Lightweight Composite Materials for Heavy Duty Vehicles

The main objective of this project is to develop, analyze and validate data, methodologies and tools that support widespread applications of automotive lightweighting technologies. Two underlying principles are guiding the research efforts towards this objective: • Seamless integration between the lightweight materials selected for certain vehicle systems, cost-effective methods for their design and manufacturing, and practical means to enhance their durability while reducing their Life-Cycle-Costs (LCC). • Smooth migration of the experience and findings accumulated so far at WVU in the areas of designing with lightweight materials, innovative joining concepts and durability predictions, from applications to the area of weight savings for heavy vehicle systems and hydrogen storage tanks, to lightweighting applications of selected systems or assemblies in light–duty vehicles

Innovative Structural and Joining Concepts for Lightweight Design of Heavy Vehicle Systems

Recent advances in the area of Metal Matrix Composites (MMC's) have brought these materials to a maturity stage where the technology is ready for transition to large-volume production and commercialization. The new materials seem to allow the fabrication of higher quality parts at less than 50 percent of the weight as compared to steel, especially when they are selectively reinforced with carbon, silicon carbide, or aluminum oxide fibers. Most of the developments in the MMC materials have been spurred, mainly by applications that require high structural performance at elevated temperatures, the heavy vehicle industry could also benefit from this emerging technology. Increasing requirements of weight savings and extended durability are the main drivers for potential insertion of MMC technology into the heavy vehicle market. Critical elements of a typical tractor-trailer combination, such as highly loaded sections of the structure, engine components, brakes, suspensions, joints and bearings could be improved through judicious use of MMC materials. Such an outcome would promote the DOE's programmatic objectives of increasing the fuel efficiency of heavy vehicles and reducing their life cycle costs and pollution levels. However, significant technical and economical barriers are likely to hinder or even prevent broad applications of MMC materials in heavy vehicles. The tradeoffs between such expected benefits (lower weights and longer durability) and penalties (higher costs, brittle behavior, and difficult to machine) must be thoroughly investigated both from the performance and cost viewpoints, before the transfer of MMC technology to heavy vehicle systems can be properly assessed and implemented. MMC materials are considered to form one element of the comprehensive, multi-faceted strategy pursued by the High Strength/Weight Reduction (HS/WR) Materials program of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) for structural weight savings and quality enhancements in heavy vehicles. The research work planed for the first year of this project (June 1, 2003 through May 30, 2004) focused on a theoretical investigation of weight benefits and structural performance tradeoffs associated with the design, fabrication, and joining of MMC components for heavy-duty vehicles. This early research work conducted at West Virginia University yielded the development of integrated material-structural models that predicted marginal benefits and significant barriers to MMC applications in heavy trailers. The results also indicated that potential applications of MMC materials in heavy vehicles are limited to components identified as critical for either loadings or weight savings. Therefore, the scope of the project was expanded in the following year (June 1, 2004 through May 30, 2005) focused on expanding the lightweight material-structural design concepts for heavy vehicles from the component to the system level. Thus, the following objectives were set: (1) Devise and evaluate lightweight structural configurations for heavy vehicles. (2) Study the feasibility of using Metal Matrix Composites (MMC) for critical structural components and joints in heavy vehicles. (3) Develop analysis tools, methods, and validated test data for comparative assessments of innovative design and joining concepts. (4) Develop analytical models and software for durability predictions of typical heavy vehicle components made of particulate MMC or fiber-reinforced composites. This report summarizes the results of the research work conducted during the past two years in this projects

Innovative Structural and Joining Concepts for Lightweight Design of Heavy Vehicle Systems

