SMART MATERIALS IN AUTOMOBILES ENGINEERING

Deepak Pillai Mohan B. Kulkarni

(B.E. Production) (B.E. Production)
deepu_saku@yahoo.com mohanbkool@rediffmail.com
K.K. a!h "nstitute of En!ineerin! Education and #esearch$
%mrutdham$ &asik'(.
ABSTRACT
)cience and technolo!y ha*e made ama+in! de*elopments in the desi!n of
electronics and machinery usin! standard materials$ ,hich do not ha*e particularly
special properties (i.e. steel$ aluminum$ !old). "ma!ine the ran!e of possibilities$
,hich e-ist for special materials that ha*e properties scientists can manipulate. )ome
such materials ha*e the ability to chan!e shape or si+e simply by addin! a little bit of
heat$ or to chan!e from a li.uid to a solid almost instantly ,hen near a ma!net/ these
materials are called smart materials.
)mart materials ha*e one or more properties that can be dramatically altered.
% ,ide *ariety of smart materials already e-ists$ and is bein! researched e-tensi*ely.
0hese include pie+oelectric materials$ ma!neto'rheostatic materials (M#)$ electro'
rheostatic materials (E#)$ and shape memory alloys. )ome e*eryday items are already
incorporatin! smart materials (coffeepots$ cars$ the "nternational )pace )tation$
eye!lasses) and the number of applications for them is !ro,in! steadily.
"n both E# and M# fluids$ the chan!e in the resistance to flo, is tri!!ered by
an electrical stimulus. 0he microscopic cause behind the thickenin! effect is the same
in both fluids1 2polari+ation of the particles induced by the application of the electric
or ma!netic field and the subse.uent formation of particle chains3. 4i*en sufficient
stren!th of the field$ the particle chains e*entually brid!e the electrodes.
0he automoti*e and aerospace industries ,ere probably the first to identify
potential en!ineerin! applications of smart fluids. 0his paper hi!hli!hts these
en!ineerin! applications ' notably for *ibration control and *ariable tor.ue
transmission. &o,adays many additional a*enues are bein! e-plored$ for e-ample
M# fluids are bein! de*eloped for use in car shocks$ dampin! machine *ibration. E#
fluids ha*e mainly been de*eloped for use in clutches and *al*es$ as ,ell as en!ine
mounts desi!ned to reduce noise and *ibration in *ehicles.
INTRODUCTION
)cience and technolo!y ha*e made ama+in! de*elopments in the desi!n of
electronics and machinery usin! standard materials$ ,hich do not ha*e particularly
special properties (i.e. steel$ aluminum$ !old). "ma!ine the ran!e of possibilities$
,hich e-ist for special materials that ha*e properties scientists can manipulate. )ome
such materials ha*e the ability to chan!e shape or si+e simply by addin! a little bit of
heat$ or to chan!e from a li.uid to a solid almost instantly ,hen near a ma!net/ these
materials are called smart materials. hat are they5 0hey are those materials that
posses both intrinsic and e-trinsic capabilities to respond to stimuli and en*ironmental
chan!es. 0hey respond to chan!es in temperature$ moisture$ p6$ ma!netic 7ield$
electric field$ etc. 0he term 2smart materials3 encompasses a ,ide *ariety of
materials$ such as pie+oelectric materials$ ma!neto'rheostatic materials (M#)$ electro'
rheostatic materials (E#)$ and shape memory alloys etc.
8ike many scientific ad*ances$ smart fluids ,ere disco*ered by accident.
#esearchers9 usin! marble and oil to construct a *ery hi!h *olta!e s,itch in :;<=9s
noticed that as the s,itch operated$ the marble eroded into a dust in the oil$ ,hich
turns into from a li.uid to a paste in the presence of hi!h *olta!e. %fter the initial
no*elty ,ore off$ interest in smart fluids lan!uished throu!h the :;>=9s and :;?=9s.
)uch controllable fluids and materials ,hose rheolo!y may *ary by the
application of the e-ternal inputs ha*e lon! been seen as offerin! the possibility
simple .uite rapid response interfaces bet,een electronic controls and mechanical
systems. 0he automoti*e and aerospace industries ,ere probably the first to identify
the potential en!ineerin! application of smart fluids and material @ &otably for
*ibration control$ *ariable tor.ue transmission$ medical rehabilitation$ and
Ahromo!enic application. &o,adays$ many additional a*enues are been e-plored$
e.!.$ ci*il en!ineerin! structures$#obotics and manufacturin! and distributed
structures.
