Search Results

The optimal design of hybrid-electric vehicle power systems poses a challenge to the system analyst, who is presented with a host of parameters to fine-tune, along with stringent performance criteria and multiple design objectives to meet. Herein, a methodology is presented to transform such a design task into a constrained multi-objective optimization problem, which is solved using a distributed evolutionary algorithm. A power system model representative of a series hybrid-electric vehicle is considered as a paradigm to support the illustration of the proposed methodology, with particular emphasis on the power system's time-domain performance.

Utilizing simulation technology is important for designing a structure with increased survivability to a load from an explosion. The pressure wave from the blast and the fragments hitting the structure must be simulated in such an analysis. Commercial software can be utilized through the development of appropriate interfaces for performing such computations. In this paper an approach is presented for combining commercially available Eulerian and Lagrangian solvers for performing blast event simulations. A capability has been developed for automatically creating the Eulerian finite element given the finite element model for the structure. The effect of moisture in the soil properties is considered during the generation of the soil - explosive - air model used by the Eulerian solver. Tracers are defined in the Eulerian model for all structural finite elements which are on the outer part of the structure and are subjected to the load from the blast.

The United States Research, Development, and Engineering Command's Tank Automotive Research, Development and Engineering Center (U.S. Army RDECOM-TARDEC) laboratories, in accordance with a Science and Technology Objective (STO), are looking for both real-time and non real-time modeling and simulation methods to advance the capabilities and methodologies used in the Army's Modeling and Simulation areas. Advancing technologies require TARDEC to model new components and vehicles that may be significantly different from prior systems. TARDEC's ultimate goal is to develop the capability to model and accurately recreate the behaviors of advance technologies that may present themselves in the Army's Transformation and its Future Combat System (FCS) of vehicles in real-time with the soldier-in-the-loop. This paper discusses TARDEC's effort to accomplish this goal.

One of the main threats to military vehicles originates from landmine blasts. In order to improve the survivability of the occupants it is important to design a military vehicle for increased occupant safety. Simulation technology that combines modeling of the blast loads from the landmine explosion, the response of the vehicle to the blast load, and the loads developed on the members of an occupant are important factors in this effort. Uncertainties from the soil properties can influence the blast loads and thus the occupants' safety. In this paper, principal component analysis along with metamodel theory are employed for developing fast running models for the response functions of interest. The response functions of interest are the time domain loads which are developed on an occupant's members due to the blast. The fast running models allow assessing the probability level associated with injury for an occupant.

One of the main threats to military vehicles originates from landmine blasts. In order to improve the survivability of the occupants it is important to design a military vehicle for increased occupant safety. Simulation technology that combines modeling of the blast loads from the landmine explosion, the response of the vehicle to the blast load, and the loads developed on the members of an occupant are important factors in this effort. The ability to simulate the landmine explosion is validated first by comparing simulation results to test data collected by gages placed in the ground and above the ground. Combined simulations predicting the damage to a target structure due to a landmine explosion are also compared to test data for further validation. Principal component analysis and metamodel theory is employed for generating fast running models in order to adjust the soil parameters in the simulation models during the correlation effort.

This document presents the results of computer-based, vehicle dynamics performance assessments of Future Truck concepts with such features as a variable height, hydraulic, trailing arm suspension, skid steering, and in-hub electric drive motors. Fully three-dimensional Future Truck models were created using a commercially available modeling and simulation methodology and limited validation studies were performed by comparing model predictions with baseline, validated model predictions from another vehicle in the same size and class as the Future Truck concept vehicles. The models were considered accurate enough to predict various aspects of ride quality and stability performance, critical to US Army Objective Force mission needs. One-to-one comparisons of the Future Truck concepts and a standard, solid-axle, Heavy Tactical Vehicle (HTV) operating in various terrain and obstacle negotiation conditions were performed.

The vertical force generated from terrain-tire interaction has long been of interest for vehicle dynamic simulations and chassis development. To improve simulation efficiency while still providing reliable load prediction, a terrain pre-filtering technique using a constraint mode tire model is developed. The wheel is assumed to convey one quarter of the vehicle load constantly. At each location along the tire's path, the wheel center height is adjusted until the spindle load reaches the pre-designated load. The resultant vertical trajectory of the wheel center can be used as an equivalent terrain profile input to a simplified tire model. During iterative simulations, the filtered terrain profile, coupled with a simple point follower tire model is used to predict the spindle force. The same vehicle dynamic simulation system coupled with constraint mode tire model is built to generate reference forces.