| WHEELS | This project is closed |
| Wiring Harnesses: Electromagnetic Effects of Lightweight Structures |
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Context In-vehicle telematic systems have the potential to improve the control of vehicles and increase the capacity of roads by sharing information between vehicles and the infrastructure. This increased use of electronic systems will lead to an increased importance of safety issues such as electromagnetic immunity and an increase in the weight and complexity of the wiring harness. The pressure to reduce vehicle weight is leading towards the use of non-metallic body panels, and hence to a reduction in the extent of the electromagnetic shielding provided by the vehicle body. Also the body panel will no longer provide the common ground return path. Aims To quantify the effect of metallic body panels on electromagnetic shielding. To develop a model that can be used as a tool for assessing electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) performance of a vehicle with non-metallic body panels. To provide guidelines for EMC design vehicles with non-metallic panels (including shielding requirements, material properties of panels, harness layout and location of sensitive electronics and antennae). To report on joining and bonding techniques, and an approach for providing a ground return showing the effects on electrical continuity weight and cost. Method The work is divided into 6 work packages:- Current approaches to simulating the electromagnetic performance of a vehicle aim to model the precise geometry and its response to an incident field. This is limited by the ability of the computer to handle a sufficiently detailed description of the vehicle structure. Also the results are unreliable because of the inevitable production variations between nominally identical vehicles. The project will therefore use a statistical approach to overcome these problems. The internal electromagnetic field of a vehicle will be calculated using a simple model many times rather than a detailed one once. Tests in a mode-stirred screened room will supplement conventional semi-anechoic and open field measurements will enable sufficient data to be collected to validate the model. Benefits Removal of the uncertainty over the use of non-metallic panels in light weight vehicles. An early assessment of the EMC performance of a vehicle, avoiding late design changes to correct unexpected problems. Participants Lucas Varity (Rists) Rover Group Warwick University EMA Ltd |
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