Ground Vehicles Design and Testing
Research focus
The Peer review has evaluated this group as Excellent
Our committment to contribute to the ever increasing quality (and safety) of ground vehicles is accomplished by a sound balance between theoretical and experimental activities. From the theoretical side, our scientific approach to Ground Vehicle Design is centred on the Optimal Design of Complex Systems (see our book VDT-BA-1). At the very beginning of the ’90, the need of optimising vehicles and their subsystems led us, directly, to the development and application of advanced design methods based on Multi-objective Optimisation. Since then, new numerical methods (based on artificial neural networks, genetic algorithms,...) were developed and applied successfully in a number of different case studies (VDT-P- 9) ranging from structural design to mechatronic. Two Best Paper Awards at ASME conferences (see A2-A3) were otained on the Optimal Design of Complex Systems. The first one was on the design of stochastic systems, i.e. the optimal and robust design of a synchroniser mechanism was performed (former cooperation with Fiat Research Centre). The second one was on the selection of one single optimal solution from a infinite set of (Pareto) solutions (former cooperation on suspension system design with Ferrari Formula 1 Team). The cooperation on optimal design with Ferrari and Fiat led to new internal standards on design processes. The optimal design of a suspension system for a farm tractor has been performed scientifically (i.e. by starting from a validated model (VDT-BC- 1) and by applying multi-objective programming, cooperation with Same- DeutzFahr). A leading scientific activity in the field of the Optimal Design of Complex Systems is performed by prof. Massimiliano Gobbi, as evidenced by his organisation of the symposium "Advances in Methods for Vehicle Systems Design" held during The ASME International Mechanical Engineering Congress and Exposition” since 2001. In our opinion Ground Vehicle (optimal) Design must rely on sound experimental activities, so from the experimental side, a new laboratory (Laboratory for the Safety of Transport-LaST, founded 2001) is being continuously developed. 45 Special tests are performed to validate and/or support the present and, possibly, future vehicle design optimisation processes. Optimising the dynamic behaviour of a vehicle requires accurate data on inertia properties (mass, centre of gravity location, inertia tensor). A fully original system has been patented and exploited for measuring the inertia properties of vehicles (see VDT-PA-2, VDT-C-2, VDT-C-9, VDT-C-11, cooperation with EU INTERREG IIIC/University of Stuttgart, Ferrari, Same Deutz-Fahr, Porsche, Fiat, Alfa Romeo, Elasis, VM Motori, Piaggio, Carlo Gavazzi Space,...). An early InTenso system obtained the Best Paper Award at the XVII IAVSD Symposium, 2001. Optimising the design of vehicles for structural or active safety requires the measurement of the forces at the wheel/ground interface (see patents on measuring hubs/six components load cells VDT-PA-1, VDT-PA-3, VDT-PA-7). Such pending patents have been already exploited for cooperations with Comer Industries (VDT-C-8), Ferrari (both road and racing), Same Deutz-Fahr (VDT-BC- 1, we claim being the first who measured the farm tractor full tyre characteristics on both asfphalt and soft ground). The new measuring hubs/six components load cells are rather simple and very accurate (error 0,5%). Optimising the seat comfort requires an objective evaluation for it. A new dummy (awarded at IAVSD, see A1) was designed, built and exploited (former cooperation with Fiat Research Centre). The dummy has a patented linear electromagnetic damper. The longitudinal and vertical accelerations at the seat/boby interfaces can be respectively measured. To increase comfort and safety of car seats, a new headrest has been developed and patented (VDT-PA-8, VDT-C-19, cooperation with Olmo Group/Gestind). The headrest is very easy to be positioned (contrary to todays headrests) and is locked automatically in case of crash. Optimising the performance of ground vehicles on snowy and iced surfaces, requires the testing of snow chains and eventually new design proposals for them. All of these activities have been performed in a cooperation with one of the most important world manufacturer of such devices (VDT-PA-4 VDT-PA-5 VDT-PA-6, VDT-C-13, VDT-C-16). Optimising the performance of road vehicle suspension sytems requires proper measurements of the Noise-Vibration-Harshness responses. Such analyses have been performed for Maserati and Ferrari (both road and racing, VDT-C-14). Five special six components load cells (VDT-PA-1, VDT-PA-3, VDT-PA-7) were emploied to measure the forces at the suspension/body joints. A leading scientific activity in the field of Ground Vehicle Design and Testing is performed by prof. Giampiero Mastinu, as evidenced by his organisation of the XIX IAVSD Symposium 2005 (over 200 participants from 26 countries) and by the editing for IAVSD of the “Handbook of Road and Off-road Vehicle Systems Dynamics” (40 authors from 14 countries, 25 universities, 13 companies) to be published on late 2007.
Departments
Professors
Full Professors
Giampiero Mastinu
Associate Professors
Massimiliano Gobbi