A Measuring Instrument for Off-road Vehicle Performance Testing

Abstract

An overall description of a measuring instrument, wheel force transducer (WFT), developed for off-road vehicle performance testing is presented in the paper. For the research of off-road vehicle performance, it is important to determine the forces and torques as a response of the interaction between the wheel and the terrain. The WFT developed provides a solution of the direct measurement of the physical quantities. The WFT was designed as an automatic real-time data acquisition device with the wireless transmission technology. In the aspect of mechanical structure, only minor modifications of the wheel rim and two flanges were required for the installation of the WFT. The elastomeric of the sensor was designed with excellent mechanical strength for wheeled vehicles of weights ranging from 1.2 to 15 ton. Field tests were conducted after static calibration and dynamic calibration. The WFT was installed on the two front wheels of a 1.6-tone weight car. In preliminary field test, various vehicle maneuvers were executed for the validation of the validity, reliability and accuracy of the whole system, which was demonstrated by the test results. Six kinds of special testing pavements were selected to simulate the off-road situations. From the results, great potential of the WFT system is indicated in the application of off-road vehicle performance testing.