Oliver Smith

The broader impact/commercial potential of this Phase II project will be to empower and educate caregivers to make scientifically guided decisions that enable safer and optimally nurturing sleep environments for infants. Every year more than 130 million babies are born and over 4 million of those are born in the U.S. Due to Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS), 300 babies every month may not live to see their first birthday. SIDS remains the leading cause of death for babies aged one month to… Show more

The broader impact/commercial potential of this Phase II project will be to empower and educate caregivers to make scientifically guided decisions that enable safer and optimally nurturing sleep environments for infants. Every year more than 130 million babies are born and over 4 million of those are born in the U.S. Due to Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS), 300 babies every month may not live to see their first birthday. SIDS remains the leading cause of death for babies aged one month to one year. Infant mortality rates in the U.S. are higher than in the 20 wealthiest nations. Innogized Technologies has developed a transformative Internet of Things technology (IoT) that combines hardware and analytics to enable caregivers to make better sleep-time decisions, avoiding overheating, a known stressor for SIDS. The technology guides caregivers to deliver optimal conditions for safe, regenerative and developmental growth for their infants anywhere and anytime, while at the same time relieving anxiety. This technology is poised to immediately capture a sizable portion of the rapidly growing $1 billion US baby monitoring solutions market. Show less

The broader impact of this Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I Project is to enhance the well-being of babies and the quality of life of their caregivers and/or parents. Each week more than 2.5 million members of "Generation Alpha" are born globally to parents who expect and require technology driven feedback and support. Currently, this is not available in the area of sleep-time clothing choices, and so the ambiguous burden of these "art"-based decisions bears heavily on the… Show more

The broader impact of this Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I Project is to enhance the well-being of babies and the quality of life of their caregivers and/or parents. Each week more than 2.5 million members of "Generation Alpha" are born globally to parents who expect and require technology driven feedback and support. Currently, this is not available in the area of sleep-time clothing choices, and so the ambiguous burden of these "art"-based decisions bears heavily on the minds of new parents. Medical bodies warn about limited capacity for infants to thermoregulate and the link between overheating and Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS). Under-dressing is also problematic and can result in serious infant hypothermia. Caregivers are educated that they must dress babies optimally, as over or under-dressing babies can lead to significant problems, but they are not armed with any technologies to do so. We will develop a system of advanced technologies to scientifically guide and quantify the right sleep-time choices, leading to optimal conditions for safe, regenerative and developmental growth, while alleviating the burden of doubt from the caregiver. Uniquely, we will couple advanced technologies with an engaging education platform to deliver a highly impactful product, designed to immediately capture a sizable portion of the rapidly growing $23 billion USA baby care industry. Show less

A novel ultrasonic viscometer for in-situ applications in engine components is presented. The viscosity measurement is performed by shearing the solid-oil contact interface by means of shear ultrasonic waves. Previous approaches to ultrasonically measure the viscosity suffer from poor accuracy owing to the acoustic miss-match between metal component and lubricant [1]. The method described overcomes this limitation by placing an intermediate matching layer between the metal and lubricant… Show more

A novel ultrasonic viscometer for in-situ applications in engine components is presented. The viscosity measurement is performed by shearing the solid-oil contact interface by means of shear ultrasonic waves. Previous approaches to ultrasonically measure the viscosity suffer from poor accuracy owing to the acoustic miss-match between metal component and lubricant [1]. The method described overcomes this limitation by placing an intermediate matching layer between the metal and lubricant. Results are in excellent agreement with the ones obtained with the conventional viscometers when testing Newtonian fluids. This study also highlights that when complex mixtures are tested the viscosity measurement is frequency dependent. At high ultrasonic frequencies, e.g. 10 MHz, it is possible to isolate the viscosity of the base, while to obtain the viscosity of the mixture it is necessary to choose a lower operative frequency, e.g. 100 kHz, to match the fluid particle relaxation time.
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It has long been understood that the piston assembly of the internal combustion engine accounts for a significant proportion of total engine friction. Modern engines are required to have better fuel economy without sacrificing durability. The pursuit of better fuel economy drives trends like downsizing, turbocharging and direct injection fuelling systems that increase cylinder pressures and create a more arduous operating environment for the piston ring / cylinder bore tribocouple. The… Show more

It has long been understood that the piston assembly of the internal combustion engine accounts for a significant proportion of total engine friction. Modern engines are required to have better fuel economy without sacrificing durability. The pursuit of better fuel economy drives trends like downsizing, turbocharging and direct injection fuelling systems that increase cylinder pressures and create a more arduous operating environment for the piston ring / cylinder bore tribocouple. The power-cylinder lubricant is therefore put under increased stress as modern engine technology continues to evolve.

The conventional approach to investigating fundamental power-cylinder tribology employs bench-tests founded on assumptions which allow for simplification of experimental conditions. Coatings, metallurgies, roughness, geometries, loads, speeds and temperatures are all important parameters in simulating tribocouple conditions that underpin fuel economy and durability performance as they exist in the final application. These parameters must be included for meaningful results.

