Rollover stability is a critical safety requirement for heavy-duty trucks, particularly during severe manoeuvres and tipping-prone operating conditions. Accurate estimation of stabilizer bar forces plays an important role in assessing vehicle rollover behaviour. This study presents a finite element-based virtual strain gauge calibration methodology for estimating stabilizer bar forces from measured strain signals, using a heavy-duty vehicle tipping stability application as an industrial case study.
A high-fidelity vehicle dynamics model was developed to assess the influence of the stabilizer bar on vehicle roll performance. To increase confidence in the virtual assessment, strain measurements were obtained from instrumented stabilizer bars during durability track testing and correlated with simulation results. A key challenge in the measurement process was the calibration required to convert strain signals into applied forces. To address this, a virtual calibration approach was developed using finite element analysis to establish linear strain-force transfer relationships.
By combining FEM-derived transfer functions with measured strain data, stabilizer bar forces were successfully reconstructed under real operating conditions without the need for conventional physical calibration. Correlation between simulation and test measurements demonstrated the capability of the proposed methodology to estimate component loads with good accuracy.
The results show that virtual strain gauge calibration can significantly reduce reliance on dedicated test rigs and prototype-based calibration activities, enabling earlier load assessment and more efficient chassis development. The methodology is scalable and can be extended to other dynamically loaded suspension and chassis components for durability and vehicle dynamics applications.