An A-to-Z guide to smart materials
Smart Materials! Emerging Mar"ets #or Intelligent Gels$ Cerami%s$ Allo&s$ and
'ol&mers is your !uide to the ,orld of smart materials. "n one handy *olume it ,ill
!i*e you a hard'headed assessment of ne, applications and markets ... %nd brief you
on important de*elopments related to do+ens of materials in a ,ide ran!e of
cate!ories$ includin!1
Pie+oelectric materials ' 0hese ceramics or polymers are characteri+ed by a
s,ift$ linear shape chan!e in response to an electric field. 0he electricity
makes the material e-pand or contract almost instantly. 0he materials ha*e
potential uses in actuators that control chatter in precision machine tools$
impro*ed robotic parts that mo*e faster and ,ith !reater accuracy$ smaller
microelectronic circuits in machines ran!in! from computers to
photolitho!raphy printers$ and health'monitorin! fibers for brid!es$ buildin!s$
and ,ood utility poles.
Electrostricti*e and ma!netostricti*e materials ' 0his refers to the material
.uality of chan!in! si+e in response to either an electric or ma!netic field$ and
con*ersely$ producin! a *olta!e ,hen stretched. 0hese materials sho, promise
in applications ran!in! from pumps and *al*es$ to aerospace ,ind tunnel and
shock tube instrumentation and landin! !ear hydraulics$ to biomechanics force
measurement for orthopedic !ait and posturo!raphy$ sports$ er!onomics$
neurolo!y$ cardiolo!y$ and rehabilitation.
#heolo!ical materials ' )mart materials encompass not only solids but also
fluids$ electrorheolo!ical and ma!netorheolo!ical fluids that can chan!e state
instantly throu!h the application of an electric or ma!netic char!e. 0hese
fluids sho, promise in shock absorbers$ dampers for *ehicle seats and
e-ercise e.uipment$ and optical finishin!.
0hermo responsi*e materials ' )hape memory alloys$ the dominant smart
material$ chan!e shape in response to heat or cold. 0hey are most commonly
&itinol$ or nickel and titanium combined. 8ess popular but still possessin! the
shape memory effects are !old cadmium$ sil*er cad'mium$ copper'aluminum'
nickel$ copper tin$ copper +inc$ and copper +inc aluminum. 0hey are useful in
couplers$ thermostats$ automobile$ and plane and helicopter parts.
Electro chromic materials ' Electrochromism is defined as the ability of a
material to chan!e its optical properties ,hen a *olta!e is applied across it.
0hese materials are used as antistatic layers$ electro chrome layers in 8ADs
(li.uid crystal displays)$ and cathodes in lithium batteries.
7i!:. Pie+oelectric effect
7i!B. )mart 7luid
7i!(. M.#. fluid in ,orkin! 7i!<.orkin! of )mart fluid.

A((li%ations o# Smart materials in Automo)iles
)mart application for the automoti*e industries are challen!in! for a basic
reason that is the market demand is for lo, cost components. 0he smart materials that
find application in modern cars offer many ad*anta!es and ne,er capabilities o*er
con*entional materials. 0he follo,in! are the fe, ad*anta!es
:. 8o, po,er consumption$
B. %bsence of mo*in! parts$
(. )yner!istic capabilities$ etc.
"f you o,n a sports car or a Aadillac$ you mi!ht ha*e M# fluids in your shock
absorbers. 0he stiffness of ma!netic shocks can be electronically adCusted thousands
of times per second$ pro*idin! a remarkably smooth ride. 0his is done by a semi
acti*e suspension system$ ,hich uses E# fluid in its dampers. )mart materials can
also be used to control acti*e cabinet noise in cars. Dne of the bi!!est breakthrou!hs
in smart material9s research is the Esmart skin application9 to control the dra! actin!
on the car surface$ to be used in the comin! years. 8ord Aorp. is also studyin! M#
technolo!y for seat belts and airba!s in cars.
