Reducing Power Demand for Heavy Suspension Tests 2008-01-0690

Competitive pressures, globalization of markets, and integration of new materials and technologies into heavy vehicle suspension systems have increased demand for durability validation of new designs. Traditional Proving Ground and on-road testing for suspension development have the limitations of extremely long test times, poor repeatability and the corresponding difficultly in getting good engineering level data on failures. This test approach requires a complete vehicle driven continuously over severe Proving Ground events for extended periods. Such tests are not only time consuming but also costly in terms of equipment, maintenance, personnel, and fuel. Ideally multiple samples must be tested to accumulate equivalent millions of kilometers of operation in highly damaging environments. There is a desire to move these tests into the laboratory using servo-hydraulic testing techniques in a fixed reaction configuration similar to those currently applied universally to passenger car and light truck development. The drawback of applying these tests in the laboratory is the extremely high power demanded by full force, real time operation. This paper will discuss some techniques whereby the operating data can be edited to reduce the power demands of the test systems to more practical levels while still providing valid durability evaluation and performance verification for heavy vehicle suspensions.