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Lightpipe design According to Breault Research Organization, any off-highway instrument or control that needs illumination is a candidate for a lightpipe to take light from where it is generated to where it is needed. The biodiesel choice Experts from the Natural Biodiesel Board believe it is time to consider alternatives to the current fuel structure. One solution to rising fuel prices is the pursuit of biodiesel fuels. Understanding machining difficulties in gray iron Bosch Braking Systems' engineers look more closely than usual at iron brake rotor samples to give new insights into critical characteristics of the material. Caterpillar mining for customers With commodity prices low, Caterpillar wants to make mining as productive an enterprise as possible for customers.

Hydrostatic transmissions in conventional envelopes Kubota designed a hydrostatic transmission for a compact tractor to improve operator control and increase efficiency and productivity. Design of a hydraulic free-piston engine Dutch companies Noax and Innas have developed an engine in which nearly all combustion energy is directly converted into hydraulic energy. Optimizing tractive performance Canadian researchers correlate analytical predictions and experimental data to determine that the proper matching of front- and rear-tire sizes, aswell as careful control of inflation pressure and normal load of the tires, is necessary to achieve optimum tractive performance of four-wheel-drive tractors. Actively suspending off-road vehicles The University of Texas Center for Electromechanics evaluated a retrofit electromechanical active suspension that s hows promise of improved cross-country mobility for military vehicles.

Operator station innovations Off-highway engineers work hard to provide comfort, ease of operation, and reliability to users. As an added challenge, they must design for operators who can spend an entire day working hard in their cab. Designing online Major developments in internet-based technologies are profoundly changing the engineering/design process, revolutionizing the way OEMs and suppliers do business, and speeding the industry's time-to-market. FEA simulation of an electrohydraulic system Researchers from the Milwaukee School of Engineering provide an accurate model of a typical magentic actuator Predicting injury in forklift upsets Researchers from the Biomechanics Institute present test results that demonstrate operators can prevent ejection and injury from a forklift if they are lap-belted and have either a winged seat or hip restraint.

Cleaner and quieter snowmobiles The University at Buffalo's entry into the Clean Snowmobile Challenge led to modifications of engine, exhaust, body, and electronics to achieve a snowmobile with both lower noise and emissions. Predicting pump dynamics The dynamic behavior of a Parker Hannifin/Abex NWL hydraulic-axial-piston pump was simulated to determine information on pump flow ripple for longer pump life and reduced noise. Electronic engine management for small engines Through an overview of sensor technologies, Cherry Electrical Products confirms that the off-highway industry is ready to benefit from the automotive industry when it comes to electronically controlling small engines. Globally positioning mining vehicles High-tech guidance systems for mining vehicles supplied by companies such as Magellan Corp. are one of the most prevalent uses of global positioning systems in off-highway applications.

Bridging the power gap An alliance between Cummins and Komatsu provides an intriguing prospect to the industrial engine market with the new QSK78 industrial engine. Large eddy simulation in hydraulic valves Cavitation in hydraulic spool valaves involves large-scale vortical structures in an unsteady submerged jet. According to engineers from Purdue University, curent CFD approaches do not accurately predict these unsteady vortices, nor do they properly account for bubble-dynamics/flow-structure interactions. Proving heavy-vehicle performance The Nevada Automotive Test Center and Mechanical Dynamics joined forces to redesign and improve the drivetrain, frame, steering, and other subsystems of a heavy-duty military-vehicle for the USMC. Tying it all together GPS. Engine diagnostics. Wireless communications. So much technology. So many voices. Is it a chorus of the Tower of Babel?

More with less through electronic components Off-highway engineers have had to walk a precarious path in recent years by developing engine technologies that offer customers better vehicle performance and regulators lower emissions. The promises and problems of electrohydraulics Engineers acknowledge that electrohydraulics are the way of the future for the off-highway industry, and that the field itself could use a good public-relations campaign to attract more engineering students. Deere goes all out for agriculture To some, it may seem odd that John Deere picked this particular economy to launch over 50 new products, the most in its 164-year history. To others it reeks of confidence. Switching control in hydraulic drives Researchers from Johannes Kepler University believe agricultural machinery can be improved by further advances in motion generation.

Komastu produces in Peoria Advanced heavy-duty robotic frame welding technology, new factory-based transportation systems, and major changes to factory layout combine to improve quality and reduce product cycle times for Komastu at its Peoria, IL, plant. Readers' Choice: Top Technologies of the Year Readers have selected the ten most interesting stories in SAE Off-Highway Engineering during the past year. They appear in shortened form. Results are based on reader-response choices following feature articles and shorter technology items. E-business evolves What follows is an update of the year's off-highway Internet-based activities intended to streamline operations along the supply chain and speed engineering product development. Manufacturing in the computer age Today's high-tech products require high-tech processes.

