Vibration Levels of Stacked Automotive Engine Rack in Truck Shipments as a Function of Vehicle Speed and Road Condition

In the past three decades, there has been a tremendous global shift in the use of returnable or reusable packaging in the automotive industry. This article focuses on the physical vibration forces that occur in a very important type of package system designed for engines and transmissions, namely the steel racks that have vertical posts on the four vertical edges that allow higher return ratios when empty. Engines and transmissions require zero damage acceptance levels today, as they are mated at the end of the assembly process, and they need to function 100 % of the time as the vehicle rolls off the finish line. They also are the most expensive components of the vehicle. This study was conducted to investigate the vibration environment of the stacked engine rack during truck transportation with various truck speeds, road conditions, and other road characteristics, such as speed bumps and railway crossings. Triaxial acceleration data were collected both on the truck floor as well as on the stacked racks themselves to determine the differences of vibration levels from truck floor to the stacked rack where vibration intensity increased. This study found that there were significant vibration severities in the stacked racks in all three orientations.