Vehicle Vibration Test Laboratory
We have designed, built, and used the Vehicle Vibration Test Laboratory. The University has designated this facility as Building 211 on North Campus, Goddard Drive, Norman, OK. The Vehicle Vibration Test Laboratory is a newly-commissioned facility dedicated to full-scale vibration testing of trucks and automobiles in support of the development of advanced shock absorber assemblies for these vehicles. The steel building includes a climate-controlled control room, as well as additional space for parking a tractor-trailer.
The centerpiece of the Vehicle Vibration Test Laboratory is a four-post road simulator manufactured by MTS Systems Corporation. The simulator can be adjusted to accommodate various vehicle sizes by moving the actuators and repositioning the floor panels. This class of simulator is currently available at only four locations nationwide; the OU Laboratory is the only non-profit location for this equipment. This class of simulator is capable of supporting fully-loaded chassis while providing vertical displacement inputs to each of the four corners of the trailer's double rear axle; this arrangement could also be used for a traditional four wheel vehicle, e.g., an automobile. During load cycling, each of the four actuators is controlled individually to simulate the input of real road profiles to the vehicle suspension systems. Each actuator can generate a maximum of 22,000 pounds of force and can develop up to six inches of displacement at a maximum frequency of 50 Hertz. Each actuator can also be moved independently in sinusoidal or square wave patterns. An isolation pit was included in the construction.
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These laboratory facilities allowed the researchers to investigate the effects of the Smart Shock Absorber System on the vibration of the truck chassis under carefully controlled input conditions. In the future, this facility will enable researchers to more efficiently develop new classes of active and semi-active vibration absorbers that will reduce damage to and extend the lives of vehicle chassis, pavements, and bridge structures.
