Title: Virtual Proving Ground - an integrated technology for full vehicle analysis and simulation

Authors: Yuan Zhang, Arthur Tang, Tim Palmer, Curt Hazard

Addresses: Engineering Technology Associates, Inc., 1133 E. Maple Road, Suite 200, Troy, MI 48083, USA. ' Engineering Technology Associates, Inc., 1133 E. Maple Road, Suite 200, Troy, MI 48083, USA. ' Engineering Technology Associates, Inc., 1133 E. Maple Road, Suite 200, Troy, MI 48083, USA. ' Engineering Technology Associates, Inc., 1133 E. Maple Road, Suite 200, Troy, MI 48083, USA.

Abstract: Virtual Proving Ground (eta/VPGTM) is a unique and integrated computer aided engineering (CAE) technology to conduct full vehicle real time, nonlinear dynamic analyses and simulations. The utilisation of this new technology can greatly improve the analytical results as compared with other conventional CAE tools. VPG can expand CAE applications into many special and important fields where the current CAE methods have no or only limited applications. It can also greatly reduce vehicle development costs and time. Presented in this paper are the VPG concept and the advantages it provides for full vehicle system analysis, simulation, and prototyping. Application examples of vehicle durability and fatigue analysis, NVH analysis, vehicle dynamics analysis and crashworthiness and safety analysis are also provided. Other VPG applications such as road load generation, and CPU requirements for VPG simulations are briefly discussed in the paper.

Keywords: vehicle crashworthiness; vehicle safety; vehicle durability; fatigue analysis; FEA; finite element analysis; NVH; vehicle dynamics; Virtual Proving Ground; CAE; road load generation; vehicle simulation; vehicle analysis.

DOI: 10.1504/IJVD.1999.005596

International Journal of Vehicle Design, 1999 Vol.21 No.4/5, pp.450 - 470

Published online: 21 Oct 2004 *

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