and hybrid operating conditions. The test vehicle has a through-the-road parallel hybrid architecture that utilises a dual electric machine configuration. Experimental results confirm that important driveline phenomena such as shunt, shuffle, torque holes and other transient disturbances related to operating mode changes are accurately predicte

Modeling of Complex Planetary Gear Sets using Power-Oriented Graphs

In this paper, a systematic approach for the dynamic modeling of complex planetary gear sets is presented. The approach relies upon a set of rules for building the system matrices and vectors of the system full dynamic model for any planetary gear set. A congruent state-space transformation is applied to obtain a reduced-order rigid model of the system, which allows for faster simulations. The behavior of the tangential forces accounting for the gears interactions is proven to be obtained from the reduced-order model. Furthermore, the kinematic relations of the considered planetary gear set are automatically generated when developing the reduced-order rigid model. As an example, two systems of interest in the vehicle industry are then modeled with the proposed approach and simulated in Matlab/Simulink: a Ravigneaux planetary gear set and a double-stage planetary gear set

Comprehensive Modeling and Analysis of Rotorcraft Variable Speed Propulsion System With Coupled Engine/Transmission/Rotor Dynamics

This project develops comprehensive modeling and simulation tools for analysis of variable rotor speed helicopter propulsion system dynamics. The Comprehensive Variable-Speed Rotorcraft Propulsion Modeling (CVSRPM) tool developed in this research is used to investigate coupled rotor/engine/fuel control/gearbox/shaft/clutch/flight control system dynamic interactions for several variable rotor speed mission scenarios. In this investigation, a prototypical two-speed Dual-Clutch Transmission (DCT) is proposed and designed to achieve 50 percent rotor speed variation. The comprehensive modeling tool developed in this study is utilized to analyze the two-speed shift response of both a conventional single rotor helicopter and a tiltrotor drive system. In the tiltrotor system, both a Parallel Shift Control (PSC) strategy and a Sequential Shift Control (SSC) strategy for constant and variable forward speed mission profiles are analyzed. Under the PSC strategy, selecting clutch shift-rate results in a design tradeoff between transient engine surge margins and clutch frictional power dissipation. In the case of SSC, clutch power dissipation is drastically reduced in exchange for the necessity to disengage one engine at a time which requires a multi-DCT drive system topology. In addition to comprehensive simulations, several sections are dedicated to detailed analysis of driveline subsystem components under variable speed operation. In particular an aeroelastic simulation of a stiff in-plane rotor using nonlinear quasi-steady blade element theory was conducted to investigate variable speed rotor dynamics. It was found that 2/rev and 4/rev flap and lag vibrations were significant during resonance crossings with 4/rev lagwise loads being directly transferred into drive-system torque disturbances. To capture the clutch engagement dynamics, a nonlinear stick-slip clutch torque model is developed. Also, a transient gas-turbine engine model based on first principles mean-line compressor and turbine approximations is developed. Finally an analysis of high frequency gear dynamics including the effect of tooth mesh stiffness variation under variable speed operation is conducted including experimental validation. Through exploring the interactions between the various subsystems, this investigation provides important insights into the continuing development of variable-speed rotorcraft propulsion systems

Gearing

Gearing technology in its modern form has a history of only 100 years. However, the earliest form of gearing can probably be traced back to fourth century B.C. Greece. Current gear practice and recent advances in the technology are drawn together. The history of gearing is reviewed briefly in the Introduction. Subsequent sections describe types of gearing and their geometry, processing, and manufacture. Both conventional and more recent methods of determining gear stress and deflections are considered. The subjects of life prediction and lubrication are additions to the literature. New and more complete methods of power loss predictions as well as an optimum design of spur gear meshes are described. Conventional and new types of power transmission systems are presented

DYNAMIC ANALYSIS OF VEHICLE SYSTEMS Development of a driving simulator Analysis and design of an automatic transmission for motor-scooters

