Recently, the 2023 Nanchang "Top Ten Young Science and Technology Talents" were announced, and Zeng Xiaochun, director of New Energy and New Power of Jiangling Product R&D Institute, won the honor as the only woman. Not long ago, she also won the 2023 Jiangxi Youth Science and Technology Award, which is the first scientific and technological worker of Jiangling Group to receive this honor. The choice of "Zeng" has made today's "spring" flowers.
Regardless of the flowering period, take root in fertile soil
22 years ago, a choice at the crossroads of life made Zeng Xiaochun and Jiangling bond. Along the way, she is like a brave explorer, wandering in the ocean of automobile research and development, starting from the CAE field, passing through the hardships of attributes and the thorns of NVH, and arriving at the other side of the "three highs and one excellent" powertrain.
In the past, most of the powertrain projects were outsourced CAE, how to break through the problems of weak independent research and development, uncontrollable core technology, etc.? "We must build an independent powertrain digital design platform and control the core technology in our own hands! Zeng Xiaochun's belief became more and more firm.
If there are conditions, you must go up, and if you don't have conditions, you must also go up. Zeng Xiaochun led the team to study the theoretical knowledge of CAE, learn the analysis methods and product development experience of international consulting companies such as **L and FEV, and created a powertrain digital design platform for more than ten years, which made up for the shortcomings of existing commercial software in the intelligent design of the powertrain, and established a digital analysis unit covering the development process of new energy and new power, which supported the positive development.
In the Spring Festival of 2021, at the moment of reunion of thousands of families, the powertrain digitalization team led by Zeng Xiaochun received the task of overcoming the problem of engine cylinder head cracking. How to challenge such an industry problem in a short period of time? She immediately convened the team to start the "Spring Festival Home Attack Mode", and after several days of discussion and struggle, she quickly came up with a complete set of optimization plans. "Thanks to the powertrain digital design platform! It contains the basic database accumulated by the team for more than ten years, integrates a variety of independent software and CAE pre- and post-processing software, so that we can work from home during the Spring Festival and solve this problem. ”
Powertrain NVH system matching and torsional vibration control have always been a difficult problem in the industry, which involves the selection and matching development of many components. From the engine and clutch to the gearbox and motor, the parameters of each part need to be accurately calculated by CAE, and the actual vehicle needs to be adjusted and verified for three months. For a long time, the cost of ** and adjustment of each project needs at least 600,000 yuan, and this ability has been monopolized in the industry.
In order to independently master the powertrain NVH system matching capability, Zeng Xiaochun innovatively integrated the front-end CAE engineer, the middle component design engineer, and the terminal NVH engineer into a team to form an efficient closed-loop control of NVH. The matching development process of subordinate attribute target definition, CAE analysis, and prototype vehicle tuning has been established. "We have complete matching development capabilities, can independently optimize and adjust, and 100% independently undertake key models and hybrid projects. "Overcoming difficulties again and again, exploring the unknown again and again, surpassing the limit again and again, and consolidating the depth of downward rooting.
Wait for the flowers to bloom and rise to the challenge
The depth of downward rooting determines the height of upward growth. On May 16, 2023, the award ceremony of the "2022 SAE China Science and Technology Award", the most influential science and technology award in China's automotive industry, was held. The project of "Independent R&D and Application of Advanced Digital Design Platform for Automotive Powertrain" led by Zeng Xiaochun's team won the second prize of China Automotive Science and Technology Progress Award. In November of the same year, the team also won the second prize of Jiangxi Provincial Science and Technology Progress Award, which was the first time in the past five years that a project led by Jiangling won the Jiangxi Provincial Science and Technology Award.
Behind the blossoming scenery along the way, there are often thorns hidden all the way. With the increasing number of new energy vehicle projects of the company, the all-in-one electric drive axle has the characteristics of high integration, high efficiency and light weight, but it also brings the problem of high difficulty in NVH control. How to meet new challenges with new products, new fields, and no previous project experience to find?
It doesn't matter if you don't know the root cause of the problem, according to the positive development idea of 'excitation source-transmission path-response-control', draw a fishbone diagram, and analyze and troubleshoot one by one! Zeng Xiaochun led the team to analyze dozens of factors that affect NVH and identify the root causes. In order to test and verify different optimization schemes, driving evaluations were carried out many times, and finally the problem was optimized in place before the TT loading node, and the subjective driving evaluation was improved by 15 points, to meet the requirements of production.
Problem solving is not the end, but a new beginning. Through this problem optimization, Zeng Xiaochun led the team to build a CAE and NVH control system, and compiled the "Acoustic Noise Adjustment Process of Electric Drive Axle", which accumulated experience in the matching design of motors and gears in electric drive axles, laying a solid foundation for the subsequent development of new energy vehicles.
The digital design platform we created has broken through the technical problems of new energy and new power development in terms of efficient combustion simulation, heat engine fatigue life evaluation, NVH control, etc., and greatly shortened the project development cycle. Now it has also begun to 'take orders' from the outside world, creating tangible benefits for the company, and the innovation achievements have supported more than 10 enterprises to achieve digital design. At the 25th China International Hi-Tech Fair, Zeng Xiaochun proudly introduced. After the strict evaluation of the organizing committee, the digital design platform stood out and won the "Excellent Product Award" of the 25th China International Hi-Tech Fair.
Let a hundred flowers bloom and create a better future
Science and technology seek breakthroughs, and party building promotes development. In the 2023 "Excellent Cases of State-owned Enterprise Party Building Brand Building" solicitation and selection activity, the first branch case of the powertrain of the Product R&D General Institute selected by Jiangling Co., Ltd. - "Jiangling Heart to the Party, Cohesion of 'Core' Power" stood out from more than 1,000 candidate cases across the country and was successfully selected as an "Excellent Case of State-owned Enterprise Party Building Brand Building", and only 2 branches in the entire Jiangxi Province were selected.
Party building leads cohesion, overcoming difficulties and bravely taking responsibility. Zeng Xiaochun strictly demanded his words and deeds with the standard of an excellent grassroots party branch secretary, focused on his main responsibilities and main business, promoted the deep integration of the party industry, and continued to polish the party building brand of "JMC 'core' power". Focus on the independent innovation of the core business of new energy and new power, build a "digital twin" team, break through and master the digital technology urgently needed by enterprises, and help enterprises in digital transformation and upgrading; Establish a "quiet" model pioneer, a model with party members, and a pioneer with backbone; Peiyou "Smart Three-Electric" technical experts, with pure electric projects as the carrier, focus on the systematic training of three-electric talents, give full play to the role of technical experts as the main force, and form a good atmosphere of "everyone strives to be an expert, and everyone is an expert".
Now that you've done this job, you have to do it to the best of your ability! It can not only promote personal growth, but also realize its own value. Zeng Xiaochun's tenacious quality of not being afraid of challenges has deeply influenced every member of the team and inspired everyone to continue to study and pursue excellence. At the same time, she has always practiced it and put it above and below. She is often seen around with her team members to share the technical points and optimize the technical solutions.
In the eyes of her colleagues, she is not only a good partner and partner at work, but also a caring person and confidant in life. "Our team has set up a modular employee contact card that not only records employees' birthdays and home addresses, but also keeps track of employees' recent status in real time. When employees encounter difficulties, our team is the strongest backing! ”
The road of scientific and technological innovation is full of thorns, but the "spring flower" is resolutely blooming in the difficulties. In the beautiful land of JMC, Zeng Xiaochun and her team have deeply rooted themselves in the land, persevered in the long river of years, waiting for the moment of germination, and writing their own legend with poetic strokes!
Editor: Liu Jianwu.