Life Assessment Tests for Commercial Vehicles

Abstract

The paper describes methods used during the testing of prototype commercial vehicles, including lorries, goods vans, and passenger-carrying coaches, to determine that the durability of the component parts is in every way satisfactory. The paper describes also the reasons why these methods came to be applied, and the nature of the results obtained. Considerable detail is given of the method developed to accelerate the life testing of commercial vehicles by continuously driving them over specially designed bumpy or rough road surfaces, here called a rough track. Testing of this nature, of which the author has had ten years' experience, is of particular interest in view of the growing use by manufacturers, of both commercial vehicles and passenger cars, of such test tracks as the Belgian pavé at the Motor Industry Research Association Proving Ground at Nuneaton. The importance of this type of testing ha the development of sufficient durability to meet typical export requirements, especially when operating on corrugated roads, is emphasized. Methods of duration testing on normal British roads are also given and rig testing is discussed together with details of one typical test rig—a wheel fatigue test machine. The meaning and interpretation of testing in terms of the required durability and acceptability in service is also explained. The MS. of this paper was received at the Institution on 9th January 1952. For the Minutes of the meeting in London, on 13th January 1953, at which this paper was presented, see p. 90.