In this work, two researches in the field of dynamic analysis of vehicle systems are presented. The first part of the thesis deals with the development of a driving simulator. This activity was carried out in the framework of a research project co-funded by the Italian Ministry of Education, Universities and Research (MIUR). It aimed at developing a driving simulator for the analysis of the driving style, in order to identify potentially dangerous conditions coming from a non proper interaction between driver, vehicle and environment, especially those related to low driver’s attention. As core part of the driving simulator, a vehicle simulation model, which reproduces the behaviour of the main vehicle systems, was developed. The simulator is made of a fixed driving platform, a single channel visual system and allows to acquire all driver’s inputs and vehicle motion signals. The system was involved in experimental campaigns which allowed the development of the driving style analysis techniques and demonstrated the reliability and the capability of the system. The second part of the thesis treats the dynamic analysis and design of a high efficiency automatic transmission for motor-scooters and was carried out in the framework of the Italian MUSS project funded by the Italian Ministry of Economic Development. Motor-scooters are currently almost always equipped with CVT transmission with rubber belt. This transmission can be very cheap to manufacture, it has good comfort performance but low mechanical efficiency. An alternative automatic transmission was analysed and different architectures were studied. The system is based on a discrete ratio gear box with mechanical control of the gear shit by means of centrifugal clutches and free wheels. A dynamic model of the transmission was developed and its behaviour was investigated by means of results of simulated manoeuvres, highlighting the positive and negative aspects of the system. Finally, a preliminary design was also carried out with reference to an application of the transmission in a hybrid powertrain

Energy and Service Life Management Strategy for a Two-Drive Multi-Speed Electric Vehicle

Regulations of zero emission passenger cars appear on the horizon, and battery electric vehicles (BEV) are the main solution from the current market. It has been a focus of both academia and industry to extend their range. One of the main approaches is to reduce their energy consumption. Recent studies have shown that the two-drive topology and the multi-speed topology help to do so. It is natural to combine both concepts and to design a two-drive multi-speed topology for BEVs. Due to its more than one degree of freedom, an online energy management strategy (EMS) controlling torque set points of both electric motors and target gear positions is necessary to exploit its potential for reducing total energy consumption in real-world applications. There are numerous studies on EMSs for BEVs and hybrid electric vehicles. The overwhelming majority of them shared the same assumption: shift processes are neglectable. Based on the shift duration statistics, the shift processes of the most common transmissions in today’s market are too long to be ignored for an EMS with an operation frequency of at least 1 Hz. How to develop an EMS that considers shift processes? Suppose that an EMS is developed. It controls the powertrain in favour of low energy consumption, and the parts and the components are loaded accordingly. Some parts might fatigue and fail much faster than others, not because of poor construction dimensioning, but because of excessive use. What can an EMS do to prevent such an extreme scenario? Furthermore, is there a general way to design EMSs for multi-drive BEVs? This thesis is initiated by developing an online EMS for a two-drive multi-speed BEV called “Speed4E”, and tends to address the questions raised earlier. A predictive EMS in a Model Predictive Control framework is developed. A hybrid system considering the shift processes is proposed. Based on it and the Hybrid Minimum Principle, a solver and its algorithms are developed. The Principle is chosen for its accuracy and low time complexity, the two most important attributes of an online EMS. Minimizing the instantaneous Hamiltonian in the Principle is mathematically analysed. Several Lemmas that reduce the time complexity considerably are produced. Compared to an EMS that minimizes instantaneous energy consumption and ignores shift processes, the predictive EMS reduces the energy consumption in the Worldwide Harmonized Light Vehicles Test Cycle (WLTC) by 0.26 % and the shift count by 63.41 %. The hybrid system, the predictive EMS and the mathematical analysis are, as far as the author knows, first of their kinds. A novel multi-criteria operation strategy (MCOS) considering powertrain service life is proposed. Thanks to the hybrid system, the influence of the shift processes on fatigue is included. The MCOS extends the powertrain service life by several times but sacrifices the energy consumption. A general multi-drive (at least two) multi-speed electric powertrain is proposed. Its hybrid system is formulated. The Principle is applied to produce the optimality condition. It is showcased, how to modify certain sets and sample space in the formulation to have the general model and problem represent certain electric powertrains. A unified framework to design EMS for the general multi-drive electric powertrain is proposed, where the algorithms developed for the predictive EMS can be applied

