Six DoF Testing & Analysis (6D) provides specialty vehicle manufacturers with a cost-effective engineering solution to validate next generation products or design enhancements.
We offer a unique combination of field testing, analytical simulation, and decades of experience to determine if your vehicle designs will meet design, performance, and durability targets.
Benefits
- Focus on most important structural areas
- Validate the simulation with staged event tests
- Evaluate life under customer usage and accelerated durability conditions
- Less expensive than hydraulic simulator rig testing
- Faster than accumulating lifetime of miles
A Practical & Cost-Effective Approach to Vehicle Structural Validation
The vehicle finite element model used in the design process is used to determine potential high stress areas based on basic static load cases such as body twist, bending, and inertial “g” loads.
Although these basic loads do not directly replicate the much more complex loads experienced in road environments, they are effective in identifying stress “hot spot” locations.
Strain gages are applied to these “hot spot” regions in order to determine the actual stresses in operation. Also, some strain gages are located in key nominal stress areas to assist in correlating the FEA model. Selected locations are instrumented with accelerometers to assist in scaling and confirming the FEA “g” loadings.
Data is recorded for staged events to assist in correlating the FEA model. Data is also recorded on roads representative of customer usage and proving ground durability events.
The data is processed using cumulative damage methods based on material and weld properties to estimate fatigue life.
If life issues are encountered, we loop back to the FEA simulation to evaluate design improvements. We will then potentially rerun the staged events with updated vehicle to validate final design.
Experience that Matters
6D Test & Analysis (6D) principals pioneered many of the testing and analysis tools, technologies, and best practices that are now the standard – and we apply this expertise and experience each project we undertake.