The concept of the application of modelling and simulation to simplify and reduce the cost of durability tests of vehicles and their components

Abstract

Abstract The paper deals with durability tests of road vehicle components. They may be performed in a real work environment or in the laboratory. New or modified structures of vehicles and their components should and are tested in an accelerated manner in real or simulated conditions, corresponding to the anticipated conditions of use. The work presents the concept of using modelling and simulation to determine the inputs during the tests of the car’s structural components (assemblies, subassemblies, and parts), without the need to test the entire vehicle. The author proposes the use of physical and mathematical models of vehicles to determine the excitations affecting the assembly, subassembly, or element of interest during the research tests of the entire vehicle. This approach reduces the dimensionality of the experimental research and limits its scope to the structural node of interest, which in turn reduces the costs. The next, more extensive publication will present an exemplary application of the presented concept.