Virtual Proving Ground

Under the supervision of Prof Mike Blundell this project will take place in collaboration with MIRA and is intended to provide a significant step forward in the drive towards total virtual prototyping in the automotive industry. Currently the automotive industry and companies like MIRA make use of physical test tracks and proving grounds to establish:

1. Ride and Handling Performance
2. Durability and representation of Road Load Data (RLD)

In each of these areas, challenges remain in undertaking similar analyses using simulation methods. For instance, ride simulations are often limited to virtual 4 poster tests and driving over abstract representations of road features such as gullies and impact strips rather than a replay of virtual proving ground (VPG) surfaces. For vehicle durability, proving ground tests involve driving over aggressive surfaces such as potholes or Belgian Pave. The loads acting through the tyre and into the vehicle can be measured and are referred to as Road Load Data.

Clearly, for ride and RLD simulations, the correct representation of the tyre is critical but more sophisticated tyre models that can capture the structural behaviour of the tyre and the ground/terrain enveloping performance are needed. Also, the modelling of proving ground and road surfaces as well as off road terrain also present challenges.

This research studentship has been proposed in collaboration with and will benefit from the active supervision, support and participation of MIRA, a leading Motor Industry organisation in the UKhttp://www.mira.co.uk/. It is expected that the research student will spend a significant proportion of time at MIRA's facilities to support their research investigations and will need their own transport

• A minimum of a 2:1 first degree in a relevant discipline/subject area with a minimum 60% mark in the Project element or equivalent with a minimum 60% overall module average.
• or in the event of a first degree classification of less than 2:1, a Masters Degree in a relevant subject area will be considered as an equivalent. The Masters must have been attained with overall marks at merit level (60%). In addition, the dissertation or equivalent element in the Masters must also have been attained with a mark at merit level (60%).
• the potential to engage in innovative research and to complete the PhD within a three-year period of study
• a minimum of English language proficiency (IELTS overall minimum score of 7.0 with a minimum of 6.5 in each component)
• knowledge and/or experience in the subject field
• a good knowledge of vehicle dynamics and simulations and an understanding of simulation methods
• dissertation with experimental, modelling or analytical experience
• experience of (or a willingness to quickly learn) about simulation and analysis(using ADAMS or MATLAB/Simulink) and implementation in languages such as C or Java

Enquiries may be addressed to:

Professor Mike Blundell m.blundell<στο>coventry.ac.uk