Preliminary power train design for a state-of-the-art electric vehicle

Power train designs which can be implemented within the current state-of-the-art were identified by means of a review of existing electric vehicles and suitable off-the-shelf components. The affect of various motor/transmission combinations on vehicle range over the SAE J227a schedule D cycle was evaluated. The selected, state-of-the-art power train employs a dc series wound motor, SCR controller, variable speed transmission, regenerative braking, drum brakes and radial ply tires. Vehicle range over the SAE cycle can be extended by approximately 20% by the further development of separately excited, shunt wound DC motors and electrical controllers. Approaches which could improve overall power train efficiency, such as AC motor systems, are identified. However, future emphasis should remain on batteries, tires and lightweight structures if substantial range improvements are to be achieved

Advanced turbocharger design study program

The advanced Turbocharger Design Study consisted of: (1) the evaluation of three advanced engine designs to determine their turbocharging requirements, and of technologies applicable to advanced turbocharger designs; (2) trade-off studies to define a turbocharger conceptual design and select the engine with the most representative requirements for turbocharging; (3) the preparation of a turbocharger conceptual design for the Curtiss Wright RC2-32 engine selected in the trade-off studies; and (4) the assessment of market impact and the preparation of a technology demonstration plan for the advanced turbocharger

The Jet Propulsion Laboratory Electric and Hybrid Vehicle System Research and Development Project, 1977-1984: A Review

The JPL Electric and Hybrid Vehicle System Research and Development Project was established in the spring of 1977. Originally administered by the Energy Research and Development Administration (ERDA) and later by the Electric and Hybrid Vehicle Division of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), the overall Program objective was to decrease this nation's dependence on foreign petroleum sources by developing the technologies and incentives necessary to bring electric and hybrid vehicles successfully into the marketplace. The ERDA/DOE Program structure was divided into two major elements: (1) technology research and system development and (2) field demonstration and market development. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) has been one of several field centers supporting the former Program element. In that capacity, the specific historical areas of responsibility have been: (1) Vehicle system developments (2) System integration and test (3) Supporting subsystem development (4) System assessments (5) Simulation tool development

Controlled Ecological Life Support Systems (CELSS) conceptual design option study

Results are given of a study to explore options for the development of a Controlled Ecological Life Support System (CELSS) for a future Space Station. In addition, study results will benefit the design of other facilities such as the Life Sciences Research Facility, a ground-based CELSS demonstrator, and will be useful in planning longer range missions such as a lunar base or manned Mars mission. The objectives were to develop weight and cost estimates for one CELSS module selected from a set of preliminary plant growth unit (PGU) design options. Eleven Space Station CELSS module conceptual PGU designs were reviewed, components and subsystems identified and a sensitivity analysis performed. Areas where insufficient data is available were identified and divided into the categories of biological research, engineering research, and technology development. Topics which receive significant attention are lighting systems for the PGU, the use of automation within the CELSS system, and electric power requirements. Other areas examined include plant harvesting and processing, crop mix analysis, air circulation and atmosphere contaminant flow subsystems, thermal control considerations, utility routing including accessibility and maintenance, and nutrient subsystem design

N+3 Small Commercial Efficient and Quiet Transportation for Year 2030-2035

This study develops a future scenario that enables convenient point-to-point commercial air travel via a large network of community airports and a new class of small airliners. A network demand and capacity study identifies current and future air travel demands and the capacity of this new network to satisfy these demands. A current technology small commercial airliner is defined to meet the needs of the new network, as a baseline for evaluating the improvement brought about by advanced technologies. Impact of this new mode of travel on the infrastructure and surrounding communities of the small airports in this new N+3 network are also evaluated. Year 2030-2035 small commercial airliner technologies are identified and a trade study conducted to evaluate and select those with the greatest potential for enhancing future air travel and the study metrics. The selected advanced air vehicle concept is assessed against the baseline aircraft, and an advanced, but conventional aircraft, and the study metrics. The key technologies of the selected advanced air vehicle are identified, their impact quantified, and risk assessments and roadmaps defined

Study of a navigation and traffic control technique employing satellites. Volume 3 - User hardware Interim report

User hardware configurations and requirements for navigation and air traffic control technique using satellite

Army Information Technology Procurement: a Business Process Analysis

This thesis presents a business process analysis of the Army\u27s ICT procurement system. The research identified several inefficiencies and proposes several potential solutions. the contributions of this research include a unified taxonomy, a method to prioritize requests, and system architecture products for development of an automated and sustainable collaboration interface for the CIO/G6 to streamline their IT acquisition process. Development of a centralized system would reduce waste in the request process from submission to formal accounting, hasten the movement of requests between stakeholders, maintain a digital signature authorization for each approval authority, provide a reporting database to recognize reprogramming thresholds, and deliver relevant metrics and analysis to help inform the Army\u27s IT resourcing decisions

Torque Auditing Test Fixture for Hansen Medical’s Remote Catheter Manipulator Robot

Current manufacturing test systems for motor control of Hansen\u27s line of surgical robots are labor intensive, have room for operator error and do not supply sufficient information. Based upon an expected increase in production, the objective of this project was to replace their test protocol with a modular test fixture that improves test time, is intuitive to use, and enhances the user experience. We developed a modular design that works for both the Sensei and Magellan robots, and can be reconfigured easily for use on future robots. Using a control system and GUI made in LabVIEW, a magnetic particle as our torque actuator, and a Futek rotary torque sensor for precise data acquisition, our device is a creative, efficient, and effective replacement to Hansen’s quality testing. We successfully develop an equivalent test, surpassed our goal of decreasing test time, our fixture is completely modular for all Hansen’s RCMs, we integrated two tests into a single operation, and we received favorable feedback from the engineers and technicians whom proposed this project. This project succeeded in creating a functional prototype to replace Hansen Medical’s current test protocol. Our test system has been handed off to Hansen Medical for implementation and further development

Developing Supply Chain Agility for the High-Volume and High-Variety Industry

Supply chains are under pressure to meet performance expectations under conditions in which access to the global network of suppliers and customers is fluid. Most studies accept the importance of agility to enhance performance using flexibility as a key dimension. Moreover, based on literature and empirical implications, it is essentially noticeable that there is an agreement on the need for flexibility in manufacturing to address both internal changes at the manufacturing echelon (e.g., a variation of process times) and external uncertainties (e.g., availability of ingredients, delivery schedules).However, there is a lack of adoptable metrics of manufacturing flexibility that can be used to evaluate manufacturing flexibility’s impact to enhance TH and reduce cost, both at the manufacturing echelon and the supply chain as a system as well as its impact on other echelons. Therefore, focusing on manufacturing flexibility as a competitive strategy induces a driving force for the success of the performance of supply chains. The purpose of this research is to present an applicable methodology for the evaluation of flexibility in a supply chain called Flexible Discrete Supply Chain (FDSC). The FDSC structure consists of a supplier, manufacturer, distributor, and customer as its conceptual model. Two main performance indicators – TH and cost are used to study the FDSC performance. This study utilizes four dimensions: volume, delivery, mix, and innovation (VDMI) flexibility. Quality function deployment is used to translate the dimensions of flexibility to key metrics that can be controlled in a discrete-event simulation (DES) model. The DES model is used to generate data, and for configuring VDMI metrics. The data is used for further sensitivity analysis. The developed methodology is verified and validated using data from a real case study. It is applicable to all supply chains within the FDSC criteria. This study contributes to the body of knowledge of supply chain flexibility through technical, methodical, and managerial implications. It clearly illustrated scenarios and provided guidelines for operations managers, to test among VMDI flexibility to maximize TH constrained by cost. Key directions for future research are identified