Abstract: A motor vehicle includes first and second drive axles coupled to respective sets of road wheels, torque actuators inclusive of rotary electric machines configured to transmit respective output torques to the drive axles, and a main controller in communication with the torque actuators. The controller receives vehicle inputs indicative of a total longitudinal and lateral motion request. In response, the controller calculates a total longitudinal torque request and/or a total longitudinal speed request, a yaw rate request, and a lateral velocity request, then determines, using a cost optimization function, a torque vector for allocating the total longitudinal torque request and/or speed request, the yaw rate request, and the lateral velocity request to the drive axles within predetermined constraints. The controller also transmits a closed-loop control signal to each torque actuator or local controllers thereof to apply the torque vector via the drive axles.

Abstract: A method for making a plural-component, composite-material, highway dowel-bar including (1) preparing an elongate core train possessing endo-abutting, longitudinally alternating, (a) elongate, high-shear-strength, cylindrical cores having a common cross section, and (b) elongate, but shorter, cylindrical, fibre-reinforced plastic-resin end-plug blanks having opposite ends, and each having a cross section matching the cross section of the cores, (2) using the core train as a longitudinally moving mandrel, pultrusion-forming a fibre-reinforced plastic-resin sleeve continuously and bondedly around the core train so as to produce a pultrusion-result, intermediate, dowel-bar product, and (3) following pultrusion-forming, cross-cutting the intermediate, dowel-bar product at each longitudinal location therein which is intermediate the opposite ends of the end-plug blanks, thereby to form completed dowel bars.

Abstract: A rebar structure for concrete reinforcement may include an elongate tubular central wall portion having an inside surface and an outside surface. The central wall portion may be formed circumferentially around a core axis and may include glass or carbon fibers mostly being oriented longitudinally parallel to the core axis. The rebar structure may include an inner wall portion bonded to the inside surface of the central wall portion. The inner wall portion may include glass or carbon fibers and may have a higher percentage of fibers oriented non-parallel to the core axis as compared to the central wall portion.

Abstract: A rebar structure for concrete reinforcement may include an elongate tubular central wall portion having an inside surface and an outside surface. The central wall portion may be formed circumferentially around a core axis and may include glass or carbon fibers mostly being oriented longitudinally parallel to the core axis. The rebar structure may include an inner wall portion bonded to the inside surface of the central wall portion. The inner wall portion may include glass or carbon fibers and may have a higher percentage of fibers oriented non-parallel to the core axis as compared to the central wall portion.

Abstract: A method for making a plural-component, composite-material, highway dowel-bar including (1) preparing an elongate core train possessing endo-abutting, longitudinally alternating, (a) elongate, high-shear-strength, cylindrical cores having a common cross section, and (b) elongate, but shorter, cylindrical, fibre-reinforced plastic-resin end-plug blanks having opposite ends, and each having a cross section matching the cross section of the cores, (2) using the core train as a longitudinally moving mandrel, pultrusion-forming a fibre-reinforced plastic-resin sleeve continuously and bondedly around the core train so as to produce a pultrusion-result, intermediate, dowel-bar product, and (3) following pultrusion-forming, cross-cutting the intermediate, dowel-bar product at each longitudinal location therein which is intermediate the opposite ends of the end-plug blanks, thereby to form completed dowel bars.

Abstract: A method for making a plural-component, composite-material, highway dowel-bar including (1) preparing an elongate core train possessing endo-abutting, longitudinally alternating, (a) elongate, high-shear-strength, cylindrical cores having a common cross section, and (b) elongate, but shorter, cylindrical, fiber-reinforced plastic-resin end-plug blanks having opposite ends, and each having a cross section matching the cross section of the cores, (2) using the core train as a longitudinally moving mandrel, pultrusion-forming a fiber-reinforced plastic-resin sleeve continuously and bondedly around the core train so as to produce a pultrusion-result, intermediate, dowel-bar product, and (3) following pultrusion-forming, cross-cutting the intermediate, dowel-bar product at each longitudinal location therein which is intermediate the opposite ends of the end-plug blanks, thereby to form completed dowel bars.

