Simplified and accelerated lifecycle testing

Project leader: Koen Vanden Boer

In the heavy goods vehicle sector, weight is a major challenge. Some vehicles have already reached the permissible limits. As a result, the quest for weight reduction has intensified. People do not only want to save on weight, but also on materials and costs, without negative impact on durability. However, the heavy goods vehicle sector doesn't have the same technical and financial resources at its disposal to meet its needs as the car sector has. So this project is looking for a specific approach to test (lightweight) constructions for their durability and thus promote their use within this sector. The project concentrates on methods that are economically and technically viable for the sector.

Two methods have already been validated for determining the load on parts. The information about the load can then be used in simplified and accelerated lifecycle tests, as well as with lighter designs. Furthermore it can be demonstrated how accessories can be subjected to loads in a simple manner and how the total lifecycle can be imitated in a shortened test. Finally a materials test has been defined which more closely mirrors the real and complex loads of daily use and thus makes reliable lifecycle predictions possible.