Customer Projects
Our automotive customers range from research institutions to OEMs and Tier 1 vehicle system suppliers. Here, two of our partners talk about how they have used our simulators.
Mercedes C-Class demonstrator
Daimler uses simulators to demonstrate the feel of developments in ride on its new vehicles. With a so called "Digital Prototype" its engineers can test and compare suspension parts and other key components such as tyres, shock absorbers, springs, seats, engine mounts and car structure in a consistent, repeatable environment without the cost and development time associated with taking hardware prototype vehicles to a real proving ground. Based on very realistic and accurate simulation, experts and management can feel and understand engineering changes for themselves which enables key vehicle dynamics decisions to be taken.
Daimler asked Cruden to help the international media understand the difference between different ride settings at the launch of the Mercedes C-Class. Cruden supplied a 6DOF 'Ride simulator' which allows up to two people, seated on a motion platform, to experience the car's ride with different components and to compare to competitor cars.
"The new C-Class is the first vehicle which has been developed with digital prototypes. Hence we could solve the conflict between ride comfort and lateral agility in the very early stage of development in order to present our customer the best car in class. The ride simulator from Cruden played an important role in this digital development. Test drivers could subjectively evaluate our digital solutions und thereby optimise the car."
Dipl. Ing. Rüdiger Faul
Former Senior Manager - Vehicle dynamics, simulation and analysis
Daimler AG, Stuttgart, Germany
The Virginia Institute for Performance Engineering and Research
The Virginia Institute for Performance Engineering and Research (VIPER) is a unique collaborative venture which combines world class talent and state-of-the-art testing and development assets with the research capabilities of both Virginia Tech and Old Dominion. With facilities located at Virginia International Raceway (VIR) and NASA Langley, VIPER provides a full suite of performance engineering services, research opportunities and educational programmes. Its broad spectrum of customers - ranging from club racers and championship-winning works race teams, to cutting edge start-ups, the Department of Defense, and niche and multinational vehicle manufacturers - have access to the Cruden simulator for driver training and evaluation, virtual prototype testing, stochastic driver model development and entertainment uses.
"When VIPER began looking to source a full motion driving simulator, our requirements were quite lofty. VIPER as a blended service and research organisation wanted a system which not only provided a high fidelity driving simulation experience, but also one that had the versatility and flexibility to be used in a research environment. We not only found a system that met our requirements in the Hexatech, but we also found the perfect development partner in Cruden. The Hexatech has given us the ability to provide world-class driving simulation experiences to our customers, while also providing us the tools we need to push forward the state-of-the-art in vehicle dynamics simulation."
Steve C. Southward
Associate Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering (0238). The Virginia Institute for Performance Research and Engineering (VIPER), Alton, VA, USA
For more information, go to www.viperservice.com