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YSU, Delphi team up in automotive technology
By kristine Gill
YOUNGSTOWN
Youngstown State University is teaming up with Delphi Automotive through a $1 million state grant to improve technology for electric and hybrid vehicles.
The Ohio Third Frontier Commission awarded $14 million in grants this year for similar projects in its Photovoltaics Program, Fuel Cell Program and Advanced Energy Program.
Michael Hripko is the director of STEM research and technology-based economic development with the College of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics at YSU.
He said the grant request was submitted in October. Winners of the grant recently were announced, and the project likely will begin this summer and last for 24 months.
Graduate students from the university’s new doctorate program in material science and engineering will be working with Delphi to replace copper wiring in vehicles with aluminum, which is lighter and less expensive.
“Hopefully, this will lower the weight of cars and improve mileage and lower the price,” Hripko said.
The technical problem that needs to be addressed before aluminum wiring can be used in today’s cars is how to protect the aluminum wire and copper terminal interface from corrosion, said Chris Burns, director for North American Engineering and Global Innovation with Delphi Packard. Burns will be working with YSU.
“YSU is going to provide some materials, research and testing, and we provide manufacturing expertise,” he said.
Burns said the majority of electrical distribution systems in cars today use copper conductors without any shielding. But electric cars will require large wires with shielding to prevent electromagnetic interference (radio waves) from being generated. This interference can cause problems with the rest of the electrical systems in the cars, such as the radio or GPS. Shielded aluminum wiring will provide both protection from the electromagnetic interference and also be lighter weight, which car manufacturers want to provide greater driving range between fuel stops or recharging the battery. This research is focused on solving the technical problems associated with designing and manufacturing this type of wiring.
“The students are going to first learn to work with these new materials and second, learn these state-of-the-art techniques, which you need to know to develop new materials,” said Virgil Solomon, assistant professor in mechanical industrial engineering at YSU. “It will be easy for [students] to convince an eventual company to hire them.”
Burns said he does not know of any other Ohio or U.S. company doing this kind of research but has heard of groups doing so overseas.
As a retired Delphi employee, Hripko said the company frequently works with YSU offering tours, internships and co-ops, but this is the largest collaboration to date.
“It’s a great project,” Hripko said. “All of our research projects give students opportunities to get engaged with local companies and exposes them to real-world problems. It’s just a tremendous win.”