Abstract: A rebar structure for concrete reinforcement may include an elongate tubular central wall portion having an inside surface and an outside surface. The central wall portion may be formed circumferentially around a core axis and may include glass or carbon fibers mostly being oriented longitudinally parallel to the core axis. The rebar structure may include an inner wall portion bonded to the inside surface of the central wall portion. The inner wall portion may include glass or carbon fibers and may have a higher percentage of fibers oriented non-parallel to the core axis as compared to the central wall portion.

Abstract: Elongate, composite-material, hollow rebar structure, along with associated components, related fabrication apparatus, and apparatus-implemented, rebar-structure-making methodology. The rebar structure has a long axis, and includes (a) an elongate, hollow core centered on that long axis, (b) an elongate, hollow sleeve having inner and outer surfaces, circumsurrounding the core along the core's length, with the sleeve's inner surface bonded to the core's outer surface along the length thereof, and (c) longitudinally distributed, radial-dimensionality, external-purchase-enhancing structure formed unitarily with the sleeve's outer surface along the length thereof. The bond existing between the core and the sleeve takes the form of a single-cure, reverse-temperature-gradient-cure, plastic-material, molecular bond.

Abstract: Apparatus possessing elongate, long-axially aligned componentry for making hollow, composite-material rebar including (a) a hollow mandrel disposed upstream in the apparatus, (b) a hollow pultrusion die circumsurrounding the mandrel for forming a composite-material hollow core in the space between it and the mandrel, and (c) a hollow, continuous-transfer-molding die spaced downstream from the pultrusion die, having a central long axis about which it is rotatable, operable to form, along the length of a core which has been formed in the pultrusion die, (1) an elongate, composite-material, core-circumsurrounding, hollow sleeve having an outer surface, and (2), unitarily with the sleeve, and in a manner distributed along the length of the sleeve's outer surface, an external-purchase-enhancing structure possessing radial-dimensionality.

Abstract: A method of making an elongate, composite-material, hollow rebar structure including (a) forming an elongate, composite-material, hollow core, (b) in association with such forming, preparing along the core's length an elongate, composite-material, core-circumsurrounding, hollow sleeve having inner and outer surfaces, (c) in association with such preparing, creating, unitarily with the sleeve, and in a manner distributed along the length of the sleeve's outer surface, an external-purchase-enhancing structure possessing radial-dimensionality, and (d) bonding the inner surface of the sleeve to the outer surface of the core.

Abstract: A method of making an elongate, composite-material, hollow rebar structure including (a) forming an elongate, composite-material, hollow core, (b) in association with such forming, preparing along the core's length an elongate, composite-material, core-circumsurrounding, hollow sleeve having inner and outer surfaces, (c) in association with such preparing, creating, unitarily with the sleeve, and in a manner distributed along the length of the sleeve's outer surface, an external-purchase-enhancing structure possessing radial-dimensionality, and (d) bonding the inner surface of the sleeve to the outer surface of the core.

Abstract: Apparatus possessing elongate, long-axially aligned componentry for making hollow, composite-material rebar including (a) a hollow mandrel disposed upstream in the apparatus, (b) a hollow pultrusion die circumsurrounding the mandrel for forming a composite-material hollow core in the space between it and the mandrel, and (c) a hollow, continuous-transfer-molding die spaced downstream from the pultrusion die, having a central long axis about which it is rotatable, operable to form, along the length of a core which has been formed in the pultrusion die, (1) an elongate, composite-material, core-circumsurrounding, hollow sleeve having an outer surface, and (2), unitarily with the sleeve, and in a manner distributed along the length of the sleeve's outer surface, an external-purchase-enhancing structure possessing radial-dimensionality.

