Browse Topic: Durability
Durability validation of full vehicle structures is crucial to ensure long-term performance and structural integrity under real-world loading conditions. Physical test strain and finite element (FE) strain correlation is vital for accurate fatigue damage predictions. During torture track testing of the prototype vehicle, wheel center loads were measured using wheel force transducers (WFTs). In same prototype strain time histories were recorded at critical structural locations using strain gauges. Preliminary FE analysis was carried out to find out critical stress locations, which provided the basis for placement of strain gauges. Measured loads at wheel centers were then used in Multi Body Dynamics (MBD) simulations to calculate the loads at all suspension mount points on BIW. Using the loads at hard points transient analyses were performed to find out structural stress response. Strain outputs from the FE model were compared with physical measurements. Insights gained from these
Researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) have developed an innovative new technique using carbon nanofibers to enhance binding in carbon fiber and other fiber-reinforced polymer composites — an advance likely to improve structural materials for automobiles, airplanes and other applications that require lightweight and strong materials.
A team of engineers has developed a low-cost, durable, highly-sensitive robotic ‘skin’ that can be added to robotic hands like a glove, enabling robots to detect information about their surroundings in a way that’s similar to humans.
Scientists have produced a new, powerful electricity-conducting material that could improve wearable technologies, including medical devices. The new technique uses hyaluronic acid applied directly to a gold-plated surface to create a thinner, more durable film, or polymer, used to conduct electricity in devices like biosensors. It could lead to major improvements in the function, cost, and usability of devices like touchscreens and wearable biosensors.
As mission-critical systems demand more processing power, real-time data movement, and multi-domain interoperability, rugged embedded systems are being transformed. Today's military and aerospace applications increasingly demand the merging of AI computing, enhanced sensor interfaces, and cybersecurity - all under harsh environmental conditions. At the heart of this evolution is the 3U OpenVPX form factor, a modular, compact, and ruggedized hardware standard and increasingly the SOSA aligned subset of the architecture. However, next-generation systems need to go further: supporting higher bandwidth, better thermal efficiency, improved security, while maintaining multi-vendor interoperability and long-term sustainability. We'll discuss some of today's enclosure solutions as well as emerging technologies.
Engineers at the University of California San Diego have achieved a long-sought milestone in photonics: creating tiny optical devices that are both highly sensitive and durable — two qualities that have long been considered fundamentally incompatible.
A fiber sensor inspired by the shape of DNA, developed by researchers at Shinshu University, introduces a new design for more durable, flexible fiber sensors in wearables. Traditional fiber sensors have electrodes at both ends, which often fail under repeated movement when placed on body joints. The proposed double-helical design, however, places both electrodes on one end, allowing the sensor to endure repeated stretching and movement, effectively addressing a key limitation of conventional wearable sensors.
The continuous improvement of validation methodologies for mobility industry components is essential to ensure vehicle quality, safety, and performance. In the context of mechanical suspensions, leaf springs play a crucial role in vehicle dynamics, comfort, and durability. Material validation is based on steel production data, complemented by laboratory analyses such as tensile testing, hardness measurements, metallography, and residual stress analysis, ensuring that mechanical properties meet fatigue resistance requirements and expected durability. For performance evaluation, fatigue tests are conducted under vertical loads, with the possibility of including "windup" simulations when necessary. To enhance correlation accuracy, original suspension components are used during testing, allowing for a more precise validation of the entire system. Additionally, dynamic stiffness measurements provide valuable input for vehicle dynamics and suspension geometry analysis software, aiding in
U.S. Army researchers, in collaboration with academic partners, invented a stronger copper that could help advance defense, energy and aerospace industries thanks to its ability to endure unprecedented temperature and pressure extremes. Extreme materials experts at the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command (DEVCOM) Army Research Laboratory built on a decade of scientific success to develop a new way to create alloys that enable Army-relevant properties that were previously unachievable. An alloy is a combination of a metal with other metals or nonmetals.
Researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) have developed an innovative new technique using carbon nanofibers to enhance binding in carbon fiber and other fiber-reinforced polymer composites — an advance likely to improve structural materials for automobiles, airplanes and other applications that require lightweight and strong materials.
