Akshay Kahate

Problem statement: Premature fatigue failure of an automotive anti-roll bar resulting into risks related to manoeuvrability of a vehicle.

Proposed solution: To design a test rig capable of testing an anti-roll bar and study the failure mechanisms during the test.

Methodology:
1. Literature study: Failure mode of an anti-roll bar was identified.
2. Material selection: Preliminary design was made and materials were assigned for the test rig components. Morphological analysis… Show more

Problem statement: Premature fatigue failure of an automotive anti-roll bar resulting into risks related to manoeuvrability of a vehicle.

Proposed solution: To design a test rig capable of testing an anti-roll bar and study the failure mechanisms during the test.

Methodology:
1. Literature study: Failure mode of an anti-roll bar was identified.
2. Material selection: Preliminary design was made and materials were assigned for the test rig components. Morphological analysis was performed for better understanding.
3. Design and analysis: Final design was made using PTC Creo CAD software and finite element analysis (FEA) using Ansys Workbench was done on individual load bearing components as well as anti-roll bar. Von mises stress, roll stiffness and fatigue stress values were considered.
4. Risk assessment: Failure mode effect analysis (FMEA) of the test rig was carried out and risk matrices for rig installation and running test were prepared to identify and mitigate risk.
5. Cost sensitivity analysis: Total cost of the fabrication of a test rig in the UK was calculated by requesting quote from a fabrication company.
6. Critical parameters: Effect of frequency of fatigue loading and the distance between bushes were found to be the key parameters in fatigue failure of an anti-roll bar.

Conclusion and future scope:
A highly cost effective design saving 60% of the cost was proposed. A flexible design enables researchers to test different geometries of an anti-roll bar on the rig. Show less

Project scope: Onboard carbon capture of a heavy duty vehicle.

Objective: To design a sustainable carbon capture system for a heavy duty vehicle and reduce the carbon emission.

Project work:
1. Methods of CO2 adsorption and heat exchange system:
Pressure swing adsorption (PSA) and Temperature swing adsorption (TSA) techniques were studied. By using PSA method. an adsorption chamber of 2 meters height and 1.1 meter diameter was designed to collect 56.65kg of CO2 per 100km… Show more

Project scope: Onboard carbon capture of a heavy duty vehicle.

Objective: To design a sustainable carbon capture system for a heavy duty vehicle and reduce the carbon emission.

Project work:
1. Methods of CO2 adsorption and heat exchange system:
Pressure swing adsorption (PSA) and Temperature swing adsorption (TSA) techniques were studied. By using PSA method. an adsorption chamber of 2 meters height and 1.1 meter diameter was designed to collect 56.65kg of CO2 per 100km trip of the vehicle.
Heat exchanger parameters including heat duty, finned area and tube length were calculated.
2. Energy recovery system:
Thermo-electric generation and Vertical axis wind turbine (VAWT) are the methods used to generate electricity for sustainable operation of the carbon capture system. Peltier plates are used to convert thermal energy into electrical energy. With the available area of 2.21 square meters for Peltier plates installation, the system theoretically generated 6953.9 Watts of power. A 2D CFD analysis was done to determine the position of a vertical axis wind turbine on the vehicle. ICEM CFD was used to simulate the model and wind parameters and Ansys Fluent was used for post processing and interpretation of results. Assuming a 90% turbine efficiency, the setup was theoretically able to generate a 797.7 Watts of power.
3. CO2 storage:
Due to space constraint on the vehicle, CO2 is collected in liquid form with the help of process called liquefaction. 3 stage compression with intercooling was employed. A cylinder of 0.3 cubic meter was designed for CO2 storage. Show less