The extensive research and development effort was initiated by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) in 2002 at West Virginia University (WVU) in order to investigate practical ways of reducing the structural weight and increasing the durability of heavy vehicles through the judicious use of lightweight composite materials. While this project was initially focused on specific Metal Matrix Composite (MMC) material, namely Aluminum/Silicon Carbide (Al/SiC) commercially referenced as ''LANXIDE'', the current research effort was expanded from the component level to the system level and from MMC to other composite material systems. Broadening the scope of this research is warranted not only by the structural and economical deficiencies of the ''LANXIDE'' MMC material, but also by the strong coupling that exists between the material and the geometric characteristics of the structure. Such coupling requires a truly integrated design approach, focused on the heaviest sections of a van trailer. Obviously, the lightweight design methods developed in this study will not be implemented by the commercial industry unless the weight savings are indeed impressive and proven to be economically beneficial in the context of Life Cycle Costs (LCC). ''Bulk Haul'' carriers run their vehicles at maximum certified weight, so that each pound saved in structural weight would translate into additional pound of cargo, and fewer vehicles necessary to transport a given amount of freight. It is reasonable to ascertain that a typical operator would be ready to pay a premium of about $3-4 for every additional pound of cargo, or every pound saved in structural weight. The overall scope of this project is to devise innovative, lightweight design and joining concepts for heavy vehicle structures, including cost effective applications of components made of metal matrix composite (MMC) and other composite materials in selected sections of such systems. The major findings generated by this research effort in its first two years have been summarized in the 2003 and 2004 Annual Progress Reports of DOE's Freedom Car and Vehicle Technologies Program. Consistent interactions with producers of heavy trailers, such as Great Dane and Wabash, as well as with their users, such as Old Dominion Freight Lines, have continued during this period to ensure that the research conducted at WVU will yield practical results that will benefit the industry in the near future. Furthermore, Dr. Gergis William and Mr. Thomas Evans participated in the 2005 Technology and Maintenance Council (TMC) annual meeting held in Tampa, Florida, in February 2005. This event offered the WVU researchers an effective opportunity to explore various technical needs and concerns of the industry, both from the performance and maintenance viewpoints, as well as to assess realistically potential benefits and barriers associated with practical implementation of lightweight materials and design technologies in heavy vehicle structures

Some aspects of the dynamic performance of machine tool structural joints

The work presented in this thesis is concerned with the dynamic behaviour of structural joints which are both loaded, and excited, normal to the joint interface. Since the forces on joints are transmitted through their interface, the surface texture of joints was carefully examined. A computerised surface measuring system was developed and computer programs were written. Surface flatness was functionally defined, measured and quantised into a form suitable for the theoretical calculation of the joint stiffness. Dynamic stiffness and damping were measured at various preloads for a range of joints with different surface textures. Dry clean and lubricated joints were tested and the results indicated an increase in damping for the lubricated joints of between 30 to 100 times. A theoretical model for the computation of the stiffness of dry clean joints was built. The model is based on the theory that the elastic recovery of joints is due to the recovery of the material behind the loaded asperities. It takes into account, in a quantitative manner, the flatness deviations present on the surfaces of the joint. The theoretical results were found to be in good agreement with those measured experimentally. It was also found that theoretical assessment of the joint stiffness could be carried out using a different model based on the recovery of loaded asperities into a spherical form. Stepwise procedures are given in order to design a joint having a particular stiffness. A theoretical model for the loss factor of dry clean joints was built. The theoretical results are in reasonable agreement with those experimentally measured. The theoretical models for the stiffness and loss factor were employed to evaluate the second natural frequency of the test rig. The results are in good agreement with the experimentally measured natural frequencies

Energy Dense, Lighweight, Durable, Systems for Storage and Delivery of Hydrogen

The work presented in this report summarizes the current state-of-the-art in on-board storage on compressed gaseous hydrogen as well as the development of analysis tools, methods, and theoretical data for devising high performance design configurations for hydrogen storage. The state-of-the-art in the area of compressed hydrogen storage reveals that the current configuration of the hydrogen storage tank is a seamless cylindrical part with two end domes. The tank is composed of an aluminum liner overwrapped with carbon fibers. Such a configuration was proved to sustain internal pressures up to 350 bars (5,000 psi). Finite-element stress analyses were performed on filament-wound hydrogen storage cylindrical tanks under the effect of internal pressure of 700 bars (10,000 psi). Tank deformations, stress fields, and intensities induced at the tank wall were examined. The results indicated that the aluminum liner can not sustain such a high pressure and initiate the tank failure. Thus, hydrogen tanks ought to be built entirely out of composite materials based on carbon fibers or other innovative composite materials. A spherical hydrogen storage tank was suggested within the scope of this project. A stress reduction was achieved by this change of the tank geometry, which allows for increasing the amount of the stored hydrogen and storage energy density. The finite element modeling of both cylindrical and spherical tank design configurations indicate that the formation of stress concentration zones in the vicinity of the valve inlet as well as the presence of high shear stresses in this area. Therefore, it is highly recommended to tailor the tank wall design to be thicker in this region and tapered to the required thickness in the rest of the tank shell. Innovative layout configurations of multiple tanks for enhanced conformability in limited space have been proposed and theoretically modeled using 3D finite element analysis. Optimum tailoring of fiber orientations and lay-ups are needed to relieve the high stress in regions of high stress concentrations between intersecting tanks/ tank sections. Filament winding process is the most suitable way for producing both cylindrical and spherical hydrogen storage tanks with high industrial quality. However, due to the unavailability of such equipment at West Virginia University and limited funding, the composite structures within this work were produced by hand layup and bag molding techniques. More advanced manufacturing processes can significantly increase the structural strength of the tank and enhances its performance and also further increase weight saving capabilities. The concept of using a carbon composite liner seems to be promising in overcoming the low strength of the aluminum liner at internal high pressures. This could be further enhanced by using MetPreg filament winding to produce such a liner. Innovative designs for the polar boss of the storage tanks and the valve connections are still needed to reduce the high stress formed in these zones to allow for the tank to accommodate higher internal pressures. The Continuum Damage Mechanics (CDM) approach was applied for fault-tolerant design and efficient maintenance of lightweight automotive structures made of composite materials. Potential effects of damage initiation and accumulation are formulated for various design configurations, with emphasis on lightweight fiber-reinforced composites. The CDM model considers damage associated with plasticity and fatigue

