Analysis of the Correctness of Mapping the Passage of a Semi-Trailer through a Road Obstacle on a Road Simulator

Arkadiusz Czarnuch; Marek Stembalski; Tomasz Szydłowski; Damian Batory

doi:10.3390/s23198225

Analysis of the Correctness of Mapping the Passage of a Semi-Trailer through a Road Obstacle on a Road Simulator

Sensors (Basel). 2023 Oct 2;23(19):8225. doi: 10.3390/s23198225.

Authors

Arkadiusz Czarnuch^{1

2}, Marek Stembalski³, Tomasz Szydłowski¹, Damian Batory¹

Affiliations

¹ Department of Vehicles and Fundamentals of Machine Design, Lodz University of Technology, 90-924 Lodz, Poland.
² Wielton S.A., 98-300 Wieluń, Poland.
³ Department of Machine Tools and Mechanical Technologies, Wroclaw University of Technology, 50-370 Wroclaw, Poland.

Abstract

Road simulators enable accelerated durability tests under similar-to-real road conditions. However, the road simulator itself generates the signals with the appropriate strength and amplitude that is adequate to the response registered by the sensors during the real run. Therefore, there is a need for verification of the validity of the representation of vehicle runs on a road simulator in terms of the shape of the generated profile and possible sources of uncertainty. The tests in this study were carried out for a multi-axle vehicle passing an obstacle of known shape. Various signals were registered while the vehicle was passing over the obstacle. The MTS (System Corporation) road simulator's response to the signal given by the obstacle was then checked. The results showed a 99% correlation between the simulation and the road test results. A numerical model of the vehicle was developed to verify the quality of representation of the real conditions by the road simulator, especially in terms of forces resulting from the road profile. Interestingly, the input signal generated by the road simulator provided a very good accuracy of the vehicle response, as tested with use of the numerical model.

Keywords: durability test; fatigue damage; road load data; road simulator; sensors; vehicle.

Grants and funding

The presented research results, carried out as part of the research task entitled as follows: “Verification of durability testing methodology for large-size vehicles based on wear of road shock absorbers”, were financed from the pro-quality subsidy for the development of the research potential of the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering of the Wrocław University of Science and Technology in 2023.