The Freightliner Group has unveiled new capabilities at its Test Engineering operation in the South Bend IN area. The proving grounds now include a new, 24,600-square-foot building with equipment for servicing test vehicles and offices for Freightliner engineering staff.
The group uses the 675-acre South Bend-area facility to test all of the vehicles manufactured by the company's brands. Vehicle testing activities conducted here include accelerated structural durability evaluations, brake system development and certification, stability testing, interior/exterior noise testing, power train endurance, cold weather performance, and fuel economy.
Accelerated durability testing is the principal activity conducted by Freightliner Test Engineering at the proving grounds. This activity evaluates the structural integrity and reliability of every component on the test vehicle. The test course used produces up to 83:1 acceleration ratio: every mile driven on the test course is equivalent to about 83 miles in real-world operation. Over the course of a year, vehicles at the proving grounds accumulate the equivalent of millions of miles of operation.
The durability course on the property includes such features as chatter bumps, inverted chatter bumps, impact bumps, staggered bumps, cobblestones, chuck holes, an undulating road, and a resonance road. After vehicles complete their specified test runs, they are evaluated by Freightliner Group test engineers for the nature of wear and tear.
The new test facility includes eight drive-through bays for inspecting vehicles and their trailers, plus a 45-ft drive-over pit for servicing trucks and buses.Three overhead cranes will cover the length of the building. Also housed in the structure will be computer hardware and software tools for diagnosing and recalibrating vehicles.
The Freightliner Group also tests some of the latest innovations in truck safety technology at the South Bend-area proving grounds. Systems evaluated here include Roll Advisor & Control and Electronic Stability Control.
The South Bend-area proving grounds used by The Freightliner Group are owned by Robert Bosch Corp.