0he follo,in! are some of the specific applications of smart materials in automobiles1
)M%s
:. Dpen'close mechanisms
B. #elease mechanisms
(. %cti*e brakin! systems
<. %cti*e skin systems
Pie+oelectric Materials
:. )ensors for ,iper actuation
B. )ensors for side impact dia!nosis (in smart cars)
(. )ensors for forceF motion
<. )ensors for platform stabili+ation
G. Hltrasonic motors
I. )onar arrays for collision a*oidance (in smart cars)
Ma!netostricti*e Materials
:. %cti*e cabinet noise control
B. )onar for collision a*oidance (in smart cars)
(. %cti*e sensin! and actuation
Ma!netorheolo!icalF Electrorheolo!ical 7luids
:. %cti*e clutch mechanisms
B. Position and *elocity control
(. %cti*e suspension
)ome of the application areas of )mart Material are discussed belo,$
* 'ie+oele%tri% material as Sensors1
Pie+oelectric materials are most ,idely used as sensors in different
en*ironments. 0hey are often used to measure fluid compositions$ fluid density$
fluid *iscosity$ or the force of an impact. %n e-ample of a pie+oelectric material in
e*eryday life is the airba! sensor in your car. 0he material senses the force of an
impact on the car and sends and electric char!e deployin! the airba!.
Pie+oceramic materials can produce motion by recei*in! electric potential
across their polari+ed surfaces. % pie+oelectric crystal *ibrates ,hen an alternatin!
*olta!e is applied to it$ and almost all of the ener!y !i*en to the material is
con*erted into mechanical motion. Pie+oceramic materials$ commonly considered
to be much more efficient than electroma!netic instruments$ make *ery !ood
candidates in a lo, po,er consumption desi!n for *ibrators oscillatin! in their
fundamental modes. hen it is e-cited at lo, fre.uency$ a pie+oceramic material
*ibrates/ at hi!h fre.uencies it also produces sound$ as a transducer does. 0he
resonant fre.uency of the ceramic is too hi!h to produce an audible tone by itself$
so a metal plate must be attached that *ibrates ,ith the contraction and e-pansion
of the pie+oceramic. 0herefore$ both audible and silent alerts can be !enerated
from the same source by e-citin! it ,ith t,o different fre.uencies.
PJ0'G6$ the pie+oceramic material chosen for the silent alert$ is used in
applications re.uirin! fine mo*ement control such as in ink'Cet printers. 0he
material pro*ides e-tremely hi!h permissi*ity$ couplin!$ and pie+oelectric
constant. "t has the lo,est Aurie point (the temperature at ,hich a materialKs
ma!netic or ferroelectric properties chan!e) of the PJ0'G family of LsoftL
materials$ restrictin! its operatin! temperature ran!e$ and it has lo,er time
stability than most pie+o materials.
, Sus(ension s&stems1
#ecently$ a !reat deal of attention is focused on damper desi!n that
si!nificantly suppresses the *ibrations of the *ehicle system.
)o far three types of suspension ,ere proposed and successfully
implemented1 Passi*e$ %cti*e$ and )emi %cti*e.
0he semi acti*e suspension system offers desirable performance that is
!enerally enhanced in the acti*e mode ,ithout lar!e po,er sources and e-pensi*e
hard,are. 0his system features E# fluids as its ,orkin! medium. Dne of the
salient properties of an E# fluid is its responds fast to an electric field$ and hence
it has a ,ide control band,idth.
7i!G. )chematic confi!uration of an E# damper
7i!I. Mehicle confi!uration for an E# suspension test
% semi acti*e suspension system usin! E# fluid is sho,n in fi!.G.the Er
damper is di*ided into upper and lo,er chambers by a piston that is filled ,ith E#
fluid. 0he E# fluid flo,s by the piston9s motion throu!h the duct bet,een the inner
and outer cylinder from one chamber to the other. % positi*e *olta!e is produced by a
hi!h'*olta!e supply unit connected to the inner cylinder$ and the ne!ati*e *olta!e is
connected to the other cylinder.
0he !as chamber located outside the lo,er chamber acts as an
accumulator of the E# fluid induced by the piston9s motion. "f no electric field is
applied$ the E# damper produces a dampin! force caused only by fluid resistance.
6o,e*er$ if a certain le*el of the electric field is supplied to the E# damper$ the E#
damper produces an additional dampin! force o,in! to the yield stress of the E#
fluid. 0his dampin! force of the E# damper can be continuously tuned by controllin!
the intensity of electric field.
0o e*aluate the *ibrational control performance of the *ehicle system usin!
the E# damper$ closed'loop control *ehicle system can be constructed as sho,n in
7i!.I. % portable computer (microprocessor) e.uipped ,ith a D)P (Di!ital )i!nal
Processor) boared is normally positioned beside the dri*er9s seat. 7our pairs (one for
the car body and the others for the ,heels) of accelerometers are installed on four
independent suspensions to measure the *ertical motions of the *ehicle. 0he si!nals
from the accelerometers$ !yroscope and 8D0 ( linear differential transformer) are fed
to the microprocessor$ and dependin! upon the control procedure employed$ the
re.uired control input *olta!es are determined and applied to the four E# dampers
throu!h four hi!h *olta!e amplifiers positioned at four corners in the trunk.