This paper describes a first-of-its kind experimental technique where piston ring / cylinder bore tribology is investigated on a bench-top scale. Cylinder pressure data captured from a firing engine is used to simulate dynamic loading of a piston ring against a section of engine cylinder bore. This operation closely mimics that which is seen around the top dead centre (TDC) in a firing engine; the area where the tribocouple experiences the highest friction and wear. This simulation of engine operation is shown to yield superior friction and wear results, which compare well with data collected from fired engines.
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Ever increasing pressure to develop engine oils to enhance vehicle fuel economy has resulted in a trend of decreasing finished fluid viscosity. Impressive fuel economy improvements have been yielded through the application of these lower viscosity fluids without compromising component wear, principally due a combination of improvements in engine design, manufacture and additive packages. However, component assemblies such as journal bearings rely on fluid film separation to function… Show more

Ever increasing pressure to develop engine oils to enhance vehicle fuel economy has resulted in a trend of decreasing finished fluid viscosity. Impressive fuel economy improvements have been yielded through the application of these lower viscosity fluids without compromising component wear, principally due a combination of improvements in engine design, manufacture and additive packages. However, component assemblies such as journal bearings rely on fluid film separation to function effectively. If the viscosity is reduced below a critical value, the component will no longer reside in the fluid film lubrication regimes and will inevitably operate in the regimes of contact. Without radical redesign of the assembly, or advanced lubricant formulation, this will inevitably result in catastrophic engine failure. This article describes the development of an ultrasonic system to measure film thickness in main engine bearings under firing conditions. This unobtrusive method of measuring film thickness in operating contacts has been applied to the main bearings of operating diesel engines. Preliminary measurements were taken during dynamic engine ramping to identify the thinnest operating film condition. Further film measurements were taken at this condition with the engine running on engine oils with varying bulk oil viscosity. Show less

OEMs strive to obtain greater mechanical efficiency from their transmissions. It is widely accepted that this can be achieved by reducing the bulk viscosity of the transmission fluid, which reduces the churning losses responsible for a considerable amount of the inefficiency. There is ever-increasing demand on the transmission fluid to maintain or even increase the durability of the transmission components. However, the resulting loss of film thickness due to the lower viscosity fluid produces… Show more

OEMs strive to obtain greater mechanical efficiency from their transmissions. It is widely accepted that this can be achieved by reducing the bulk viscosity of the transmission fluid, which reduces the churning losses responsible for a considerable amount of the inefficiency. There is ever-increasing demand on the transmission fluid to maintain or even increase the durability of the transmission components. However, the resulting loss of film thickness due to the lower viscosity fluid produces ever more arduous operating conditions for the transmission components, which rely on strong multifunctional additive packages not only to maintain durability but also to control the contact mechanics. This paper describes the development of a novel bench-top, friction screening test used to gain valuable fundamental knowledge and guide the formulation of manual transmission fluids (MTF) with tailored and controlled frictional performance Show less

Government legislation, customer requirement, and pressure from the original equipment manufacturers (OEM) continually pushes the issue of increased vehicle fuel economy to the forefront. Lubricant manufacturers responded by creating low viscosity lubricants with complex additive packages capable of reducing total engine friction while maintaining the useful life of the engine. An important component in the lubricant additive package is the friction modifier, whose job is to reduce the sliding… Show more

Government legislation, customer requirement, and pressure from the original equipment manufacturers (OEM) continually pushes the issue of increased vehicle fuel economy to the forefront. Lubricant manufacturers responded by creating low viscosity lubricants with complex additive packages capable of reducing total engine friction while maintaining the useful life of the engine. An important component in the lubricant additive package is the friction modifier, whose job is to reduce the sliding friction of components operating in the boundary lubrication regime.

It is widely agreed that 40-60 per cent of mechanical friction can be attributed to the piston/ring/cylinder wall interface, much of which is as a result of the compression ring whose lubrication is kept purposely minimal to control exhaust emissions. A logical progression to research suggests utilizing fuel to administer friction modifier directly to the top ring zone of the engine, the area where its effects are most beneficial. This article describes a series of tests conducted using a Plint TE-77 reciprocating tribometer to investigate the synergy of lubricant and fuel containing friction modifier at the top ring zone. A computational model has been modified and utilized to further investigate the potential impact of administering friction modifier at the top ring zone via the fuel.
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The purpose of the research reported in this thesis was to investigate the viability and quantify the potential gains of improving fuel economy of the gasoline engine through strategic application of additives. An increased awareness of the link between greenhouse gas emissions and global warming means that there is a desire to reduce carbon dioxide emissions from transportation. There is therefore a growing emphasis on improving the fuel economy performance of vehicles. The addition of… Show more

The purpose of the research reported in this thesis was to investigate the viability and quantify the potential gains of improving fuel economy of the gasoline engine through strategic application of additives. An increased awareness of the link between greenhouse gas emissions and global warming means that there is a desire to reduce carbon dioxide emissions from transportation. There is therefore a growing emphasis on improving the fuel economy performance of vehicles. The addition of friction modifier additives to the fuel is one way to achieve this. Using bespoke in-cylinder sampling techniques, an understanding of the operation of the piston assembly, a system responsible for much of the power loss in the internal combustion engine, is developed. Validation is given to the hypothesis that fuel economy gains can be achieved through the application of friction modifier administered to the engine via the gasoline. Results show gasoline administered friction modifier additive can accumulate in the piston assembly lubricant at levels 77 times greater than the initial fuel treatment level. The performance of a large number of friction modifier additives were uniquely screened in a novel bench-top test which simulated the arduous in-cylinder conditions found in a firing gasoline engine. The test generated vast amounts of information which led to high performance formulations capable of reducing the friction coefficient in both the boundary and mixed lubrication regimes by around 50% when compared with the result for the base oil alone. Surface analysis techniques were also employed 0!l engineering surfaces coated with friction modifier additives and add to the knowledge of their mechanism of action. Finally a series of engine tests were conducted which prove the effectiveness of friction modifier administered to the engine via the gasoline. A fuel economy improvement of approximately 2% was seen where friction modifier gasoline was employed. Show less