The article highlights the energy issues of vehicle engines. The production of reciprocating internal combustion engines (ICE) is one of the most important areas of engineering, which has a significant impact on the solution of Russia's economic, social, defense, environmental, scientific and technical problems. The characteristics of an internal combustion engine largely determine the power, economy, weight and size characteristics, as well as the environmental performance of the ICE application objects. Today, the main direction of gasoline ICE development in the world is to reduce fuel consumption and carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions as well as other harmful components of exhaust gases (EG). In the nearest future and further, it will be reached through an increase in the share of turbocharged engines production accompanied by an increase in the ICE liter capacity and a decrease in its dimensions. The technical level analysis of modern engines and R&D results of the world leaders in automotive engine building including marketing research made it possible to formulate the following key requirements for the engines: the V8-V12 configuration in a hybrid version with a high-voltage electric machine; direct fuel injection with a central location of the nozzle; cylinder working volume - 540-560 cm³; average effective pressure - 24-26 bar; power density - 90-100 kW/l; specific torque - 180-200 N-m/l; environmental safety level - Euro-6d; minimum specific effective fuel consumption - 240-250 g/kW-h. A list of domestically produced components needed to create a new generation of engines is given.

Currently, the feasibility of implementing a six-stroke cycle in modern land and water transport engines is being discussed. The history of the creation and development of engines with six-stroke workflow is presented. The analysis of the research is made. It is noted that the problem of vibro-activity of six-stroke engines has not been studied yet. In this connection, this research was undertaken to be considered as the initial formulation of the problem. The task of order of working strokes was solved according to the method applied to the four-cylinder inline and six-cylinder, eight-cylinder, ten-cylinder, twelve-cylinder V-engines, which work on four- and six-cycle cycles, and which are most common in almost all types of transport. For six-stroke engines, digitized indicator diagrams were used. Initially it was assumed that the engines had traditional four-crank flat and three-crank spatial crankshafts. It has been suggested that a change in the pattern of the crankshaft of the cranks of the shaft can be helpful to improve the uniformity of torque. In this regard, an attempt was made to calculate the total torque of a four-cylinder engine with a cruciform crankshaft, the use of which is known in two-stroke engines. In this case, the moments inertia forces of the first order become unbalanced in the engine and they are eliminated by installing the balancing mechanism. As a result of the study, it has been shown that the implementation of a six-stroke working cycle with the additional injection of water into the cylinder led to some deterioration in the uniformity of working strokes alternation and uniformity of torque. The use of particular crankshaft patterns may contribute to some improvement in these indicators.

The implementation of modern environmental standards is hardly possible without a neutralization system. The increasing environmental requirements and the necessity of diesel fuel economy demand an increased effectiveness of anti-toxic systems. Modern diesel exhaust gas neutralization system (EGNS) is a rather complex, multifunctional and expensive vehicle unit, and its development depends on a wide range of competences varying from a sufficiently detailed engineered diesel to a sober assessment of the various technological capabilities of exhaust gas neutralization. Therefore the article considers the peculiarities of neutralization processes of toxic components in modern EGNS of diesels. It has been shown that the levels of purification of the main toxic components of a diesel engine - nitrogen oxides and dispersed particles - are necessary to meet modern environmental requirements and which are achieved by methods of heterogeneous catalysis and filtration. The most difficult problem is the neutralization of nitrogen oxides because of the high initial content of nitrogen oxides in the combustion products of modern diesel engines, which significantly exceed the requirements of Euro-5 and Euro-6. The most reliable and effective method to neutralize nitrogen oxides is their selective catalytic reduction by ammonia, generated by the decomposition of carbamide (urea). The special role of the oxidizing neutralizer in the structure of diesel EGNS is noted, regeneration of diesel particulate filters is considered, the need for volume averaging of ammonia concentration before applying the exhaust gas to the catalyst is shown, as well as the principles of building diesel monitoring and control systems are outlined. The necessity of attracting modeling is shown and approaches for the implementation of structural submodels to analyze the neutralization proccess of toxic diesel engine emissions are proposed.

