Search Results

The development of the natural gas engines Mercedes-Benz has been constantly improved and used in buses in Germany, Australia, and other countries and also in São Paulo City (Brazil). With the purpose to enlarge of the natural gas engine using, DaimlerChrysler do Brasil developed the first extra heavy-duty truck moved by natural gas of Brazil with the engine M447LAG. The vehicle was applied to draw a moving stage called trio elétrico for the carnival 2001 in Salvador City. The electric power to supply the sound and illumination of the moving stage was produced by generating group moved with 2 natural gas engines M366LAG Mercedes-Benz.

With the increasing necessity of reducing the development time of new products, and also the need to evaluate product reliability levels, a trend to rationalize field tests through test benches has been noted. These tests have proved more and more representative and carried out in much lower times and with lower costs. In the automotive industry this trend has generated considerable effort towards making these bench tests more representative of actual conditions towards the increase of their reliability. The quantity of simulated parameters is growing and it becomes necessary to collect more data from ground measurements signal (acceleration, temperature, pressure, flow, etc.) in experimental vehicles.

Competition in Automotive Market is driving the need for more time - and cost - effective testing methods. In the fatigue life analysis of new passenger and commercial vehicle designs, laboratory testing through servohydraulic equipment plays a very important role. In DaimlerChrysler do Brasil, the Durability Test Laboratory represents an important basis to assure high endurance reliability for all kinds of our commercial vehicle applications. In order to respond to the above mentioned testing tasks, this paper will focuse what we call our “New Policy of Durability Tests for Commercial Vehicles”, based on development of simple and low cost Road Simulators, fully dedicated and customized to testing of vehicle components and chassis. Experimental results as well as other data related to consumption of laboratory's: area, utilityes, pressurized hoses and test time, will be used in order to illustrate advantages and disadvantages of the new testing resource.