- C.romogeni% s&stems!
0hey can chan!e optical properties in response to an electrical$ photo or
thermal stimulus. Electrically acti*ated Ahromo!enic systems are used for smart
,indo,s and mirrors in the automoti*e markets$ and for lo,'information'content
displays. Electrically acti*ated Ahromo!enic can be user controlled in contrast to the
self're!ulatin!$ passi*e nature of photo chromic and thermo chromic de*ices. )mart
,indo,s are electronic de*ices that are s.uare meters in si+e. 0hey must ha*e hi!h
optical .uality and uniformity. 0hin'film fabrication technolo!y meets these standards
but market price sensiti*ity is hi!h. %utomoti*e mirrors are a more mana!eable
technical challen!e. Aurrent research focuses on cost$ durability and uniformity. 0he
most important aspect of smart ,indo,s is cost$ not the technolo!y behind it.
0echnolo!y ,ill become more of a product differentiator$ once Ahromo!enic systems
are cost competiti*e. Electrochromics ha*e been *ery successful as dynamic anti!lare
automoti*e mirrors.
7i!>. )mart indo,
/ S.a(e Memor& Allo&s
)hape memory alloys are monolithic smart materials that respond to chan!es
in the en*ironment and e-ternal stimuli. 0hey usually respond to these chan!es
Fstimuli by reco*erin! their predefinedFori!inal shape and si+e.
)hape memory alloys e-hibit t,o distinct phenomena$ namely shape memory
effect and super'elastic effect. )hape memory effect sho,s the material9s response to
temperature$ i.e.$ thermal memory. But super'elastic effect indicates the material9s
response to stress$ i.e.$ mechanical memory.
a S.a(e Memor& E##e%t
0his happens ,hen a material pre*iously deformed in martensite @ the low
temperature phase- reco*ers its ori!inal shape ,hen heated up to the austentite the
high temperature phase .0he !raph no.__ represents the stability +one for the t,o
phases in the stress @ temperature representation. %ccordin! to the clausius @
Clapeyaron relationship bet,een stress and temperature$ the obli!e line indicates the
boundary bet,een phases under transition period. 0he martensitic transformation
occurs across a !i*en ran!e of temperature (Ms to Mf$ from austentite to martensite
and %s to %f$ from martensite to austentite).
8et us consider an e-ample1 % strip that is flat in the austentite phase i.e.$
memori+e shape (fi!). "f a stress is applied belo, the martensite finish temperature
(Mf) and if this stress is hi!her than the critical stress to det,in martensite$ the *ariant
reorientation occurs$ and the strip is deformed in a plastic like ,ay (step B). 0his
means that ,hen the stress is released$ almost all of the deformation remains. hen
the material is heated abo*e %f (step()$ the material transformation to austentite and
reco*ers its ori!inal shape. #epetiti*e coolin! (step <) does not cause any shape
chan!e.
"t is a one'time occurrence/ material keeps its ori!inal austentite shape upon
further coolin! cycles belo, Mf. Because non'oriented martensite structures ha*e the
same specific macroscopic *olume as the austentite crystal.
7i!?. )hape memory effect
) T.e Su(erelasti% E##e%t
0his occurs ,hen applyin! a stress at a constant temperature induces the
martensitic transformation. 7i!ure sho,s a systematic representation of the
superelastic transformation on stress temperature and stress strain !raph. 0he material
in its austenitic state is loaded at a constant temperature. 0he mechanical
transformation is purely elastic until the stress reaches a critical le*el ,here the
transformation starts. %t this point the stress remains constant$ and the strain is still
increasin!. 0his reason usually called the stress Eplateau9 e-tends until the strain has
reach typically ?N and e*en :GN or more for sin!le crystals. hen all of the
austenitic has been transformed in martenstic$ another elastic domain can be obser*ed
that corresponds to the elasticity of the martensite. hen unloadin!$ the material
displays hysterisis. "t is *ery important to note that the stress le*el of the plateau is
temperature dependent.