The problem of the electric vehicles development at the present stage in Russia has become one of the main, since increasing the energy performance and reducing emissions of harmful substances can be solved by a mass transition to vehicles using combined propulsion systems. The importance of this trend is also due to the need to comply with the requirements of EU Directive No. 443, which establish regulatory values for reducing CO2 emissions for vehicles. The accumulated experience in the operation of vehicles with electric drive suggests that one of the main ways to improve the combined power plants is the correct choice of parameters of the power plant and the algorithm of its work. In the literature there is no generally accepted method of calculating the parameters of the vehicle combined power unit, there is no single approach to this issue and the theoretical justifications for the choice of its electromechanical devices parameters. All this greatly hinders the development of domestic technology samples, complicates the understanding of specialists. In this regard, the article describes the method of calculating the charging balance of the combined power unit of the vehicle, the choice of power and energy of the traction batter. The efficiency of the combined power unit is determined. The calculation of the energy balance is made with the determination of the amount of energy expended by the power plant on the movement of the vehicle in individual stages of the urban cycle of motion and on the accumulation of energy by the internal combustion engine traction battery and the energy recovery during braking. The criteria for selecting the algorithm of the combined power plant of the vehicle, and the parameters that determine the charging balance of the traction battery in terms of improving the energy efficiency of the combined power plant are considered. By calculation, the dependence of the efficiency of the combined power plant on its charging balance has been obtained. The analysis of the changes introduced by the models of Japanese vehicles with combined power plants in relation to the traction batteries installed on them and the comparison of statistical data with the calculated ones.

A method for the production of multigrafen nanoparticles has been developed. These particles consist of several layers of graphene, with a high value of the thermal conductivity, and a method to disperse the particles in an aqueous solution of ethylene glycol with a mass concentration of the latter 20% (VEG 20%). These methods have been worked out with the purpose to obtain a stable suspension “liquid - solid multigraphic particles” and experimentally determine the influence of the mass concentration of nanoparticles and temperature on the thermal conductivity coefficient of nanofluids, since the latter depends essentially on the used technologies. The considered theoretical models of the thermal conductivity of two-phase “liquid-solid particles” media did not permit an adequate description of the thermal conductivity behavior coefficient A,nf of nanofluids on the basis of 20% VEG and multigrafen. Experimental data have been obtained indicating a significant increase in the thermal conductivity of nanofluid on the basis of VEG 20% and multigrafen with an increase in its concentration and temperature of the suspension. This in turn leads to an increase in the intensity of heat transfer at the “wall - coolant” boundary when using this nanofluid in the cooling systems of heat engines compared to the base fluid currently used (VEG 20%). In accordance with this, the temperatures of heat-stressed parts cooled by such a nanofluid will also decrease. With the use of computer simulation, the method of computational hydrodynamics shows a decrease by 8°C of the maximum and average temperatures of the cylinder liner wall of the 6CHN 13/14 engine when using as a coolant a suspension with a mass content of multigrafen 0.75%. It should be noted that the heat transfer coefficient from the heated wall to the nanofluid depends not only on its heat conduction coefficient, but also on the value of its dynamic or kinematic viscosity coefficient, which can lead to a slight decrease in the effect of heat transfer in cooling systems. The latter is due to the fact that the addition of nanoparticles in the coolant leads to a slight increase in its viscosity coefficient.

Vehicles with rear and four-wheel drive are equipped with fuel tanks of complex configuration, in which refueling tank volume is divided into two forecastles, due to the layout requirements for transmission parts to drive the rear wheels. To ensure the continuous operation of the low-pressure fuel system and the efficient use of the fuel tank volume, a flow transfer system from one forecastle to another is required. The most common device used in low pressure fuel systems is a jet pump. The article describes the regular and irregular circuits of the low pressure fuel circuit. The classification of intake and overflow ejectors has been presented depending on the pressure level of the active flow. The operating conditions of the fuel module and ejectors in the low pressure loop were determined. A formula was obtained that determined the dependence of the excess supply minimum coefficient of a fuel pump on the ejection factors of the intake and overflow jet pumps. It was shown that the passive flow in the studied models of jet pumps did not depend on the ejection factor and was determined only by the pressure in the active flow. The minimum pressure levels at the inlet to intake and overflow ejectors for the functioning of the low fuel pressure system depending on the nominal engine power were determined as well.

