Objective
Durability optimisation is an essential, but costly and
time consuming part of the design and refinement process
of trucks. Competitiveness requirements imposing shorter
design cycles put forward the need for a more effective
and reliable approach to the durability optimisation that
makes optimal use of previous experience and similar
designs. This is particularly critical for the truck
industry because many variants are required to satisfy
widely varying market demands.
The main objective of the project is to develop
integrated design tools for durability assessment and
optimisation of trucks, which combine numerical
prediction methods with tests on physical prototypes on
laboratory test rigs and on test tracks in a closely co
ordinated manner.
First, a fatigue strength information system will be
developed that allows to take maximum advantage of a
company's internal durability experience on previous
similar designs. Second. structural modelling techniques
will be developed that allow in the design phase of a
truck to efficiently optimise a component for durability,
without the need for complete recalculation of the
structural model of the truck. Third, tools will be
developed to generate improved, customer oriented but
time reduced loading environments for use in both
numerical predictions and accelerated fatigue testing on
test tracks and test rigs. Finally, tools to improve
quality and effficiency of test rig fatigue testing will
be implemented.
Overall, these elements will be tightly linked and
integrated in order to obtain an efficient concurrent,
CAE/CAT driven design process for durability
optimisation. As structural dynamics (vibrational
behaviour) has an important impact on the fatigue
performance of trucks, a combined fat(igue & d)ynamics
methodology will be implemented in all steps of the
concurrent engineering approach.
The participation of two truck manufacturers (DAF and
RVI) ensures the development of industrially relevant
solutions. For the validation of the different
technologies, extensive endurance testing on test tracks
and test rigs has been planned by both end users. The two
technology and software development SME's (LMS project
coordinator, and TecMath) have a leading position in
their own field of expertise (structural dynamics LMS
and fatigue analysis TecMath), but need to co operate
in order to develop an integrated system for durability
optimisation The expertise of the University of Leuven is
required for a successful solution to the critical
structural modelling problem.
The direct outcome of the project is an integrated
software system for durability optimisation, and will be
commercialised by LMS and TecMath together. Combining
LMS' market position in the world and TecMath's fatigue
expertise, allows to compete against US companies
currently dominating the durability engineering market.
The most important benefit for the truck manufacturers is
the reduction of the most critical path in the
development time of trucks, which is the durability
optimisation. Subsequently, the truck manufacturers will
be able to increase market share by faster adapting their
products to the fast changing market requirements while
maintaining the reliability.
Fields of science
Topic(s)
Call for proposal
Data not availableFunding Scheme
CSC - Cost-sharing contractsCoordinator
5600 PT Eindhoven
Netherlands