Crucial for Vehicle Performance
Ride and Handling (R&H) is one of the most impactful day-to-day aspects of vehicle performance. So, what do we mean by Ride and Handling? In short, it is how a vehicle behaves during operation, how it responds to driver and terrain inputs and how this is reflected in driver confidence and comfort levels for vehicle occupants.
Ride quality is the degree to which occupants are isolated from vibrations and accelerations transmitted by bumps, potholes etc. Another factor to consider is drivability i.e., how the vehicle responds to driver and terrain input and how smooth and steady the vehicle remains when in motion.
Handling refers to the way a vehicle responds to driver inputs during events such as lane change manoeuvres, cornering, and its ability to keep the intended direction.
R&H influences key customer values such as safety, durability, productivity, occupant comfort, manoeuvrability, and on/off road performance. The challenge for vehicle OEM’s is to balance the conflicting R&H requirements i.e., the trade-off between a soft spring rate for ride quality and the need to control body roll during cornering.
R&H is also relevant to unmanned vehicles. By their nature, autonomous Unmanned Ground Vehicles (UGV’s) do not always follow the route that a human driver would and therefore may encounter hazards that could result in mission or vehicle system failures. The difference is you need to protect sensitive electronics instead of human beings!
All the above can be measured virtually or on a physical vehicle and must be evaluated together to ensure overall vehicle safety.
Timoney offers complete vehicle design
With a strong background in vehicle dynamics – and 50 years of global experience – we understand the design process from start to finish so we can make informed recommendations throughout the process.
We know that each vehicle OEM has its own criteria in evaluating ride and handling performance. We offer an independent and purely engineering-based view for our customers. In addition, our team of consultants have worked across all types of vehicles over the years, bringing a deep knowledge of the essential requirements for each vehicle type when it comes to ride and handling.
Sophisticated Modelling Techniques
We started using DADs for dynamic modelling in the mid-1980s to help us validate the design and make positive incremental changes to our designs. With advancements in dynamic modelling and vehicle technologies, we can now virtually model and collect data on vehicle motion and system information to determine and adjust the elements that contribute to overall vehicle performance, throughout the design stage
The range of both virtual modelling and vehicle testing methods we use considers differing driving styles and various weather / road conditions. We know that up to 80% of product development costs are determined by decisions made early in the design process. Our detailed testing ultimately saves customers considerable investment as we can finetune as we go, rather than apply remedial action at the end.
Customer-specific advice and direction
For our defence customers R&H translates into optimsed crew comfort, manoeuvrability and cross-country performance, ensuring your team arrive mission ready.
For customers in the construction sector, where personnel may have to spend up to 8 hours in the vehicle, R&H translates into operator confidence, which influences safety and productivity. We believe a safe machine means a productive operator.
With our customers in fire-fighting vehicles sector, R&H improves vehicle control and stability; boosting driver confidence and influencing safety.
For more information on Ride & Handling Services, or to talk to one of our team, contact us here