Date of Award

2025

Document Type

Open Access Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy in Mechanical Engineering-Engineering Mechanics (PhD)

Administrative Home Department

Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering

Advisor 1

Jeremy Worm

Advisor 2

Darrell Robinette

Committee Member 1

Jeffrey D. Naber

Committee Member 2

David D. Wanless

Abstract

Three complexities surrounding the operation and testing of hybrid electric, heavy-duty nonroad machines have been addressed experimentally and using 1D simulation. Their resolutions have been intertwined with the development of a prototype machine that was proven to reduce fuel consumption in excess of 20%. A real-world drive cycle that leveraged hydraulic cylinder position was developed and utilized to ensure accurate reproduction of hydraulic work between the baseline and hybrid machines, while simultaneously maintaining less than 5% RMS error in position for main load handling functions. The newly developed, machine-specific drive cycle also contributed towards making equivalent comparisons in energy consumption between machine types through composite performance metrics that were extrapolated over a typical shift duration. Lastly, this work addressed thermal management energy consumption, a topic of increasing popularity when discussing electrified vehicles, by proposing a 1.4% energy savings through special mechanization and control of cooling system components.

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

Available for download on Saturday, August 01, 2026

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