In May 2009, Clemson University graduated its first class of automotive engineers with master's degrees. While advanced degree programs in automotive engineering are rare in the United States, over the pond in Europe, things are very different, as there are a number of automotive engineering degreed programs. This workforce development approach enables overseas automotive companies to access a pool of very qualified candidates for employment on a consistent basis. Clemson's unique new program is expected to add creative new leaders to the U.S. and international automotive industry.

Launched in January 2008, Clemson's automotive engineering program is the focal point of the Clemson University International Center for Automotive Research (CU-ICR), a research campus where university, industry and government organizations work collaboratively on projects. Today, CU-ICAR has more than $200 million in partnership commitments that will directly fuel a knowledge base critical to the automotive industry. Located in Greenville, SC, in the heart of NASCAR and motorsports country, the 250-acre campus is strategically located between Charlotte, NC, and Atlanta, GA. In addition to the master's program, this is where Clemson University offers the nation's only Ph.D. in automotive engineering.

The state-of-the-art facility gleams with the latest in technology. Due in part to the generosity of industry partners, the Carroll A. Campbell Jr. Graduate Engineering Center contains more than $10 million in facilities and equipment, such as a tire coupled road simulator in an environmental chamber, a 4-wheel chassis dyno in a semi-anechoic chamber, an engine dyno test cell, an electro magnetic compatibility chamber, and both stationary and portable metrology equipment. There are also four dedicated laboratories for studying design and development, systems integration, manufacturing and vehicular electronics. CU-ICAR is a unique environment geared toward solving the most complex engineering problems facing the automotive industry. Local industry partners such as BMW, Michelin and Timken are already reaping the benefits of applied R&D at CU-ICAR.

Metrology Integrated in the Learning Process

If well trained automotive engineers are in short supply, then experienced metrologists are also in that same category. Experts in the field will retire in the next decade at alarming rates. So interweaving measurement solutions and methodology into the CU-ICAR curriculum is bold and visionary, and opens the door to real world troubleshooting.

John C. Ziegert, Professor & Timken Chair in Automotive Design and Development, is making sure that CU-ICAR is taking a fresh approach to training young minds in the field. Ziegert started out at Pontiac in his first job out of college. He eventually moved on to the University of Florida, where he spent 17 years conducting research and developing fully automated measurement systems and equipment to perform high precision dimensional metrology.

Since joining the Clemson University faculty three years ago, he has focused his energies into developing an innovative array of courses and building a precision metrology laboratory in a temperature controlled room.

For portable measurement, data acquisition and inspection processes, the CU-ICAR program uses a ROMER GridLOK CMM system from Hexagon Metrology Inc. This articulating arm technology is primarily utilized for in-situ 3D measurement of large parts. The metrology solution includes a 7-axis ROMER INFINITE articulating arm with standard probes, a scanner head, and the patented GridLOK "conical seat" location system. The articulating arm rests on a mobile base that can be moved easily around a chassis or car to acquire data inside, outside and underneath the measured object. With a sturdy yet lightweight composite body, the CMM moves like a human arm due to its integrated counterbalance and patented infinite rotation. The arm has a measuring volume of twelve feet.

"The GridLOK system is critical for measuring something the size of a vehicle at roughly 8 ft. x 15 ft.," states Ziegert. "One of the goals of a current research project is to measure the torsional stiffness of the body of a BMW X5, which is the twisting condition along the long axis of the body. Achieving a very high torsional stiffness in the chassis is really important for good vehicle handling, and BMWs are known for their superb handling. For example, if you are parking a vehicle with the right front wheel up on the curb, this condition puts a large twisting load on the car. If its stiffness is not high enough, the doors may not open or close. And believe it or not, there are expensive cars on the market right now with that condition."

Ziegert goes on to explain that torsional stiffness is traditionally measured on the bare sheet metal body, an elaborate endeavor taking a long time to set up with multiple sensors. So far, there has not been a convenient way to measure stiffness with a fully assembled vehicle. This was an ideal test for the GridLOK system. A vehicle was lifted and cement blocks were placed under the right front wheel and the left rear wheel. This balances the car on those two wheels and places no load on the other two wheels. This condition puts an enormous amount of torque on the body. Using the articulating arm, the student operators could reach under the hood, rear of the vehicle, on top of the shock towers…and measure how their relative positions have changed from the normal position with all four wheels on the ground, and to determine the amount of "twist" in the car's body.

Another important part of the project was to monitor the behavior of the rear hatch, latches, and hinges when the vehicle is under torsion. Students set up measurement targets, and used the CMM to capture 3D data coordinates when the vehicle was in a neutral position. Once the vehicle lifted back up on the two opposite wheels and under an extreme load, they again measured the hatch. The data was then compared, and compiled into a final study.

CU-ICAR also has a fully controlled, programmable, stationary CMM for repeatable inspection tasks. But for conducting one off measurements for experimental projects, the ROMER arm is a crucial tool. "For this type of work, it is definitely an advantage to have an arm. You can get an idea, go measure it, and have your results in just a couple of minutes. On the other machine, you have to consider what you want to measure, how you are going to measure it, write an inspection program, and then finally in the fullness of time, you get can get results," concluded Ziegert.

When the articulating arm was fully installed in February 2009, one student was sent to training to learn to use the system and PC-DMIS inspection software. The student has since trained an additional 6 other engineering students. In the Fall semester, the use of the arm dramatically went up with another 30 students learning the ropes. Because these engineers-in-training are not intimidated by technology, most are enthusiastic to get hands-on experience. Ziegert claims that this type of precision instrument is almost too easy to learn, and he must warn students that they must handle the precision instrument with care and respect.

Automotive Engineering Curriculum with a New Twist

There is an undercurrent of metrology throughout the curriculum, but its application is a means to an end. The primary goal is problem solving and understanding what tools you need to solve real-world issues. In the Vehicle Testing course, Ziegert teaches a module on metrology. All students learn to use the articulating arm and conduct exercises such as measuring dimensions on a part, then comparing them with a nominal on a blueprint.

Similarly, all student engineers go through a Vehicle Development process. During their two-year stint at Clemson, each incoming class of master's students experiences a full vehicle design, from market research to conceptualization to build and test. Throughout this program, their precision measurement capability is an essential part of the learning process.

Ziegert explains, "I teach another course in Suspension Design during the year. The way an automobile wheel moves is predominately up and down. Because of the characteristics of the mechanism, as it goes up and down, it also cambers and steers right and left. The amount of this motion is a critical parameter in suspension design. The class will create a computational model of the motion of a typical vehicle suspension and then compare it to experimental results. We hoist the car up on the lift and force the wheel to go up and down. The ROMER arm is used to measure how the toe and camber angles change during the motion."

Next-Generation Engineers Entering Workforce

The innovative CU-ICAR program continues to grow steadily. As the school grows toward its goal of 120 graduate students in the program, nearly 40 new students each year are learning to use and integrate metrology in the day-to-day work of designing and building new cars. The first 10 students graduated in August 2009. Industry has scooped up these highly skilled engineers into employment with BMW, Michelin, Goodyear and a software company specializing in simulation for the auto industry. One student has stayed on to join 35 others in the Ph.D. program, which can take 3 1/2 to 5 years to complete. The automotive engineering program at CU-ICAR is quickly becoming an essential building block for a smarter, more dynamic group of next-generation automotive engineers. And with today's economic climate, fresh ideas and a smarter workforce are good medicine for today, tomorrow and beyond.