Evolution of ac-drive technology The introduction of inverter drives has stimulated development of the ultra-class haul trucks in operation today. Hydraulics in the age of specialization Today's hydraulics are to earlier systems as Sim City is to Lincoln Logs. Increasing sophistication has changed the way companies such as Eaton and Caterpillar build equipment, while users' expectations and regulators' demands keep rising. IT-tool for intelligent motion control A Danish mechatronic research program focused on intelligent motion control for rapid prototyping of fluid-power components and systems.

Changing demands reshape hydraulic components In a world of shrinking margins, fierce competition, and increasing regulations, equipment owners want nothing less than stellar performance from their equipment. Contact stress in valvetrains Engineers from Mahle compared FEA and Hertzian equations for the calculation of contact stress in a roller-follower valvetrain system. High-fidelity agricultural tires Researchers from Goodyear and John Deere developed finite element tire models capable of generating quasi-static spindle forces and moments for prescribed displacements over irregular terrain. Ag-equipment development challenges An engineer in the field discusses the need to tread carefully during the agricultural product-development process.

The history and future of two-stroke engines While supporters of two-stroke engines emphasize their advantages, naysayers have for years been predicting the death of the little engine that could. Active suspension systems Engineers from Birrana have designed a load-sensing system for mining trucks and haulers that reduces torsional, vibration, and shock loads on a vehicle's structure. CFD simulations inside hydraulic valves Engineers from HUSCO studied the forces induced by oil flow on hydraulic valve actuators with the aim of minimizing their effects. Electronic control for transmissions A third-generation transmission electronic control system developed by Allison primarily for mobile equipment applications will be phased into all of its off-highway transmissions.

Including electrohydraulics As electrohydraulics technologies mature and expand, the cost of incorporating them into equipment continues to decrease. Operating the machine As long as people need to be in a machine to run a machine, operator stations will continue to become more operator-friendly.

Mining for silence According to an engineer from Cooper-Standard Automotive, active noise control is finally making the transition from marketing hype to viable product. Making a mining engine Customer demands for higher-speed diesel power provided the motivation behind the design of MTU's new 20-cylinder engine. Reader's Choice: Top technologies of the Year Readers have selected the ten most interesting stories in SAE Off-Highway Engineering during the past year. Results are based on the reader-response choices following feature articles and shorter technology items. The supply chain gang No longer in its infancy, e-business proves its worth by streamlining operations along the supply chain.

The evolution of diesel emissions control The development of clean diesel has been a saga of evolution punctuated by occasional milestones. Heavy-duty engine emissions tests Ricardo recently commissioned from Emprise a new full-dilution emissions measurement system at its Chicago Technical Center. Air entrainment in hydraulic systems Researchers from Opus Systems and Hosei University designed a device to remove bubbles or foam in working oils for improved performance. Turbocompounding revisited Scania has introduced a new in-line six-cylinder engine that uses technology developed 20 years ago to meet tomorrow's emissions requirements.

Off-highway braking According to Mico, electrohydraulic braking controls can provide improved performance and add system features difficult to obtain with hydromechanical mechanisms. Keeping quiet Targeting off-highway and heavy-truck OEMs, Blachford claims its new acoustics laboratory will offer some testing capabilities previously only available to the passenger-car market. ADT marketing and manufacturing While it is not debatable that articulated dump trucks are a hot commodity, it is debatable how many are technologically unique. Proportional pressure reducing valves Engineers from Thomas magnete have designed pilot valves that work with electrohydraulics to simplify complex machine control systems.

Designing out emissions Researchers from Michigan Technological University designed and tested a single-cylinder, four-stroke engine with electronic fuel injection and catalytic exhaust treatment for a snowmobile application. Networking to extend equipment life Equipment developers are using local area networks to gather specific usage and maintenance data in response to the needs of off-highway equipment owners and leasing companies to maximize investments. CAE goes off-highway A look at how manufacturers are saving time and improving quality by using computer simulation. Engineering the first 50-ton ADT While it could be said that the articulated frame truck is now a mature concept, Bell Equipment moved the goal posts by redefining both the weight class and application range for this versatile machine.

Off-highway CVTs A continuously variable transmission can improve the fuel efficiency of heavy-duty diesels by matching the engine's torque/speed to the applied load through the smooth torque multiplication of the transmission. Hydraulics for economics The design of a digitally controlled hydraulic fan drive from Denison Hydraulics is said to help diesel engines run leaner and cleaner. Telematics boosts productivity Advances in electronic technology enables equipment owners and operators to monitor not only usage, but location of equipment. A dumper on tracks Industrial vehicles featuring composite rubber-tracked drive systems have become increasingly popular over the past 10 years, carving out a respectable niche in many specialized industries.