Ever increasing expectations for vehicle reliability, performance and comfort drive the need to test the complete vehicle under a wide variety of conditions. Where test tracks provide real data, laboratory tests need to accelerate the validation process and need to allow a range of standardized tests under controlled conditions. Typically, these tests need to include durability cycles, performance benchmarks, NVH measurements and ride comfort analysis. Environmental conditions such as temperature, humidity and sunlight can also influence performance and also need to be considered in the vehicle validation programs.
our Solution
Instron road simulators allow tire coupled simulation of a wide range of road conditions to be performed in a laboratory environment. Systems can be configured to provide high wheel pan accelerations and velocities for durability cycles or to input synthetic drive signals for NVH and ride comfort analysis. Systems are available for passenger cars, light trucks and heavy duty vehicles with a variety of wheel pan designs to suit different tire sizes. Wheel base and track adjustments can be automated and the system can be installed inside a climatic chamber to provide the full range of environmental conditions. The Instron road simulators are an indispensable development tool for accelerated validation testing of full vehicles.