7i!;.)uper Elastic effect
0hou!h shape memory alloys are used for *ariety of applications in the car
produced$they are in particular used for the t,o specific applications namely actuator
and bumber. 0hese t,o different types of applications called for shape memory
alloys,ith an entirely different set of material and shape memory characteristics.
hile foractuators a shape memory alloy ,ith a smaller hysteresis is preferred$ for
bumpers$ shape memory alloys ,ith a lar!er hysteresis are desired. )hape memory
alloys ,ith lar!e reco*ery force and hu!e reco*ery stren!th are desired for actuator
applications.
% number of factors influence the mechanical properties and shape memory
characteristics of the alloys. Ahemical composition$ heat treatment$ mechanical
,orkin! and !rain si+e are some of the most important factors that influence the
transformation temperatures of shape memory alloys. 7or actuators$ the smaller the
hysteresis ,idth$ the better the actuation capabilities are. 0he response time should be
as small as possible.
7ollo,in! are the most important properties re.uired for )M%s for actuatos1
:. )implicity$ compactness and safety
B. Aapability to ,ork ,ithout producin! noise$ dust and spark
(. 6i!h po,er to ,ei!ht ratio
<. E-cellent corrosion resistance
G. 6i!h bio'compatibility
)M% %ctuators in %utomobiles
:. Aontrol mechanisms1 a) 0ransmission control
b) En!ine control
c) Alimate control
d) iper pressure control
B. 8ockin! mechanisms1 a) En!ine hook lock
b) 7ilter inlet lock
c) 0runk lock
d) Aentral lockin!
(. %dCustment mechanisms1 a) )eat'belt adCustment
b) #ear'*ie, mirror adCustment
c) )hock absorber adCustment
<. Mana!ement systems1 7uel mana!ement

Smart Car Con%e(t
0oday$ the cars that are bein! manufactured abroad ha*e smartness or
intelli!ence build into them. 0hese cars$ called smart cars$ e-hibit ,hat is called smart
beha*ior. "n case of hea*y do,npour or sno,fall$ the incorporation of sensor system
into the car helps to detect the location of the lane markers and proCects fascimilies of
them onto the ,indshield. 0he incorporation of smart materials makes dri*in! e*en in
difficult climate or ,eather conditions easy and pleasurable.
&ot only do the smart cars ha*e the capability fore,arn impendin! accident
situation but also ha*e safety measures built into them to pre*entF minimi+e dama!e
to human li*es and automobiles. 0hey use an alto!ether different approach to safety.
0hey are e.uippedF desi!ned to predict the likelihood of occurrence of accidents.
0hey e*en !i*e those e-tra fe, seconds to prepare for an accident and$ in fact $ e*en
react before one actually occurs.
hen the car s,er*es too much$ the smart system !ets acti*ated so that it
ti!htens all the seat belts$ mo*es the front seat to upri!ht and safe position$ closes the
sun roof and opens the ,indo,s. hene*er the cars s,er*eF drift from their lanes$
they are ,arned by means of a rumble'strip noise. 0hese preparations help to reduce
the probability of the passen!er bein! eCectedF thro,n out of the *ehicle.
0he obCecti*e is to a*oid accidents alto!ether. )ince it is hi!hly improbable$
the maCor obCecti*e then is to minimi+e the likelihood of casualties and dama!es to
man and machines. 0he application of smart materials in today9s cars ,ill lead to
impro*ed performance and return enormous benefits.
SUMMAR0
Meantime$ researchers ha*e many technical and en!ineerin! challen!es to
o*ercome$ particularly issues of control o*er the systems. 0he application area of
smart materials is ,idenin!. 0he automobile industry has already prompted the
standardi+ation of material production$ testin!$ and mechanical beha*ior/ current
efforts include the formation of an %)0M standard for usin! smart material in
automobile de*ices. 0his ne, standard ,ill represent a si!nificant milestone in the
continual effort to demystify smart material and au!ment their use in en!ineerin! and
desi!n.
7urthermore$ due to the unusual and comple- beha*ior of smart fluids a
successful de*elopment re.uires a co'operation of *arious disciplines like Ahemistry$
Material science and En!ineerin! as ,ell as mechanical and electrical en!ineerin! in
order to use lar!e potential inherent in this technolo!y.
RE1ERENCES
Mel )ch,art+1 Encyclopedia of )mart Material Mol. : O B.
).Dhashi1 Material )cience and En!!.
)cience and en!ineerin! of )mart Materials$ ).). Merma$ En!ineerin!
%d*ances$ May B==<.
Microrobotics$ Microde*ices Based on )hape'Memory %lloys$ P*es Bellouard
)mart )uspension )ystems for Brid!e'7riendly Mehicles$Pon!hon! Ahen$
)P"E Manual$ B==B.
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