Effects of Uncertainty in Engineering Data on Design and Performance of Automotive Thermal Systems

This project will study how underbody components (tailpipe, muffler, rear fascia brackets and spare
wheel compartment) withstand thermal loads over time through the use of a heat-transfer model
(using RadTherm simulation package) of the vehicle under investigation as well as the first-order
Taylor Series expansion. The Taylor Series will be used to calculate the sensitivity of the output
(amount of radiation absorbed by each component) to the input (clearances and emissivity).
Specifically, the design objective for this research is to minimize thermal degradation of the
components over the lifetime of the vehicle. This project has the potential to improve the quality of
thermal systems on all Chrysler and Fiat vehicles by thermally protecting essential underbody
components.

Faculty Supervisor:

Vesselin Stoilov

Student:

Partner:

FCA Canada

Discipline:

Engineering

Sector:

Automotive

University:

University of Windsor

Program: