Usability of car stereo

Automotive sound systems vary widely in terms of functions and way of use between different brands and models what can bring difficulties and lack of consistency to the user. This study aimed to analyze the usability of car stereo commonly found in the market. Four products were analyzed by task analysis and after use reports and the results indicate serious usability issues with respect to the form of operation, organization, clarity and quality of information, visibility and readability, among others.

An Intelligent Controller Design for Magnetorheological Damper Based on a Quarter-car Model

This paper presents the control strategies of nonlinear vehicle suspension using a magnetorheological (MR) damper. We used two different approaches for modeling and control of the mechanical and electrical parts of the suspension systems with the MR damper. First, we have formulated and resolved the control problem in order to design the linear feedback dumping force controller for a nonlinear suspension system. Then the values of the control dumping force functions were transformed into electrical control signals by the application of a fuzzy logic control method. The numerical simulations were provided in order to show the effectiveness of this method for the semi-active control of the quarter-car suspension.

Occupational exposure to paint solvents and particulate material in car repair shops

Aims: We evaluated solvents and total particulates exposures in auto body repair shops together with a search of painter's related complaints. Methods: 26 painters exposures were evaluated by pumped personal sampling; solvents were retained in charcoal sorbent tubes and the particulates in PVC filters. Painter's personal habits and their work characteristics were obtained through a questionnaire, applied in a private interview. For the symptoms the Q16 questionnaire was used, added of questions about complaints during the painting. Results: High exposures were detected during spray painting. For solvents, the TLV-STEL adjusted for the mixtures was surpassed in six evaluations. However, as repaint is a short-term operation, it makes the average concentrations weighed for the work shift lower than the TLV-TWA adjusted for the mixtures. Total particulate concentrations had surpassed the TLV-TWA in four of the evaluations. Symptoms frequency in the Q16 questionnaire was higher for painters than for the controls (Mann-Whitney test U=193; p=0.008), and they showed positive correlations with the age (Spearman r=0.354, t=1.85, p=0.076), the number of years in the profession (Spearman r=0.433, t=2.35, p=0.027) and the alcoholic beverage consumption (Spearman r=0.457, t=2.516, p=0.019). Conclusions: The painting work done at car repair shops can result in high solvent and particulate exposures, although they are short-term operations. Their acute and chronic effects for the painters do not have been clearly evidenced in the present study, continuing deserving multidisciplinary attention.

Sistemas de cultivo do cará dioscorea spp. por pequenos agricultores da baixada Cuiabana – MT

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Suppression of vibrations in a nonlinear half-car model using a magneto-rheological damper

The present work investigates the nonlinear response of a half-car model. The disturbances of the road are assumed to be sinusoidal. After constructing the bifurcation diagram, we use the 0-1 test to identify chaotic motions. The main objective of this study is to eliminate chaotic behavior of the chassis and reduce its vibrations. To accomplish this, a semi-active vehicle suspension control system, using magneto-rheological dampers, is proposed. The proposed semi-active control strategy consists of two nonlinear control laws: a feedforward control, and a feedback control. They are obtained by considering the SDRE (State Dependent Riccati Equation) control, where the control parameter is the voltage applied to the coils of the magneto-rheological dampers. Numerical results show that the proposed control method is effective in significantly reducing of the chassis vibration, increasing, therefore, passenger comfort.