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The cabin or cab is an enclosed space where the driver and co-driver are seated. Structural parameters such as modal and stiffness characteristics are of key importance for its durability study and driver’s comfort. The desired strength and stiffness value of the cabin have to be met at the development phase itself. In developing new cabin models numerical simulations are used for estimating vehicle performance to reduce the development cycle. But, the conventional method of modeling the cabin using 2-d elements and performing subsequent iteration steps to arrive at the desired stiffness and strength value will be cumbersome and time consuming. Thus, a methodology of FE modeling of the truck cabin using 1-D elements has been proposed in this paper which will reduce the analysis time of successive iterations. For this purpose an existing proven driver’s cabin is modeled using 1-D elements.

The main emphasis for a commercial vehicle design which was focused on fuel-economy and durability does not fulfill the increasing customer expectations anymore. Commercial vehicle designers need to focus on other vehicle aspects such as steering, ride comfort, NVH, braking, ergonomics and aesthetics in order to provide car like perception to truck, bus drivers and passengers during long distance drives. Powertrain mounting system must perform many functions. First and foremost, the mounting system must maintain & control the overall motion of the powertrain, to restrict its envelope reasonably, thereby avoiding damage to any vehicle component from the potential impact. This requires the mount to be stiff. Second the mount must provide good vibration isolation to have a comfortable ride to the vehicle occupant. This requires the mount to be soft.