Evaluation of inactivated avian influenza virus and Newcastle disease virus bivalent vaccination program against newly circulated H5N8 and NDV strains

ABSTRACT: Avian influenza virus (AIV) and Newcastle disease virus (NDV) are respiratory illness syndromes that have recently been detected in vaccinated flocks and are causing major financial losses in the chicken farming industry. The objective was to evaluate the efficacy of Valley Vac H5Plus NDVg7 vaccine in protecting chickens against the H5N8 and NDV strains that have recently been circulating in comparison with the efficacy of the commercially available bivalent H5+ND7 vaccine. In contrast to the H5+ND7 vaccine, which was made of genetically distinct H5N8/2018 clade 2.3.4.4b genotype group (G5), H9N2/2016, H5N1/2017, and genetically comparable NDV genotype VII 1.1/2019 of the recently circulating challenge viruses, the Valley Vac H5Plus NDVg7 vaccine consisted of the recently isolated (RG HPAI H5N1 AIV/2015 Clade 2.2.1.2, RG HPAIV H5N8/2020 Clade 2.3.4.4b genotype group 6 (G6), and NDV genotype VII 1.1/2012) which were genetically similar to challenged strains. To determine the effectiveness of the Valley Vac H5Plus NDVg7 vaccine, a total of 70-day-old commercial chicks were divided into 7 groups of 10 birds each. Groups (G1 and G4) received Valley Vac H5Plus NDVg7 vaccine. Groups (G2 and G5) groups received commercial H5+ND7 vaccine. While groups (G3 and G6) were kept nonvaccinated, and group (G7) was kept as a nonchallenged and nonvaccinated. After 3-wk post vaccination (WPV), groups G1, G2, and G3 were challenged with A/Duck/ Egypt/SMG4/2019(H5N8) genotype G6. On the other hand, groups G4, G5, G6 were challenged with NDV/EGYPT/18629F/2018 genotype VII 1.1 with an intranasal injection of 0.1 mL. Antibody titer was calculated at the first 3 wk after vaccination, and the viral shedding titer was calculated at 3-, 5-, and 7-days post challenge. Mortality and morbidity rates were monitored daily during the experiment, and for the first 10 d after the challenge, to provide an estimate of the protection rate. The results showed that a single dosage of 0.5 mL per bird of Valley Vac H5Plus NDVg7 vaccine provides 80% protection against both H5N8 and NDV, compared to the bivalent H5+ND7 vaccine, which provided 20 and 80% protection against H5N8 and NDV, respectively. In addition, 0.5 mL per bird of Valley Vac H5Plus NDVg7 vaccine produced a greater immune response against both viruses than commercial vaccination at 1 to 3 WPV with a significant difference at 1 WPV for H5N8 and a comparatively higher immune response for NDV. Furthermore, it reduced virus shedding of H5N8 on the third, fifth, seventh, and tenth days lower than H5+ND7 vaccine with a significant difference on the third day for H5N8 and relatively lower than bivalent H5+ND7 vaccine for NDV with a significant difference on the fifth day. The Valley vaccinated group demonstrated more tissue intactness compared to the commercially vaccinated group against the H5N8 challenge, however the bivalent commercially vaccinated group showed the similar level of tissue integrity against NDV. In conclusion, Valley Vac H5Plus NDVg7  that contains the  genetically similar strain to recently circulating challenged virus (H5N8 genotype G6) provided better protection with greater immune response and decreased the amount of virus shed against H5N8 genotype G6 and showed less histopathological alteration than the commercial bivalent H5+ND7 vaccine that contain genetically distinct (H5N8 genotype G5). However the Valley Vac H5Plus NDVg7 provided the same protection with relatively high immune response and  relatively decreased the amount of virus shed and showed equal tissue integrity than the commercial bivalent H5+ND7 vaccine against NDV genotype VII 1.1 that contain the same genotype of NDV genotype VII 1.1