Automotive Engineering - April 2022 - 10

TECHNOLOGY REPORT
The data show that of
the eight minerals used
in electric cars, five are
not used in IC-powered
vehicles: graphite, nickel,
cobalt, lithium, and rare
earths. Furthermore, two
additional minerals -
copper and manganese
- are used in electric
cars in more than twice
the quantity, by weight,
as they are used in conventional
vehicles.
Finally, zinc is used to
the same extent in both
car types.
Table 2 includes two
sets of information.
The first set involves
the 2020 U.S. net import reliance for the eight minerals used
in electric cars. The data, which come from the U.S.
Geological Survey (USGS) [https://pubs.er.usgs.gov/publication/mcs2021],
represent the imports for all uses, and not
just for vehicles. The table shows that the net import reliance
is 50% or greater for all but one mineral of interest (indeed,
it is 100% for three minerals).
Table 2 also lists the major import sources (in descending order
of import share) for all minerals, also from the USGS. The
main import sources for the eight minerals are Canada (nickel
NVH
Valve cuts NVH in GDI engines
When a leading automotive manufacturer
struggled with the release of a
new fuel-injection engine technology,
the company required an immediate
solution to maintain launch scheduling,
not to mention corporate reputation.
Increasingly stringent global emissions
regulations have led many OEMs to
implement gasoline direct-injection
(GDI) fueling technology, which provides
improved fuel economy, reduce
emissions, and increase power. But GDI
can bring problems.
The automaker found pressure pulsations
in the engine's low-pressure fuel
line, upstream of the single-piston highpressure
pump that pressurizes the GDI
injectors. Under certain driving conditions
these pulsations created noise, vibration,
and harshness (NVH) issues for
10 April 2022
the customer and fatigue-wear issues in
the low-pressure fuel system. The problems
- identified 10 months prior to the
planned vehicle launch - could lead to
significant schedule delays.
The Lee Company's engineering team
met with the OEM to discuss the problem,
the system layout, mounting options
and the high-level performance
requirements. The automaker envisioned
a component that would dampen pressure
spikes returning to the tank, provide
a thermal relief function, have a negligible
effect on flow to the high-pressure
pump, and fit within their system.
In less than a week, Lee engineers
designed, built and delivered a uniquely
engineered potential solution: a
check valve in the fuel line. Testing confirmed
the check valve solved the performance
problems, reducing the pressure
pulsations by up to 90% while fitting
within the existing fuel line. The
system with the new check valve met
all other performance requirements.
Over the next six months, the engineers
designed and fabricated a completely
new production line, supplied
Production Part Approval Process
(PPAP) parts and initiated production.
The check valve that helped to dampen
the pressure spikes is a multi-function
valve that combines the performance of
a check valve, a pressure dampening
restrictor and a thermal relief function,
the company said. Conveniently, the
valve is easy to install and doesn't require
customized mounting equipment
- or add potential external leak paths
within the fuel system. The innovative
AUTOMOTIVE ENGINEERING
EVs such as the Chevrolet Bolt contain strategic minerals not used in conventional ICE-powered vehicles, and some
shared but in much higher quantity.
and zinc), China (natural graphite and rare earths), Chile (copper),
Gabon (manganese), Norway (cobalt), and Argentina (lithium).
It should be noted that the entries for graphite are for natural
graphite. The U.S. is a major producer of synthetic graphite.
Michael Sivak
Michael Sivak is managing director of Sivak Applied Research
[http://www.sivakappliedresearch.com/] and the former director of
Sustainable Worldwide Transportation at the University of Michigan
[http://www.umich.edu/~umtriswt]. This article originally posted on
https://www.greencarcongress.com/ and is used with permission.
FORD
https://pubs.er.usgs.gov/publication/mcs2021 http://www.sivakappliedresearch.com/ http://www.umich.edu/~umtriswt http://www.umich.edu/~umtriswt https://www.greencarcongress.com/
Automotive Engineering - April 2022

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