Preliminary Selection of Road Test Sections for High-Mobility Wheeled Vehicle Testing under Proving Ground Conditions

Abstract

Before being introduced into the maintenance system, each vehicle must undergo a series of tests, including durability tests. Computer models and whole vehicles on test stands can be used to identify vehicle performance parameters, which requires access to special software and test stands. However, due to the size of the vehicle or access to test stands, experimental tests must often be carried out on proving grounds; while generating the most complete set of loads, this is much more time-consuming. Therefore, methods are sought to indicate whether testing at the proving ground can be accelerated, for example, by increasing the speed of driving or using test road sections that generate more severe loads. This paper presents a method for evaluating the suitability of selected test road sections for durability tests of a special high-mobility wheeled vehicle. The method is based on the Basquin model, which consider the fatigue strength of materials, and rainflow load cycle counting method combined with the P-M damage summation method. Evaluation of test road selection was supplemented with analysis of travel speed distributions determined using the Beta statistic distribution. The presented model was used to evaluate the ability to accelerate a mileage test of an 8 × 8 vehicle. While certain data mentioned in the article remain classified and are not able to be presented in full, the author has attempted to provide a comprehensive background of the analyses conducted and the data used to illustrate them.