Abstract: A method for making a plural-component, composite-material, highway dowel-bar including (1) preparing an elongate core train possessing endo-abutting, longitudinally alternating, (a) elongate, high-shear-strength, cylindrical cores having a common cross section, and (b) elongate, but shorter, cylindrical, fibre-reinforced plastic-resin end-plug blanks having opposite ends, and each having a cross section matching the cross section of the cores, (2) using the core train as a longitudinally moving mandrel, pultrusion-forming a fibre-reinforced plastic-resin sleeve continuously and bondedly around the core train so as to produce a pultrusion-result, intermediate, dowel-bar product, and (3) following pultrusion-forming, cross-cutting the intermediate, dowel-bar product at each longitudinal location therein which is intermediate the opposite ends of the end-plug blanks, thereby to form completed dowel bars.

Abstract: A plural-component, composite-material highway dowel bar and an associated fabrication methodology. The dowel bar includes an elongate, solid-cylindrical, high-shear-strength core bar, preferably steel, and an elongate, fiber-reinforced plastic-resin jacket, including an elongate, pultrusion-formed, tubular sleeve, and sleeve-received, opposite-end, end-well sleeve end plugs, fully surrounding and protectively covering the core bar.

Abstract: An engine control system for a vehicle comprises a combustion control module and an engine startup module. The combustion control module selectively controls a spark timing and airflow into an engine based on a counter value. The engine startup module, when the counter value is one of greater than and less than a predetermined final value, controls an equivalence ratio (EQR) of an air/fuel mixture provided to the engine during an engine cranking period based on a fuel rail pressure and controls the EQR during an engine running period based on the fuel rail pressure and an engine runtime period. The counter value is set to the predetermined final value after the engine is started for a first time after the engine is assembled.

Abstract: Elongate, composite-material, hollow rebar structure, along with associated components, related fabrication apparatus, and apparatus-implemented, rebar-structure-making methodology. The rebar structure has a long axis, and includes (a) an elongate, hollow core centered on that long axis, (b) an elongate, hollow sleeve having inner and outer surfaces, circumsurrounding the core along the core's length, with the sleeve's inner surface bonded to the core's outer surface along the length thereof, and (c) longitudinally distributed, radial-dimensionality, external-purchase-enhancing structure formed unitarily with the sleeve's outer surface along the length thereof. The bond existing between the core and the sleeve takes the form of a single-cure, reverse-temperature-gradient-cure, plastic-material, molecular bond.

Abstract: A fuel pressure control system for a vehicle comprises a pressure regulator module and a pressure increasing module. The pressure regulator module regulates a fuel pressure supplied to an engine to a first predetermined pressure during an engine running period. The pressure increasing module selectively increases the fuel pressure to a second predetermined pressure during the engine running period when a counter value is one of greater than and less than a predetermined final value. The second predetermined pressure is greater than the first predetermined pressure, and the counter value is set to the predetermined final value after the engine is started for a first time after being assembled.

Abstract: An engine control system for a vehicle comprises a combustion control module and an engine startup module. The combustion control module selectively controls a spark timing and airflow into an engine based on a counter value. The engine startup module, when the counter value is one of greater than and less than a predetermined final value, controls an equivalence ratio (EQR) of an air/fuel mixture provided to the engine during an engine cranking period based on a fuel rail pressure and controls the EQR during an engine running period based on the fuel rail pressure and an engine runtime period. The counter value is set to the predetermined final value after the engine is started for a first time after the engine is assembled.

Abstract: A fuel pressure control system for a vehicle comprises a pressure regulator module and a pressure increasing module. The pressure regulator module regulates a fuel pressure supplied to an engine to a first predetermined pressure during an engine running period. The pressure increasing module selectively increases the fuel pressure to a second predetermined pressure during the engine running period when a counter value is one of greater than and less than a predetermined final value. The second predetermined pressure is greater than the first predetermined pressure, and the counter value is set to the predetermined final value after the engine is started for a first time after being assembled.

Abstract: A belt damper for a gear train is provided. An endless belt is wrapped around pulleys mounted to an idler gear and an output gear. The pulleys are mounted to splined shafts which are axially aligned with and connected to splined gear shafts on which the idler and output gears are mounted. Pressurized lubricant is supplied to both splined connections. The combination of the lubricant in the spline connections and the damping effect of the belt provides for an effective damping system. A tension device may also be applied to vary tension imposed on the belt.