Browse Topic: Windows and windshields

Items (370)

Development of Higher Clarity Injection Molded Windscreen for Motorcycles

2024-32-004004/18/2025

The windscreen is one of the key elements to enhance passenger comfort of touring motorcycle. The clarity through the windscreen should not discomfort the rider. The discomfort we discuss here mainly refers to three factors: the “distortion,” the “blur,” and the “transparency.” Introduced in this paper is the technical measures to achieve sufficient clarity by the injection molding method. Firstly, with respect to the “distortion,” we determined the main cause was local unevenness of plate thickness. As the uneven thickness were related to the accuracy of the die, we clarified the tolerable zone and carried out higher precision machining of the die to satisfy the requirements. Regarding the “blur,” we analyzed the refractive power of the windscreen and found the main cause of blur is the microscopic roughness on the surface. As the microscopic roughness were attributable to the die surface, we clarified the tolerable zone and established the polishing conditions satisfactory for the

Yamada, Atsushi, Endo, Sakae

SAE TOMORROW TODAY: Launching Human Space Travel with a Luxury Balloon

1349801/23/2025

Imagine a six-hour journey to outer space that includes a world-class meal, cocktail service, Wi-Fi, and unprecedented views of Earth. This experience could soon become reality. Space Perspective, the world's first carbon-neutral spaceflight experience company, is commercializing space travel with Spaceship Neptune, a pressurized capsule propelled by a giant SpaceBalloon(TM). The experience is designed to be gentle and accessible with no rockets, weightlessness, heavy g-forces, or training required. Alongside world-class meal and cocktail service, space travelers will also enjoy views through the largest windows ever flown to space, Wi-Fi, and a proper restroom. To learn more, we sat down with Taber MacCallum, Founder and Chief Technology Officer, Space Perspective, to discuss the technical development of the SpaceBalloon(TM) and how the company is unlocking the market for space travel in a new and innovative way. We'd love to hear from you. Share your comments, questions and ideas for

Hineman, Marcie

Aircraft Cockpit Window Improvements Enabled by High-Strength Tempered Glass

01-17-02-0012

01/25/2024

This research was initiated with the goal of developing a significantly stronger aircraft transparency design that would reduce transparency failures from bird strikes. The objective of this research is to demonstrate the fact that incorporating high-strength tempered glass into cockpit window constructions for commercial aircraft can produce enhanced safety protection from bird strikes and weight savings. Thermal glass tempering technology was developed that advances the state of the art for high-strength tempered glass, producing 28 to 36% higher tempered strength.As part of this research, glass probability of failure prediction methodology was introduced for determining the performance of transparencies from simulated bird impact loading. Data used in the failure calculation include the total performance strength of highly tempered glass derived from the basic strength of the glass, the temper level, the time duration of the load, and the area under load.A high-strength transparency

Lampman, DeWitt

Intelligent Voltaic Tinting of Automobile Glasses Obeying Regional Restraints

2022-01-011103/29/2022

The contemporary automotive industry demands unceasing and sustained introduction and improvement of intelligent attributes in today’s machines. Like every other sector in the industry, we want our daily ride to do a handful of things by itself in today’s world. Glass shading has been in play for a long time in the automotive industry. From installing tinted films of a darker shade on the vehicle windows, we have come a long way where today we are able to place smart window tints on our car. These can tint themselves automatically as per the lighting condition when set in the autonomous mode. We also get a bunch of manual controls to control the shade levels as per our requirement or convenience. Now each region has its own tinting laws and it’s inevitable we adhere to them to save ourselves from getting booked by law enforcement. Therefore, the demand arises to make our smart tinting system smarter, so that it can recognize the place the automobile is driving by and adjust the maximum

Padinhare Kandi Meethal, Shameer, Moni, Ayan

Atomically Thin Light-Emitting Device for Invisible Displays

TBMG-3820812/01/2020

A bright-light-emitting device that is millimeters wide and fully transparent was developed. The light-emitting material in this device is a monolayer semiconductor that is three atoms thick, allowing it to conform to curved surfaces.