Solar panels are composed of dozens of solar cells, which are usually made of silicon. While silicon is the standard, producing and processing it is energy-intensive, making it costly to build new solar panel manufacturing facilities. Most of the world’s solar cells are made in China, which has an abundance of silicon. To increase solar cell production in the U.S., a new, easily produced domestic material is needed. “We’re developing technologies that we can easily produce without spending a ton of money on expensive equipment,” said Juan-Pablo Correa-Baena, an Associate Professor in the School of Materials Science and Engineering.
ACT Expo 2025 had a fleet of new commercial vehicle launches as well as displays for models already on the market. One such existing chassis was the Workhorse W56, an electric step van designed for Class 5/6 last-mile delivery. Unlike many of its competitors, Workhorse did not set out to be a technological leader with the W56. Rather, the company took the approach of leveraging the best of the currently available and applicable technologies to produce a durable, reliable and producible product that just happened to be powered by electrons.
This SAE Recommended Practice is intended to give information to engineers and designers in order that access to a passenger handgrip, when used, is easily obtained, and that such handgrips offer maximum safety for a person at least as large as a 95th percentile adult male during snowmobile operation.
Boston Scientific entered 2025 with significant momentum. Fresh off a standout first quarter, the company’s leadership has outlined a compelling vision for sustainable long-term growth rooted in high-performing cardiology franchises, operational precision, and disruptive technologies in electrophysiology (EP). Leaders spoke at a recent Bank of America Healthcare Conference. The discussion marked outgoing CFO Dan Brennan’s final investor presentation and underscored Boston Scientific’s transformation into one of medtech’s most durable growth stories.
For the team at SmartCap, building top-notch gear for outdoor adventurers isn’t just a business — it’s a passion driven by their own love for the wild. But as demand for their rugged, modular truck caps soared after their move to North America in 2022, they hit a snag: How do you ramp up production without sacrificing the meticulous quality you are known for, all while navigating a tough labor market? Their answer? A bold step into the world of intelligent automation, teaming up with GrayMatter Robotics, and employing the company’s innovative Scan&Sand™ system.
The half vehicle spindle-coupled multi-axial input durability test has been broadly used in the laboratory to evaluate the fatigue performance of the vehicle chassis systems by automotive suppliers and OEMs. In the lab, the front or rear axle assembly is usually held by fixtures at the interfaces where it originally connects to the vehicle body. The fixture stiffness is vital for the laboratory test to best replicate the durability test in the field at a full vehicle level especially when the subframe of the front or rear axle is hard mounted to the vehicle body. In this work, a multi-flexible body dynamics (MFBD) model in Adams/Car was utilized to simulate a full vehicle field test over various road events (rough road, braking, steering). The wheel center loads were then used as inputs for the spindle coupled simulations of the front axle with a non-isolated subframe. Three types of fixtures including trimmed vehicle body, a rigid fixture with softer connections and a rigid fixture
This paper reviews the current situation in the terms and definitions that influence the development of testing and prediction in automotive, aerospace and other areas of engineering. The accuracy of these terms and definitions is very important for correct simulation, testing and prediction. This paper aims to define accurate terms and definitions. It also includes the author’s recommendations for improving this situation and preparing new standards.
Aerospace and defense system designers are demanding scalable and high-performance I/O solutions. While traditional mezzanine standards have proven reliable, they often fall short of meeting modern bandwidth, size, and flexibility requirements. This challenge is particularly evident in aerospace and defense applications where high-speed data processing must align with stringent size, weight, and power (SWaP) constraints. Current mezzanine solutions also face significant limitations in scalability, thermal management, and I/O density. These constraints can lead to compromised system performance and limited upgrade paths in applications where adaptability is crucial. This article explores how the new VITA 93 (QMC) standard addresses these challenges through its innovative QMC architecture, enabling unprecedented flexibility, scalability, and rugged reliability while maintaining compatibility with existing and future systems. It also covers how VITA 93 (QMC) builds on lessons learned from
A team at MIT has moved beyond traditional trial-and-error methods to create materials with extraordinary performance through computational design. Their new system integrates physical experiments, physics-based simulations, and neural networks to navigate the discrepancies often found between theoretical models and practical results. One of the most striking outcomes: the discovery of microstructured composites — used in everything from cars to airplanes — that are much tougher and durable, with an optimal balance of stiffness and toughness.
To save on fuel and reduce aircraft emissions, engineers are looking to build lighter, stronger airplanes out of advanced composites. These engineered materials are made from high-performance fibers that are embedded in polymer sheets. The sheets can be stacked and pressed into one multilayered material and made into extremely lightweight and durable structures.
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