The Stuttgart Messe is one of the finest exhibition venues in Europe.

2009 SHOW REVIEW

 

The very latest in dynamics simulation technologies stole the show at Vehicle Dynamics Expo 2009.

This is an unusual year for automotive exhibitions. September’s IAA in Frankfurt, for example, will be without Honda, Nissan, and Mitsubishi, as OEMs and suppliers alike seek to keep costs under control until sales volumes rise again.

With this in mind, the showfloor atmosphere at Vehicle Dynamics Expo 2009 came as no surprise: the event was smaller than in previous years, but as show visitor Koen Reybrouck from Tenneco commented, “The Expo remains a good place to meet people. I’m still here for several days to meet a number of colleagues from all over the world and in future years I’m sure that it will be bigger and better again.” Read more...

 

IFR showcases innovative dynamics technologies

One of the most eye-catching exhibits belonged to IFR Automotive. Pride of place on the stand went to the high-tech Spanish firm’s Aspid technology demonstrator sports car. With innovative twin-disc brakes, a lightweight alloy structure claimed to be 10 times stiffer than a conventional spaceframe, and the company’s patented, reinforced extruded alloy suspension wishbones, this machine is a showcase for state-of-the-art dynamics technologies. Creuat’s centrally linked suspension system is also being evaluated for the car, which is set to go into low-volume production.

IFR’s CEO Ignacio Fernandez Rodriguez was also on hand to answer questions from visitors about IFR’s growing business as a design and engineering consultancy, with the capability to prototype new technologies or even design a full vehicle for an OEM through to the first physical prototype stage. About 70% of IFR’s work is dynamics-related, and the firm is currently engaged on two major OEM contracts, with the prospect of more being added in the coming months.

 

Focus on simulation at Vehicle Dynamics Expo

In 2009 more than ever, vehicle dynamics simulation tools were attracting the attention of visitors to Messe Stuttgart’s Hall 3, with many of the industry’s leading players exhibiting this year. And there were plenty of new features and functionalities on show…

Key to the latest release from Altair, HyperWorks 10.0, is co-simulation capability with Fluidon’s DSHplus software, and Simulink. The firm promises that more extensive changes are in the pipeline for version 11.0, while a dedicated dynamics software solution is also under development by the company, and could make its debut at Vehicle Dynamics Expo 2010.

Meanwhile Mechanical Simulation Corp presented CarSim 8, which supports encrypted datasets that allow OEMs to provide suppliers with validated CarSim data in a confidential format. Encrypted data is shown in green on the GUI. The new release also adds FTire to the list of supported tyre models. Simulator specialist Simtec works extensively with CarSim, and was sharing a booth with the software company in Stuttgart.

There were further novelties at dSPACE, where the focus was on enhancements to the ModelDesk front end for real-time models built in Simulink. For dSPACE’s release 6.4, which arrives in July, the ability to conduct vehicle dynamics simulations on an articulated truck and trailer has been added, with the ability to quickly switch between axle configurations via ModelDesk.

 

More suspension innovations from Magneti Marelli

Having made headlines in the past with Synaptic Damping Control (now in production on the Lancia Delta) and the U-link rear axle, Magneti Marelli was once more in the limelight at Vehicle Dynamics Expo 2009.

The subject of the firm’s presentation to the Open Technology Forum on Day 1 was Personal Dynamic Tuning (PDT), the exact specification of which is being evaluated for a possible limited launch into the automotive aftermarket before the end of 2009, with the potential for OE-fit further in the future.

Under the PDT system, the driver can choose from a range of customisation to the car’s adaptive dampers that goes far beyond the two- or three-stage switches typically found in vehicles that feature electronic damping. A personal information device is used to control attributes such as understeer/oversteer and dive/squat. There’s even the possibility that the system could be linked to the satnav, in order to calculate recommended settings for the route to be driven.

Also on Marelli’s stand was a twist-beam rear axle with an arched tube, suitable for accommodating a differential in AWD versions of B- or C-segment cars that also come with twist-beam rear ends in FWD form. The firm revealed that it has a production contract for the item, although the unnamed vehicle is still several years from market launch, and added that tightly packaged alternative fuel vehicles, such as those with an underfloor gas tank, would also be suited to the arched-tube hardware.