scope:

Purpose. This procedure evaluates the structural durability of a vehicle by subjecting it to real time load and displacement profiles. These profiles are designed and developed to represent a road durability test at the proving ground. This procedure describes the test development process and durability test execution.

Applicability.

This procedure can be used to develop or validate the structural durability of a vehicle and its subsystems which are sensitive to road input and driveline torque reactions. These subsystems typically include chassis, body and driveline mounting structures. Components which are not sensitive to fatigue damage from road inputs may not experience the same level of correlation.

This procedure does not provide a total vehicle durability test. No powertrain or electrical system operation is included. Degradation modes of rotating components such as wheel bearings are not accurately reproduced. Environmental factors such as elevated temperature, humidity and dust are generally not included, except for special exposures for specific components. Degradation modes related to exposure time are usually not accurately reproduced.

This procedure can be used for passenger cars, Sport Utility Vehicle (SUV) or trucks. The Gross Vehicle Weight (GVW) of the vehicle determines which road simulator can be used. For example, a road simulator the: MTS 329 Light Truck (LT) (see Appendix G, Figure G1 and Figure G2) can be used for vehicles up to 5500 kg GVW, or a MTS 329 Passenger Car (PC) road simulator (see Appendix G, Figure G3 and Figure G4) can be used for vehicles up to 2700 kg GVW. Under some conditions, certain road events still may not be fully achievable even if these mass capacities are adhered to. If another type of road simulator is used, the user must verify that the mass capacity, force capability and displacement capability is sufficient to evaluate the test vehicle.