Study of the Noise Contributors on the Interior Acoustic of a Car and Their Countermeasures

2020-01-158506/03/2020

This paper shows that the collaboration between a glass manufacturer and a passive acoustic treatment manufacturer can bring different benefits and considerably improve the interior acoustics of a vehicle. In terms of passenger safety and well-being, glazing have always played a key role by offering solutions to interior comfort, particularly when it comes to heat and acoustics. Today, cars are becoming a living space which from an acoustic point of view brings a challenge for the interior comfort. Indeed, glazing has no absorption and classically it has an acoustic insulation weakness around its coincident frequency. In most of the cases, these different aspects make glazing one of the main contributors to the sound pressure level in the passenger compartment, and the trend is not one of change. However, there are possible countermeasures. One of which is the use of laminated glazing with acoustic PVB. This solution allows to reduce the loss of insulation performance at the

Lafont, Thibault, Dalzin, Fabien, Bouillet, Fabien, Bertolini, Claudio

CFD Analysis and Validation of Automotive Windshield De-Fogging Simulation

2020-28-003904/30/2020

Nowadays Climate component system plays a vital role in JD power rating of automotive vehicle. Apart from customer point of view, stringent homologation norms pose challenge in designing climate control system components. At extreme cold climate conditions either mist/ fog forms on the automobile windshield. This makes visibility issue on driver/Co driver side. To overcome this issue efficient demister system is required. Development of Demister system requires thorough knowledge on velocity spread over windscreen and thermal performance of heater (HVAC). This work is aimed for simulating windshield demisting patterns of a vehicle as described by ECC norms. New methodology was developed to simulate the actual behaviour of condensation and evaporation of mist on the windscreen. Transient demisting patterns were simulated with the CFD code and validated with experimental test results.

Sathianarayanan, Gopinath

In-situ studies on the effect of solar control glazings on in-cabin thermal environment for hot and humid climatic zones

2020-01-125704/14/2020

Thermal comfort in a passenger cabin is the basic necessity of an occupant especially in hot and humid climatic conditions. It is known that the reflective glazing solutions provide better thermal comfort inside the cabin due to significant reflection of IR part of solar radiation. However, in hot and humid climatic zones like India, significant reduction in heat load can also be achieved through cost effective solar control absorbing glazings. Thus, the present work aims to study the effect of solar control absorbing glazings on cabin inside temperatures and its impact on thermal comfort of the occupants in tropical climates. A combination of glazing sets with a range of solar energy transmission and absorption values are considered for the study. Indoor soak and cool tests are performed on a sedan model with multiple sets of solar control absorbing glass combinations. A constant ambient temperature of 38˚C and solar radiation of 1000W/m2 are maintained throughout the tests. Wind

Tamalapakula, Jyothi Latha

Atomically Thin Heat Shield Protects Electronic Devices

TBMG-3526610/01/2019

Excess heat given off by smartphones, laptops, and other electronic devices contributes to malfunctions and, in extreme cases, can even cause lithium batteries to explode. To guard against issues, engineers often insert glass, plastic, or layers of air as insulation to prevent heat-generating components like microprocessors from causing damage.

Tuning Material Color and Thermal Properties Separately

TBMG-3489808/01/2019

The color of a material can often tell how it handles heat. With clothing, for example, the darker the pigment, the warmer you're likely to feel on a hot day. Likewise, the more transparent a glass window, the more heat it can let through. A material's responses to visible and infrared radiation are often naturally linked.

Numerical Investigation of Wiper Drawback

2019-01-064004/02/2019

Windscreen wipers are an integral component of the windscreen cleaning systems of most vehicles, trains, cars, trucks, boats and some planes. Wipers are used to clear rain, snow, and dirt from the windscreen pushing the water from the wiped surface. Under certain conditions however, water which has been driven to the edge of the windscreen by the wiper can be drawn back into the driver’s field of view by aerodynamic forces introduced by the wiper motion. This is wiper drawback, an undesirable phenomenon as the water which is drawn back on to the windscreen can reduce driver’s vision and makes the wiper less effective. The phenomena of wiper drawback can be tested for in climatic tunnels using sprayer systems to wet the windscreen. However, these tests require a bespoke test property or prototype vehicle, which means that the tests are done fairly late in the development of the vehicle. Furthermore, these results do not provide significant insight into the mechanisms driving the wiper

Jilesen, Jonathan, Gaylard, Adrian, Linden, Tom

SAE Eye on Engineering: Conti's Virtual A-Pillar tech

1239911/13/2018

The pillars that frame both sides of your car's windshield are known as the A pillars. In this episode of SAE Eye on Engineering, Editor-in-Chief Lindsay Brooke looks at Continental's new "Virtual" A pillar. SAE Eye on Engineering also airs Monday mornings on WJR 760 AM Detroit's Paul W. Smith Show.

Products of Tomorrow: October 2018

TBMG-3309510/01/2018

This column presents technologies that have applications in commercial areas, possibly creating the products of tomorrow. To learn more about each technology, see the contact information provided for that innovation.

Products of Tomorrow: October 2017

TBMG-2769210/01/2017

Plasma-Assisted Catalytic Reverse Water Gas Shift Reactor

TBMG-2767810/01/2017

For improving CO2 conversions for a low-temperature CO2 methanation process, a mechanism of using reverse water gas shift (RWGS) reaction as an intermediate step to generate the more reactive CO species for the methanation process was developed. The challenge was to achieve useful conversions of RWGS reaction (CO2 to CO by hydrogenation) at low temperatures (200-300 °C), which is not possible with conventional catalytic reactors. Achieving useful conversions (up to ~50%) is not possible at the desired temperature window of 200-300 °C with a conventional catalytic reactor due to equilibrium limitations of the endothermic RWGS reactor.

