Project Chrono: Test rigs

Test rigs

# Suspension test rig

ChSuspensionTestRig is a mechanism for testing an entire vehicle suspension assembly. The tested suspension can be specified:

- through a stand-alone JSON file (may or may not include a steering subsystem)
- as a specified axle in a vehicle JSON specification file
- as a specified axle in an existing vehicle (which must have been initialized)

Two variants of the suspension test rig are provided:

- ChSuspensionTestRigPlatform uses two independent rigid platforms to actuate the suspension mechanism through interaction with the tires. See demo_VEH_SuspensionTestRigPlatform.
- ChSuspensionTestRigPushrod applies direct actuation to the wheel spindles. See demo_VEH_SuspensionTestRigPushrod.

The images below show a snapshot from a simulation of ChSuspensionTestRigPlatform (using a front double wishbone suspension and TMeasy tires) and sample output plots.

The following image is a snapshot from a simulation of ChSuspensionTestRigPushrod using a front double wishbone suspension.

# Tire test rig

ChTireTestRig is a mechanism for testing a single tire interacting with rigid, SCM deformable, or granular terrain. All available Chrono::Vehicle tire models can be used with this test rig, but only in conjunction with a consistent terrain model.

The tire test rig allows variation of longitudinal speed, wheel angular speed, and wheel slip angle as functions of time, provides support for automatic selection of longitudinal and angular speeds in order to enforce a specified longitudinal slip value, and allows specifying a camber angle (kept fixed during the simulation).

See demo_VEH_TireTestRig and demo_VEH_TireTestRig_Multicore.

The images below are snapshots from single tire tests, using a Pac02 tire on rigid terrain and a rigid tire on SCM deformable terrain, respectively.