A Summary of NASA Rotary Wing Research: Circa 20082018

The general public may not know that the first A in NASA stands for Aeronautics. If they do know, they will very likely be surprised that in addition to airplanes, the A includes research in helicopters, tiltrotors, and other vehicles adorned with rotors. There is, arguably, no subsonic air vehicle more difficult to accurately analyze than a vehicle with lift-producing rotors. No wonder that NASA has conducted rotary wing research since the days of the NACA and has partnered, since 1965, with the U.S. Army in order to overcome some of the most challenging obstacles to understanding the behavior of these vehicles. Since 2006, NASA rotary wing research has been performed under several different project names [Gorton et al., 2015]: Subsonic Rotary Wing (SRW) (20062012), Rotary Wing (RW) (20122014), and Revolutionary Vertical Lift Technology (RVLT) (2014present). In 2009, the SRW Project published a report that assessed the status of NASA rotorcraft research; in particular, the predictive capability of NASA rotorcraft tools was addressed for a number of technical disciplines. A brief history of NASA rotorcraft research through 2009 was also provided [Yamauchi and Young, 2009]. Gorton et al. [2015] describes the system studies during 20092011 that informed the SRW/RW/RVLT project investment prioritization and organization. The authors also provided the status of research in the RW Project in engines, drive systems, aeromechanics, and impact dynamics as related to structural dynamics of vertical lift vehicles. Since 2009, the focus of research has shifted from large civil VTOL transports, to environmentally clean aircraft, to electrified VTOL aircraft for the urban air mobility (UAM) market. The changing focus of rotorcraft research has been a reflection of the evolving strategic direction of the NASA Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate (ARMD). By 2014, the project had been renamed the Revolutionary Vertical Lift Technology Project. In response to the 2014 NASA Strategic Plan, ARMD developed six Strategic Thrusts. Strategic Thrust 3B was defined as the Ultra-Efficient Commercial VehiclesVertical Lift Aircraft. Hochstetler et al. [2017] uses Thrust 3B as an example for developing metrics usable by ARMD to measure the effectiveness of each of the Strategic Thrusts. The authors provide near-, mid-, and long-term outcomes for Thrust 3B with corresponding benefits and capabilities. The importance of VTOL research, especially with the rapidly expanding UAM market, eventually resulted in a new Strategic Thrust (to begin in 2020): Thrust 4Safe, Quiet, and Affordable Vertical Lift Air Vehicles. The underlying rotary wing analysis tools used by NASA are still applicable to traditional rotorcraft and have been expanded in capability to accommodate the growing number of VTOL configurations designed for UAM. The top-level goal of the RVLT Project remains unchanged since 2006: Develop and validate tools, technologies and concepts to overcome key barriers for vertical lift vehicles. In 2019, NASA rotary wing/VTOL research has never been more important for supporting new aircraft and advancements in technology. 2 A decade is a reasonable interval to pause and take stock of progress and accomplishments. In 10 years, digital technology has propelled progress in computational efficiency by orders of magnitude and expanded capabilities in measurement techniques. The purpose of this report is to provide a compilation of the NASA rotary wing research from ~2008 to ~2018. Brief summaries of publications from NASA, NASA-funded, and NASA-supported research are provided in 12 chapters: Acoustics, Aeromechanics, Computational Fluid Dynamics (External Flow), Experimental Methods, Flight Dynamics and Control, Drive Systems, Engines, Crashworthiness, Icing, Structures and Materials, Conceptual Design and System Analysis, and Mars Helicopter. We hope this report serves as a useful reference for future NASA vertical lift researchers