Products of Tomorrow: September 2017

TBMG-2752709/01/2017

Practical Design Considerations for Lightweight Windshield Applications

2017-01-130603/28/2017

Automotive manufacturers are requiring lightweight materials, including glazing materials to improve vehicle fuel economy mandates. Since windshields are one of the largest glazing surface areas, reducing the thickness of the glass in its construction can significantly provide weight savings opportunities. Automotive glazing design considerations must include overall glass strength, rigidity, acoustical, and solar performance, which are affected by changes of glass thicknesses. This paper will evaluate those design considerations in the lightweighting of windshield glazings. One important design consideration for the windshield position is the impact of debris from the environment. Lightweighting of glazings in this body position affects the way the construction reacts to an impact. Use of asymmetry in glass plies in a laminated construction can have a marked effect on the part’s impact performance and surface damage creation. Various lightweight glazing constructions will be analyzed

Walawender, Chester, Ulizio, Michael, Lampman, DeWitt, Rustagi, Mukesh, Skeen, Jason

Research on Temperature and Strain Rate Dependent Viscoelastic Response of Polyvinyl Butaral Film

2016-01-051904/05/2016

The mechanical behavior of polyvinyl butyral (PVB) film plays an important role in windshield crashworthiness and pedestrian protection and should be depth study. In this article, the uniaxial tension tests of PVB film at various strain rates (0.001 s-1, 0.01 s-1, 0.1 s-1, 1 s-1) and temperatures (-10°C, 0°C, 10°C, 23°C, 40°C, 55°C, 70°C) are conducted to investigate its mechanical behavior. Then, temperature and strain rate dependent viscoelastic characteristics of PVB are systematically studied. The results show that PVB is a kind of temperature and strain rate sensitive thermal viscoelastic material. Temperature increase and strain rate decrease have the same influence on mechanical properties of PVB. Besides, the mechanical characteristics of PVB change non-linearly with temperature and strain rate. Finally, two thermal viscoelastic constitutive model (ZWT model and DSGZ model) are suggested to describe the tension behavior of PVB film at various strain rates and temperatures

Xu, Xiaoqing, Liu, Bohan, Wang, Yan, Li, Yibing

Reliability Evaluation of Thin, Lightweight Laminates for Windshield Applications

2016-01-140104/05/2016

The use of lightweight materials to produce automotive glazing is being pursued by vehicle manufacturers in an effort to improve fuel economy. As glazing’s become thinner, reduced rigidity means that the critical flaw size needed to create fracture becomes much smaller due to increased strain under load or impact. This paper documents experiments focused on the impact performance of several alternative thin laminate constructions under consideration for windshield applications (including conventional annealed soda-lime glass as well as laminates utilizing chemically strengthened glass), for the purpose of identifying new and unique failure modes that result from thickness reduction. Regulatory impact tests and experiments that focused on functional performance of laminates were conducted. Given the increased sensitivity to flaw size for thin laminates, controlled surface damage was introduced to parts prior to conducting the functional performance tests. Damage levels were selected

Walawender, Chester S., Cleary, Thomas M., Huten, Timothy, Strong, Daniel

Virtual Windows to Supplement Conventional Spacecraft Windows

TBMG-2412503/01/2016

Legacy NASA spacecraft windows suffer from specialized costs and operational constraints associated with embedding optically transparent apertures within structures that are designed to maximize strength, safety, and environmental integrity. A new approach to the legacy window solution may lead to a substantial decrease in program costs, while also enhancing crew safety and functional capability. The project includes integration of tiled displays, scene-stitching software, multiple cameras with real-time video imagery, and alternative display configurations and control input methods for scene and perspective change.

Novel Lightweight Laminate Concept with Ultrathin Chemically Strengthened Glass for Automotive Windshields

2015-01-137604/14/2015

This paper proposes a novel concept for lightweight vehicle design, offering a step change in weight reduction for automotive glazing. Reducing window weight can be achieved by decreasing the thickness of the glass plies used to form vehicle windows. However, reducing the thickness of conventional automotive windows also decreases its effective strength; therefore, concerns about glass breakage become a limiting factor for weight reduction. Chemically strengthened ultrathin Corning® Gorilla® Glass offers the potential to go beyond existing thickness limitations. Its higher strength compared to standard soda lime window glass allows the design of thin, low weight window constructions. In addition, its unique manufacturing process delivers pristine glass surfaces and precise thickness control for high quality window optics. While this concept can be applied to all vehicle openings, this study focuses on automotive windshield design. By replacing the thick inner ply of a windshield

