Off-highway Vehicle Durability Testing
Assess and validate vehicle and component durability design targets to minimize warranty costs for agricultural, construction, mining, forestry and other off-highway vehicles.
Validating the durability of farm, construction, and off-highway vehicle components is essential to ensure reliability, safety, and minimized warranty costs. Key components include axles, suspensions, steering systems, hydraulics, chassis structures, and powertrain elements. OEMs, Tier 1 suppliers, and independent test laboratories conduct durability testing to replicate harsh operational conditions, identify fatigue and wear mechanisms, and confirm that vehicles meet design life expectations across diverse terrains and load cycles.
Test Methods
Durability evaluation of OHV vehicles and components subjects systems to multi-axis forces, torque, and displacement profiles that simulate real-world operating conditions, including uneven terrain, high loads, and dynamic maneuvers. Tire-coupled road simulators reproduce wheel-to-ground interactions, while multi-axial simulation tables (MAST) generate controlled inputs to evaluate chassis, suspension, and subsystem response. Components and assemblies are exposed to repetitive stress, vibration, and impact sequences to measure fatigue life, stiffness degradation, and structural integrity. Modular test components allow flexibility for different vehicle sizes and configurations. SAE and ISO practices guide load magnitudes, cycles, and failure criteria to ensure consistent, comparable durability results and informed engineering decisions.
Test Results
Durability testing provides quantified insight into component fatigue life, structural integrity, and expected maintenance intervals. Manufacturers, suppliers, and research labs use this data to refine designs, select materials, validate service life, and reduce warranty claims, ensuring vehicles can withstand challenging operational environments reliably.
MTS Product Solutions
MTS offers advanced durability test solutions for OHV vehicles and components. Tire-coupled simulators and multi-axial tables reproduce realistic operating forces and terrains. Modular architectures, precision controllers, and advanced software ensure accurate, repeatable testing. Hydraulic power and distribution systems maintain stable operation during long-duration cycles, enabling confident evaluation of structural and subsystem durability under real-world conditions.
Test Methods
Durability evaluation of OHV vehicles and components subjects systems to multi-axis forces, torque, and displacement profiles that simulate real-world operating conditions, including uneven terrain, high loads, and dynamic maneuvers. Tire-coupled road simulators reproduce wheel-to-ground interactions, while multi-axial simulation tables (MAST) generate controlled inputs to evaluate chassis, suspension, and subsystem response. Components and assemblies are exposed to repetitive stress, vibration, and impact sequences to measure fatigue life, stiffness degradation, and structural integrity. Modular test components allow flexibility for different vehicle sizes and configurations. SAE and ISO practices guide load magnitudes, cycles, and failure criteria to ensure consistent, comparable durability results and informed engineering decisions.
Test Results
Durability testing provides quantified insight into component fatigue life, structural integrity, and expected maintenance intervals. Manufacturers, suppliers, and research labs use this data to refine designs, select materials, validate service life, and reduce warranty claims, ensuring vehicles can withstand challenging operational environments reliably.
MTS Product Solutions
MTS offers advanced durability test solutions for OHV vehicles and components. Tire-coupled simulators and multi-axial tables reproduce realistic operating forces and terrains. Modular architectures, precision controllers, and advanced software ensure accurate, repeatable testing. Hydraulic power and distribution systems maintain stable operation during long-duration cycles, enabling confident evaluation of structural and subsystem durability under real-world conditions.
- Model 320 Tire-Coupled Road Simulators reproduce wheel-to-ground interactions across multiple axes, enabling realistic simulation of off-highway vehicle terrain inputs. They support full-vehicle and subsystem durability testing, ensuring repeatable evaluation of structural and suspension performance under harsh operating conditions.
- Multi-Axial Simulation Table (MAST) Systems apply controlled, multi-axis forces and motions to vehicle subsystems. They replicate dynamic operational loads, including vibration, torsion, and impact, enabling accelerated durability assessment of axles, suspensions, and chassis components.
- FlexTest® Controllers provide high-bandwidth, multi-axis control and data acquisition for long-duration durability tests. They ensure precise load application, synchronization, and repeatable execution of complex test sequences.
- Modular Components for Automotive Test Applications allow flexible fixturing and actuator integration, adapting to diverse OHV vehicle geometries and subsystem configurations for consistent durability evaluation.
- RPC® Connect Software converts real-world load data into actionable test profiles. It supports accelerated, repeatable durability testing with accurate replication of operational conditions.
- Series 295 Hydraulic Service Manifolds deliver regulated, stable hydraulic flow to durability test systems. They enable consistent actuator performance during extended testing of vehicles and subsystems.
- SilentFlo™ 515 & 525 Hydraulic Power Units provide quiet, reliable hydraulic power for long-duration testing. Their precise control ensures stable operation of simulators and multi-axial tables, maintaining accuracy throughout extensive OHV durability programs.