The determination of the cylinder filling value with the help of the engine's electronic control system is very important, since an error in its calculations directly affects the toxicity of exhaust emissions and fuel efficiency, as well as the energy performance of an internal combustion engine (ICE). The value of the cylinder air flow is involved in the calculation of both fuel injection and determination of the effective torque, and is the main argument in choosing an angle function preceding ignition (API). Also, its values are necessary to control the throttle position and the angular positions of the camshafts, as well as to control the boost pressure. Mathematical models for calculating cylinder filling, which are based on the model of the partial pressure of exhaust gases used in the ICE control systems algorithms are considered. The article analyzes several algorithms of different control systems in order to identify the causes of a systematic error in the calculation of cylinder filling. This analysis has shown the following results: in all the models of cylinder charge based on exhaust gas partial pressure and considered in the article, the influence of the partial pressure of recirculating residual gases in the valve overlap phase on the amount of air filling the cylinder had not been taken into account. A cylinder filling model has been proposed, which was also based on the principle of partial pressure of gases, but considering the recirculation of residual gases. The calculation results of cycle filling based on the proposed method were given as well as the results of its verification.

The paper presents the results of a comparison of the economic efficiency of various types of energy carriers for electric vehicles. Battery electric vehicles charged from a centralized power grid, electric vehicles based on an air-hydrogen electrochemical generator, as well as promising vehicles equipped with an air-aluminum electrochemical generator are considered. The costs of the energy carrier and the power unit are calculated for the life cycle of an individual passenger electric vehicle and a light com mercial vehicle. The cost of energy includes the costs of its production, delivery to the charging (filling) stations, the maintaining costs of the charging (filling) infrastructure. It has been shown that the lowest costs occur when an electric vehicle is equipped with an air-aluminum electrochemical generator. For both passenger and electric freight vehicles equipped with an air-aluminum electrochemical generator, costs are 1.5-2 times lower compared to an battery electric vehicle and 3-4 times lower than of an electric vehicle based on an air-hydrogen electrochemical generator. Thus, aluminum as an energy carrier for vehicles has good prospects. Despite its high cost, on-board power units and a refueling infrastructure turn out to be much simpler, and therefore cheaper, than the battery and hydrogen analogues. But, at the same time, the organization of a closed aluminum fuel cycle requires the creation of a large-scale infrastructure supported by the state. In this case, the industry of electric vehicles use on aluminum can develop in parallel with the battery and hydrogen transport. They are most preferable in regions with low density of power grid infrastructure and large cheap sources of electricity, for example, nuclear and hydroelectric power units, which make it possible to effectively organize a closed cycle of aluminum production (Russia, Canada, Brazil, etc.).

The article investigates the various cab suspension design effectiveness in the transport and technological self-propelled machine (TSPM). The influence of methods and structural elements of the suspension to provide the necessary parameters of vibration protection is shown. As a result, the spectral characteristics of the cabin bench tests have been presented which were carried out on prototypes of vibration protection systems under various road conditions and driving conditions . The experimental evaluation of various elastic elements performance in the secondary suspension systems of TSPM booths was made. The conditions of reproduction (imitation) of real input impact on the cab from the side of the multi-axle vehicle carrier system at their attachment points on the hydropulsator stand were described. It was revealed that the cabin suspension system was the main factor to determine the crew vibration levels of the multi-axle TSPM, while the sprung seat with correctly chosen elastic-dissipative parameters could only slightly reduce the vibration level of the crew seats. The expediency of the joint use of the cab air suspension with elastic elements of the balloon and toroidal types together with the sprung seat was justified. An experimental evaluation of the installation effectiveness of hydraulic shock absorbers in the suspension of the TTSM cabs to provide the necessary damping was carried out. The results of an octave analysis of vertical vibration accelerations measured at various points of the cab with three types of suspension systems were presented, which showed the advantages of using pneumatic elastic elements with rubber-cord shells compared to rubber-metal vibration supports used in serial cab suspensions. It was shown that the use of pneumatic elastic elements with rubber-cord shells of a toroid type in the secondary suspension systems of TTSM cabins was possible without the application of a guide device (metal levers or special brackets), etc.

In case of tractor overturning the issue of driver’s safety plays an important role. The risk of damage is possible to be reduced if a special protective device - Roll-over protective structure (ROPS), - is used. Currently, ROPS is a prerequisite for any tractor equipment and like all safety devices is to be subject to mandatory certification. According to GOST, ROPS assessment tests present a sequence of static (side, vertical, and longitudinal) structural loadings completely imitating the overturning machine. The loading values are determined (coordinated to) by the mass of the entire tractor. The compliance criterion is the absence of the structural failure and the inviolability of the intended limited location of the operator (Deflection-limiting volume - DLV), provided that the required impact energy is absorbed when certain load levels are reached. The article presents a method of certification testing of the ROPS protective structure on the example of tractor B11 (B14) cab. To calculate the absorbed impact energy, an experimental dependence of the lateral force on the application of force displacement point was constructed. Energy was considered as the area located under the curve of this dependence. As a result, all the experimental values of force and energy exceeded the values required by GOST. The ROPS under study has passed the entire loading cycle without destruction and penetration of the structural elements into a limited DLV area. As a result, a conclusion on the safety of the ROPS for machines weighing up to 25 t was drawn and a certificate of conformity was issued.

The article analyzes the measures of ride comfort and vehicle safety. It is shown that when organizing steering, it is necessary to focus not only on the criteria of steering efficiency, but also on the indicators of the vehicle performance. At the same time, it is also important to take into account the driving conditions that impose restrictions on the use of appropriate meters. When evaluating high-speed maneuvering it is advisable to use only certain meters. A list of the most commonly used ride comfort and safety measurements is presented. At the same time the ranking of these meters by “levels” is proposed which is based on the analysis of the used measures of ride comfort and the onboard system requirements for their determination. Such a ranking reflects the degree of perfection and, accordingly, the cost of the controlled suspension system. The presented table can be used when considering consumer properties of a newly developed vehicle. The made analysis of traffic safety meters was carried out for the mode of high-speed maneuvering, which is characterized by its short duration in relation to the total time of the vehicle movement. The analysis of the applied traffic safety meters shows that it is preferable to use the dynamic force in the contact patch as the main meter. It is noted that when creating a cushion control system, there is a contradiction between the provision of indicators of ride comfort and safety. To overcome this contradiction, it is recommended to use the “conflict diagram” method. Similar diagrams are constructed for mathematical models of automobiles to provide a representation of statistical data on the root-mean-square values of the acceleration vector norm and the root-mean-square values of the load on the wheel.

Currently the ecology problems in large cities are not being solved because of the insufficient attention to the polluting particles produced by worn tires and worn asphalt pavement, and which carry very dangerous carcinogens causing lung cancer. In order to determine the real dispersion and the amount of emissions of solid particles (SP) smaller than 10 microns produced by a vehicle in operation, a research methodology was developed that involved the following tasks: 1) the sampling methodology of solid particles emissions made by a moving vehicle; 2) the effect of various driving conditions on the dispersion and the amount of SP emissions depending on the tire and road wear. The determination of the dispersion and the magnitude of the SP emissions was carried out under various driving modes of the tested vehicle on the roads with different flow density. As a result of the conducted research, it has been discovered that the main emission of solid particles coming from the wear of tires and the roadway wear is from 0.3 to 5 microns. Considering that the World Health Organization registers more than 1,000,000 new cases of lung cancer worldwide annually claiming that polluted street air is an oncological factor which causes lung cancer among citizens, it is necessary to develop and adopt additional, urgent measures to reduce the emissions of smaller than 10 microns solid particles caused by the wear of the roadway and tires and which are especially dangerous for the health of people in large cities and megalopolises.