Leonhard, Thomas, Cleary, Thomas, Moore, Michael, Seyler, Shane, Fisher, W Keith

A Computational Approach to Assess Buffeting and Broadband Noise Generated by a Vehicle Sunroof

2015-01-153204/14/2015

Car manufacturers put large efforts into reducing wind noise to improve the comfort level of their cars. Each component of the vehicle is designed to meet its individual noise target to ensure the wind noise passenger comfort level inside the vehicle is met. Sunroof designs are tested to meet low-frequency buffeting (also known as boom) targets and broadband noise targets for the fully open sunroof with deflector and for the sunroof in vent position. Experimentally testing designs and making changes to meet these design targets typically involves high cost prototypes, expensive wind tunnel sessions, and potentially late design changes. To reduce the associated costs as well as development times, there is strong motivation for the use of a reliable numerical prediction capability early in the vehicle design process. In the past, a computational approach based on a Lattice Boltzmann Method has been extensively validated for assessing the wind noise performance of mirrors, wipers

Oettle, Nicholas, Meskine, Mohammed, Senthooran, Sivapalan, Bissell, Andrew, Balasubramanian, Gana, Powell, Robert

Advances in Modelling A-Pillar Water Overflow

2015-01-154904/14/2015

Driving when it is raining can be a stressful experience. Having a clear unobstructed view of the vehicles and road around you under these conditions is especially important. Heavy rain conditions can however overwhelm water management devices resulting in water rivulets flowing over the vehicle's side glass. These rivulets can significantly impair the driver's ability to see the door mirror, and laterally onto junctions. Designing water management features for vehicles is a challenging venture as testing is not normally possible until late in the design phase. Additionally traditional water management features such as grooves and channels have both undesirable design and wind noise implications. Having the ability to detect water management issues such as A-pillar overflow earlier in the design cycle is desirable to minimize the negative impact of water management features. Numerical simulation of windscreen water management is desirable for this reason. This paper focuses on recent

Jilesen, Jonathan, Spruss, Iwo, Kuthada, Timo, Wiedemann, Jochen, Gaylard, Adrian

Mine-Sweeping Device

TBMG-21517

02/01/2015

Minelab Electronics Torrensville, Australia 61-8-8238-0888

Armored Response Vehicle for Bomb Disposal Teams

TBMG-19432

04/01/2014

Lenco Industries Pittsfield, MA 413-443-7359

An Unbiased Estimate of the Relative Crash Risk of Cell Phone Conversation while Driving an Automobile

2014-01-044604/01/2014

A key aim of research into cell phone tasks is to obtain an unbiased estimate of their relative risk (RR) for crashes. This paper re-examines five RR estimates of cell phone conversation in automobiles. The Toronto and Australian studies estimated an RR near 4, but used subjective estimates of driving and crash times. The OnStar, 100-Car, and a recent naturalistic study used objective measures of driving and crash times and estimated an RR near 1, not 4 - a major discrepancy. Analysis of data from GPS trip studies shows that people were in the car only 20% of the time on any given prior day at the same clock time they were in the car on a later day. Hence, the Toronto estimate of driving time during control windows must be reduced from 10 to 2 min. Given a cell phone call rate about 7 times higher when in-car than out-of-car, and correcting for misclassification of some post-crash calls as pre-crash, the final required downward adjustment of the Toronto and Australian RR estimates is

Young, Richard

LED Panels Illuminate Stained Glass Window

TBMG-1911702/01/2014

The newly-renovated Church of the Covenant in Cleveland, Ohio, has a large, ornate rose stained-glass window that faces the Seidman Cancer Center at the University Hospitals Case Medical Center across Euclid Avenue. In a joint partnership project between the church and hospital entitled, “Hands Across the Healthway,” the neighbors wanted to find a way to illuminate the stained glass window so that recovering patients can view the illumination.

Temperature Dependences of Mechanisms Responsible for the Water-Vapor Continuum Absorption

TBMG-18911

01/01/2014

The water-vapor continuum absorption plays an important role in the radiative balance in the Earth’s atmosphere. It has been experimentally shown that for ambient atmospheric conditions, the continuum absorption scales quadratically with the H2O number density and has a strong, negative temperature dependence (T dependence). Over the years, there have been three different theoretical mechanisms postulated: far-wings of allowed transition lines, water dimers, and collision-induced absorption. The first mechanism proposed was the accumulation of absorptions from the farwings of the strong allowed transition lines. Later, absorption by water dimers was proposed, and this mechanism provides a qualitative explanation for the continuum characters mentioned above. Despite the improvements in experimental data, at present there is no consensus on which mechanism is primarily responsible for the continuum absorption.