An End-user's Guide to Commercial Vehicle Measurements: Interpreting Dynamic and Structural Tests Outside the Lab

Engineering tests that do not impact business decisions waste time, budgets and morale. This paper will consider input and output information for the test process-specifically in vehicle dynamics and structural integrity labs. Uncontrolled test processes are unlikely to fulfill expectations. Conversely, the process may be closely defined in a widespread specification, and yet not answer the question at hand.

Potential downstream impacts of loosely defined technical details will be discussed. Topics include selection of transducers, recording parameters, filtering and analysis techniques. Physics of common environmental loading are presented, along with implications for both the test plan and later use of the test data. Case studies as both a truck, bus and railroad test services provider and consumer will be discussed.