Performing action...
Performing action...
With manufacturing centers throughout the United States, Canada, and Brazil, Volvo Motor Graders provides a comprehensive line of industry-leading construction equipment.
New Cab Design
ITI was commissioned to develop a low-cost durability assessment of a new cab design for the Volvo G-80 grader. Volvo needed to be confident that the new design would withstand the target number of service hours.
Controlled Testing
Rather than put the grader into service for this length of time performing real-time tests, a controlled laboratory test was developed to simulate use. This data could be projected over the life cycle of the cab to ensure that the new design meets all necessary criteria.
To quantify the harsh environment in which the grader must operate effectively, ITI engineers instrumented the earthmover with 17 data channels. While recording acceleration, position, and strain information, the grader was run through its typical paces.
Once the data acquisition was completed, ITI engineers edited the raw data allowing 10 hours of field damage to be reproduced in only a single hour of simulation.
The instrumented cab was installed on a Multi-Axis Simulation Table simulating the operating motion and allowing data to be collected mirroring normal operating field conditions.
Success
Volvo and ITI easily monitored the conditions of the cab as damage was accrued to the structure. By simulating field conditions in the lab, Volvo cut total test time in half and incorporate the new cab design into its G-80 grader line confident in its durability.